Marriott gifts Mio with a bit of uncertainty and typical teen angst, tempering the hard edge of the high-stakes-action scenes with convincing, swoonworthy moments between Mio and Shinobu. Fans of Japanese lore will appreciate the wily kitsune tribespeople, who agree to help this unlikely trio, and there’s enough nail-biting action and near misses in the romance department to keep every reader on their toes. First in a trilogy originally published in the UK, this will win American fans who like their fantasy urban, their romances mysterious, and their swords well sharpened.
—Booklist
A crucial battle for a highly sympathetic character and a clever twist on Japanese mythology. The story is slow to develop, but readers who keep with it will be rewarded with unique and fun characters, a truly dire conflict, and a lifetime-spanning love story. This is a particularly good choice for library collections that need more myth-based fiction, and want to branch out from Greek myth and fairy tales.
—School Library Journal
Mio’s wry narration is appealing… Fast-paced.
—Kirkus Reviews
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