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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
Definitely my favorite steampunk to date. The world was intriguing, the characters deeply and complexly developed. Buruu especially was a joy to see grow. A lot of expansive description made this a slower than normal read, but it was fun and satisfying.
I found this book by chance at the store, and I'd never heard of it before. It was the striking cover that caught my eye, but then--like most people, probably--I saw "Japanese Steampunk" and bought it without a second thought. I had to try it just for that. I wasn't expecting it to be an epic tale that would sweep me off my feet, but perhaps it would be; it might be intricate and well-researched, it might not be.
I agree with the sentiments of many: repetitive description (how many more times can you use 'toxic' or 'greasy'?), improper usage of the few words of Japanese used in dialogue ('hai', 'sama'). Sometimes I did really enjoy the writing. I enjoyed the characters and the worldbuilding, the feudal setting, the harsh environment and war; it has a lot of potential that it doesn't fill. Maybe it doesn't have to, but it doesn't do as much as it could with the setting. It was a good book, but it didn't blow me away, as a book of this type could have done to this student of Japanese language and history...
I'll probably pick up Kinslayer, though. I want to see where it goes.
I agree with the sentiments of many: repetitive description (how many more times can you use 'toxic' or 'greasy'?), improper usage of the few words of Japanese used in dialogue ('hai', 'sama'). Sometimes I did really enjoy the writing. I enjoyed the characters and the worldbuilding, the feudal setting, the harsh environment and war; it has a lot of potential that it doesn't fill. Maybe it doesn't have to, but it doesn't do as much as it could with the setting. It was a good book, but it didn't blow me away, as a book of this type could have done to this student of Japanese language and history...
I'll probably pick up Kinslayer, though. I want to see where it goes.
La verdad es que no sé muy bien por dónde empezar con esta reseña. Ha sido un libro que, si bien me ha dejado una sensación bastante buena en el tema literario, como conocedor, aunque sea en pequeño grado, de la cultura japonesa —que se supone es la base para la historia— me resultan bastante molestos algunas decisiones del autor. Empecemos por la parte buena: la historia, los personajes y el estilo. Luego ya haré una pequeña crítica sobre esos temas más tangenciales a la historia, como son los tratamientos entre personajes o los detalles japoneses.
Sigue leyendo...
Sigue leyendo...
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It is such a quick decision that i will not read this books trilogy in the future. I know the blurb is kinda interesting steampunk - Dystopian world setting in Japan/China. However i can't ignore such as grammatical error for "HAI" and "SAMA":
SAMA :
"That is more than fair." [...] "Ameterasu bless your kindness, sama."
"I want for nothing. Thank you, sama."
"He slew Boukyaku, young sama. The sea dragon who consumed the island of Takaiyama."
"Honor to you, great sama."
"What is Raijin song, sama?"
"Forgiveness, sama."
"Apologies, sama."
HAI :
"These cloudwalkers were men of the kitsune clan, hai?"
"I have no doubt of your success. The man who stood beside my father as he slew the last nagaraja of Shima will not be trouble by a simple thunder tiger, hai?"
"You must keep it secret." [...] "It is a gift, hai, but it is not one to be squandered..."
"The solitude is pleasant, hai?"
"I can get into the trees, hai."
"Just deck-hands on a sky-ship, hai?"
I am getting annoyed read that parts and There are other things that i don't like even before i read this books!
Q2. How much research did you have to do with regards to authenticity?
Less than people seem to think. It’s kinda odd – I’ve had people ask if I did a degree in Japanese studies, but the closest I’ve come is reading all six volumes of AKIRA in a week. Maybe I’d picked up a lot of detail through film and manga that I’ve consumed down through the years, but Wikipedia was really my go-to-guy. I have a friend who lives in Japan who I bounce ideas off too. I pay him with the promise of booze.
Source : https://dashcooray.wordpress.com/2012/07/30/an-interview-with-jay-kristoff-stormdancer/
I just wanna say thank you to Cyna since i can make a decision to put this one into my bookshelves as "Will-not-read"
SAMA :
"That is more than fair." [...] "Ameterasu bless your kindness, sama."
"I want for nothing. Thank you, sama."
"He slew Boukyaku, young sama. The sea dragon who consumed the island of Takaiyama."
"Honor to you, great sama."
"What is Raijin song, sama?"
"Forgiveness, sama."
"Apologies, sama."
HAI :
"These cloudwalkers were men of the kitsune clan, hai?"
"I have no doubt of your success. The man who stood beside my father as he slew the last nagaraja of Shima will not be trouble by a simple thunder tiger, hai?"
"You must keep it secret." [...] "It is a gift, hai, but it is not one to be squandered..."
"The solitude is pleasant, hai?"
"I can get into the trees, hai."
"Just deck-hands on a sky-ship, hai?"
I am getting annoyed read that parts and There are other things that i don't like even before i read this books!
Q2. How much research did you have to do with regards to authenticity?
Less than people seem to think. It’s kinda odd – I’ve had people ask if I did a degree in Japanese studies, but the closest I’ve come is reading all six volumes of AKIRA in a week. Maybe I’d picked up a lot of detail through film and manga that I’ve consumed down through the years, but Wikipedia was really my go-to-guy. I have a friend who lives in Japan who I bounce ideas off too. I pay him with the promise of booze.
Source : https://dashcooray.wordpress.com/2012/07/30/an-interview-with-jay-kristoff-stormdancer/
I just wanna say thank you to Cyna since i can make a decision to put this one into my bookshelves as "Will-not-read"
3.5 stars. Too violent for me but wonderful world building.
This book took FOREVER to read because of uni work but I'm glad I've finished it. I struggled to get into it at the beginning and wanted to quit a few times but I got into it when the story intensified. There were loads of characters and I did lose track of who was who. Overall Jay Kristoff's writing was very beautiful and I did fall in love with the story however it will be a while before I read the next one.
Also the next book is out of stock so idk how I'm going to get over that hurdle.
Also the next book is out of stock so idk how I'm going to get over that hurdle.
