Review: Bold and breathtaking
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 3, 2013
I was offered a free eBook in exchange for an honest review.Keith makes some bold moves in his debut novel. The action begins right away as Keiko discovers a hidden world behind a tori gate in Tokyo. I liked Keiko right away, and the mystery she discovers pulled me into the book. It seems Keiko's entire life has been hidden away from her, a life entwined with Spirits who rule the elements and multiple worlds.I had some issues with some scenes later in the book. There is a lot of fighting scenes between Greater Spirits, and some of it I had difficulty picturing. This is not to say that Keith is a poor writer. I found the writing quality excellent throughout the book. But there were times I needed a little more grounding in details. A lot of the fighting takes place in the air, and it became problematic for me trying to picture things. There were also quite a few flashbacks and seeing scenes through other character's minds, which confused me now and again.But overall I enjoyed this book. I loved the Japanese flavor to it and the Japanese mythology. Even better, Keith isn't afraid to use Japanese words and phrases, which I was happy to say I understood! (I've been taking a little Japanese since my partner is of this heritage.) With a large cast of characters it was inevitable that some were better drawn than others. I liked Keiko and Yui best, which makes sense as they are really the most central characters. The concept of Greater Spirits and Guardians was an interesting one, and I found this a refreshing change from most of the other fantasy out there.I hope to see more from this writer.