A review by xan_van_rooyen
Dragon Sword and Wind Child, by Noriko Ogiwara
3.0
More like 3.5/5 stars.
So much to love about this book but sometimes the storytelling got in the way of the story itself.
Firstly, this is a translation of a novel originally written in Japanese. The prose was heavy handed at times and did't always flow smoothly. Other times it read more like an anime series and I quite liked it. I think some of the head hopping might've been due to translation, and might not have been the author's intention, however, it still threw me out of the story a few times.
My biggest gripe about this book is the heroine or lack thereof. Saya just didn't convince me. She was meant to have special powers but whenever she got the chance to use them and prove her significance, well let's say it was decidedly underwhelming. The best character in the book we don't even meet until almost half way through.
I loved the Japanese mythology element, I loved the less stereotypical good vs evil angle and loved the dynamic between the siblings. I didn't love the heroine who was also the POV character. I found her a bit snivelly and irritating at times. Because I wasn't really into Saya, I didn't really feel the developing romance as I think I should have. The love interest was great though! And I absolutely adored the fact that he was androgynous and not some cliche beefcake hero type.
I did enjoy this one but I didn't love it.
So much to love about this book but sometimes the storytelling got in the way of the story itself.
Firstly, this is a translation of a novel originally written in Japanese. The prose was heavy handed at times and did't always flow smoothly. Other times it read more like an anime series and I quite liked it. I think some of the head hopping might've been due to translation, and might not have been the author's intention, however, it still threw me out of the story a few times.
My biggest gripe about this book is the heroine or lack thereof. Saya just didn't convince me. She was meant to have special powers but whenever she got the chance to use them and prove her significance, well let's say it was decidedly underwhelming. The best character in the book we don't even meet until almost half way through.
I loved the Japanese mythology element, I loved the less stereotypical good vs evil angle and loved the dynamic between the siblings. I didn't love the heroine who was also the POV character. I found her a bit snivelly and irritating at times. Because I wasn't really into Saya, I didn't really feel the developing romance as I think I should have. The love interest was great though! And I absolutely adored the fact that he was androgynous and not some cliche beefcake hero type.
I did enjoy this one but I didn't love it.