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Bibliophiles of the internet: My name is Adriana and today I'm here to do a book review for "Stormdancer" by Jay Kristoff.
Basically, "Stormdancer" is about a young girl named Yukiko who lives in a world which subsists on this substance known as Blood Lotus.
Basically, it's the cornerstone of Shima, and this country depends on the production, sale, and consumption of the Blood Lotus.
And with the rise of the Blood Lotus came the rise of this group known as The Lotus Guild.
The Lotus Guild uses the Blood Lotus to invent mechanical and technological advancements,
and they essentially have power over all of Shima.
In "Stormdancer," the most powerful man in all of Shima, known as Taishōgun Yorimoto-no-miya, orders Yukiko and her father
to go on this hunt for a mythical creature who they call the "arashitora"—the Thunder Tiger.
Like I said, this creature is a thing of legend—a thing of myth. They don't actually know whether they will find one
or whether all of the arashitora are extinct because of all the pollution from the Blood Lutus,
but they've been ordered by their Taishōgun and they must go.
For Yukiko, this hunt ends up being a battle for survival,
and she gets caught up in whether she should uphold her honor and her duty to her Taishōgun
or whether being out there in the wild will actually open up her eyes to her country's corruption.
To get started, let's talk about what I really enjoyed in "Stormdancer" and what I thought was really working well in this first book.
First, I want to talk about the writing style, because I REALLY liked Jay Kristoff's writing style.
There is a really strong emphasis on imagery and description. There's a lot of interiority, and I thought it was done really well.
I think that there's a really great balance between concrete details and poetic rifts,
and that allowed me to very easily lose myself in the writing and let myself be consumed by the writing.
Also, there are so many great and complex elements to this story that Jay Kristoff is just juggling in the air right now and making it look so easy.
There really are so many pieces to reflect on in this story. There are the fantastical elements,
there are the steampunk elements—with the machinery and The Lotus Guild—and then there is a very strong mythological presence as well.
That's not to mention the society itself—how that is set up, how that is run—and then the corruption within this country,
and the dependence on the Blood Lotus.
Then there are the characters themselves—and their backstories and their motives. There are secrets, there are so many things going on in this story and it's CRAZY.
But I think that it's pretty deftly-handled, and the way that more and more aspects of the story are very gradually unveiled
makes it easier to digest and makes it less overwhelming.
What I'm trying to say is that all of these elements really blended very seamlessly together, and I didn't feel like they were fighting against one another,
or that one element was overpowering another. I felt like they were very evenly-dosed, and I always understood
what was happening, when it was happening, and why it was happening.
The main characters in this story I also felt were really well-explored. I felt like I really got to know them.
And I can't say much because of spoilers, but the but I do want to mention the relationship and the connection between the two main characters,
because that was insanely well-written, and I can honestly say that I have never read anything like that. It was a truly
symbiotic relationship. It was written in such a rich and undeniable way, and that connection was so strong.
So I'm not gonna say much more about that, but that relationship, I felt, was something that really took my breath away in this story,
and something that kept me hooked and invested, because that was something truly special.
And also there's a lot of really great political intrigue in this first book, and I think it's setting up
some really interesting stuff that should play out in a very exciting way.
There's a really interesting struggle between the Lotus Guild and the people of Shima over the Blood Lotus,
and how, on one hand, it is destroying their world, but on the other hand, it is the main product which keeps this society running.
So there are some fascinating subplots about the distribution of power: Who has it? Who should have it?
And how should they do with it in order to save this world?
All of this goes to say that I really enjoyed "Stormdancer," and I was kicking myself for having put it off for so long.!
As great as this story is, it did have its own flaws; it did show some things that I could have done without,
and, of course, it shows room for improvement in the latter two books of the trilogy.
One thing I was definitely not a fan of was the romantic subplots in "Stormdancer."
I don't want to say too much, but I think that the connection between the characters who are involved in these romantic subplots
definitely needed more time. They needed more development, they needed more interaction,
definitely needed more time. They needed more development, they needed more interaction,
Another thing that kind of held this book back from being as awesome as it could have been was the writing style—
—which I know is interesting because I mentioned that as something that I enjoyed in this book.
But I think, at the same time, it can also be something that hinders the story and kind of bogs it down.
And that's because, as I said, Jay Kristoff has a really fine eye for details and description, but sometimes those were a bit long-winded, especially
in the beginning, and I felt like that really slowed down the pace of the story.
And it's not that a slow pace is a bad thing, but I think it definitely kind of keeps the story from unfolding as quickly as it could have.
What I'm trying to say is that, at the beginning of the story, I would've liked more connection with the main characters of the story.
And I would've liked to be invested in them and what they were doing, because that doesn't really come until later in the story.
So overall, even though some aspects of this story could've been better written or better structured,
I really enjoyed this story, and I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars.
So with all of that being said—and as you can tell, my opinion of this book being overwhelmingly positive—
I do want to talk about some things and start a little bit of a discussion about some of the problematic elements of this book.
One of my core values as a reader—and just as a consumer of entertainment in general—is that you can thoroughly enjoy something
and also be critical of it—and also acknowledge why some elements of it are problematic and why you don't condone it.
So for me, even though I think that "Stormdancer" is an incredibly strong story, and even though I thoroughly enjoyed every single page of it,
I do want to talk a little bit about cultural appropriation.
I knew going into this book that it might not entirely sit right with me because the Japanese inspiration is part of the tagline
and because I knew that this fantasy world was very heavily based on Japanese culture.
And the reason why that bothers me is because Jay Kristoff...is not Japanese. He is not part-Japanese.
He is not, in any way, descended from Japanese ancestry. He is a white male.
So basically, he's mining another culture for fictional ideas.
And I don't know how I feel about that, because this is an instance of an author writing outside of their experience.
And I have a lot of thoughts on this subject. I would actually love to make an entire discussion video just about writing beyond experience,
so let me know if you're interested in that.
So like I said, Jay Kristoff is not Japanese. He does not participate in the Japanese culture. That is not a part of his life; that is not a part of his history.
And yet, he has taken inspiration from this culture and very heavily interwoven it throughout the plot.
And the only way I was able to make peace with this story as I was reading it
is by thinking that this is a high-fantasy novel; this is set in a different world that is not Japan. I did not assume
that the characters were speaking Japanese—just that elements of the Japanese culture made up this new world.
However, even knowing that this story takes place in a completely different world does NOT excuse cultural appropriation.
And what I'm kind of hung up on is that I'm not sure if this book does the Japanese culture justice.
This is very difficult for me to articulate, because like I said, on one hand, I really enjoyed this story.
I was so swept up in it. I was invested. I thought the writing was fantastic,
but on the other hand, I'm not entirely comfortable with this author who is so clearly and so blatantly writing outside of his experience.
And kind of the bottom line is no matter how much research he does, he will never have the experience of being Japanese
or participating in the Japanese culture in an authentic and genuine way.
And, if he can't do that, then how can he genuinely and accurately portray
the Japanese culture—even though it's just an inspiration for this world?
It mostly bothers me because the Japanese culture and the Japanese mythology is used as the tagline.
This is a Japanese fantasy/steampunk fusion. That is what captures people's attention,
and in that way I feel like the Japanese culture is kind of being exploited.
So I guess I don't know HOW to feel about this is what I'm saying, because on one hand, it is a fantastical world
that is a completely different place, but on the other hand, the Japanese culture is very real and that is a reality for a lot of people
and I'm not sure if it's done justice in this story.
For me, what's important to distinguish for myself is that I am NOT reading this book because the culture is inspired by Japan.
I am reading and continuing this series because the main characters are very strong. I'm very interested in their connection.
and the relationship, and I am very invested in this idea of civil unrest that is present in this story—
—this societal corruption, this kind of dystopian feel, this kind of brimming rebellion.
THAT'S what I'm interested in. THAT'S what I think is the strongest part of the story.
So if you have any thoughts about "Stormdancer" at all, please let me know in the comments down below.
Like I said, I gave this first book 4 out of 5 stars, and I plan to continue the trilogy.
So that was definitely a lot of material to cover, but I felt like this was truly the only way I could talk about "Stormdancer"
in a comprehensive and thorough way.
But that is everything I had for this review video today, so thank you so much for watching.
I really hope that you enjoyed it, and I will catch YOU on the flip-side of the page.
Bye!