Seven Deadly Shadows
by Courtney Alameda and Valynne E. MaetaniPublished by HarperCollins on January 28th, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Format: ARC
Source: Kindly provided by the HBG Canada in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Summary from Goodreads:
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
Seven Deadly Shadows centres around Kira, a young priestess working at her family's shrine, as she tries to resolve a centuries-old conflict involving beings from Japanese legend.
The characters blended so well with the intricate world created by both Alameda and Maetani to create a unique take on fantasy in the modern world. There was some Chosen One vibes going on as Kira and her allies worked together to defeat the king. With a creative plot, lots of action, an otherwordly love interest, and the representation of Japanese culture my interest was definitely piqued and made me that much more excited about was going to happen next as I continued reading the book.
However, despite all of these amazing things, it just wasn't working for me. The authors seemed to have difficultly incorporating information into the story, due to the number of times words would be defined in the text itself. While it was appreciated to know what certain words or phrases meant, it ended up pulling me away from the story with countless information just pasted into the narrative. There was also a great amount of telling rather than showing, which made the characters ultimately feel cliched and a bit generic. I think it is ultimately due to this writing style that I wasn't able to connect with the characters as much as I would have liked.
Overall, this was an okay read. There was numerous components I enjoyed but just didn't work for me overall. With that being said, if this sounds like something you would enjoy be sure to check it out.
Rating
★★★
About the Authors
A veteran bookseller and librarian, Courtney Alameda now spends her days writing thriller and horror novels for young people. Her debut novel, SHUTTER, was nominated for a Bram Stoker award and hailed as a "standout in the genre" by School Library Journal. Her forthcoming novel, PITCH DARK (Spring 2017), is a genre-blending science fiction/horror novel in the vein of Ridley Scott's 1979 film ALIEN.
Courtney holds a B.A. in English literature with an emphasis in creative writing. She is represented by the talented John M. Cusick of Folio Literary. A Northern California native, she now resides in Utah with her husband, a legion of books, and a tiny five pound cat with a giant personality.
Author Links:
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A veteran bookseller and librarian, Courtney Alameda now spends her days writing thriller and horror novels for young people. Her debut novel, SHUTTER, was nominated for a Bram Stoker award and hailed as a "standout in the genre" by School Library Journal. Her forthcoming novel, PITCH DARK (Spring 2017), is a genre-blending science fiction/horror novel in the vein of Ridley Scott's 1979 film ALIEN.Courtney holds a B.A. in English literature with an emphasis in creative writing. She is represented by the talented John M. Cusick of Folio Literary. A Northern California native, she now resides in Utah with her husband, a legion of books, and a tiny five pound cat with a giant personality.
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