Scan barcode
zellian's review
2.0
Rileigh is a skater girl, she doesn't take crap from no one but that doesn't explain how she just defended herself and her best friend Q against three men who just tried to attack her with martial arts she's never learned before. Was it the adrenaline that sparked her sudden moves, or did it have to do with the weird voice she heard in her head?
She starts to have flashbacks of 15th Century Japan when a strange teen named Kim Gimhae turns up and explains that the voice in her head is a female Samurai from way back when, that he and others have gone through the same thing and to come and train with them. He also starts to hint that the spirit Yoshido that he harbors and her spirit Senshi were soul mates, but Rileigh isn't sure about that and she definitely isn't sure about having another person possibly take over her.
Then strange things start happening around her, threatening notes start to turn up at her home, she's attacked again and her room is robbed. Its then she realizes how serious things are and that she'll need Kim and the others now more than anyone else.
I saw this at my local library and thought, cool a book about Samurai with a modern day twist I'm sure I'd be interested in. But I was let down.
I could not relate to any of the characters, Rileigh seemed to be too stereotypical of a teen - cutout teen character almost. She at first doesn't believe everything at first and tends to complain and be dismissive. It doesn't seem to change much as everything moves on in the story, you don't feel like she grows as she comes to terms with things. The only thing that seems to grow with her character is the love story between herself and Kim which didn't really seem to spark any interest to me.
You get Quentin who you get a feel to be the humor break in the story, but he falls into the stereotypical gay best friend. Plus the other Samurai that she meets at the dojo all seem to be hardly memorable.
The flashbacks were well written but some of the present day chapters I wanted to skim read and flip ahead a few pages. I felt like there were a few things that needed to be clean up or things that were mentioned that never seemed to actually be important to the main story arc.
Unfortunately this new retelling of Samurais fell flat for me, leaving me to give it a 2 star rating.
She starts to have flashbacks of 15th Century Japan when a strange teen named Kim Gimhae turns up and explains that the voice in her head is a female Samurai from way back when, that he and others have gone through the same thing and to come and train with them. He also starts to hint that the spirit Yoshido that he harbors and her spirit Senshi were soul mates, but Rileigh isn't sure about that and she definitely isn't sure about having another person possibly take over her.
Then strange things start happening around her, threatening notes start to turn up at her home, she's attacked again and her room is robbed. Its then she realizes how serious things are and that she'll need Kim and the others now more than anyone else.
I saw this at my local library and thought, cool a book about Samurai with a modern day twist I'm sure I'd be interested in. But I was let down.
I could not relate to any of the characters, Rileigh seemed to be too stereotypical of a teen - cutout teen character almost. She at first doesn't believe everything at first and tends to complain and be dismissive. It doesn't seem to change much as everything moves on in the story, you don't feel like she grows as she comes to terms with things. The only thing that seems to grow with her character is the love story between herself and Kim which didn't really seem to spark any interest to me.
You get Quentin who you get a feel to be the humor break in the story, but he falls into the stereotypical gay best friend. Plus the other Samurai that she meets at the dojo all seem to be hardly memorable.
The flashbacks were well written but some of the present day chapters I wanted to skim read and flip ahead a few pages. I felt like there were a few things that needed to be clean up or things that were mentioned that never seemed to actually be important to the main story arc.
Unfortunately this new retelling of Samurais fell flat for me, leaving me to give it a 2 star rating.
kristinaweber's review
4.0
I really liked this one- the thing I found the greatest about it was that the kids were real (aside from the reincarnated samurai thing, of course). There was no need for sex, drinking, drugs- quite refreshing.
hannahsophialin's review
5.0
Original Review posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts
Note: Formatting is lost due to copy and paste
Anyone who's seen me at book club would probably know that I was practically bouncing off the library walls when I found out Katana by Cole Gibsen was the next book we were going to read.
I apologize if I looked like a hyperactive bookworm that day and looked like a chipmunk chittering away. Or maybe a squirrel starving for acorns (oops for any cuteness overload).
Reviewer's Note: removed pictures. You'll have to see the review on the blog for the pictures...
But here are a few interesting things about Katana:
It's set in St. Louis – I love you New York, but I've never visited you or even live there, so... it's always exciting to see a book set in a place you've been to. Or maybe I just need to go to NY sometime in the future. I'll be sure to add it to my bucket list. ;)
But... I do have much better time visualizing than I would with Victorian London*. Do brownie points exist? :p
This is probably getting old and you might be tired of me saying this a lot, but yes, Katana has a great (and I mean great) idea with reincarnation in the present day without Angels being used.
Well, Angels is getting a tad bit old. But thankfully, it's samurai. Cheers. Though I'm not sure why I'm saying cheers when it's very similar to paranormalish Romeo & Juliet style in a way. Random fact: I didn't really like Romeo & Juliet. It doesn't stop me from liking the book though.
On the overall side though? It's action-packed from the first page. You're basically in for a "Good Reads" smoothie.
Ironically, I like Goodreads too.
But out of randomness, I've called dibs on its sequel, Senshi already (that review will come eventually). I apologize to any of my fellow book club members if they were interesting in checking out the only copy. I appreciate you guys waiting patiently.
Just please keep the candy corn to yourself. You'll need them for trick-or-treating in a few weeks. ;)
*Victorian London was randomly chosen. The Infernal Devices was on my mind at the time the review was written. If I were alive at the time, I would be six feet under the ground unless I'm like Tessa Gray and Magnus, and I'm a warlock.
Note: Formatting is lost due to copy and paste
Anyone who's seen me at book club would probably know that I was practically bouncing off the library walls when I found out Katana by Cole Gibsen was the next book we were going to read.
I apologize if I looked like a hyperactive bookworm that day and looked like a chipmunk chittering away. Or maybe a squirrel starving for acorns (oops for any cuteness overload).
Reviewer's Note: removed pictures. You'll have to see the review on the blog for the pictures...
But here are a few interesting things about Katana:
It's set in St. Louis – I love you New York, but I've never visited you or even live there, so... it's always exciting to see a book set in a place you've been to. Or maybe I just need to go to NY sometime in the future. I'll be sure to add it to my bucket list. ;)
But... I do have much better time visualizing than I would with Victorian London*. Do brownie points exist? :p
This is probably getting old and you might be tired of me saying this a lot, but yes, Katana has a great (and I mean great) idea with reincarnation in the present day without Angels being used.
Well, Angels is getting a tad bit old. But thankfully, it's samurai. Cheers. Though I'm not sure why I'm saying cheers when it's very similar to paranormalish Romeo & Juliet style in a way. Random fact: I didn't really like Romeo & Juliet. It doesn't stop me from liking the book though.
On the overall side though? It's action-packed from the first page. You're basically in for a "Good Reads" smoothie.
Ironically, I like Goodreads too.
But out of randomness, I've called dibs on its sequel, Senshi already (that review will come eventually). I apologize to any of my fellow book club members if they were interesting in checking out the only copy. I appreciate you guys waiting patiently.
Just please keep the candy corn to yourself. You'll need them for trick-or-treating in a few weeks. ;)
*Victorian London was randomly chosen. The Infernal Devices was on my mind at the time the review was written. If I were alive at the time, I would be six feet under the ground unless I'm like Tessa Gray and Magnus, and I'm a warlock.
lpcoolgirl's review
5.0
Really great book, I wish they could kinda talk to the one girl who had a crush on Kim, but oh, well. Really great book!!!
denizyildiz's review
3.0
Gonna think about it
it beautifully written, mostly good not great but has many stereotypes in it as well
marie123's review
1.0
Oh this book.
I guess I should start with the good: It reminded me that I promised my grandma to look into toasters.
No seriously, if you do pick up the book, you'll understand what I'm talking about, but it really isn't that important.
But basically you should have a pretty good guess that this book did not hold my attention.
I really, really didn't like Rileigh. Not only is she a walking cliche, rich white girl with absentee parent who finds out shes has MAGICAL ABILITIES WOO. And of course, we have a token gay best friend, Quentin, who has like no character development. Well, not that Rileigh was particularly developed either, but in general I was rather unimpressed by Quentin. And don't get me started on the love interest, Kim.
The entire story is rather clunky and it was just frustrating. I wouldn't have kept reading it except for the fact that I was reading it for my a-z challenge with a friend and I really wanted to count it and move on to the next letter.
I guess I should start with the good: It reminded me that I promised my grandma to look into toasters.
No seriously, if you do pick up the book, you'll understand what I'm talking about, but it really isn't that important.
But basically you should have a pretty good guess that this book did not hold my attention.
I really, really didn't like Rileigh. Not only is she a walking cliche, rich white girl with absentee parent who finds out shes has MAGICAL ABILITIES WOO. And of course, we have a token gay best friend, Quentin, who has like no character development. Well, not that Rileigh was particularly developed either, but in general I was rather unimpressed by Quentin. And don't get me started on the love interest, Kim.
The entire story is rather clunky and it was just frustrating. I wouldn't have kept reading it except for the fact that I was reading it for my a-z challenge with a friend and I really wanted to count it and move on to the next letter.
smlunden's review
2.0
Skater girl turned samurai is just about as up my alley as a book can get. And yet I put it down and then did not want to pick it up. The main character does a lot of incredibly stupid things. She is also so resistant to change that I suspect more useless plot based around her resistance. And incredibly enough I found the fight scenes boring.
rosepetals1984's review
2.0
"Katana" has perhaps a very familiar premise to many stories centering around a contemporary teen embracing their roots as a pre-destined warrior/fighter. Unfortunately, the familiarity in its troupes are perhaps a bit too much, at least in my overall reaction to Cole Gibsen's work. I don't doubt that there are some who would enjoy this story, particularly in the target age group this book is aimed for, but for me, the biggest issues were never being able to connect to the characters and having to wade through a sea of stereotypical, predictable depictions that might promise a good fight or development of a relationship, but delivers on neither one.
Rileigh Martin is a young woman who can't explain her sudden defense against three assailants who attacked her and her best friend Quentin one night. But with the help of a trainer, Kim, Rileigh learns that she has latent abilities residing in her from a former life - a 500-year old samurai warrior. The story sequences itself between the present day and a love story between two characters in feudal Japan. Rileigh has to embrace her spirit in the face of ninjas and other forces that threaten her life, and rise to the occasion as a warrior.
Rileigh herself is difficult to like, since she fights her destiny, and not even in the sense where she does it in an emotionally plausible way. She's more apt to complain about it, and I never really had a sense of growth/strength surrounding her character - she's more passive than active except for when her latent abilities tend to kick in - resulting in some decent fighting scenes accounted from the author, but I never really had a sense of urgency, passion, or will from her when it came to becoming a warrior - much of that energy seemed spent on developing her relationship with dojo owner Kim, who trains her and has an incarnate spirit of his own. I felt the connection between Kim and Rileigh was lukewarm at best, and while there were spot showings of the emotional connection between Senshi and Yoshido that I liked, I don't think it ever conveyed the depth or connectivity associated with the time they lived - it seems just touched/grazed upon at best.
The surrounding cast of characters were stereotypical cutouts for me, including Quentin, who I thought in some measures was humorous, but his presence is so stilted. I usually prefer characters that have a bit more dimension, and are active/reactive in the settings around them, rather than having a cookie cutter persona that's meant to fulfill only the main character's need.
I think the writing shows growth potential on Gibsen's behalf, so I'm not opposed to seeking out other work from her, but I thought "Katana" never reached a plane distinctive enough to set itself apart for its genre, despite an intriguing premise.
Overall score: 1.5/5
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Flux Books.
Rileigh Martin is a young woman who can't explain her sudden defense against three assailants who attacked her and her best friend Quentin one night. But with the help of a trainer, Kim, Rileigh learns that she has latent abilities residing in her from a former life - a 500-year old samurai warrior. The story sequences itself between the present day and a love story between two characters in feudal Japan. Rileigh has to embrace her spirit in the face of ninjas and other forces that threaten her life, and rise to the occasion as a warrior.
Rileigh herself is difficult to like, since she fights her destiny, and not even in the sense where she does it in an emotionally plausible way. She's more apt to complain about it, and I never really had a sense of growth/strength surrounding her character - she's more passive than active except for when her latent abilities tend to kick in - resulting in some decent fighting scenes accounted from the author, but I never really had a sense of urgency, passion, or will from her when it came to becoming a warrior - much of that energy seemed spent on developing her relationship with dojo owner Kim, who trains her and has an incarnate spirit of his own. I felt the connection between Kim and Rileigh was lukewarm at best, and while there were spot showings of the emotional connection between Senshi and Yoshido that I liked, I don't think it ever conveyed the depth or connectivity associated with the time they lived - it seems just touched/grazed upon at best.
The surrounding cast of characters were stereotypical cutouts for me, including Quentin, who I thought in some measures was humorous, but his presence is so stilted. I usually prefer characters that have a bit more dimension, and are active/reactive in the settings around them, rather than having a cookie cutter persona that's meant to fulfill only the main character's need.
I think the writing shows growth potential on Gibsen's behalf, so I'm not opposed to seeking out other work from her, but I thought "Katana" never reached a plane distinctive enough to set itself apart for its genre, despite an intriguing premise.
Overall score: 1.5/5
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Flux Books.