Book Description Review “Kira is a satisfying heroine, and her personal struggles between familial expectations and loyalty to the family shrine add complexity to her journey. Fresh urban fantasy grounded in Japanese culture.” (Kirkus Reviews)”Kira is a distinctly Japanese character whose sensibilities are refreshingly un-Westernized. Fans of Julie Kagawa’s Shadow of the Fox and Kat Cho’s Wicked Fox will also appreciate the vivid, sometimes gruesome, writing reminiscent of punchy anime dialogue.” (Publishers Weekly)“The arresting action and imagery are engrossing. Perfect for fans of Japanese folklore and manga similar to Death Note.” (Booklist)“Many cool monsters and some suspense keep the pages turning, with a bit of romance and banter.” (Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books) Read more About the Author Courtney Alameda is a writer, veteran bookseller, and librarian. Her debut novel, Shutter, was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award and hailed as a “standout in the genre” by School Library Journal. She also wrote the YA novel Pitch Dark—a Junior Library Guild selection—as well as Sisters of Sorrow, a comic book series she cowrote with Sons of Anarchy screenwriter Kurt Sutter. She holds a degree in English literature with an emphasis on creative writing. A Northern California native, she now resides in Idaho with her husband, legions of books, and a tiny five-pound cat with a giant personality. Learn more about her at www.courtneyalameda.com.Valynne E. Maetani is a writer and member of We Need Diverse Books. Her debut novel, Ink and Ashes, was the winner of Tu Books’ New Visions Award and an Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Honor, was a Junior Library Guild selection and a Kirkus Reviews Best Book, and received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and now resides in Salt Lake City, Utah. Visit her online at www.valynne.com. Read more Customers Review: I came across this book unexpectedly and I’m so so glad that I pre-ordered it! I stayed up till midnight so I would able to sneak a few chapters in. (As a first college student, I don’t know the definition of sleep)My love for Japanese mythology knows no bounds and I’ve always loved reading about the Shinto faith. Along with the many gods that exist within that faith. And I can say with much joy that I greatly enjoyed the character development! I can tell much thought and love went into creating this book. You guys did absolutely amazing capturing Japan and the many things that make it so unique and I hope one day we might see more of kiras adventure!
A truly wonderful tale with an amazing rich and beautiful world that intertwines modern day Japan with the many myths and folklores of their history and culture.This novel has a little bit of everything for everyone! It’ll satisfy anime/manga fans to your average avid reader. As a mythology fan, I truly enjoyed the way the authors wove some of myths into this modern retelling and found myself wanting to explore many of the characters backgrounds even more as well as some of the magical locations mentioned in the book.I could not recommend this book more. It’s a fun good read and will definitely keep you entertained for a while. I read it from end to end the same night I bought it and find myself yearning for more tales from this world.
I was hesitant to buy this book at first. But I honestly I enjoyed this. the content and setting were different from other YA’s I’ve read recently.
This story….is absolutely amazing. I could not put the book down. It was thrilling, descriptive, imaginable, and took me on an amazing journey through Kira’s life. The authors truly brushed up on their knowledge of the culture and it shows! I have been recommending this everywhere I can. The ending still tugs at my heart. I pray theres another book! I. Need. More! Please read it! You wont regret it. If you love anime/manga, then this is for you. I felt as if I was reading an anime. Soooo amazing.
I received an ARC of this book from HarperTeen via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this affect my rating or review.All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.Seven Deadly Shadows is absolutely brimming with Japanese lore. Being mostly unfamiliar with everything represented in this story, I believe I learned a great deal about some prominent figures in Japanese lore and mythology, which was fantastic. I think this book would make a fantastic graphic novel, as the variety of creatures would probably be better envisioned with illustrations.Like her grandfather, Ayako can see monsters. All around her, they abide. Born into a family connected to the Shinto shrine—a shrine of the dead—Ayako has been training to become a priestess. Her parents had long ago abandoned her, so learning in the shadow of her grandfather has been a privilege.”Someday, Grandfather will teach me the ancient art of onmyodo, which will give me power over yokai demons and onryo ghosts who threaten our way of life. For a girl who has spent her days in the unwanted company of nightmares and monsters, my greatest wish is to be able to banish them at will.”For her entire life, Ayako has been able to see the yokai that live among them, disguised as humans. Yokai are supernatural beings that are monsters, spirits, and demons. Until now, these creatures have been relatively harmless. Then, one night, her family’s shrine is attacked. Her grandfather is killed and Ayako must find out why this has happened.With the help of the shrine’s protector, a kitsune named Shiro, Ayako discovers that the dreaded Shuten-doji (a mythical oni and demon leader) was behind the attack. Apparently, her family’s shrine is the resting place for Kusanagi, a powerful artifact. The feared demon lord needs it in order to bring darkness upon the entire world.”We need seven for a cabal. Only seven can slay the demon.”The demon lord’s power is unparalleled. Ayako finds seven shinigami to help her bring down Shuten-doji and his minions down. Shinigami are “gods of death”, “death bringers” or “death spirits” They entice humans toward death in certain aspects of Japanese religion and culture. These beings, not unlike the Grim Reaper, are the only hope to fight the demon lord’s forces. Fickle creatures that they are, Ayako discovers that shinigami answer to no one but themselves.With the world’s fate in the balance, they must band together if they are going to defeat one who is considered to be one of the three great evils of Japan.I really appreciated the variety of Japanese mythology and lore represented in Seven Deadly Shadows. My main problem with this book, was that because there was so much information that was introduced at such a fast pace, it was a difficult to keep it all straight. I am not familiar with this mythology, and had to do quite a lot of research to figure out who these characters were, what they were, and how they impact the story and have been represented throughout history.The main proof of my disconnection to this story was Ayako. Parts of her story were comparable, but majority of her path through this story was completely foreign. I feel like I didn’t get a good sense of who she was. Parts, with her difficulty between her peers and parents were relatable. But having little connection to her, and not enough descriptions of the surroundings, this story just fell flat for me. I think this book would be a fantastic graphic novel, however.I think this was a decent read. It is full of lore, which I love, but didn’t contain enough attributes that were recognizable, and therefore familiar, in my opinion. I still enjoyed the overall composition of the story, and that it felt along the lines of original lore.Vulgarity: Minimal.Sexual content: Minimal.Violence: Moderate.My Rating: ★★★ |
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