Review Detail

Sora has been raised by the kami in Mt. Fuji and enjoys her life with her parents and her best friend, Takeo. On her 17th birthday, a demon attacks Mt. Fuji with an army of ghosts and only Sora and Takeo are able to get away. The visit the odd Rin, who can see the future vaguely but not interpret it. Rin reveals that she is not kami but rather a mortal human who was switched at birth (and then with odd specificity tells them where the kami actually is). Takeo and Sora seek out the kami with whom she was swapped at birth. They find Chiyo, who is glowing with kami energy, and who does not have any interest in being a kami.

As the lives of all the kami at Mt. Fuji and possibly the whole world are at stake, they convince Chiyo, and are joined by her boyfriend Haru and random fan, Kaiji on their quest. The story is told from the first person POV of Sora, who is your typical teenager. She feels betrayed by her parents, disappointed in her true self, and lied to. Instead of letting it all fester, she decides to prove them all wrong and she certainly does.

I found it a little slow in parts in the first half of the book, but then it became rather action packed towards the last half of the book. There is a lot of set up for the world and Sora's feelings/thoughts. They are all justified but it made the book a little younger than what I typically like in a YA book (read as an adult). Perfect for younger readers. There is some romance, but it is very clean/sweet. I did not predict it, but I like how it evolved.

I feel like more background on the kami would have been helpful for the complete novice (me). I ended up doing research as I read and then things started making a lot more sense. Crewe has done her research well- too well perhaps to assume most of us would understand to basics! ;) It was easy to research and interesting to learn about, so maybe it was for the best!

I also agree with another reader- why not water guns? I was thinking there has got to be an easier way, but I liked the ingenuity and Sora's ultimate role in it all. You can see Sora mature into herself in the book, definitely a coming of age type of novel. I'd highly recommend it for younger teenagers, as I think it's got some good lessons about potential, maturity, and making your own destiny. Sora is a strong female role model (albeit still young), but is nice to see for younger girls.

Please note that I received this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for my honest review.