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A review by mollymortensen
Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff
4.0
The Bad:
It was really hard for me to get into this book because of all of the long descriptions. I enjoyed the atmosphere he created, but there was just too much. I was bored! And there was way too much Japanese. I watch a lot of anime, so most of the words were familiar to me but did we really need to know what kind of silk robe the Shogun's assistant was wearing?
I also didn't care about any of the characters. Yukiko acted like a brat to her dad and Kasume. (The lady hunter) It's understandable, he's a drunk who had an affair, but she's still disrespectful. (And I know that makes me sound old.)
We don't exactly meet Yukiko's father and Akihito (her dad's friend and fellow hunter) at their best. They're in a drunken bar fight and Yukiko has to bail them out. Yukiko doesn't know what they'll do for food this month since all the money they have left is her's (her father gambled all his away) so what does she do? Gives all of her money away to a beggar girl…
I don't understand why Yukiko keeps thinking about "the boy with green eyes" aka a soldier she met once and barely spoke to and who was going to kill a dog (on orders from the shogun) is beyond me. She met a boy named Kin on the ship and he was nice and they rather hit it off, but of course she never thought of him that way.
Warning: Really sad flashback to when her dog died. (And another of when she lost her twin brother.)
The Good:
I almost gave up, but I kept reading because of the promise of a magical Arashitota (thunder tiger, kinda like a gryphon) and because the world building was interesting. I'm not a huge fan of steampunk, but this world was definitely unique. Yes, it has your typical airships and mechanical men, but everything is powered by these Lotus flowers which are destroying the world.
I'm glad I kept reading because once we meet Buruu, (the tiger) it got so much better! He's by far my favorite! His witty voice is definitely the highlight of this book. The part in the forest was the best! I loved Yukiko and Buruu's growing friendship.
Things got more exciting
The ending was darker, and I really hated the shogun, but I was mostly satisfied with how it ended.
Though I really liked this book, I hated the second one, and definitely recommend you stop here. I wish I had.
It was really hard for me to get into this book because of all of the long descriptions. I enjoyed the atmosphere he created, but there was just too much. I was bored! And there was way too much Japanese. I watch a lot of anime, so most of the words were familiar to me but did we really need to know what kind of silk robe the Shogun's assistant was wearing?
I also didn't care about any of the characters. Yukiko acted like a brat to her dad and Kasume. (The lady hunter) It's understandable, he's a drunk who had an affair, but she's still disrespectful. (And I know that makes me sound old.)
We don't exactly meet Yukiko's father and Akihito (her dad's friend and fellow hunter) at their best. They're in a drunken bar fight and Yukiko has to bail them out. Yukiko doesn't know what they'll do for food this month since all the money they have left is her's (her father gambled all his away) so what does she do? Gives all of her money away to a beggar girl…
I don't understand why Yukiko keeps thinking about "the boy with green eyes" aka a soldier she met once and barely spoke to and who was going to kill a dog (on orders from the shogun) is beyond me. She met a boy named Kin on the ship and he was nice and they rather hit it off, but of course she never thought of him that way.
Warning: Really sad flashback to when her dog died. (And another of when she lost her twin brother.)
The Good:
I almost gave up, but I kept reading because of the promise of a magical Arashitota (thunder tiger, kinda like a gryphon) and because the world building was interesting. I'm not a huge fan of steampunk, but this world was definitely unique. Yes, it has your typical airships and mechanical men, but everything is powered by these Lotus flowers which are destroying the world.
I'm glad I kept reading because once we meet Buruu, (the tiger) it got so much better! He's by far my favorite! His witty voice is definitely the highlight of this book. The part in the forest was the best! I loved Yukiko and Buruu's growing friendship.
Things got more exciting
Spoiler
after she meets the rebels, but I didn't like the parts back in the palace as much since she was mostly away from Buruu, and dating that horrible Hiro. Buruu did have something hilarious to say about that! He's so funny!The ending was darker, and I really hated the shogun, but I was mostly satisfied with how it ended.
Spoiler
I hated that her dad died, (And Kasume) even if it happened in a heroic way, but at least the Shogun died too. I'm so glad that Kin didn't betray her! I like that guy. Maybe she'll eventually like him too. (But she'll most likely fall for a cute rebel…)Though I really liked this book, I hated the second one, and definitely recommend you stop here. I wish I had.