A review by read_100_books
Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff
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.