B- | Simply put? This book is a fun, immersive, and easy read. Kira is a believable teenage protagonist who struggles with school, bullies, and family drama along with the supernatural drama she’s entangled in. The plot is interesting, but predictable. There is romance, but it doesn’t overpower the plot or Kira’s struggles which I am absolutely thankful to see. Still, while I enjoyed this book, I don’t believe it reached its fullest potential which was disappointing. I would definitely give this book a shot, especially if you were once super into manga/anime, too.
Make sure to read about the giveway!
Title: Seven Deadly Shadows
Author: Courtney Alameda and Valynne E. Maetani
Synopsis: Kira Fujikawa has always been a girl on the fringe. Bullied by her peers and ignored by her parents, the only place Kira’s ever felt at home is at her grandfather’s Shinto shrine, where she trains to be a priestess.
But Kira’s life is shattered on the night her family’s shrine is attacked by a vicious band of yokai demons. With the help of Shiro—the shrine’s gorgeous half-fox, half-boy kitsune—Kira discovers that her shrine harbors an ancient artifact of great power . . . one the yokai and their demon lord, Shuten-doji, will use to bring down an everlasting darkness upon the world.
Unable to face the Shuten-doji and his minions on her own, Kira enlists the aid of seven ruthless shinigami—or death gods—to help stop the brutal destruction of humankind. But some of the death gods aren’t everything they initially seemed, nor as loyal to Kira’s cause as they first appeared.
With war drawing nearer by the day, Kira realizes that if this unlikely band of heroes is going to survive, they’re going to have to learn to work together, confront their demons, and rise as one to face an army of unimaginable evil.
Publication Date: 28th January 2020
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | IndieBound
— REVIEW:
I actually started writing this review before I left for my trip to Tokyo/Manila which was a month ago, so I’ve had a bit of time to digest this book which I received an advanced copy of for the FFBC book tour.
I’m not Japanese. I’ve been to Japan once (well, twice by the time this review is posted). So, I’m not going to claim I’m an expert or really talk about the Shinto beliefs that are mentioned in this book. Japanese readers should be the ones to discuss whether or not Japanese culture and beliefs were properly represented in this book.
However, I can talk about the rest of the book which felt like I was reading a manga/watching an anime. I love mangas. I used to binge read manga series back in the day and then watch the anime if I could find it online. These days, I don’t read them as much, but I still enjoy them.
I think one of the things I enjoyed about this particular book is that it felt like a novelized manga/anime. I know it’s a bit strange to say. Like, why this book and not other books? There’s just something about the atmosphere, writing, and characterizations that lend to this manga-esque feel.
Another thing that I enjoyed about this book is that Kira felt like a believable teenager. I think this is one of the reasons why I felt like this book is very manga/anime-esque is because we get Kira being bullied by her schoolmates, we get her being concerned about her grades and exams, and we get her being concerned about her own family life. Most important though was the fact that she was concerned about her grades and trying to keep up with school while playing superhero.
Just because you become a magic girl, doesn’t mean you can forget about school.
It’s just great to see that because I do think it adds strength to the book and makes everything — particularly Kira — seem more believable and real. Yeah, it’s a fantasy with magic, demons, gods, and a threat of war, but adding slice-of-life scenes really makes the book feel more real. Makes it easier to connect with the world and its characters.
Additionally, we have some good worldbuilding going on here. The authors really try to ensure you can vividly imagine the streets of Tokyo and Kyoto.
The plot is interesting, but unfortunately, a little predictable. I think part of what makes it predictable (for me at least) was the fact that it reads a lot like a novelized manga. You read enough and you can expect certain tropes to pop up.
At the end of the day, this is a 3.5 star/B- read for me. It’s a solid, enjoyable read that made me think back to my manga/anime days. I do think that it could have been much better, but I still had fun reading it nonetheless. I can definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in it.
I received this book as I am taking part in the Fantastic Flying Book Club blog tour for this novel. Thank you to FFBC and HarperCollins for this chance. Make sure to click on the link to check out the tour schedule as well as my fellow blogger’s views on the book.
About the Author(s).
A veteran bookseller and librarian, Courtney Alameda now spends her days writing thriller and horror novels for young people. Her debut novel, SHUTTER, was nominated for a Bram Stoker award and hailed as a “standout in the genre” by School Library Journal. Her forthcoming novel, PITCH DARK (Spring 2017), is a genre-blending science fiction/horror novel in the vein of Ridley Scott’s 1979 film ALIEN.
Courtney holds a B.A. in English literature with an emphasis in creative writing. She is represented by the talented John M. Cusick of Folio Literary. A Northern California native, she now resides in Utah with her husband, a legion of books, and a tiny five pound cat with a giant personality.
Check her out @ the following social media pages:
Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Facebook | Instagram
Valynne E. Maetani (pronounced Vuh-lin Mah-eh-tah-nee) grew up in Utah and obtained a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. In a former life, she was a project manager and developed educational software for children with learning disabilities. Currently, she is a full-time writer. She is a member of the We Need Diverse Books team and is dedicated to promoting diversity in children’s literature because every child should grow up believing his or her story deserves to be told. Her debut novel, Ink and Ashes, is the winner of the New Visions Award 2013, a Junior Library Guild 2015 selection, and Best Fiction Book in Salt Lake City Weekly’s Best of Utah Arts Award for 2015. She lives in Salt Lake City.
Check her out @ the following social media pages:
Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Giveaway Time!
Grand Prize: Win a signed copy of SEVEN DEADLY SHADOWS, a signed copy of Courtney Alameda’s SHUTTER, and a signed copy of Valynne Maetani’s INK AND ASHES; anime portraits of Kira and Shiro; a stuffed fox omamori charm from the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine in Japan; an origami fox hand-folded by Valynne Maetani; a yokai mini sticker sheet; and an assortment of Japanese Kit Kats (not pictured) [INT]
Second Prize: Win (1) of (2) A signed copy of SEVEN DEADLY SHADOWS with anime portraits of Kira and Shiro (INT)
OPEN INTERNATIONALLY
Starts: 28th January 2020
Ends: 11th February 2020
<a class=”rcptr” href=”http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d9681b86452/” rel=”nofollow” data-raflid=”d9681b86452″ data-theme=”classic” data-template=”” id=”rcwidget_pgawmvkg”>a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><script src=”https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js”></script>
Leave a Reply