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redentrapy's review
4.0
So I loved this book. The plot line was fun and original. The bad guy was not who I thought it was. Rileigh's character was awesome. She was strong and independent and she could totally kick ass. She is a skaker/fighter with a penchant for sarcasm and a life that has been turned upside down by an awakening of the awareness of her past life Senshi, a samurai warrior who died in 1463. The book has little chapters where it goes back to Japan in 1463 so that you get both soul's point of views.
Kim is the handsome martial arts instructor who finds out that she has awakened and tries to help her through the transition. Rileigh though is suspicious, skeptical, and doesn't know who to trust after being attacked repeatedly. So she stays weary of him. Later she finds out that they were lovers in the past and she starts falling for him again. Only problem is she is dating the handsome transfer student, Whitley, right now and can't decide who she wants. Kim is serious and gorgeous. He does everything he can to protect her.
The other characters that are in this book are cute and fun. I love Quentin Rileigh's totally gay best friend, Michelle another transcended samurai and motor mouth, Drew Kim's brother in the past life, and Braden, Michelle's boyfriend and twin in the past. The ad guy was well thought out and it wasn't who I thought it was, he was still a little shallow compared to the other characters.
Overall great book. I just thought that Rileigh was in denial about the whole thing too long and didn't embrace her gift. That was the only thing that really bugged me about it.
Kim is the handsome martial arts instructor who finds out that she has awakened and tries to help her through the transition. Rileigh though is suspicious, skeptical, and doesn't know who to trust after being attacked repeatedly. So she stays weary of him. Later she finds out that they were lovers in the past and she starts falling for him again. Only problem is she is dating the handsome transfer student, Whitley, right now and can't decide who she wants. Kim is serious and gorgeous. He does everything he can to protect her.
The other characters that are in this book are cute and fun. I love Quentin Rileigh's totally gay best friend, Michelle another transcended samurai and motor mouth, Drew Kim's brother in the past life, and Braden, Michelle's boyfriend and twin in the past. The ad guy was well thought out and it wasn't who I thought it was, he was still a little shallow compared to the other characters.
Overall great book. I just thought that Rileigh was in denial about the whole thing too long and didn't embrace her gift. That was the only thing that really bugged me about it.
mirable's review
4.0
Booklist review:
Rileigh Martin is a skater girl, not a fighter, but when she is attacked by three men, a strange voice in her head tells her what to do, and she takes them all down. She begins to have dreams about Kim, a mysterious martial-arts expert, who explains that Rileigh is a samurai warrior—his soulmate, Senshi, reincarnated—and that she is awakening due to grave danger. Rileigh doesn’t believe any of this, but several more close calls lead to reluctant belief. Gibsen’s debut is plot driven with fairly well-developed secondary characters, although Rileigh’s best friend Quentin’s immediate acceptance of her awakening feels somewhat contrived. The novel flirts with the damsel in distress cliché, but Rileigh harnesses her power and becomes the hero of her own story. Torn between an eerily familiar past and an unknown future, her journey toward transcendence in contemporary St. Louis alternates with Senshi’s story in fifteenth-century Japan, making for an action-packed page-turner tempered with slow-burning romance. Grades 7-10. --Charli Osborne
Rileigh Martin is a skater girl, not a fighter, but when she is attacked by three men, a strange voice in her head tells her what to do, and she takes them all down. She begins to have dreams about Kim, a mysterious martial-arts expert, who explains that Rileigh is a samurai warrior—his soulmate, Senshi, reincarnated—and that she is awakening due to grave danger. Rileigh doesn’t believe any of this, but several more close calls lead to reluctant belief. Gibsen’s debut is plot driven with fairly well-developed secondary characters, although Rileigh’s best friend Quentin’s immediate acceptance of her awakening feels somewhat contrived. The novel flirts with the damsel in distress cliché, but Rileigh harnesses her power and becomes the hero of her own story. Torn between an eerily familiar past and an unknown future, her journey toward transcendence in contemporary St. Louis alternates with Senshi’s story in fifteenth-century Japan, making for an action-packed page-turner tempered with slow-burning romance. Grades 7-10. --Charli Osborne
carteremma's review
5.0
So this book was billed as Kill Bill meets Buffy on NetGalley. Do I love Kill Bill? Yes self, I do! Do I love Buffy? Yes again Emma, I think Buffy kicks ass and I miss her! I have also had a fascination in ancient Japanese culture for as long as I can remember. So I think it is clear to say that I had high hopes for this book! I was pleased that it delivered everything I was expecting and more.
Rileigh is a normal skateboard loving girl until she and her best friend, Quentin, are attacked by muggers in a parking lot. Without knowing what she is doing Rileigh manages to defend herself against all 3 of the muggers leaving them broken on the ground. This is when the dreams begin! Dreams of ancient Japan which are so real they make Rileigh's heart hurt with recognition. Before she knows it Rileigh has been pulled into a world of reincarnated Samurai Warriors and she must defend herself against enemies from the past. The only problem is that her enemies could be anyone!
There are only a handful of literary characters that I think I would get on well with in real life and that I would want to hang out with. Rileigh is one of them. She is such a strong character who is totally thrown into a situation that she is not prepared for and she totally reacts in the way I probably would, although I would have added being drunk to the moping and the bar fight!! In lots of books when the protagonist moans about the situation they have found themselves in you just want to shake them, but in this case you understand her concerns and let it slide as she is so kickass. She is totally Buffy-esque and that makes me so happy (I miss Buffy!).
Any awesome reincarnated Samurai action story has to have a smoking hot love interest and this one has two!! This was an interesting love triangle and not the usual bog standard one. Rileigh's head and current self is securely settled on the cute guy from school, but her heart and past self are all about the smoking hot Kim. He is buff, handsome, looks out for Rileigh and only wants her to be happy... where can I get me one? Also he owns his own dojo and I like a man who has plans for his future and a way to support himself (Argh, I'm getting so sensible in my old age!!)
This had some great supporting characters which enriched the story, especially her gay best friend Q (who doesn't love a gay best friend?). I also liked that Rileigh had a job and therefore could not just up and disappear on an adventure without thinking of the consequences or telling anyone. This is something that can often annoy me in YA fiction, but in this book it was tackled with grace. As we started to piece together the story from ancient Japan I was constantly trying to guess who the enemy was in her current life. I was suspicious of so many characters that it actually did not turn out to be the one I was most sceptical about! I had no idea who was trust worthy in this book.
I loved this book and flew through it constantly wanting more. The only thing I was disappointed about at the end was that this is a stand alone novel. I would have loved to keep reading about Rileigh and the antics her and her band of Samurai might get up to. I will definitely be picking up Cole Gibsen's next book as soon as it's released. I can't wait.
Rileigh is a normal skateboard loving girl until she and her best friend, Quentin, are attacked by muggers in a parking lot. Without knowing what she is doing Rileigh manages to defend herself against all 3 of the muggers leaving them broken on the ground. This is when the dreams begin! Dreams of ancient Japan which are so real they make Rileigh's heart hurt with recognition. Before she knows it Rileigh has been pulled into a world of reincarnated Samurai Warriors and she must defend herself against enemies from the past. The only problem is that her enemies could be anyone!
There are only a handful of literary characters that I think I would get on well with in real life and that I would want to hang out with. Rileigh is one of them. She is such a strong character who is totally thrown into a situation that she is not prepared for and she totally reacts in the way I probably would, although I would have added being drunk to the moping and the bar fight!! In lots of books when the protagonist moans about the situation they have found themselves in you just want to shake them, but in this case you understand her concerns and let it slide as she is so kickass. She is totally Buffy-esque and that makes me so happy (I miss Buffy!).
Any awesome reincarnated Samurai action story has to have a smoking hot love interest and this one has two!! This was an interesting love triangle and not the usual bog standard one. Rileigh's head and current self is securely settled on the cute guy from school, but her heart and past self are all about the smoking hot Kim. He is buff, handsome, looks out for Rileigh and only wants her to be happy... where can I get me one? Also he owns his own dojo and I like a man who has plans for his future and a way to support himself (Argh, I'm getting so sensible in my old age!!)
This had some great supporting characters which enriched the story, especially her gay best friend Q (who doesn't love a gay best friend?). I also liked that Rileigh had a job and therefore could not just up and disappear on an adventure without thinking of the consequences or telling anyone. This is something that can often annoy me in YA fiction, but in this book it was tackled with grace. As we started to piece together the story from ancient Japan I was constantly trying to guess who the enemy was in her current life. I was suspicious of so many characters that it actually did not turn out to be the one I was most sceptical about! I had no idea who was trust worthy in this book.
I loved this book and flew through it constantly wanting more. The only thing I was disappointed about at the end was that this is a stand alone novel. I would have loved to keep reading about Rileigh and the antics her and her band of Samurai might get up to. I will definitely be picking up Cole Gibsen's next book as soon as it's released. I can't wait.
tartbarbie's review
5.0
Rileigh heads to the mall with her best friend Q when the pair leaves they witness a attempted mugging. The mugger flee's with but before he can run past Rileigh she trips him ending up with the purse and he runs off. It isn't till Rileigh and Q get to her car that they are confronted by the mugger and his two friends. They attempt to rough them up but Rileigh surprises them as well as herself by using ancient samurai skills. When she's caught on the security camera's beating up the bad guys, suddenly the guy she's been dying to date in high school is showing up at her home. She's also visited by a stranger who claims to know who she is and why she's suddenly hearing a voice and has some new fighting skills.
At his urging Rileigh agree's to meet the stranger at his dojo in hopes of learning what's going on. She's attacked by three strangers who attempt to kill her but with her skills she easily fights them off. She learns that Kim was testing her to prove that she is indeed the one he's been searching for the fifth of their group well as his long lost love. Rileigh struggles with learning the truth, unable to believe they are telling her all the truth she decides to go out with the guy from school at the urging of her best friends. It's on the date she's attacked, and when her home is broken into and the katana stolen she heads back to Kim for advice.
I've been dying to read Katana forever since long before it came out and after procrastinating on purchasing it due to the ever growing review pile I caved. However it hit the shelf where it's been teasing me for months. I was tickled when I found the chance to read while my kindles had dead batteries. I love the cover cherry blossoms are one of my favorite flowers to start with plus one of my favorite movies is Kill Bill so I had high hopes. I was drawn in right from the first chapter I couldn't wait to see what would happen next in Rileighs adventure. Katana is a fast story that is easy to lose all track of time, with a flowing story-line it a story that teens as well as adults will enjoy. I will admit it is a little stereotypical but I don't think it detracts from the story. I like the concept for Katana it's my first martial art's related story but the concept of soul mates and past lives is one of my favorite romantic stories. I've always wanted a stereotypical gay best friend so I'm a little jealous that Rileigh has one and he even accepts her for the samurai she is. I found all the characters are great they way that their past lives mix with the current lives just creates a better story. I can honestly say I really loved Katana; it's a awesome story that left me going awwww. I can't wait to get my hands on the next one.
At his urging Rileigh agree's to meet the stranger at his dojo in hopes of learning what's going on. She's attacked by three strangers who attempt to kill her but with her skills she easily fights them off. She learns that Kim was testing her to prove that she is indeed the one he's been searching for the fifth of their group well as his long lost love. Rileigh struggles with learning the truth, unable to believe they are telling her all the truth she decides to go out with the guy from school at the urging of her best friends. It's on the date she's attacked, and when her home is broken into and the katana stolen she heads back to Kim for advice.
I've been dying to read Katana forever since long before it came out and after procrastinating on purchasing it due to the ever growing review pile I caved. However it hit the shelf where it's been teasing me for months. I was tickled when I found the chance to read while my kindles had dead batteries. I love the cover cherry blossoms are one of my favorite flowers to start with plus one of my favorite movies is Kill Bill so I had high hopes. I was drawn in right from the first chapter I couldn't wait to see what would happen next in Rileighs adventure. Katana is a fast story that is easy to lose all track of time, with a flowing story-line it a story that teens as well as adults will enjoy. I will admit it is a little stereotypical but I don't think it detracts from the story. I like the concept for Katana it's my first martial art's related story but the concept of soul mates and past lives is one of my favorite romantic stories. I've always wanted a stereotypical gay best friend so I'm a little jealous that Rileigh has one and he even accepts her for the samurai she is. I found all the characters are great they way that their past lives mix with the current lives just creates a better story. I can honestly say I really loved Katana; it's a awesome story that left me going awwww. I can't wait to get my hands on the next one.
vikcs's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
hldillon's review
5.0
This book held my attention from the very beginning. I was immediately drawn to the characters in the book and the struggles that they went through. I am hoping there will be a second book because I loved it. It was a terrific debut book!
nicolelynnreads's review
4.0
Original review and more can be fond at PopCrunchBoom!
The Review
I was perusing the shelves at the library actually in hopes of finding another book when I came across Katana by Cole Gibson. I read the back cover blurb and was instantly interested. I’ve recently been on a “kick-ass female heroine stories” kick lately and loved the samurai tie in with this novel.
The story follows Rileigh Martin, a supposedly normal teenage skater girl. Rileigh’s world consists of her gay best friend Quentin, her somewhat non-existent mom, her job at a hair salon and the crush she has on the newcomer. However one night walking out of the mall with Quentin, she’s attacked by three thugs. Scary right? But Rileigh out of nowhere whips out some awesome martial arts skills and takes down all three guys! The weird part: her skills are from a voice inside her head telling her what to do. Now Rileigh is freaked out that she’s possessed. On top of that a hot martial arts teacher Kim keeps popping up around her trying to convince her that in her past life she was a 15th century samurai named Senshi. As confusing and frustrating as that is, Rileigh has to learn how to come to terms with the voice inside her head, learn how to master her martial arts skills, and help defend herself and her friends from the evil guy from her “so-called past life” that’s threatening everyone in this life. Can she accept who she is in time?
I know that summary seems a little action-movie corny, but the book really was action-packed! Gibson did a really good job of moving the pace of the story along and providing enough action and fight scenes to make the samurai part of the novel believable. Since the novel was written from Rileigh’s point of view, readers were able to watch the fight scenes from her point of view. It was great being inside Rileigh’s mind as the voice took over and her movements began during the fights.
The point of view also enabled the true storyline of the novel: acceptance of yourself. Being inside Rileigh’s mind doesn’t just give us front row seats to all the action; it also lets us inside her thoughts and feelings. Readers watch as she struggles with what’s happening to her. We hear the voice she hears and feel the frustration and sometimes even fear that she feels. On top of that we also get to glimpse into her past life as she experiences memories flashbacks to 15th century Japan during her dreams. I really enjoyed watching Rileigh’s growth through the novel and her struggles to find a way to accept who she is with this new “person” inside her. Gibson does a great job telling the story through Rileigh’s point of view and I think she excelled in writing it.
The other part of the novel I loved was the relationships Rileigh has. Throughout the novel she is definitely torn about her growing attraction towards Kim. She’s not sure if it’s her that likes him or her “past-life” that does. However, she doesn’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about it and instead immerses herself into training. Gibson does a great job of building their relationship slowly. This isn’t your normal “falls in love/lust at first sight.” It’s refreshing how the focus of the novel isn’t on the relationship–it’s like it’s a side note. That isn’t to say that there isn’t any chemistry at all in the novel. The characters do interact well together and at the right times, the chemistry is there.
Rileigh’s relationship with Quentin is my next favorite relationship. Although Quentin’s character is mostly two-dimensional, he’s a really great friend in this novel. He’s there to support her and doesn’t freak out when she’s trying to figure things out. His character also lightens up the mood during the story, especially when he’s trying to cheer up Rileigh. He does have his stereotypical moments, but with the tone of the novel it doesn’t bother me all that much.
There were only a few small things that bothered me with this novel. I would have liked the rest of the “reincarnated” samurai characters to be less two-dimensional. They seemed to be characters that needed just a little bit more fleshing out. Maybe in the second book? :) Anyways, the other thing that bothered me was Quentin’s reaction to one of Rileigh’s talks. I’m not one for spoilers so I’ll just leave it at that it seemed a little far-fetched believability wise to me.
The surprise I found in the book was with one of the characters. I knew that bad guy was between two characters, but the one who wasn’t a bad guy was a complete surprise to me! I thought they’d at least be both bad ;) Although, everything was through Rileigh’s point of view, so that could have skewed my thoughts on that as well.
Overall, this novel was a great read! It was fast-paced and enjoyable. I really connected with the main character and loved that! Gibson did an awesome job weaving the flashbacks with the present as well as keeping all the “past-lives” on track! She wrote this novel wonderfully! I recommend it to anyone looking for a strong female lead and a little action. I hope to read the second book, Senshi soon!
The Review
I was perusing the shelves at the library actually in hopes of finding another book when I came across Katana by Cole Gibson. I read the back cover blurb and was instantly interested. I’ve recently been on a “kick-ass female heroine stories” kick lately and loved the samurai tie in with this novel.
The story follows Rileigh Martin, a supposedly normal teenage skater girl. Rileigh’s world consists of her gay best friend Quentin, her somewhat non-existent mom, her job at a hair salon and the crush she has on the newcomer. However one night walking out of the mall with Quentin, she’s attacked by three thugs. Scary right? But Rileigh out of nowhere whips out some awesome martial arts skills and takes down all three guys! The weird part: her skills are from a voice inside her head telling her what to do. Now Rileigh is freaked out that she’s possessed. On top of that a hot martial arts teacher Kim keeps popping up around her trying to convince her that in her past life she was a 15th century samurai named Senshi. As confusing and frustrating as that is, Rileigh has to learn how to come to terms with the voice inside her head, learn how to master her martial arts skills, and help defend herself and her friends from the evil guy from her “so-called past life” that’s threatening everyone in this life. Can she accept who she is in time?
I know that summary seems a little action-movie corny, but the book really was action-packed! Gibson did a really good job of moving the pace of the story along and providing enough action and fight scenes to make the samurai part of the novel believable. Since the novel was written from Rileigh’s point of view, readers were able to watch the fight scenes from her point of view. It was great being inside Rileigh’s mind as the voice took over and her movements began during the fights.
The point of view also enabled the true storyline of the novel: acceptance of yourself. Being inside Rileigh’s mind doesn’t just give us front row seats to all the action; it also lets us inside her thoughts and feelings. Readers watch as she struggles with what’s happening to her. We hear the voice she hears and feel the frustration and sometimes even fear that she feels. On top of that we also get to glimpse into her past life as she experiences memories flashbacks to 15th century Japan during her dreams. I really enjoyed watching Rileigh’s growth through the novel and her struggles to find a way to accept who she is with this new “person” inside her. Gibson does a great job telling the story through Rileigh’s point of view and I think she excelled in writing it.
The other part of the novel I loved was the relationships Rileigh has. Throughout the novel she is definitely torn about her growing attraction towards Kim. She’s not sure if it’s her that likes him or her “past-life” that does. However, she doesn’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about it and instead immerses herself into training. Gibson does a great job of building their relationship slowly. This isn’t your normal “falls in love/lust at first sight.” It’s refreshing how the focus of the novel isn’t on the relationship–it’s like it’s a side note. That isn’t to say that there isn’t any chemistry at all in the novel. The characters do interact well together and at the right times, the chemistry is there.
Rileigh’s relationship with Quentin is my next favorite relationship. Although Quentin’s character is mostly two-dimensional, he’s a really great friend in this novel. He’s there to support her and doesn’t freak out when she’s trying to figure things out. His character also lightens up the mood during the story, especially when he’s trying to cheer up Rileigh. He does have his stereotypical moments, but with the tone of the novel it doesn’t bother me all that much.
There were only a few small things that bothered me with this novel. I would have liked the rest of the “reincarnated” samurai characters to be less two-dimensional. They seemed to be characters that needed just a little bit more fleshing out. Maybe in the second book? :) Anyways, the other thing that bothered me was Quentin’s reaction to one of Rileigh’s talks. I’m not one for spoilers so I’ll just leave it at that it seemed a little far-fetched believability wise to me.
The surprise I found in the book was with one of the characters. I knew that bad guy was between two characters, but the one who wasn’t a bad guy was a complete surprise to me! I thought they’d at least be both bad ;) Although, everything was through Rileigh’s point of view, so that could have skewed my thoughts on that as well.
Overall, this novel was a great read! It was fast-paced and enjoyable. I really connected with the main character and loved that! Gibson did an awesome job weaving the flashbacks with the present as well as keeping all the “past-lives” on track! She wrote this novel wonderfully! I recommend it to anyone looking for a strong female lead and a little action. I hope to read the second book, Senshi soon!
buuboobaby's review
5.0
I loved this book! It had one of my favorite romance tropes - an enduring love that crosses over lifetimes - and a ton of action to keep things moving along. I couldn't put it down.
Full review soon at www.mangamaniaccafe.com
Full review soon at www.mangamaniaccafe.com
thejay2xa's review
4.0