BOOKMAS 2019: Day Three, Book Review

Today is day three of Bookmas 2019 on
my blog and I am excited to share
with you a review of Seven Deadly Shadows!


So let's just jump into it...

Seven Deadly Shadows

by
Courtney Alameda & Valynne E. Maetani

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal

Publisher: HarperTeen

ISBN: 0062570811

Release Date: 28th January 2020

Links: Goodreads, Amazon.com, Indigo,
B&N, Book Depository

Synopsis:

Kira Fujikawa has always been a girl on the fringe. Bullied by her peers and ignored by her parents, the only place Kira’s ever felt at home is at her grandfather’s Shinto shrine, where she trains to be a priestess.

But Kira’s life is shattered on the night her family’s shrine is attacked by a vicious band of yokai demons. With the help of Shiro—the shrine’s gorgeous half-fox, half-boy kitsune—Kira discovers that her shrine harbors an ancient artifact of great power . . . one the yokai and their demon lord, Shuten-doji, will use to bring down an everlasting darkness upon the world.

Unable to face the Shuten-doji and his minions on her own, Kira enlists the aid of seven ruthless shinigami—or death gods—to help stop the brutal destruction of humankind. But some of the death gods aren’t everything they initially seemed, nor as loyal to Kira’s cause as they first appeared.

With war drawing nearer by the day, Kira realizes that if this unlikely band of heroes is going to survive, they’re going to have to learn to work together, confront their demons, and rise as one to face an army of unimaginable evil.

Review:

**Book sent to me by the publisher in
return for my honest review**

As soon as I saw this book was coming out I knew I had to read it. I was lucky enough to be gifted an ARC of this book so a big thank you to HarperCollins Canada for sending me a copy!

Seven Deadly Shadows follows Kira, a young girl who works at her family shrine with her Grandfather, training to be a priestess. However, she is seen as an outcast and is often bulled. Her life gets worse on the night her family shrine is attacked and she finds herself teaming up with a Kitsune and Shinigami to defeat the threat of evil.

I really enjoyed the character of Kira. She was seen as an outsider by her peers at school, often bullied and pushed aside. Despite that, she still had a strong mind and determination to work hard with her Grandfather. She has the ability to see yokai demons and uses it to her advantage.

Kira's family aren't as fond of her working at the shrine, especially her Mother and Father. Details as to why are left until the end of the book, so I was left wondering what could have happened to make her family, especially her Mother, so strongly oppose it. I couldn't help but feel sorry for Kira having to deal with a family that doesn't support her.

I would have liked there to have been more details about her family. Despite learning she has a sister and brother, not many details are provided about them other than that she walks home with her sister and her brother isn't the fondest of her. Apart from the start of the book, we don't actually see her interacting with her sister and brother again.

I really enjoyed the wide range of characters that Kira interacts with throughout the book. I loved getting the chance to learn a little more about Japanese myths and legends.

The storyline was fantastically written. I loved the journeys that the characters went through and how the story came together at the end. The book jumps straight into conflict, with Kira being chased by bullies and the attack on her family's shrine. I think the book might have benefitted from more character building but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

The yokai demons and grotesque monsters that Kira can see felt like something out of an anime or manga. I couldn't put this book down. If you love Japanese culture, myths and legends then I highly recommend picking this book up.