Scan barcode
commedesenfants's review
4.0
Originally posted here: http://living-a-thousand-lives.tumblr.com/post/30992077115/stormdancer-the-lotus-war-1-by-jay-kristoff
Minor Spoilers
The Cover
My edition has the left cover and I think it's pretty badass. It shows the blood red sky of Shima and the blood lotus in the background. And then there's Buruu, the thunder tiger, flying in the sky. Yukiko is also pictured and you can see her badass nine-tailed fox tattoo. So yeah, this cover is like the epitome of cool in my opinion.
But I can't help but love the UK cover (right) more. It has this kind of poetic and zen quality to it. It's calming but you can also see tension and danger through the birds flying in the sky and the way Yukiko is wielding her Katana (she doesn't actually own a Katana in the book but oh well...). I love the brush strokes of the title.
The Story
Yukiko and her father are sent by the Shogun (equivalent of a king) to catch an extinct animal, the thunder tiger. The Shogun of Shima (the country this story is set in) is a cruel man who will kill, torture and rape just for his own entertainment and at the merest hint of disobedience. Shima is also under the hand of the Lotus Guild, an organization that holds all the power over the country's supply of the Blood Lotus. The Blood Lotus is used for everything may it be as a drug to energy supply. The use of this plant however has devastating impact on the ecosystem and environment: the sky is no longer full but full of smog, global warming, most animals are extinct, deforestation, polluted rivers etc. So in short, the country is about to collapse. Yukiko and her father manage to find a thunder tiger and she forms a deep friendship with this mythical creature, whom she later named Buruu, and is bend on taking revenge on the Shogun and save her country from extinction through the blood lotus.
The Protagonist
Yukiko deserves not only a hot chocolate and a blanket but also the biggest hug ever. This girl has lost almost everone she loves. She has seen death and horrors no one should ever have to have witnessed, let alone a 16 year old. But she's so strong (she's such a badass and can totally kick ass) and really cares about her fellow human beings. She was brave and not afraid to fight for what she believes in. Throughout the book she learns more about the world she lives in and the politics and cruel nature of the system. It's sad that her world view is kind of destroyed along the way, she loses part of her innocence when she sees the flawed system where humans don't matter but only profit and power. Yukiko is the kind of heroine I look for when reading a book. She's brave but not reckless, she's idealistic but not inflexible, she's emotional but doesn't let it get in her way, she's strong but still vulnerable. She's far from perfect but that makes her such a great protagonist.
The Heart Rate
The romance took a back seat in this book. Actually, it was barely there and I'm thankful for that because it would've distracted from the important plots in this book (I mean, the country is ruled by a ruthless dictator and a crazy organization who thinks they're god and who is destroying the world they live in...). I really didn't care for it much as I couldn't understands Yukiko's infatuation with the green-eyed samurai beyond his appearance. The other love interest (yep, there's a kind of love triangle) had a bigger connection with her.
The Good
- Steampunk meets Dystopia (plus fantasy and mythology): I can't really pin point the time this books takes place in. It could be very well a alternative Japan in the 19th century after the industrial revolution but still with a feudal system. There is electricity and wireless radio and even a type of tv, there are airships, all fueled by the blood lotus (which to me is kind of an alternative power source to the steam engine in other steampunk novels). So in this aspect this novel is definitely steampunk. But then again it also features a flawed government with a dictator and an obscure organization who control every part of society from food to information. The author also shows us the effect of environmental pollution which to me shows us a possible future for our world today, which would make this novel a dystopia. Jay Kristoff manages to combine both genre seamlessly and even adds fantasy and mythology to the mix.
- Worldbuilding: Jay Kristoff has created a wonderful and vivid world. Every little detail in this world is fleshed out, you could basically see the smog and the red sky and smell the stinky rivers. At times the descriptions were a little lengthy for my taste but that's just me and is in no way the book's fault. Also, we never really learn how the blood lotus was discovered (or did I missed the part where it was explained?). We know the Lotus Guild holds all the power over it, so I guess they discovered it's uses. Or maybe this will be explained in the next installment.
- Japanese Culture and Diversity: Shima is clearly modelled after feudal japan (see steampunk). I'm not an expert on Japanese culture but I felt the author did a great job in showing the characteristics of Japanese society, the philosphy and life style of the people. Obviously, it's not a hundred percent accurate but then again this book never claims to be (it's set in an alternative universe after all). I also like that the characters are Japanese/Asian (kind of obvious, I know). It's so rare to see an Asian protagonist. You can see that he author did a lot of research and respects the culture (even though some part of the system are flawed) and never makes the mistake of "fetishizing" an entire race.
- Strong Females: I've already spoke about how tough YUkiko is but there are many more strong female characters in this book. It's great to see that the author showed us that feminity does not equal weakness but it's a strength and it's not shameful to be a woman. We may be physically weaker than men but our strength lies somewhere else and it is in no way inferior to those of men. One of my favourite quotes is, which probably doesn't mean too much out of context: "Now, that's the spirit, Yukiko-chan. We'll make a woman out of you yet." (I'd like to think that it's a reference to Mulan (the Disney movie) and when Shang sings: "I'll make a man out of you")
- Great supporting characters: The side characters are not only props for the main characters but they all have a certain depth to them. We mostly get Yukiko's POV but sometimes it switches to those of others (though only for a short while) and it gives the reader a little more insight on the story's progression and to understand the different characters' motivation better.
- Social criticism: The author shows us what happens when men is only driven by greed and hubris. The horror of the wasteland the blood lotus is leaving behind is even greater when you apply it to our present situation. When you compare pictures of cities today and a hundred or two hundred years earlier it's terrible to see how far back human kind has driven nature. We destroy whole forests and their inhabitants just so we can build new appartment buildings. We hunt animals just for their skin to the point that a lot of species are nearly extinct now. We are slowly but surely killing this planet and are already feel the effect of our actions, so what might seem like a terrible alternative reality in "Stormdancer" can very well soon be our reality.
The question of obedience or rather blind obedience comes up in this book. How far can it go and is it the hand who wields the sword who has to take responsibility for his action or is it the one who gives the command? A great quote from the book: “To be a servant can be a noble thing, but only as noble as the master served.” This leads to the topic of choice, which in my opinion is the ultimate human attribute.
- Buruu: I can't not mention Buruu the thunder tiger. I just love him so much and his friendship with Yukiko is the strongest bond in this book in my opinion. Just like Yukiko he is maturing in the progress of this book and it's beautiful to see.
- Scary Villain: Okay, this is not exactly a good point, well it depends how you look at it...anyway, I never thought I'd loathe and despise a character more than Jeffrey Baratheon in Game of Thrones, who is a sick and sadistic bastard, oh boy was I wrong. The Shogun (king) is taking the top spot now. He's a sadistic ass who cares for no one but himself, he murders, tortures and rapes for his own entertainment. He's just sick and twisted and I absolutely HATED him.
The Bad
- Insta-love and love triangle: As I mentioned, the romance only plays a tiny role in the story so this is only a minor complaint. But I still can't overlook it. I never saw the connection between Yukiko and one of her love interests beyond physical attraction and just don't get why Yukiko thought of him all the time after ONE meeting where he said one sentence to her. And while she does have a connection with the other, they are seem more like friends to me and it's more like a one sided love.
- The story is written superbly. The pace is good and the descriptions are great and the Japanese language mixed in never seemed stilted but I don't know why, it's probably just me, but I sometimes felt detached from the story. I cared for the characters and felt for them in sad moments but stil...this certain "je ne sais quoi" was missing. Don't get me wrong, objectively speaking I know that this is probably one of the best YA books to debut this year and I'll look forward to read the next book but subjectively there are other books I just loved more.
The Rating
★★★★☆
I highly recommend this book. Unlike other books, Stormdancer definitely lived up to the hype that surrounded it even before its official publication. I have been looking forward to several books this year only to be disappointed because they didn't meet my expectations but this book was not one of them, in fact it actually exceeded my expectations (I try to not to have too high expectations to new books now because high expectations=probability of disappointment is also very high).
Minor Spoilers
The Cover
My edition has the left cover and I think it's pretty badass. It shows the blood red sky of Shima and the blood lotus in the background. And then there's Buruu, the thunder tiger, flying in the sky. Yukiko is also pictured and you can see her badass nine-tailed fox tattoo. So yeah, this cover is like the epitome of cool in my opinion.
But I can't help but love the UK cover (right) more. It has this kind of poetic and zen quality to it. It's calming but you can also see tension and danger through the birds flying in the sky and the way Yukiko is wielding her Katana (she doesn't actually own a Katana in the book but oh well...). I love the brush strokes of the title.
The Story
Yukiko and her father are sent by the Shogun (equivalent of a king) to catch an extinct animal, the thunder tiger. The Shogun of Shima (the country this story is set in) is a cruel man who will kill, torture and rape just for his own entertainment and at the merest hint of disobedience. Shima is also under the hand of the Lotus Guild, an organization that holds all the power over the country's supply of the Blood Lotus. The Blood Lotus is used for everything may it be as a drug to energy supply. The use of this plant however has devastating impact on the ecosystem and environment: the sky is no longer full but full of smog, global warming, most animals are extinct, deforestation, polluted rivers etc. So in short, the country is about to collapse. Yukiko and her father manage to find a thunder tiger and she forms a deep friendship with this mythical creature, whom she later named Buruu, and is bend on taking revenge on the Shogun and save her country from extinction through the blood lotus.
The Protagonist
Yukiko deserves not only a hot chocolate and a blanket but also the biggest hug ever. This girl has lost almost everone she loves. She has seen death and horrors no one should ever have to have witnessed, let alone a 16 year old. But she's so strong (she's such a badass and can totally kick ass) and really cares about her fellow human beings. She was brave and not afraid to fight for what she believes in. Throughout the book she learns more about the world she lives in and the politics and cruel nature of the system. It's sad that her world view is kind of destroyed along the way, she loses part of her innocence when she sees the flawed system where humans don't matter but only profit and power. Yukiko is the kind of heroine I look for when reading a book. She's brave but not reckless, she's idealistic but not inflexible, she's emotional but doesn't let it get in her way, she's strong but still vulnerable. She's far from perfect but that makes her such a great protagonist.
The Heart Rate
The romance took a back seat in this book. Actually, it was barely there and I'm thankful for that because it would've distracted from the important plots in this book (I mean, the country is ruled by a ruthless dictator and a crazy organization who thinks they're god and who is destroying the world they live in...). I really didn't care for it much as I couldn't understands Yukiko's infatuation with the green-eyed samurai beyond his appearance. The other love interest (yep, there's a kind of love triangle) had a bigger connection with her.
The Good
- Steampunk meets Dystopia (plus fantasy and mythology): I can't really pin point the time this books takes place in. It could be very well a alternative Japan in the 19th century after the industrial revolution but still with a feudal system. There is electricity and wireless radio and even a type of tv, there are airships, all fueled by the blood lotus (which to me is kind of an alternative power source to the steam engine in other steampunk novels). So in this aspect this novel is definitely steampunk. But then again it also features a flawed government with a dictator and an obscure organization who control every part of society from food to information. The author also shows us the effect of environmental pollution which to me shows us a possible future for our world today, which would make this novel a dystopia. Jay Kristoff manages to combine both genre seamlessly and even adds fantasy and mythology to the mix.
- Worldbuilding: Jay Kristoff has created a wonderful and vivid world. Every little detail in this world is fleshed out, you could basically see the smog and the red sky and smell the stinky rivers. At times the descriptions were a little lengthy for my taste but that's just me and is in no way the book's fault. Also, we never really learn how the blood lotus was discovered (or did I missed the part where it was explained?). We know the Lotus Guild holds all the power over it, so I guess they discovered it's uses. Or maybe this will be explained in the next installment.
- Japanese Culture and Diversity: Shima is clearly modelled after feudal japan (see steampunk). I'm not an expert on Japanese culture but I felt the author did a great job in showing the characteristics of Japanese society, the philosphy and life style of the people. Obviously, it's not a hundred percent accurate but then again this book never claims to be (it's set in an alternative universe after all). I also like that the characters are Japanese/Asian (kind of obvious, I know). It's so rare to see an Asian protagonist. You can see that he author did a lot of research and respects the culture (even though some part of the system are flawed) and never makes the mistake of "fetishizing" an entire race.
- Strong Females: I've already spoke about how tough YUkiko is but there are many more strong female characters in this book. It's great to see that the author showed us that feminity does not equal weakness but it's a strength and it's not shameful to be a woman. We may be physically weaker than men but our strength lies somewhere else and it is in no way inferior to those of men. One of my favourite quotes is, which probably doesn't mean too much out of context: "Now, that's the spirit, Yukiko-chan. We'll make a woman out of you yet." (I'd like to think that it's a reference to Mulan (the Disney movie) and when Shang sings: "I'll make a man out of you")
- Great supporting characters: The side characters are not only props for the main characters but they all have a certain depth to them. We mostly get Yukiko's POV but sometimes it switches to those of others (though only for a short while) and it gives the reader a little more insight on the story's progression and to understand the different characters' motivation better.
- Social criticism: The author shows us what happens when men is only driven by greed and hubris. The horror of the wasteland the blood lotus is leaving behind is even greater when you apply it to our present situation. When you compare pictures of cities today and a hundred or two hundred years earlier it's terrible to see how far back human kind has driven nature. We destroy whole forests and their inhabitants just so we can build new appartment buildings. We hunt animals just for their skin to the point that a lot of species are nearly extinct now. We are slowly but surely killing this planet and are already feel the effect of our actions, so what might seem like a terrible alternative reality in "Stormdancer" can very well soon be our reality.
The question of obedience or rather blind obedience comes up in this book. How far can it go and is it the hand who wields the sword who has to take responsibility for his action or is it the one who gives the command? A great quote from the book: “To be a servant can be a noble thing, but only as noble as the master served.” This leads to the topic of choice, which in my opinion is the ultimate human attribute.
- Buruu: I can't not mention Buruu the thunder tiger. I just love him so much and his friendship with Yukiko is the strongest bond in this book in my opinion. Just like Yukiko he is maturing in the progress of this book and it's beautiful to see.
- Scary Villain: Okay, this is not exactly a good point, well it depends how you look at it...anyway, I never thought I'd loathe and despise a character more than Jeffrey Baratheon in Game of Thrones, who is a sick and sadistic bastard, oh boy was I wrong. The Shogun (king) is taking the top spot now. He's a sadistic ass who cares for no one but himself, he murders, tortures and rapes for his own entertainment. He's just sick and twisted and I absolutely HATED him.
The Bad
- Insta-love and love triangle: As I mentioned, the romance only plays a tiny role in the story so this is only a minor complaint. But I still can't overlook it. I never saw the connection between Yukiko and one of her love interests beyond physical attraction and just don't get why Yukiko thought of him all the time after ONE meeting where he said one sentence to her. And while she does have a connection with the other, they are seem more like friends to me and it's more like a one sided love.
- The story is written superbly. The pace is good and the descriptions are great and the Japanese language mixed in never seemed stilted but I don't know why, it's probably just me, but I sometimes felt detached from the story. I cared for the characters and felt for them in sad moments but stil...this certain "je ne sais quoi" was missing. Don't get me wrong, objectively speaking I know that this is probably one of the best YA books to debut this year and I'll look forward to read the next book but subjectively there are other books I just loved more.
The Rating
★★★★☆
I highly recommend this book. Unlike other books, Stormdancer definitely lived up to the hype that surrounded it even before its official publication. I have been looking forward to several books this year only to be disappointed because they didn't meet my expectations but this book was not one of them, in fact it actually exceeded my expectations (I try to not to have too high expectations to new books now because high expectations=probability of disappointment is also very high).
yodamom's review
4.0
At first I was overwhelmed with the world building the foreign terms, it was a bit daunting. Yes, there is a dictionary at the end but I did not know this and muddled through just fine. After about page 70 the story fired it's rockets and there was no looking back. Action, adventure, and intrigue galore. I was in love, this book was a mix of manga/movie Princess Mononoke and The Tarian Soul series, to me. The characters drew me in and had me cheering, tearing, or wishing for their deaths. Were there flaws ? Of course, but I enjoyed the ride and that's what reading is all about for me. This was a fun, escape from reality read. I can't wait for the second book in this series.
priya_amrev's review
3.0
This book was hard to get through in the beginning (there is such as thing as tooo much description) which is why it took me so long to finish. But it’s worth it. A great read and it picks up after the halfway point.
booksinderry's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
laatexlord's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mrsjanelismv's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
joanna1905's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't sure what to expect with this book due to the mixed reviews but I have to say I really enjoyed it!
I found it slightly slow at the beginning but once the story got going I found myself quickly invested. I've never read a book with this kind of human/animal connection but I really enjoyed it - I think the relationship that develops between Yukiko and Burru was really well done and it was definitely one of my favourite parts of this book.
I'm definitely excited to see how this story develops and what's next now the Shogun is dead.
One thing I didn't love in this book is the scene where some boys are spying on Yukiko in the bathhouse, it was super gross to read and they got away with it scot-free. Boys spying on young girls to see them naked isn't a cute part of boyhood - it's gross and I wish she had caught them and gone off on them.
I also would have loved the glossary to be at the beginning, I know they are typically placed at the back of books but It would have been useful to read before starting the book and because it's not common for novels to have glossaries I didn't even realise it has one until I was almost finished.
All in all, this isn't my favourite book by Jay but I definitely enjoyed it and am looking forward to continuing the series.
I found it slightly slow at the beginning but once the story got going I found myself quickly invested. I've never read a book with this kind of human/animal connection but I really enjoyed it - I think the relationship that develops between Yukiko and Burru was really well done and it was definitely one of my favourite parts of this book.
I'm definitely excited to see how this story develops and what's next now the Shogun is dead.
One thing I didn't love in this book is the scene where some boys are spying on Yukiko in the bathhouse, it was super gross to read and they got away with it scot-free. Boys spying on young girls to see them naked isn't a cute part of boyhood - it's gross and I wish she had caught them and gone off on them.
I also would have loved the glossary to be at the beginning, I know they are typically placed at the back of books but It would have been useful to read before starting the book and because it's not common for novels to have glossaries I didn't even realise it has one until I was almost finished.
All in all, this isn't my favourite book by Jay but I definitely enjoyed it and am looking forward to continuing the series.
theladylotus's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
danielled75's review against another edition
5.0
I just have to say THANK YOU Jay KRistoff for writing this amazing book, I know the first book is not officialy out yet, but I'm already eagerly awaiting the second bok in this series.