Another Review at MyShelf.Com

Year of the Demon
Fated Blades Series #2
Steve Bein

ROC
October 1, 2014/ ISBN 9780451465207
Urban Fantasy

Reviewed by Jan Fields

 

The Fated Blades series is an interesting combination of historical novel set in feudal Japan and modern buddy cop story in teeming Tokyo. Narcotics officer Mariko has a strong sense of duty. Her duty to her job and to her beloved city seem in conflict, with Mariko and her partner making different choices. Mariko takes the high road; her partner, no so much. As a result, the investigation into a dangerous religious fanatic may be in jeopardy, but which is more important -- protecting the city or convicting the perp? The novel is filled with hard choices like that, for Mariko and for the characters we visit in the distant past. Each must wrestle with duty, honor, and fear. Although I found the one torture scene difficult to handle, the novel overall was fascinating and filled with glimpses of a different time. My favorite character was the one least visited in the novel, a crippled pearl diver who longs for a very different life. Overall, this isn't a fast-paced read and keeping all the characters separate with the jumps in time and place can be challenging -- also, if you're looking for a lot of fantasy elements, you won't find them here. Instead, the fantasy is quite subtle and seems to be coming from the character's beliefs more than from actual magic. So, it's not totally my cup of tea, but I enjoyed it just the same.

  

Reviewer Janis Fields is the editor of Kid Magazine Writers emagazine and has written dozens of stories and articles for the children's magazine market.
Reviewed 2014
© MyShelf.com