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emreads0's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
subversive_augury's review
4.0
A Thousand Steps into Night pulls together demons, curses, fantasy mythology, deep friendships, and rich character development and world-building into a feminist self-liberation story that is by turns humorous and touching. Author Traci Chee presents us with the story of "an unremarkable girl names Otori Miuko," who, thanks to a demon's curse, is expelled from her decaying and all-but-abandoned hometown of Nihaoi to lead an epic journey across the patriarchal realm of Awara in which she befriends spirits and a shapeshifting magpie and confronts gods and ghosts in a race to free herself from the curse that is slowly transforming her into a demon.
Chee's world-building is compelling, thanks in part to the fictional language of Awara whose vocabulary and etymology are richly woven into the text, offering a unique enmeshment of language, culture, and place that I rarely encounter:
As a lover of languages, this aspect of the novel was an entirely welcome surprise for me and is one of the many facets of the storytelling that made it uniquely interesting.
Lovers of fantasy and East Asian mythology will almost certainly find this to be a satisfying read, though in the end, I would argue that the centrality of friendship to the arc of the main characters' journey (literal and figurative) is one of the most endearing and rewarding aspects of the novel. I would definitely enjoy reading this again. 4.25/5 stars.
Chee's world-building is compelling, thanks in part to the fictional language of Awara whose vocabulary and etymology are richly woven into the text, offering a unique enmeshment of language, culture, and place that I rarely encounter:
The people of Awara had a word for that. Yazai. More intense than mere bad luck, yazai was the result of all one's evil thoughts and deeds compounded and turned back on oneself a hundredfold. [...] Yazai, or so it was said, was the reason Nihaoi was crumbling and returning slowly to the earth—the result of some long-ago transgression by one of the villagers against a powerful spirit.
As a lover of languages, this aspect of the novel was an entirely welcome surprise for me and is one of the many facets of the storytelling that made it uniquely interesting.
Lovers of fantasy and East Asian mythology will almost certainly find this to be a satisfying read, though in the end, I would argue that the centrality of friendship to the arc of the main characters' journey (literal and figurative) is one of the most endearing and rewarding aspects of the novel. I would definitely enjoy reading this again. 4.25/5 stars.
xdawnstarx's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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
5.0
jnishi's review
5.0
I loved this book so much. I related to Miuko so much as a Japanese- Canadian. I am loud and opinionated and never do what I am supposed to do. I love how she didn’t fit into the Patriarchal Japanese inspired world she lived in. I love how she was short like me and sassy like me. I have waited so long for a character in a novel I looked like and could relate to. Also, this is a YA fantasy novel that focuses on friendship and self discovery over romance! A breath of fresh air. Hands down would buy whatever this amazing author writes.
mitskacir's review
3.0
This book was very imaginative and the writing painted very vivid images in my mind of all the spirits Miuko encounters on her journeys. However, the story and characters fell a little flat for me, and I found myself trying to get to the end quickly. I think its main drawback was that it drove home the "women are mistreated" stance too frequently and heavy-handedly. Yes... we get it. Now let's get back to the battle with the demon.
ashinoda's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
lee_bee_'s review
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
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? Yes
4.5
whatyoutolkienabout's review
5.0
I was kindly sent an ARC of this book by Harper360 for an honest and fair review. A Thousand Steps into Night is a Japanese-influenced fantasy that is full of demons, adventure and plans gone awry.
In the realm of Aware, where gods, monsters and humans exist side by side, Miuko is an ordinary girl resigned to a safe if somewhat uneventful life being the daughter to an innkeeper. Things do not go as planned for Miuko, however, since she is cursed and begins to transform into a demon with a deadly touch. This sees her embark on a quest to reverse the curse and return to her normal life. Aided by a thieving Magpie spirit, Geiki, and continuously thwarted by a demon prince Miuko must outfox tricksters, escape demon hunters and negotiate with feral gods if she ever wants to make it home and return to her normal life. Although slowly she begins to wonder if that is what she really wants? Her transformation offers power and a freedom she could have never dreamed of, and she’ll have to decide if saving her soul is worth trying to cram herself back into an ordinary life that no longer fits her…and perhaps it never did.
It is no secret that I enjoy Asian and Asian inspired stories, couple this with fantasy and I was already excited for this book. I didn’t realise just how amazing it would be though. From the first page I was hooked. Miuko is a likable protagonist. From the very start I was interested in her and her story. And it is safe to say Geiki stole my heart, I love that thieving magpie demon. The wonderful friendship that blooms between him and Miuko is lovely to see and be part of.
The story contains all the things that make fantasy and a story great. Action, adventure, humour and memorable characters. The world of Awara is rich and fleshed out perfectly full of ghosts, demons, humans and gods and not once does anything seem out of place. I honestly wanted this to go on forever but it ends perfectly. I would love to see more adventures of Miuko and Geiki in the future but I am so happy that we got to experience their first adventure.
I will definitely be buying this in hardback as well as looking into Traci Chee’s other works since her writing, world building and characters are just perfection!
In the realm of Aware, where gods, monsters and humans exist side by side, Miuko is an ordinary girl resigned to a safe if somewhat uneventful life being the daughter to an innkeeper. Things do not go as planned for Miuko, however, since she is cursed and begins to transform into a demon with a deadly touch. This sees her embark on a quest to reverse the curse and return to her normal life. Aided by a thieving Magpie spirit, Geiki, and continuously thwarted by a demon prince Miuko must outfox tricksters, escape demon hunters and negotiate with feral gods if she ever wants to make it home and return to her normal life. Although slowly she begins to wonder if that is what she really wants? Her transformation offers power and a freedom she could have never dreamed of, and she’ll have to decide if saving her soul is worth trying to cram herself back into an ordinary life that no longer fits her…and perhaps it never did.
It is no secret that I enjoy Asian and Asian inspired stories, couple this with fantasy and I was already excited for this book. I didn’t realise just how amazing it would be though. From the first page I was hooked. Miuko is a likable protagonist. From the very start I was interested in her and her story. And it is safe to say Geiki stole my heart, I love that thieving magpie demon. The wonderful friendship that blooms between him and Miuko is lovely to see and be part of.
The story contains all the things that make fantasy and a story great. Action, adventure, humour and memorable characters. The world of Awara is rich and fleshed out perfectly full of ghosts, demons, humans and gods and not once does anything seem out of place. I honestly wanted this to go on forever but it ends perfectly. I would love to see more adventures of Miuko and Geiki in the future but I am so happy that we got to experience their first adventure.
I will definitely be buying this in hardback as well as looking into Traci Chee’s other works since her writing, world building and characters are just perfection!
gemgem18's review
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
emmeline790's review
adventurous
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75