lolasreviews's review
4.0
This was one of those impulse buys. I saw that cover, read that it had Japanese mythology and it was only 99cents, so I bought it. And not much later I started reading it. Ghosts and Grudges sure lives up to it's title, it's filled with ghosts and spirits. There's a lot of Japanese mythology thrown in and the main characters are all Japanese as well.
The book starts quite quickly, we get introduced to the main character and then what seemed like a normal day turns into anything but that when she suddenly gains the sights and sees ghosts and jokai. The whole book is pretty fast paced and the events occur over the span of just a few days, but that makes sense given what's going on.
I really enjoyed this book! I quickly got pulled into the story, although around halfway through there was a part I liked a bit less. There were some events that didn't quite make sense to me and I felt like it went a little bit overboard with the fantastical elements there. It also turned out to be much more of a big scale plot than I initially thought. I wasn't quite sure what I thought of the Kai plot line and something that gets revealed later in the book, but I am curious to see where it goes. The end has a nice twist that makes me curious about the next book.
I liked Aika as a main character, she wanted to help save her mother and jumps right into things to help her. It was nice that she got to use her new skills immediately, but I did think she learned everything a bit quickly, but something later in the book does make that more believable. I also liked how she seemed very reasonable and realistic. She might get jealous, but then later also understood why he acted that way or she felt overwhelmed and then was able to put things into perspective and know she wasn't doing this for herself, but for others. She might get angry, but when people explained, she cooled down. I liked that.
There's a bit of romance in this book as well. Although it's mostly a side plot line, there was enough of it to get a feel for the romance. Although I wouldn't have minded a bit more, but I hope we get more romance in book 2. We get to know two love interests and get some scenes with each of them. I did feel the romance. Although at first I mostly liked Raiden, but then later we get to know Shota a bit better and I changed my mind about him and liked him as well. And then Raiken has a bit of a temper later on, which I didn't care much for. But it did all feel believable. Both guys seemed like a good match for Aika and I am looking forward to see the romance develop. I also liked how Aika was a bit confused at her feelings for both boys, especially as it's been a while since she had a crush and now she crushes hard on two guys.
The world building was done really well. Basically is this a world in which all the Japanese mythology is real. There are kami, spirits and jokai. I also liked how the shamans could interact with the spirits and merge with them. And it was fun to get to know a bit more about Japanese mythology and some mythological creatures throughout the book.
To summarize: I really enjoyed this book! It's filled with Japanese mythology, action and a good story. I liked Aika as a main character and we also get to know some side characters and two love interests in this book. The start of the book was really good, there was a part halfway through I cared for a bit less and I am not yet sure what to think of the Kai plot line. The ending has me curious for book 2. Overall I had fun reading this book and am curious how the story continues. I liked learning more about Japanese mythology and it really felt like the authors had done their research and knew what they were talking about. The world building was interesting and I liked reading about all the Japanese mythological creatures. If you're looking for an action filled book with lots of Japanese mythology I would recommend you give this book a chance!
The book starts quite quickly, we get introduced to the main character and then what seemed like a normal day turns into anything but that when she suddenly gains the sights and sees ghosts and jokai. The whole book is pretty fast paced and the events occur over the span of just a few days, but that makes sense given what's going on.
I really enjoyed this book! I quickly got pulled into the story, although around halfway through there was a part I liked a bit less. There were some events that didn't quite make sense to me and I felt like it went a little bit overboard with the fantastical elements there. It also turned out to be much more of a big scale plot than I initially thought. I wasn't quite sure what I thought of the Kai plot line and something that gets revealed later in the book, but I am curious to see where it goes. The end has a nice twist that makes me curious about the next book.
I liked Aika as a main character, she wanted to help save her mother and jumps right into things to help her. It was nice that she got to use her new skills immediately, but I did think she learned everything a bit quickly, but something later in the book does make that more believable. I also liked how she seemed very reasonable and realistic. She might get jealous, but then later also understood why he acted that way or she felt overwhelmed and then was able to put things into perspective and know she wasn't doing this for herself, but for others. She might get angry, but when people explained, she cooled down. I liked that.
There's a bit of romance in this book as well. Although it's mostly a side plot line, there was enough of it to get a feel for the romance. Although I wouldn't have minded a bit more, but I hope we get more romance in book 2. We get to know two love interests and get some scenes with each of them. I did feel the romance. Although at first I mostly liked Raiden, but then later we get to know Shota a bit better and I changed my mind about him and liked him as well. And then Raiken has a bit of a temper later on, which I didn't care much for. But it did all feel believable. Both guys seemed like a good match for Aika and I am looking forward to see the romance develop. I also liked how Aika was a bit confused at her feelings for both boys, especially as it's been a while since she had a crush and now she crushes hard on two guys.
The world building was done really well. Basically is this a world in which all the Japanese mythology is real. There are kami, spirits and jokai. I also liked how the shamans could interact with the spirits and merge with them. And it was fun to get to know a bit more about Japanese mythology and some mythological creatures throughout the book.
To summarize: I really enjoyed this book! It's filled with Japanese mythology, action and a good story. I liked Aika as a main character and we also get to know some side characters and two love interests in this book. The start of the book was really good, there was a part halfway through I cared for a bit less and I am not yet sure what to think of the Kai plot line. The ending has me curious for book 2. Overall I had fun reading this book and am curious how the story continues. I liked learning more about Japanese mythology and it really felt like the authors had done their research and knew what they were talking about. The world building was interesting and I liked reading about all the Japanese mythological creatures. If you're looking for an action filled book with lots of Japanese mythology I would recommend you give this book a chance!
nemerith's review
5.0
A superb beginning to what promises to be a great and entertaining series!
I have always loved Japanese onmyouji (or Japanese spirit shamans), so I was thrilled when I got to read a book written by two wonderful authors in this setting.
The story: We meet Aika, a normal Japanese girl taking care of her ill mother while tending to the family restaurant and following med school. What promises to be a normal day suddenly changes when she has an encounter with a spirit in her restaurant. She starts 'seeing things', glimpses of other creatures. Of course that's when she meets Raiden, with whom she feels an instant connection (needless to say he's a first class hunk ;-)), while he is trying to bind a yokai... yeah that did not go well.
When Aika's mother gets abducted by a dark force that's after Aika, the clock starts ticking for her to come to terms with her new reality, her growing powers / abilities and the 2 gorgeous guys she feels drawn too.
My take on the book: I started reading it on the train to work and I was very very tempted to just stay seated and keep on reading, it was damn hard to put down!
There is a glossary at the start of the book and I noticed I needed to go back a few times when there were names of beings I couldn't remember, but all in all it wasn't that troublesome.
As the reader you get a fairly good idea where everything is going with the story. Aika being drawn to both Raiden and Shota but not willing to do anything about it (cause... who feels so strongly for more than one person right?) made me facepalm pretty often (in a good way, I promise!).
All in all very well written, characters that you can relate to. You get really drawn into the story, a roller-coaster of emotions, some fun, some drama, it has it all.
I'm very much looking forward to the next part!!! (please please please don't make us wait too long *puppy eyes*)
I have always loved Japanese onmyouji (or Japanese spirit shamans), so I was thrilled when I got to read a book written by two wonderful authors in this setting.
The story: We meet Aika, a normal Japanese girl taking care of her ill mother while tending to the family restaurant and following med school. What promises to be a normal day suddenly changes when she has an encounter with a spirit in her restaurant. She starts 'seeing things', glimpses of other creatures. Of course that's when she meets Raiden, with whom she feels an instant connection (needless to say he's a first class hunk ;-)), while he is trying to bind a yokai... yeah that did not go well.
When Aika's mother gets abducted by a dark force that's after Aika, the clock starts ticking for her to come to terms with her new reality, her growing powers / abilities and the 2 gorgeous guys she feels drawn too.
My take on the book: I started reading it on the train to work and I was very very tempted to just stay seated and keep on reading, it was damn hard to put down!
There is a glossary at the start of the book and I noticed I needed to go back a few times when there were names of beings I couldn't remember, but all in all it wasn't that troublesome.
As the reader you get a fairly good idea where everything is going with the story. Aika being drawn to both Raiden and Shota but not willing to do anything about it (cause... who feels so strongly for more than one person right?) made me facepalm pretty often (in a good way, I promise!).
All in all very well written, characters that you can relate to. You get really drawn into the story, a roller-coaster of emotions, some fun, some drama, it has it all.
I'm very much looking forward to the next part!!! (please please please don't make us wait too long *puppy eyes*)
kblincoln's review
4.0
I'm a little conflicted. On one hand, this is a well-written book on many levels. The author definitely has a sense of how to pace a book, balances the Japanese myths/words with action and a heroine who has a background as a pre-med student with an ailing mother, and has transparent smooth prose.
I went in expecting Urban Fantasy, and after the first third of the book in which young college student Aika discovers she's a shaman that can control fantastic creatures, Aika and fellow shaman Raiden begin their quest to confront the evil Kai, and it reads more like a fun fairy tale adventure featuring many tidbits from my kids' picture books like a giant sea turtle (Urashima-taro), suzume-bachi, nine-tailed foxes, native Japanese myth of Amaterasu the sun goddess, and the comic battle of monkey vs crab over persimmons.
Aika becomes more of a fairy tale heroine and less full-fledged character to me as time went on. She even got to go to an undersea ball and be made into a princess--so that wasn't as interesting to me as if Aika had filtered all these unreal myth experiences more through the lens of a practical, busy, anxious person trying to juggle a restaurant, school and her mother.
And then there's the monkey liver. That almost was a deal breaker for me. At one point in the story, Aika and Raiden are told they need to get a liver from the monkey king. And...they're just like 'oh, okay let's go' without even touching on the whole obvious assumption that you most likely will have to go kill a monkey to get its liver. Aika's all down with the liver from the start, and even when details emerge that suggest the monkeys on this island are sophisticated and have a society-- she still is down with the liver.
So...that turned me right off. fairy tale heroines are not supposed to just go around killing animals (that for all Aika knew at the time were innocent) just for a liver without at least thinking a bit about the morality of it.
That was an odd, jarring note.
Most of the book Aika's a fairly G rated thinker when it comes to her crush. She's a young woman in her early twenties and she's had boyfriends, but never gone all the way, which fit the fairy tale tone of this book. (Aika and her crush are conveniently interrupted every time they're about to kiss, so this is really G rated)
However, there were a couple of times where an older sensibility about physical attraction flared up briefly that again felt jarring juxtaposed with the rest of Aika's character-- almost like she was a girl of 15 on the cusp of more adult feelings rather than an adult in her early 20's.
I picked up this book because of the japanese myth content, and there it does not disappoint. It's a fun tour of various creatures, myths and tales...but Aika wasn't a character I was able to fully get into.
I went in expecting Urban Fantasy, and after the first third of the book in which young college student Aika discovers she's a shaman that can control fantastic creatures, Aika and fellow shaman Raiden begin their quest to confront the evil Kai, and it reads more like a fun fairy tale adventure featuring many tidbits from my kids' picture books like a giant sea turtle (Urashima-taro), suzume-bachi, nine-tailed foxes, native Japanese myth of Amaterasu the sun goddess, and the comic battle of monkey vs crab over persimmons.
Aika becomes more of a fairy tale heroine and less full-fledged character to me as time went on. She even got to go to an undersea ball and be made into a princess--so that wasn't as interesting to me as if Aika had filtered all these unreal myth experiences more through the lens of a practical, busy, anxious person trying to juggle a restaurant, school and her mother.
And then there's the monkey liver. That almost was a deal breaker for me. At one point in the story, Aika and Raiden are told they need to get a liver from the monkey king. And...they're just like 'oh, okay let's go' without even touching on the whole obvious assumption that you most likely will have to go kill a monkey to get its liver. Aika's all down with the liver from the start, and even when details emerge that suggest the monkeys on this island are sophisticated and have a society-- she still is down with the liver.
So...that turned me right off. fairy tale heroines are not supposed to just go around killing animals (that for all Aika knew at the time were innocent) just for a liver without at least thinking a bit about the morality of it.
That was an odd, jarring note.
Most of the book Aika's a fairly G rated thinker when it comes to her crush. She's a young woman in her early twenties and she's had boyfriends, but never gone all the way, which fit the fairy tale tone of this book. (Aika and her crush are conveniently interrupted every time they're about to kiss, so this is really G rated)
However, there were a couple of times where an older sensibility about physical attraction flared up briefly that again felt jarring juxtaposed with the rest of Aika's character-- almost like she was a girl of 15 on the cusp of more adult feelings rather than an adult in her early 20's.
I picked up this book because of the japanese myth content, and there it does not disappoint. It's a fun tour of various creatures, myths and tales...but Aika wasn't a character I was able to fully get into.
doodlewinger's review
5.0
This was a great start to this series. I haven't read many books about Japanese mythology so it felt very original and unique. I liked aika and shota but Raiden was a little too pushy at times. Can't wait to find out what happens next.
bookwormbunny's review
5.0
Ghosts and Grudges by Jasmine Walt and J.A. Cipriano is book one in the Shaman Queen’s Harem. This book is a reverse harem urban fantasy novel that features Japanese-American characters and a wonderful blending of Japanese mythology. In this book we are introduced to Aika. Aika is a young woman who is doing her best to take care of her ailing mother, and run the restaurant that her mother was running at one time. It starts off as a normal day but little does Aika know that it will not end that way. Aika has split her life into two times – before her mother’s cancer and after her mother’s cancer. Before the cancer, Aika had dreams of going to medical school and helping people, after her mother’s cancer her focus is on her mother and keeping the restaurant running. Aika has a bit of a restauranteur rival who decides to make an appearance, Shota, who is trying to get Aika to sell her restaurant to him. It’s a tempting picture that he paints, but she refuses. Not long after he leaves, Aika spots a man she believes is a customer who has not been served. What she doesn’t know is that of the human customers there, she’s the only one who can see him. His happiness at seeing her and knowing that she can see him is palpable. He tells her she’s the one, leaves behind a sketch pad and pencil, and then leaves. Aika’s life immediately changes after this incident and her world is turned upside down. Sparks of romance will begin to flare, danger will be everywhere, and an ancient evil will be looking to become free once more.
kimberlyb's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Should be a 3 Star book for the deception
This book was a interesting read. But it’s not a harem. Not even a little bit. If anything it’s a love triangle. It shouldn’t be advertised as a harem. That doesn’t add to the story. And the deception makes me want to subtract a star.
Edit: it's disappointing that this series was abandoned.
This book was a interesting read. But it’s not a harem. Not even a little bit. If anything it’s a love triangle. It shouldn’t be advertised as a harem. That doesn’t add to the story. And the deception makes me want to subtract a star.
Edit: it's disappointing that this series was abandoned.
storytimewithlily's review
3.25
3 or 3.5 stars. I liked the first half better than the second which got a bit predictable.
Kind of reads like a middle grade or young adult - specifically in how the book is structured and just how predictable it was. Is this supposed to be YA? Not sure.
Kind of reads like a middle grade or young adult - specifically in how the book is structured and just how predictable it was. Is this supposed to be YA? Not sure.
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