misskatt's review against another edition
4.0
I’m giving this book a 4 (4.25?) It’s no secret I love Jay Kristoff and I’m so happy my friends and I decided to read this as part of our January TBR.
I know this is his earlier work and his writing has only become better since this book, but it was a little hard to grasp the world in the very beginning. I had to re-listen to a few parts to understand what he was describing, but I never lost interest in the book. If anything, my interest only grew the more the story went on.
By the end, I fell in love with this book. It was like a steampunk Japan with a healthy dose of the country’s lore. Also, reminded me a bit of anime, but I’m also an avid anime fan (and have seen so many) so that may just be me.
I know this is his earlier work and his writing has only become better since this book, but it was a little hard to grasp the world in the very beginning. I had to re-listen to a few parts to understand what he was describing, but I never lost interest in the book. If anything, my interest only grew the more the story went on.
By the end, I fell in love with this book. It was like a steampunk Japan with a healthy dose of the country’s lore. Also, reminded me a bit of anime, but I’m also an avid anime fan (and have seen so many) so that may just be me.
read_100_books's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, I really enjoyed this book; the characters had depth and the plot, while not original, moved quickly enough to hold my interest. I enjoyed the world building and the steampunk/fantasy amalgamation that the author was going for. The pacing was a little slow with the end coming too abruptly. There were a few moments in the book that were left out and brushed over that I felt were important and would have liked to see. As a main character Yukiko was likable and her relationship with the arashitora Buruu kept me reading. That and I am a sucker for father/daughter stories.
That is not to say that this novel doesn’t have issues. The “traditional“ Japanese culture that this book borrows from seemed to be drawn from Wikipedia and anime; little of the complex culture of Japan shone through. However, as this is a fantasy series and is only influenced by Japan and other Asian cultures not set in them, plus the authors first novel, I am giving the benefit of the doubt and hope the rest of the series improves.
The only other complaint I have about this book is that the author doesn’t always use complete sentences which really throws off the flow of the story when reading. For example: “Stinking of open graves and burning hair, skin of polished midnight blue, eyes like funeral candles bathed the forest with guttering light.” It’s nit picky of me, but when describing something it is best to have a clear sentence subject. Overall the writing style was fine but like I said, it ruins the flow of the story.
If you are looking for a book to keep you entertained, that is a bit different from the traditional Eurocentric fantasy, I would say this book is definitely worth a read.
That is not to say that this novel doesn’t have issues. The “traditional“ Japanese culture that this book borrows from seemed to be drawn from Wikipedia and anime; little of the complex culture of Japan shone through. However, as this is a fantasy series and is only influenced by Japan and other Asian cultures not set in them, plus the authors first novel, I am giving the benefit of the doubt and hope the rest of the series improves.
The only other complaint I have about this book is that the author doesn’t always use complete sentences which really throws off the flow of the story when reading. For example: “Stinking of open graves and burning hair, skin of polished midnight blue, eyes like funeral candles bathed the forest with guttering light.” It’s nit picky of me, but when describing something it is best to have a clear sentence subject. Overall the writing style was fine but like I said, it ruins the flow of the story.
If you are looking for a book to keep you entertained, that is a bit different from the traditional Eurocentric fantasy, I would say this book is definitely worth a read.
anita_mv's review against another edition
4.0
No sé si 4 o 4,5.
He disfrutado muchísimo de esta lectura, aunque es cierto que al principio iba perdida con la mitología japonesa y la terminología. No he leído casi nada sobre Japón, menos todavía uno steampunk y me fascinó. Los personajes han sido entrañables, Buruu se ganó mi corazón y Yukiko ha sido una gran protagonista. Lo que tengo claro de esta lectura es que este autor sabe cómo entretenerme e incluso emocionarme y todas sus novelas las he disfrutado mucho. El final me ha dejado con el ansia viva de seguir leyendo y menos mal que me compré la trilogía entera en Navidad, porque no sé si habría sido capaz de esperar.
He disfrutado muchísimo de esta lectura, aunque es cierto que al principio iba perdida con la mitología japonesa y la terminología. No he leído casi nada sobre Japón, menos todavía uno steampunk y me fascinó. Los personajes han sido entrañables, Buruu se ganó mi corazón y Yukiko ha sido una gran protagonista. Lo que tengo claro de esta lectura es que este autor sabe cómo entretenerme e incluso emocionarme y todas sus novelas las he disfrutado mucho. El final me ha dejado con el ansia viva de seguir leyendo y menos mal que me compré la trilogía entera en Navidad, porque no sé si habría sido capaz de esperar.
ana_mv's review against another edition
4.0
No sé si 4 o 4,5.
He disfrutado muchísimo de esta lectura, aunque es cierto que al principio iba perdida con la mitología japonesa y la terminología. No he leído casi nada sobre Japón, menos todavía uno steampunk y me fascinó. Los personajes han sido entrañables, Buruu se ganó mi corazón y Yukiko ha sido una gran protagonista. Lo que tengo claro de esta lectura es que este autor sabe cómo entretenerme e incluso emocionarme y todas sus novelas las he disfrutado mucho. El final me ha dejado con el ansia viva de seguir leyendo y menos mal que me compré la trilogía entera en Navidad, porque no sé si habría sido capaz de esperar.
He disfrutado muchísimo de esta lectura, aunque es cierto que al principio iba perdida con la mitología japonesa y la terminología. No he leído casi nada sobre Japón, menos todavía uno steampunk y me fascinó. Los personajes han sido entrañables, Buruu se ganó mi corazón y Yukiko ha sido una gran protagonista. Lo que tengo claro de esta lectura es que este autor sabe cómo entretenerme e incluso emocionarme y todas sus novelas las he disfrutado mucho. El final me ha dejado con el ansia viva de seguir leyendo y menos mal que me compré la trilogía entera en Navidad, porque no sé si habría sido capaz de esperar.
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review against another edition
5.0
This and other reviews can be found on my blog: (un)Conventional Bookviews.
ARC from Netgalley received on July 16th 2012. YAY! Thank you Netgalley + publisher :D
WOW! This book had me amazed from beginning to end, and I want more and I want it now!!
ARC from Netgalley received on July 16th 2012. YAY! Thank you Netgalley + publisher :D
WOW! This book had me amazed from beginning to end, and I want more and I want it now!!
lynseyisreading's review against another edition
5.0
As amazing as I'd hoped. I cannot wait for the next one!
I admit to being slightly scared of starting this book. I don't think I've ever seen such a positive buzz about a book that hadn't (at the time) even been released yet. Book Bloggers and Advanced Copy readers were going wild about it; doing these amazing, gushing, hyperbolic reviews. This worried me, because it wouldn't be the first time that that's happened and then I've picked up the book myself and realised it's very prettily written, and highly descriptive, but is otherwise only an average story. And I can't get excited about the talent of a wordsmith alone. You have to tell me a good story as well. That's kind of my mantra when I'm reading: Tell the story, tell the story, tell the story. So when writers get too wordy or try and simile me into submission, I get turned off. Where did my story go?
And for the most part, I would be lying if I didn't say that Kristoff's writing is highly descriptive in places. More so, even, than some of the ones I ended up not liking previously. But holy freaking cow does he back that up with a great story, incredible world-building, phenomenal fantasy, sci-fi and steampunk elements, and to top it all off, a cast of fantastically diverse and complex characters!
A-maz-ing.
Of course, anything worth having is worth working hard for, and for around the first 50-60 or so pages of the book, I was working pretty damned hard! The Japanese language; mostly used for names of weapons, clothing, races, species, gods, myths and of course, character names, made reading difficult initially. I don't really like having to struggle so much, but after all the reviews I'd seen, I felt confident the pay-off would be worth it if I persevered. It was, and then some.
So, what is the book about? Well, it's a very complex world and plot and overall story arc, so I wouldn't even like to try summarising it. But I will tell you your main character is a young girl named Yukiko. She is an excellent strong and positive heroine who needs no hot boy brooding at her to make her appear so. It's not a coming-of-age story, exactly, but definitely an eye-opening journey. It set in a futuristic, or maybe alternate history? (not sure) Japan, where a plant called the Blood Lotus has been discovered and put to great and terrifying use. It powers the great machinery; the sky-ships, the war machines, even the brass and iron body armour of the samurai warriors. But the cost to the world and its citizens is immense. The choking fumes are killing everyone and everything, slowly but surely. Breathing masks and goggles need to be worn at all times. Man is playing a very dangerous and greedy game; thinking only of the benefits now, and not the consequences later. It's quite thought-provoking in that it's not that much of a stretch to imagine our species doing exactly this--especially such an industrious nation as Japan--and its message is clear, and the most ingenious use of entertainment to deliver it since WALL.E.
So, it looks like someone needs to shake things up a bit, right? But our Yukiko is just one girl, and only 16 at that. She has no power. But perhaps she has the strength after all (spot the Princess Bride quote), if only she has the help of oh, say for example, a badass THUNDER TIGER!
Buruu's character—and he definitely is a character—was a fantastic part of the story. His dialogue—which is telepathic and all done in shouty capitals—was excellent and often highly amusing. I loved him!
There were several other characters I grew to appreciate and as the epic final chapters came to a close, I found myself deeply concerned over their whereabouts and well-being. That's not to say it ends on a cliffhanger—it doesn't—but there are many unanswered questions and threads left unresolved and I NEED THE NEXT BOOK RIGHT NOW!
In summation, do I recommend this book? Hells yeah. Who to? I don't know... everyone? I'm not sure who to recommend it to specifically, because it's so unlike anything else with it's blend of genres. Even if you've read Steampunk before that will in no way prepare you for this book. My advice is to just go and buy it, if it's not for you, hand it to your friend and they'll probably read it, love it, and tell you you're a crazy person not to have loved every single syllable. And they'll probably give you a cookie or something. So everyone's a winner.
5 phenomenal Stars ★★★★★
ARC provided for an honest review.
I admit to being slightly scared of starting this book. I don't think I've ever seen such a positive buzz about a book that hadn't (at the time) even been released yet. Book Bloggers and Advanced Copy readers were going wild about it; doing these amazing, gushing, hyperbolic reviews. This worried me, because it wouldn't be the first time that that's happened and then I've picked up the book myself and realised it's very prettily written, and highly descriptive, but is otherwise only an average story. And I can't get excited about the talent of a wordsmith alone. You have to tell me a good story as well. That's kind of my mantra when I'm reading: Tell the story, tell the story, tell the story. So when writers get too wordy or try and simile me into submission, I get turned off. Where did my story go?
And for the most part, I would be lying if I didn't say that Kristoff's writing is highly descriptive in places. More so, even, than some of the ones I ended up not liking previously. But holy freaking cow does he back that up with a great story, incredible world-building, phenomenal fantasy, sci-fi and steampunk elements, and to top it all off, a cast of fantastically diverse and complex characters!
A-maz-ing.
Of course, anything worth having is worth working hard for, and for around the first 50-60 or so pages of the book, I was working pretty damned hard! The Japanese language; mostly used for names of weapons, clothing, races, species, gods, myths and of course, character names, made reading difficult initially. I don't really like having to struggle so much, but after all the reviews I'd seen, I felt confident the pay-off would be worth it if I persevered. It was, and then some.
So, what is the book about? Well, it's a very complex world and plot and overall story arc, so I wouldn't even like to try summarising it. But I will tell you your main character is a young girl named Yukiko. She is an excellent strong and positive heroine who needs no hot boy brooding at her to make her appear so. It's not a coming-of-age story, exactly, but definitely an eye-opening journey. It set in a futuristic, or maybe alternate history? (not sure) Japan, where a plant called the Blood Lotus has been discovered and put to great and terrifying use. It powers the great machinery; the sky-ships, the war machines, even the brass and iron body armour of the samurai warriors. But the cost to the world and its citizens is immense. The choking fumes are killing everyone and everything, slowly but surely. Breathing masks and goggles need to be worn at all times. Man is playing a very dangerous and greedy game; thinking only of the benefits now, and not the consequences later. It's quite thought-provoking in that it's not that much of a stretch to imagine our species doing exactly this--especially such an industrious nation as Japan--and its message is clear, and the most ingenious use of entertainment to deliver it since WALL.E.
So, it looks like someone needs to shake things up a bit, right? But our Yukiko is just one girl, and only 16 at that. She has no power. But perhaps she has the strength after all (spot the Princess Bride quote), if only she has the help of oh, say for example, a badass THUNDER TIGER!
Buruu's character—and he definitely is a character—was a fantastic part of the story. His dialogue—which is telepathic and all done in shouty capitals—was excellent and often highly amusing. I loved him!
There were several other characters I grew to appreciate and as the epic final chapters came to a close, I found myself deeply concerned over their whereabouts and well-being. That's not to say it ends on a cliffhanger—it doesn't—but there are many unanswered questions and threads left unresolved and I NEED THE NEXT BOOK RIGHT NOW!
In summation, do I recommend this book? Hells yeah. Who to? I don't know... everyone? I'm not sure who to recommend it to specifically, because it's so unlike anything else with it's blend of genres. Even if you've read Steampunk before that will in no way prepare you for this book. My advice is to just go and buy it, if it's not for you, hand it to your friend and they'll probably read it, love it, and tell you you're a crazy person not to have loved every single syllable. And they'll probably give you a cookie or something. So everyone's a winner.
5 phenomenal Stars ★★★★★
ARC provided for an honest review.
shaniethings's review against another edition
3.0
Es simplemente genial. Al principio me costó un poco ubicarme y eso pero una vez lo haces... Es cómo DIOOOS COMO NO ME LO HABÍA LEÍDO ANTES. Lo recomiendo 100% en serio.
abigcoffeedragon's review against another edition
1.0
No - just - No
I am sorry, but the motto of any family in Japan is NOT the same as the Army
"Be all you can Be" - Seriously - this is ridiculous
Also, one would not yell For Bushido - For Honor, as the word BUSHIDO is an acronym for seven words of the Samurai code, one of which is Honor -
Also - A griffin being called a thunder tiger is ridiculous as well, as there is no GRIFFIN in Japanese mythology -
This is BAD Japanese fan fiction, and nothing more - read a couple of anime books and watch a full series and a manga will NOT make you an expert on Dialog, mythology, or anything Japanese - also, every other page had LOTUS - lotus flies, lotus smoke, lotus flames -
Why do people enjoy this thing? Should we always praise an adult that writes like a child would?
I am sorry, but the motto of any family in Japan is NOT the same as the Army
"Be all you can Be" - Seriously - this is ridiculous
Also, one would not yell For Bushido - For Honor, as the word BUSHIDO is an acronym for seven words of the Samurai code, one of which is Honor -
Also - A griffin being called a thunder tiger is ridiculous as well, as there is no GRIFFIN in Japanese mythology -
This is BAD Japanese fan fiction, and nothing more - read a couple of anime books and watch a full series and a manga will NOT make you an expert on Dialog, mythology, or anything Japanese - also, every other page had LOTUS - lotus flies, lotus smoke, lotus flames -
Why do people enjoy this thing? Should we always praise an adult that writes like a child would?