A review by kari_f
A Thousand Steps into Night by Traci Chee

adventurous fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The premise of this book is so interesting, following the harrowing adventures of a girl who is trying to reverse a curse that was placed on her for reasons unknown. In doing so, she meets a variety of interesting characters and finds herself in many strange predicaments.

Things I quite enjoyed:

๐Ÿ“š The Japanese-inspired fantasy and landscapes. It almost reminded me of a Ghibli film in its whimsical descriptions, and this was my favorite aspect of the book!
๐Ÿ“š The friends and companions the protagonist finds along the way. I love a good found family, and I enjoyed getting to know each character in turn.
๐Ÿ“š The self-acceptance and confidence gained by many of the characters.
๐Ÿ“š Relevance to real social issues and how we can see true progress being made by the end of the book.
๐Ÿ“š The struggle between wielding power and losing oneself to that power.
๐Ÿ“š The events concerning summoning that answer many questions and help her along her journey. I donโ€™t want to give any spoilers away by saying more! ๐Ÿค 


Some things I didnโ€™t love:

๐Ÿ“š The quantity of conversations about gender roles felt a bit heavy handed. We saw it in each situation the protagonist witnessed, so I didnโ€™t feel like we needed quite as much of it in her inner dialogue additionally.
๐Ÿ“š The pacing felt a bit inconsistent, and there were times I couldnโ€™t put the book down and others that either felt too rushed or slow.
๐Ÿ“š The end felt really rushed, like there wasnโ€™t enough room to cram in what needed to be added to the story. I almost feel like this would have been a better duology so that there would be plenty of time and space to process some of the bigger events, especially near the end.


Overall I enjoyed the book! Thanks to NetGalley and Clarion Books for this advanced readers copy!


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