yasdnilr's review against another edition
Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is the second in a series, but I didn't feel I had to read the first. It is a new entry in the damaged female mystery/thriller protagonist which I and so many others enjoy. I really liked Lily, but she is very intense, very serious. I felt the first half of the book could've done with some editing work, I'm pretty sure I skimmed quite a bit, but once this novel gets moving, it moves quick!
Lily is very good at what she does, which is kicking arse and finding missing kids, but she's not so good at dealing with her family, who seem to have little to no idea who she really is. Isn't that always the way?
Eminently readable, I want to seek out the first and continue with the next. Lily kicks arse!
#theninjasblade #lilywong #netgalley
This is the second in a series, but I didn't feel I had to read the first. It is a new entry in the damaged female mystery/thriller protagonist which I and so many others enjoy. I really liked Lily, but she is very intense, very serious. I felt the first half of the book could've done with some editing work, I'm pretty sure I skimmed quite a bit, but once this novel gets moving, it moves quick!
Lily is very good at what she does, which is kicking arse and finding missing kids, but she's not so good at dealing with her family, who seem to have little to no idea who she really is. Isn't that always the way?
Eminently readable, I want to seek out the first and continue with the next. Lily kicks arse!
#theninjasblade #lilywong #netgalley
elizafiedler's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence and Trafficking
Moderate: Sexual assault, Torture, Slavery, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Violence, Misogyny, and Racial slurs
eddienewreads's review against another edition
3.0
I loved reading the pages that had to do with this books plot but I found myself get bored at times with all the filler scenes like the restaurant and playing mahjong.
I would like to see more of a relationship with her 'driver' Kansas too. This lady drops everything to drive Lily to the ghetto and they never hangout?
I still want this series to continue but hopefully it can be tightened up a bit
I would like to see more of a relationship with her 'driver' Kansas too. This lady drops everything to drive Lily to the ghetto and they never hangout?
I still want this series to continue but hopefully it can be tightened up a bit
charlese_reads's review
adventurous
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
slc333's review against another edition
4.0
I was delighted to find this 2nd book about half Chinese/Norwegian ninja Lily who has dedicated herself to helping women escape abuse. I love the first book, and this one was just as good with Lily juggling some interesting family dynamics with her Grandparents visiting from Hong Kong, a potential romance with Daniel along with her newest case – trying to track down a missing girl from the shelter which leads her into the world of prostitution and sex trafficking.
theretiredlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Modern day ninja Lilly Wong is back in the second book in the Ninja Daughter series.
Lilly is out of sorts and struggling from PSTD after a violent confrontation with gang members in book one. But she’s still working for the women’s shelter and must search for one of the shelter’s residents who gets kidnapped. Lilly’s search takes her to a very dark place- a sex trafficking ring. Lilly must find the trafficker and infiltrate his ring by posing a prostitute if she has any hope of finding the missing girl or saving other girls who are being exploited.
Lilly is an interesting main character. She tough and compassionate, very independent and guilt ridden. You don’t have to read the first book on the series to read this one. There’s enough info on Lilly’s backstory and her last adventure let’s any new readers to the series know where she’s coming from.
A solid second outing for this unique series. Content warning: kidnapping, rape, child sex trafficking, abuse, violence. The subject matter is dark but not detailed. The author writes about the victims with compassion and empathy.
Lilly is out of sorts and struggling from PSTD after a violent confrontation with gang members in book one. But she’s still working for the women’s shelter and must search for one of the shelter’s residents who gets kidnapped. Lilly’s search takes her to a very dark place- a sex trafficking ring. Lilly must find the trafficker and infiltrate his ring by posing a prostitute if she has any hope of finding the missing girl or saving other girls who are being exploited.
Lilly is an interesting main character. She tough and compassionate, very independent and guilt ridden. You don’t have to read the first book on the series to read this one. There’s enough info on Lilly’s backstory and her last adventure let’s any new readers to the series know where she’s coming from.
A solid second outing for this unique series. Content warning: kidnapping, rape, child sex trafficking, abuse, violence. The subject matter is dark but not detailed. The author writes about the victims with compassion and empathy.
sarahle's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review.
This is the second book featuring Lily Wong, ninja vigilante. Once again we see Lily backed into dangerous situations in order to help others. The story was good and kept me on the edge of my seat. If you like the Ava Lee series you will enjoy this one as well.
There were some editing issues that drove me crazy though - misused words, a gang name was switched around multiple times, and there was one glaring oversight which really shouldn't have happened.
This is the second book featuring Lily Wong, ninja vigilante. Once again we see Lily backed into dangerous situations in order to help others. The story was good and kept me on the edge of my seat. If you like the Ava Lee series you will enjoy this one as well.
There were some editing issues that drove me crazy though - misused words, a gang name was switched around multiple times, and there was one glaring oversight which really shouldn't have happened.
theirresponsiblereader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have abandoned this post five times since early August because of this section—I’ve written three that were too detailed (and therefore too long to read) and two that were too vague (and therefore too, well, vague to be any good). So, fine. I give up. Here’s what’s on Eldridge’s website about it:
In THE NINJA’S BLADE, Lily Wong―a Chinese-Norwegian modern-day ninja―has more trouble than she was bargaining for when controlling grandparents arrive in Los Angeles from Hong Kong at the same time she goes undercover in the dangerous world of youth sex trafficking. As she hunts for a kidnapped prostitution victim, a missing high school girl, and a sociopathic trafficker, the surviving members of a murderous street gang hunt for her.
Life would be easier if Lily knew who to trust. But when victims are villains, villains are victims, and even family is plotting against her, easy is not an option. All Lily can do is follow the trail wherever it leads: through a high school campus polarized by racial tension or the secret back rooms of a barber/tattoo/brothel or the soul-crushing stretch of Long Beach Boulevard known as The Blade.
She relies on her ninja skills to deceive and infiltrate, rescue and kill―whatever is necessary to free the girls from their literal and figurative slavery. If only those same skills could keep Lily’s conniving grandparents from hijacking her future.
Words Matter
I could not stop thinking about Robert B. Parker’s Ceremony/Taming a Seahorse/ Hundred-Dollar Baby and any number of similar books by him (and others) featuring P.I.s looking for particular prostitutes. Many of these I’d considered treating the women in question with sensitivity and respect. But I’m starting to think they could’ve done better.
Of course, whatever social workers the P.I.s encountered weren’t the same people Lily encountered. Lily was told in no uncertain terms that it’s not child/teen prostitution, but commercial sexual exploitation, and if she wanted to get anywhere with that agency, she’d adjust her language. Not only is it a language thing—but it reframes the activity. And the criminal culpability of those involved.
You can see its effect on Lily from that point on in the novel, if anything it probably made her more determined.
Lily’s Personal Life
Ask Peter Parker, it’s hard being a vigilante without your family finding out. The Ninja Daughter showed Lily’s skill in keeping that from her family, but it wasn’t easy. Add in trying to date—something Lily hasn’t successfully done since the night her sister died—and you’ve yet another bit of trouble.
Lily finds herself liking Daniel, but can’t make herself make time for him. Until her grandparents intervene, and suddenly, there’s one more plate for Lily to keep spinning.
But the fact that her grandparents are involved in her life is the big thing—they’ve come to visit from Hong Kong to check up on their business. Lily’s mother runs the LA/American branch of the family’s corporation.
Their presence changes—at least temporarily—the dynamic between Lily and her mother. Instead of the fairly antagonistic relationship we saw last time, there’s an alliance of sorts. Lily becomes as much of the supportive, obedient daughter as she can. Her mother’s stress level is through the roof, feeling like every decision she makes and has made—personal and professional—is being weighed and found wanting. So Lily does what she can to take the pressure off—she spends time with them, allows them to meddle in her life (rather than her mom’s), and so on.
I really appreciated this—mutual affection, familial bonds, and so on were present in The Ninja Daughter, but we got to see them in action here. It keeps Ma from being merely an obstacle to Lily’s mission and turns her into a character (that is frequently an inadvertent obstacle to Lily’s mission, sure—but that’s different).
The Fallout From The Ninja Daughter
Lily’s character is defined by her reaction to the trauma and guilt over her sister’s murder. But in The Ninja’s Blade, she has a fresh batch of trauma to deal with. The events of The Ninja Daughter have done some significant damage to her psyche (to paint with a broad brush, Eldridge does a better, and more subtle job of depicting it—don’t let my need for pithiness fool you).
She doubts herself, second-guesses her choices, makes costly errors, and this causes problems for her in the midst of battle (literal or figurative)—and for what Lily’s trying to do, this could be fatal. It’s also making things difficult for her outside of her work.
It’s not like she can seek out a counselor or anything—it’s not like she can tell a lot of people what caused the trauma. So it’s up to Lily—with some help from Stan and Aleisha at the shelter—to work through this.
So, what did I think about The Ninja’s Blade?
Eldridge here takes what was a strong adventure series with heart and a social conscience and improves it here—adding psychological depth, more layers to the protagonist, developing the characters of those around her, and showing that there are real risks and consequences for the protagonist. This isn’t a Reacher-like series, things that happen to Lily matter and will have a lasting impact on the character.
I really enjoyed this book—there’s enough humor and action to make sure this stays entertaining, and the darkness and complexity of the world add weightiness to the novel so that it doesn’t become a disposable thriller.
I strongly recommend this one to you and think it would serve alright as a jumping-on point, but I think you’d be better off jumping back to the prior novel. But starting with this one and then backtracking would work, too. Just do yourself a favor and pick these up.
annarella's review against another edition
5.0
A highly entertaining and gripping story. Sometimes I had to suspend my belief but I thoroughly enjoyed it
Interesting world building, fleshed out characters and a solid plot that kept me hooked.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Interesting world building, fleshed out characters and a solid plot that kept me hooked.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.