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tracey_stewart's review
3.0
I won this novella through LibraryThing's Member Giveaways, and since I had just read Yamada Monogatari it seemed like a natural next read.
In keeping with my confusion over what "Monogatari" meant, I expected "Tsuki" to mean "story" or something along those lines. But it doesn't. It's not a literary term at all, at least according to my limited search: it means "punch" or "thrust". Perhaps it refers to the twist in the tale, which ought to come as a shock equivalent to a kendo attack. Because there certainly was a twist. Of sorts.
As the synopsis says, Tsurugu no Kiyomori is a sort of magic-using private eye, hired to protect a warlord's new bride from a kitsune (often malicious fox spirit) they believe is near, and threatening. Kitsune can and often do take human shape in order to work mischief (and worse), and it could be anyone – or no one. And – again, as the synopsis says – a PI in ancient Japan doesn't have the leeway a classic American gumshoe would, since a mistaken accusation against, say, the bride herself could end in very ugly, very painful, possibly very fatal results.
Tsurugu is partnered – against his will – with a warrior named Shishio Hitoshi, who makes up in grit and determination what he lacks in magic. They become a good team, until they aren't any longer, and that's the problem I had with this story. I'll come back to that. It was well done, with several factors that made it both a very good and a very bad followup to Yamada Monogatari - there were surprising similarities (which is why it was both good and bad). I'm not in any way suggesting anything hinky about either book – just surprise at a superficial resemblance. This is a quick tale (wouldn't it be fun to write stories about kitsune in sets of three? Three tales? Geddit??) which encompasses a pair of mysterious twins, a dog hunt (which was, I felt, an unnecessarily ugly scene, but at least it was not graphic or detailed), and a beautiful bride who may not be what she is supposed to be.
The twist in thetail tale was very much a surprise, and so was effective in that way – but it was so very close to the end of the novella that I think I was still thinking "What … just happened here?" when I hit the last sentence. With the fast pace of the story, it felt like flying along on a bobsled, hitting a wall, and continuing to fly along without the benefit of the sled for a while until I came to a spinning stop several yards away. (This would be one of those rare times I wish I knew where to find a gif that would illustrate that better.) Once I stopped blinking in surprise, I think I was just unhappy about the whole thing. It was clever – I just didn't like it.
But, to end this at least on a positive note, I do love kitsune. I love that the fox-as-trickster trope is as strong in Japan as it is in Native American lore. I love that the creatures can be malice personified or merely mischievous, can fall in love with human and be willing to kill anyone else. They're a fascinating class of being, and it's fun to see them as much as I have lately. And they have three tails – how cool is that?
In keeping with my confusion over what "Monogatari" meant, I expected "Tsuki" to mean "story" or something along those lines. But it doesn't. It's not a literary term at all, at least according to my limited search: it means "punch" or "thrust". Perhaps it refers to the twist in the tale, which ought to come as a shock equivalent to a kendo attack. Because there certainly was a twist. Of sorts.
As the synopsis says, Tsurugu no Kiyomori is a sort of magic-using private eye, hired to protect a warlord's new bride from a kitsune (often malicious fox spirit) they believe is near, and threatening. Kitsune can and often do take human shape in order to work mischief (and worse), and it could be anyone – or no one. And – again, as the synopsis says – a PI in ancient Japan doesn't have the leeway a classic American gumshoe would, since a mistaken accusation against, say, the bride herself could end in very ugly, very painful, possibly very fatal results.
Tsurugu is partnered – against his will – with a warrior named Shishio Hitoshi, who makes up in grit and determination what he lacks in magic. They become a good team, until they aren't any longer, and that's the problem I had with this story. I'll come back to that. It was well done, with several factors that made it both a very good and a very bad followup to Yamada Monogatari - there were surprising similarities (which is why it was both good and bad). I'm not in any way suggesting anything hinky about either book – just surprise at a superficial resemblance. This is a quick tale (wouldn't it be fun to write stories about kitsune in sets of three? Three tales? Geddit??) which encompasses a pair of mysterious twins, a dog hunt (which was, I felt, an unnecessarily ugly scene, but at least it was not graphic or detailed), and a beautiful bride who may not be what she is supposed to be.
The twist in the
But, to end this at least on a positive note, I do love kitsune. I love that the fox-as-trickster trope is as strong in Japan as it is in Native American lore. I love that the creatures can be malice personified or merely mischievous, can fall in love with human and be willing to kill anyone else. They're a fascinating class of being, and it's fun to see them as much as I have lately. And they have three tails – how cool is that?
emmaprew's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Very short but very enjoyable.
kblincoln's review
5.0
4.5 stars, actually.
I come from a Japanese Studies background so I always reading stories based on Japanese myths with an intention to enjoy-- but also with the fear that the author will have coopted inappropriately or portrayed strangely the myths that I know and love.
No fear here. Baugh does a good job both with presenting a "who is the kitsune" mystery in the context of a nobleman's impending wedding, as well as portraying some cool Onmyouji (shamanic curse worker) chants and rituals.
And, more interestingly for me because I love new takes or new information, there's a shadow wolf character-- a kind of ninja like policeman who searches with the main character, an Onmyouji named Tsurugu--who provides both interest and sense of danger.
There are certainly clues sprinkled throughout the hunt for the kitsune spirit about the twist ending, but I really didn't see it coming until just before it happened, so very delightful to be fooled by a clever fox! I did feel the story ended too early for me, I wanted to spend more time with the main characters. That's my only quibble.
I come from a Japanese Studies background so I always reading stories based on Japanese myths with an intention to enjoy-- but also with the fear that the author will have coopted inappropriately or portrayed strangely the myths that I know and love.
No fear here. Baugh does a good job both with presenting a "who is the kitsune" mystery in the context of a nobleman's impending wedding, as well as portraying some cool Onmyouji (shamanic curse worker) chants and rituals.
And, more interestingly for me because I love new takes or new information, there's a shadow wolf character-- a kind of ninja like policeman who searches with the main character, an Onmyouji named Tsurugu--who provides both interest and sense of danger.
There are certainly clues sprinkled throughout the hunt for the kitsune spirit about the twist ending, but I really didn't see it coming until just before it happened, so very delightful to be fooled by a clever fox! I did feel the story ended too early for me, I wanted to spend more time with the main characters. That's my only quibble.
jettye's review
4.0
Only 4 stars because it's too short and I wanted more! Fortunately, the sequel, "Kitsune-Mochi" is now out and the two together are very satisfying! Set in "not-Japan", there is nevertheless a lot of japanese folklore included in this tail (pun intended) of shape-changers and magic. This book introduces the characters and sets the scene for later happenings, so I recommend it highly as an intro to Ms. Baugh's universe.
tumbly_weed's review
4.0
A short and sweet novella, I'm delighted to find some fiction in English about kitsunes as I do research for my own novel! I'm looking forward to reading the next book.
anmcnulty's review
3.0
This was an interesting short novella. The story was well written and compelling, however the random words written in Japanese was distracting. Of course, I agree that cultural words should be left in their original language, like daimyou and kitsune. But common phrases like "thank you" should just be written in English. It feels strange and overdone to write them in Japanese when it's already obvious the story takes place in Japan - we don't need another reminder, and it alienates readers who maybe don't speak any Japanese. However, the story was very good. I learned a lot about Kitsune and I'd like to read the second book, Kitsune-mochi!
chellyfishing's review against another edition
3.5
Twisty fun little fairy tale which suffers mainly from its short length--the twists and turns don't have much room to breathe properly but I enjoyed them nevertheless. I look forward to reading Kitsune-Mochi.
mcampany's review
2.0
I enjoyed it, but was increasingly bothered by Japanese words that should probably have been left in English. Most memorable is the line "Dochira Kaworu deshou ka", which the author immediately translates as "Which is Kaworu, I wonder?". Perhaps I'm being a little too picky, but "Dochira Kaworu deshouka" doesn't make grammatical sense in Japanese, it should be either "Dochira wa" or "Docchi ga". I suspect, since the author's bio at the end of the book mentions that she likes anime, that she may have mis-heard a line from the anime "Ouran High School Host Club", where the characters play the "Docchi ga Hikaru-kun deshouka" game. Perhaps I'm being a little tough on her, but in a book where the English is, for the most part, grammatically correct, it's very jarring to suddenly come across grammatically incorrect romanized Japanese. It seems sloppy.
If I'm wrong about the grammar, somebody please correct me. I've been speaking Japanese since I was born, but only properly started studying grammar and writing 5 years ago.
Despite my rant about incorrect grammar that few other people will notice, it's a fun story, and I greatly enjoyed it.
[Note to self: read books that take place in Japan in Shirokiya more often. The cherry blossoms on the rafters add to the mood so well.]
If I'm wrong about the grammar, somebody please correct me. I've been speaking Japanese since I was born, but only properly started studying grammar and writing 5 years ago.
Despite my rant about incorrect grammar that few other people will notice, it's a fun story, and I greatly enjoyed it.
[Note to self: read books that take place in Japan in Shirokiya more often. The cherry blossoms on the rafters add to the mood so well.]
angielisle's review
4.0
An onmyouji mystic is hired to protect a bride on her wedding day and when a kitsune, a fox-woman, begins playing pranks, the mystic must figure out: who is the kitsune?
A well-written who-done-it style story refreshed by the utilization of Japanese folklore. The story quickly pulled me in and left me wanting more. I love that I didn't solve the mystery until reaching the very end of the story!
My only complaint - I wish a glossary was included to make it easier to look up the Japanese terms that were unfamiliar to me.
I received a free copy of this book for review, but I will definitely watch for future stories by this author!
A well-written who-done-it style story refreshed by the utilization of Japanese folklore. The story quickly pulled me in and left me wanting more. I love that I didn't solve the mystery until reaching the very end of the story!
My only complaint - I wish a glossary was included to make it easier to look up the Japanese terms that were unfamiliar to me.
I received a free copy of this book for review, but I will definitely watch for future stories by this author!
barbarahowe's review
4.0
Lovely little story, with a twist I did not see coming. At the beginning, had to do a lot of flipping back and forth to the glossary--and I am very glad the author added one!--but that got easier as I got further in.
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