roseice's review against another edition
2.0
This one wasn't for me. As someone who has immersed herself in Japanese culture for over 15 years and lived in Japan, I suppose I find myself alienated by the Western worldview of Japan nowadays; it's rarely handled well in story form. This didn't read like an anime, more like a silly Western cartoon, and it was hard to believe this author is the same as the one who wrote Shadows on the Moon, which was quite impressive. I feel like Marriott took a break with this book, and regressed into the plethora of cliches that is this story just as an easy exercise. Which is fine, really; writing an original story is tough work. But because this book dealt with Japan and Japanese characters and mythology, it was just a little... irritating at times for me to read, personally. I'm sure most Westerners would feel differently.
As a small note, Mio's name. Mio claims her name means cherry blossom. Skeptical, I looked it up, unable to find a kanji combination in "mi" and "o" that would confirm that. "Sakura" is a common name that literally means cherry blossom, but nothing as far as "Mio" goes. Looking into it further, apparently "Miou" can be spelled with the kanji for cherry blossom, the "ou" is an onyomi for 桜 (sakura). haha, this is one of my pet peeves when people romanise Japanese; not spelling things correctly leads to a world of problems where names are concerned. (For example, my Japanese university was romanised with "shu" at the end, but it was actually "shuu," which creates problems when you want to actually spell it correctly in Japanese!) "Mio" does not mean cherry blossom, but "Miou" does; every letter (character) is essential in Japanese, and without the "u" it loses the meaning you're trying to put forth. haha... dang it, I'm ranting in a review now.
Anyway, this was a fun enough story, but I don't think I'd recommend it. Despite the addition of "Japanese" elements, there's really nothing new in this story. (I felt like I was reading a "Japan-ified" version of The Mortal Instruments, really.)
As a small note, Mio's name. Mio claims her name means cherry blossom. Skeptical, I looked it up, unable to find a kanji combination in "mi" and "o" that would confirm that. "Sakura" is a common name that literally means cherry blossom, but nothing as far as "Mio" goes. Looking into it further, apparently "Miou" can be spelled with the kanji for cherry blossom, the "ou" is an onyomi for 桜 (sakura). haha, this is one of my pet peeves when people romanise Japanese; not spelling things correctly leads to a world of problems where names are concerned. (For example, my Japanese university was romanised with "shu" at the end, but it was actually "shuu," which creates problems when you want to actually spell it correctly in Japanese!) "Mio" does not mean cherry blossom, but "Miou" does; every letter (character) is essential in Japanese, and without the "u" it loses the meaning you're trying to put forth. haha... dang it, I'm ranting in a review now.
Anyway, this was a fun enough story, but I don't think I'd recommend it. Despite the addition of "Japanese" elements, there's really nothing new in this story. (I felt like I was reading a "Japan-ified" version of The Mortal Instruments, really.)
amarylissw's review against another edition
2.0
I only picked this book because of, you know, anime. But unfortunately, all the Japanese-based books I read I never really like (not that I've read much). This is not an exception.
An irritating protagonist with insta-love. Simplistic writing. Nothing new to keep me interest. Eventually dropped.
Yep. That's all.
An irritating protagonist with insta-love. Simplistic writing. Nothing new to keep me interest. Eventually dropped.
Yep. That's all.
bookaddictlt's review against another edition
2.0
Really, I'd give it 2.5. I found it predictable and shallow.
ththalassocracy's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
elisabeths_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kasscanread's review against another edition
2.0
Just not good. Really disappointing is how I'd describe it.
heatherbookely's review against another edition
3.0
This book moved very quickly. I don't know what the reading level was, but it was very much "this thing is happening and oh hey foxes and oh hey let's fight BAM book is over." So it was a quick read, but a little too quick for my taste.
Pros:
Non-white girl as the main character, which was great.
Her best friend is a BIRACIAL LESBIAN, WHICH IS SO INCREDIBLY RARE AND I GOT EXCITED AND ALMOST STARTED SCREAMING ON THE BUS.
The stories we learn about aren't western fairy tales.
Cons:
Ugh, stupid love story.
The sword seemed to control the MC more than she was controlling it, which I didn't like. Let her be strong! Don't let the sword take over for her completely.
The lesbian is getting hit on by a guy and he kisses her and she's like uhhh we need to talk about this BUT THEY DON'T TALK ABOUT IT. And like, yeah, sexuality is fluid and teenagers are figuring things out and blah blah blah, but it was said multiple times that Jack was only interested in girls. I don't know if the kiss will come up in the next book (is there a next book?), but I need there to be a discussion about how you need to respect someone's sexuality. I was so angry.
Anyway, this was a quick read, and it was fine.
Pros:
Non-white girl as the main character, which was great.
Her best friend is a BIRACIAL LESBIAN, WHICH IS SO INCREDIBLY RARE AND I GOT EXCITED AND ALMOST STARTED SCREAMING ON THE BUS.
The stories we learn about aren't western fairy tales.
Cons:
Ugh, stupid love story.
The sword seemed to control the MC more than she was controlling it, which I didn't like. Let her be strong! Don't let the sword take over for her completely.
The lesbian is getting hit on by a guy and he kisses her and she's like uhhh we need to talk about this BUT THEY DON'T TALK ABOUT IT. And like, yeah, sexuality is fluid and teenagers are figuring things out and blah blah blah, but it was said multiple times that Jack was only interested in girls. I don't know if the kiss will come up in the next book (is there a next book?), but I need there to be a discussion about how you need to respect someone's sexuality. I was so angry.
Anyway, this was a quick read, and it was fine.
zoe_d_marriott's review against another edition
5.0
First, an apology. I've just had it brought to my attention that at one point in this book, a character describes another character (who is Japanese) as having almond-shaped eyes. Now, when I read this, my reaction was 'That can't be right, surely - I'm well aware that this is a stupid, inaccurate, cliched and borderline racist description. MY eyes are almond-shaped. Asian people's eyes are most emphatically NOT.' And yet, when I went and checked... there the description was. HOW?!? How did this manage to not only come out of my brain but slip by me, through, like, eight edits of various kinds? I have no idea. It should not be in there. I'm very sorry. I messed up and I will work hard to ensure it doesn't happen again. I hope you will forgive me, readers. If not, please feel free to excoriate me in the comments.
***HERE BE SPOILERS*** Answers to some questions about the book that I come across quite often in my blog comments, on Twitter, and sometimes in emails. If you haven't read the book, look away now! ***HERE BE SPOILERS***
QUESTION ONE: Shinobu comes from Feudal Japan. How come he speaks pretty normal 21st Century English and basically doesn't go into shock and pass out when he sees cars/skyscrapers etc.?
ANSWER: Very well spotted! The answer is that although Shinobu has been trapped in the sword all that time, for the last six years of his life - ever since Mio first touched the sword and 'awakened' him - he's been hanging out with Mio constantly as silent observer. He's been with her at school, at home, watching TV, arguing with her dad, having fun with friends. He saw the world through her eyes. I imagine that at first he was completely bewildered and couldn't understand anything that was going on. But he's a very smart guy, and probably after a year or so he began to pick up the language and observe the structures and underlying rules of this strange world that he was watching, and to realise that he was looking at what was, to him, the future. This is why he knew Jack's name, could operate a fire extinguisher, and was generally able to cope with being suddenly tipped out into present day Britain reasonably well.
QUESTION TWO: I like Mio and Shinobu and everything but...WHY did it have to be INSTA-LOVE (eugh)?
ANSWER: Well, personally I prefer to call it love at first sight - and that's a classic literary device that's been explored by many talented writers for hundreds of years, long before YA paranormal romances gave it a bad name. My reasoning for wanting to explore the emotional rush and pitfalls of love at first sight are spelled out here. http://thezoe-trope.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/insta-love-and-night-itself.html
There's also a lot more going on between Mio and Shinobu than simple love at first sight. There's a mystery to be solved and secrets about Shinobu's past to uncover. But you'll need to read all three books to see what I was going for there.
QUESTION THREE: If Hikaru is a Japanese Kitsune, why does he have red hair and green eyes?
ANSWER: Many characters in Japanese mythology, fairytales, and current media have red hair and light eyes. Yep, honestly. For instance, traditionally, red hair is considered bad luck, and in historical stories red-headed kids often get abandoned in the woods so that they don't bring misfortune to their villages. But regardless of this, Hikaru's not actually human. He's an immortal fox spirit indigenous to the spirit realm. His ethnicity is not directly analogous to any human racial group. As you can see in the scenes in the Court of the Kitsune, the foxes there are really diverse. They come from all over their own world. But none of them are actually Japanese (or English or Russian or Arctican) although their fox forms may resemble animals native to those regions on earth.
QUESTION FOUR: Is Hikaru bisexual? Is Jack totally into girls or does Hikaru maybe have a chance there?
You'll have to read all three books to get the answers. Sorry!
***HERE BE SPOILERS*** Answers to some questions about the book that I come across quite often in my blog comments, on Twitter, and sometimes in emails. If you haven't read the book, look away now! ***HERE BE SPOILERS***
QUESTION ONE: Shinobu comes from Feudal Japan. How come he speaks pretty normal 21st Century English and basically doesn't go into shock and pass out when he sees cars/skyscrapers etc.?
ANSWER: Very well spotted! The answer is that although Shinobu has been trapped in the sword all that time, for the last six years of his life - ever since Mio first touched the sword and 'awakened' him - he's been hanging out with Mio constantly as silent observer. He's been with her at school, at home, watching TV, arguing with her dad, having fun with friends. He saw the world through her eyes. I imagine that at first he was completely bewildered and couldn't understand anything that was going on. But he's a very smart guy, and probably after a year or so he began to pick up the language and observe the structures and underlying rules of this strange world that he was watching, and to realise that he was looking at what was, to him, the future. This is why he knew Jack's name, could operate a fire extinguisher, and was generally able to cope with being suddenly tipped out into present day Britain reasonably well.
QUESTION TWO: I like Mio and Shinobu and everything but...WHY did it have to be INSTA-LOVE (eugh)?
ANSWER: Well, personally I prefer to call it love at first sight - and that's a classic literary device that's been explored by many talented writers for hundreds of years, long before YA paranormal romances gave it a bad name. My reasoning for wanting to explore the emotional rush and pitfalls of love at first sight are spelled out here. http://thezoe-trope.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/insta-love-and-night-itself.html
There's also a lot more going on between Mio and Shinobu than simple love at first sight. There's a mystery to be solved and secrets about Shinobu's past to uncover. But you'll need to read all three books to see what I was going for there.
QUESTION THREE: If Hikaru is a Japanese Kitsune, why does he have red hair and green eyes?
ANSWER: Many characters in Japanese mythology, fairytales, and current media have red hair and light eyes. Yep, honestly. For instance, traditionally, red hair is considered bad luck, and in historical stories red-headed kids often get abandoned in the woods so that they don't bring misfortune to their villages. But regardless of this, Hikaru's not actually human. He's an immortal fox spirit indigenous to the spirit realm. His ethnicity is not directly analogous to any human racial group. As you can see in the scenes in the Court of the Kitsune, the foxes there are really diverse. They come from all over their own world. But none of them are actually Japanese (or English or Russian or Arctican) although their fox forms may resemble animals native to those regions on earth.
QUESTION FOUR: Is Hikaru bisexual? Is Jack totally into girls or does Hikaru maybe have a chance there?
You'll have to read all three books to get the answers. Sorry!