هزار قدم در دل شب

by Traci Chee, مهشید شبانیان (Translator)

میوکو، قهرمانی نیست که از دل افسانه‌های کهن آمده باشد. او دختری ساده و معمولی از خانواده‌ی طبقه‌ی خدمتکار است، اما در سرزمین او ارواح، انسان‌ها، اهریمنان و خدایان در کنار هم زندگی می‌کنند.
زندگی میوکو مثل خودش ساده و معمولی است تا روزی که ابرها می‌شکافند و نفرین مرگباری می‌خواهد آهسته‌آهسته او را به اهریمن تبدیل کند.
شاید اگر میوکو داستان‌های مادر خرافاتی‌اش را باور می‌کرد، می‌دانست که پیش از وقوع فاجعه‌های وحشتناک، جهان مملو از هشدار می‌شود و به تو فرصت می‌دهد که سرنوشت را تغییر دهی، اما میوکو نشانه‌ها را نمی‌بیند و پیام بداقبالی جهان را دریافت نمی‌کند و نفرین مرگبار به او نزدیک و نزدیک‌تر می‌شود
میوکو می‌خواهد پیش از این‌که نفرین سراسر وجودش را در بر بگیرد، به استقبال ماجراهای جسورانه‌ای برود که بیشترِ مردم فقط در داستان‌ها شنیده‌اند.
او با روح پرنده‌ا‌ی‌ عجیب همسفر می‌شود و پا به مسیری پرماجرا می‌گذارد. در این راهِ دورودراز که پر از قدرت و انتقام و شرارت است، میوکو از پیچ‌‌وخم‌های زیادی می‌گذرد، به ارواح نزدیک می‌شود، با هیولاها می‌جنگد و با شکارچی اهریمن روبه‌رو می‌شود تا شاید بتواند نفرین مرگبارش را باطل کند، اما در برابر این وعده‌ی وسوسه‌آمیز قرار می‌گیرد که اگر اهریمن‌شدن را بپذیرد، قدرتمندترین موجود فناپذیر جهان خواهد بود
میوکو می‌داند که اگر به اهریمن تبدیل شود، تنها عضو خانواده یعنی پدرش هم او را از خود خواهد راند
آیا میوکو در این ماجراجویی شگفت‌انگیز، می‌تواند در برابر این وسوسه مقاومت کند و از چنگال روح شیطانی‌ خود آزاد شود؟
آیا به خاطر رسیدن به قدرت و اعتبارِ اهریمنی، زندگی ساده و معمولی‌اش را رها خواهد کرد یا به دنبال راهی است که به سرزمینش بازگردد؟
آیا میوکو طعم دلچسب آزادی را خواهد چشید؟

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Mythology, Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Audiobook, Adventure

368 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2022

About the author

Traci Chee is a New York Times best-selling author and National Book Award Finalist. An all-around word geek, she loves book arts and art books, poetry and paper crafts, though she also dabbles at bonsai gardening, egg painting, and hosting potluck game nights for family and friends. She studied literature and creative writing at UC Santa Cruz and earned a master of arts degree from San Francisco State University. Traci grew up in a small town with more cows than people, and now feels most at home in the mountains, scaling switchbacks and happening upon hidden highland lakes. She lives in California with her fast-fast dog.

Reviews

[Ali Goodwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️s Idk why this book was just not holding my attention😭 This is officially my 2nd DNF of the year. It has such a fun premise and a very adventurous spirit to it which I liked. BUT I think there were just way too many characters for me and I didn't feel very invested in our main character.

[jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

i rarely ask for ARCs by authors ive never read before because i dont want to take the risk of not liking it. but once i saw the synopsis for this, i knew i had to read it. and TC has now become a must-read author for me!

i loved the how this story has a very fairytale-esque vibe. the east asian fantasy stories ive read have always had more of a folktale feel to them, but this feels very whimsical and magical like fairytales do. its a story that features an epic journey with a lot of different side quests, various gods and spirits, and some pretty great characters (geiki the magpie spirit steals whatever scene he is in - i love him!). and although i thought the ending was a bit rushed, i liked the writing overall and thought the story was wrapped up nicely.

what i also really enjoyed was that my copy had annotated footnotes to provide definitions, pronunciations, and some commentary for all the japanese terms and translations. i cant tell how much more convenient it is to look at the bottom of the page rather than flip to a glossary in the back. i really hope this is a feature that is included in the final publication.

so what a great introduction to TCs storytelling. cant wait to read more of her books and see what she comes up with next!

thank you clarion books for the ARC!

↠ 4 stars

[CW ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghibli fantasy lovers, listen up. I cried when I finished reading this. Not because it was sad, but because I was so awestruck and overwhelmed by how bloody good this book was. A Thousand Steps into Night is absolutely phenomenal.

A Thousand Steps into Night is a dark feminist Japanese-inspired fantasy adventure. It follows Miuko, an ordinary girl living in a no-where village, who becomes cursed by a demon and is forced on a journey to undo the curse.

Phenomenal worldbuilding and amazing storytelling. The story has footnotes, an awesome storytelling choice that provides pronunciation, definitions, context and history that deepens the worldbuilding. The cast of characters are also wonderful. Miuko is a fantastic protagonist, flawed, complex, and a joy to follow on her journey, and the different people that she meets in her journey (especially Geiki, a magpie spirit) were interesting in their own right.

The story delves into sexism and patriarchal oppression. In the world of Awara, girls are expected to be quiet, demure, obedient, defined by their relation with a man, whether it be family or a husband. Quiet, understated rage simmers across the story, anger at the subjugation, oppression and powerlessness of girls in such a world. So when Miuko's curse lends her demonic power and strength, she will have to choose: relinquish her humanity and possess the power of a demon, or save her humanity and relinquish herself to a life of powerlessness?

There is an awesome shift midway that completely surprised me and I enjoyed. The second half of the story is just as fantastic as the first, delving deeper into this question of power. Perhaps what matter isn't just who has power, but also what we do with the power that we possess.

I loved this so much. A story that will stay with me and one that I'll think about forever.

I was provided an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Marquise · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a charming fairy tale-like book this was! With a plucky heroine that is neither your stereotypical beauty nor an overpowered badass, it's enchanting and has a feel of reading a traditional fairy tale rather than a YA fantasy.

It's the tale of Otori Miuko, an ordinary girl in every sense of the word from looks to social status to intellect, and yet for all her ordinariness, she's also endearingly resourceful and enterprising. Relatable, too. She's clumsy, shy, socially awkward, but caring and lovable, and so strong-willed she won't let a trifle like a curse slowly turning her into a demon destroy her tranquil life. It's this relatability and commonness that makes her so appealing, and the book's strength.

Besides the worldbuilding, that is. Awara, the world the story is set in, is very obviously based on Japan as it's easy to guess just from the names of people and places. But I'd say it's not exclusively Japan because I could detect a small sprinkling of Chinese folklore thrown in, somewhat harder to detect but that is there and adds a bit more subtle layer of colour. It's not merely a Fantasy Japan with names modified either, because you can feel the creatures and the people live and breathe in this world, so not a cardboard film set as many fantastical worlds are, a feel of authenticity that's much appreciated.

And the rapport and chemistry between the main character and the sidekick is palpable. There's no romance, but you won't miss it as you follow Miuko and Geiki around on the quest to find a cure for her curse and to save Awara from a malign force. Miuko might take time to sneak her way into your heart, but Geiki will do that right away, chatty and funny as he is, although he may also sound a bit too childish at times. I personally would've preferred someone more mature as Miuko's counterpart, though I also liked that she's the sole hero of the book and has her own quest that she completes on her own by merit without needing someone else to move her forward. Sometimes, you do need a lone heroine instead of a pair or a fellowship to spice up the questing trope, and besides it fits perfectly with the fairy tale-esque style the book is written in.

The start is slow, so it is going to take a while to get into the story. But once it picks up a speedy pace, it'll be one adventure after another until the end, so have patience at the start. It took time for the plot to grab me, too, and it paid off.

I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Lizz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The nice ending brought this book up from 2 stars.

I can’t pin down what my issue was with this book because I had so many. I rarely take so long to to finish a book, especially when I read it before bed. This book took me about 10 days. How.

-the gender commentary (felt superficial and too frequent) I GET IT. she’s a WOMAN and OPPRESSED. A lot of telling without a broader consideration of how that impacts how she thinks, the inherent tragedy, and other modes of oppression (class).
-the writing itself
-pacing (everything with the tower, how new characters got haphazardly introduced)
-theme (this is a book that has a clear theme that got lost and it kept trying to interject gender commentary as a slapdash philosophical add-on. But all these ideas weren’t properly threaded through the novel. There was no subtlety or craft. Instead, the ideas (friendship, freedom, pride and being confident) were bluntly stated, forgotten about, then summed up later.)

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Thousand Steps into Night by Traci Chee is a young adult fantasy novel. The story in A Thousand Steps into Night is one that is heavily influenced by Japanese culture and is a standalone fantasy read.

Miuko is a just an ordinary girl, the daughter of an innkeeper, in the realm of Awara where all types of other creatures exist. Miuko never expected to one day find herself cursed but she did and now she has to find a way to reverse the curse before she ends up turning into a demon sending Miuko out to places a normal human girl would never dare travel.

A Thousand Steps into Night by Traci Chee for me was a solid young adult fantasy read but not one I was overly excited about when finishing. For me the story flowed at a decent pace but not overly fast either and there were a few instances when reading I thought things felt a tad repetitive. The world building was solid though and the adventure interesting and I do find myself on the lower side of ratings so if this sounds good to others I’d suggest trying it out.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/

[a foray in fantasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really solid YA book. The cover didn’t disappoint— it’s why I picked this book up!

[Parvaneh · Rating 1 out of 5]

نصفشو رد کردم و نخوندم چیز خاصی هم از دست ندادم!نمیدونم بخاطر ترجمه ی بدش بود یا داستانش در کل ارزش وقت گذاشتن نداشت

[Natasha Ngan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything you look for in a fairytale: whimsy, adventure, and a touch of darkness. Chee brings the Japanese-inspired realm of Awara into vivid life, and I was caught up in this story from the very beginning, rooting for Miuko every step of the way.

[Elle]

I do, in fact, need more Japanese-inspired fantasy thank you.

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin]

*UPDATE: $2.99 on Kindle US today 6/6/22

[Phoenix2 · Rating 1 out of 5]

In theory A Thousand Steps into Night has an interesting story. It's full of action and a non stop quest. It's filled with fantastical beasts, mythical heroes, and adventure.

However, the execution fails to deliver. The story keeps repeating in EVERY chapter how women's place is unfair, how the girls can't be seen as equals etc etc. I mean, I get it, but it shouldn't be repeated to often, as it practically says the same thing over and over again that it gets tiring.

Also, there were too many characters with multiple names that got confusing to follow. Not to mention the whole time leap trop that was used that wasn't explored fully and in length.

But the main problem is the main character herself. She keeps making one bad decision after another on the spot without considaring the aftermath. And then she whines about it. She was childish, acutally, the whole book felt childish and it could suit younger audiences if it wasn't for the sexual and rape refrences.

Nevertheless, the friendship between the characters, thoug formed too quickly, was entertaining to read. And the first chapters were charming.

[♠ TABI⁷ ♠]

ayoo we like that cover

[Bibliothecat · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the few saving graces of this book was that it was a buddy read with my friend Sya - thank goodness I didn't need to flounder through this alone. This might just be my worst read of the year, it disappointed me in so many ways it's driven me to feeling like a cat having a hissy fit. I liked the very core premise of the story but it didn't live up to a single thing it promised - where do I even start?

The Language
The very first thing that threw me off as the language and looking at other reviews commenting on the Japanese used makes me want to howl in despair. This is not Japanese! The book only promised a story inspired by Japanese culture, and that's fine. But the language is entirely made up and it's indicated nowhere. Given that this book is written for a Western audience, I'm not surprised that the majority of people seem to assume this is actually Japanese. The reasons why this bothers me so much is - for one thing - do we really need a made up language in a standalone? It's pretty common to invent languages in a fantasy setting but not everyone can pull it off and I see little point to it for a standalone.

The book had footnotes throughout explaining the meaning and and pronunciation of words which was only adding the misleading of people thinking this is actual Japanese. I would love if more books would use footnotes for works that include some words from another language but for this invented one I found it terribly annoying and pointless. This invented language was also used a lot and words were never explained more than once which after a while simply felt like a whole dump of words I don't know. At some point, I couldn't be bothered to know anymore and I just skimmed over them. I saw absolutely no point to this language and feel like it should really be highlighted that it's an invented one and in fact not Japanese.

Genre Confusion
This is meant to be a YA but it felt like a middle grade book with some casual sexual or gruesome remarks tossed in to remind the reader that it is actually YA. I like both YA and MG but this book doesn't fit in either. It was too simple and lacked a lot of depth - especially in regards to characters' thoughts and emotion - to be a satisfying YA read to me and it wasn't lighthearted enough to be a cosy MG read. The simplicity that the MG aspects felt weirdly out of place next to the more macabre parts of the story. Also, I've seen reviews compare this to Ghibli and I am so, so, so sad. Beyond that this is inspired by Japanese culture and Ghibli is a Japanese studio, I don't find they have anything in common and it was probably one of the biggest reasons this book let me down.

Forced Feminism and Diversity
Look, I'm all for diversity and feminism is in and of itself a good thing, but it needs to fit into a story in an organic way. This book was so obnoxiously preachy, it might as well have been called A Thousand Steps Toward Female Rights. Let's face it, historically, women have been disadvantaged in many corners of the world and it's still an issue today. But this book is really on the extreme side, women have literally no rights at all, they're essentially property. And the narrator does not miss a single opportunity to tell you about it. Every-tiny-thing is a case of because Miuko is a girl. Sometimes it was so random, Miuko would think "it's because I'm a girl" and I'd have to stop reading to wonder - how is this even relevant to the plot? And it didn't even contribute to the story, there was no true exploration of the issues at hand beyond Miuko's endless whining of woe is me, I'm a girl thus my life is shit. The diversity aspect is much smaller and it is essentially just the inclusion of non-binary and transgender characters which, once again, in and off itself is a good thing but the way it was done in this book felt like it was forced - clap the author on the shoulder for not only being a feminist but for being inclusive. Mind you, I might have taken less or no note of this at all hadn't the author been so obnoxious about the whole Oh no, I'm a girl thing.

Unlikable Main Character
Speaking of Miuko's whining - I liked her ok enough at the start but oh the whining. She spent the majority of the novel complaining and she threw random fits of anger toward her friends and family for reasons I couldn't follow. Yes, there's something inside her that has evil intentions but there was a very clear line between what was Miuko and what was the other thing inside of her and it was very, very, very clearly Miuko having immature tantrums. Unfortunately, a book is already kind of lost to me if I can't like the main character, so even if it hadn't been for the random language and forced feminism, I wouldn't have liked this book much better than I did.

Poor Foreshadowing and Missed Potential
The book did do a lot of foreshadowing but not in a good way. So many things were tossed in and most were forgotten long before they became relevant. Some things never became relevant again so you didn't even know what you had to look out for. I felt like there was no coherent thread to this story and so much was tossed in while nothing was genuinely explored. I felt much the same about the majority of the cast. We are introduced to several side characters along the way and most of them were undistinguishable. They were randomly added, randomly removed and then thrown back in - maybe anyway. I couldn't begin to tell you what kind of personalities they have and I couldn't relate to them all being happy friends by the end because 1) Miuko is annoying and 2) I saw no development between them. One of the things that bothered me the most and really also soured the ending for me: The book starts with Miuko telling us about how her mother had suddenly vanished. She just turned around and left young Miuko, her husband and the village behind. Throughout the story, Miuko mentions her mother again. As a reader, I think surely there's a story. Why did the mother leave? Did she have a choice? Was she, like Miuko, dragged into her own adventure of sorts and never made it back home? But the end tells us it's just as it had been: she turned around and left simply because village life was too dull for her. Honestly, what kind of mother leaves her child behind to seek adventure because her village is too boring? Good riddance I say, and all that build up for this revelation, what a joke!.

The book would have benefited a lot from multiple point of views. It could have given us a break from Miuko and shown us other things that were going on in the world. Instead, we follow Miuko and half the book feels like a repeat of the story - partially because she kept having to tell her story to others and partially because she travels back in time and repeats the first half of the story. This took several chapters but should have been able to wrap up in just one or two if the foreshadowing had been done right.

There were so many more elements that were missed opportunities. The story could have been good if it had been less preachy, Miuko had been more likeable, there had been a clear course of whether it's MG or YA, better foreshadowing, less repeat and less useless and random elements and for goodness sake drop the made up language. I could go and on but I think my hissy fit has lost its steam and now I will simply feel sad about the many ways this did not live up to my expectations. And remember, at the end of the day, it's all because Miuko is a girl.

[Shannara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely a crazy, wonderful, and magical adventure!!! Miuko is an interesting main character and I adored her clumsiness, definitely not at all because I’m clumsy… 😝 The story takes off pretty quickly after you start reading and doesn’t stop from that point on. It’s super quick and things are constantly popping. This poor girl just can’t catch a break for the life of her!!

But along the way, she does make some friends and I absolutely love each one of them!! By the end, I just wanted her journey to start all over again because I’m sure I’ve missed stuffed since there was so much going on the whole time!!!

The setting is seriously pure magic, encountering spirits left and right and then the gods start showing up too. Basically it’s Spirited Away on steroids… I would honestly just die if this became a movie. Mainly because it deserves to be honored in that way, especially by someone as talented as Hayao Miyazaki. So can that just happen please?!?!?!

The villain of our story is just so different from most of the villains I encounter in books and movies. He’s not afraid to do what he threatens, and without our main bad guy monologues. It’s almost refreshing. 🤦🏻‍♀️ And he’s not even our only villain!!! There are several that we encounter throughout the book. And I loved that dynamic. Super fun challenges for Miuko to face.

So basically this is my favorite book so far this year and I feel like it’s going to be difficult to too. Of course, it’s still early in the year, but still. Big shoes to fill here, big shoes!!!

I recommend this to those who love YA adventures and fantasies, fantastic bad guys, and lots of Japanese lore!!

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Clarion Books, and Traci Chee for the opportunity to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion!!!! Wow!!! Just, wow!!!!

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Thousand Steps into Night introduces you to an ordinary girl name Miuko. Even though she is seen as ordinary, she is anything but. Now I really liked getting to know her because she seemed somewhat relatable. She's clumsy, shy, and completely awkward during certain situations. Which, yes, I feel like covid, and the pandemic, made everyone a little bit awkward socially. Or maybe that's just me?

Besides that, she's also unique due to her curse. So, yeah, I don't know about you... but I don't know many people turning into a demon lately. Other than that, I liked the fairy-tale/folklore vibe that this whole book was giving. Each page was just so easy to devour. Especially when it came down to the chemistry between Miuko and Geiki.

In the end, I'm so happy that I got the chance to jump into this magical adventure. It was the perfect book to jump into on a lazy Saturday morning. I will definitely be diving into another one of Traci's books soon.

[Golshad · Rating 3 out of 5]

برای کسانی که به فرهنگ و افسانه های ژاپنی علاقه دارن کتاب مناسبی هست.

پارت اول کتاب برای من جالب تر و قوی تر بود و اگر با همون فرمون پیش می ریت قطعا 4 ستاره حقش بود.

کتاب وایب انیمه شهر ارواح رو داشت. پر از افسانه ها، روح ها و خدایان! ماجرای دختر معمولی روستایی که نفرین ‌شده تا به یکی از بدترین اهریمنان تبدیل بشه.

کتاب خوانش روان و لذت بخشی داشت و با ریتمی تند از ماجرایی به ماجرای قبلی پیش می‌رفت .

ترجمه خوبی داشت.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Come on. There is so much more out there than this.”
The girl's eyes glittered—with tears, or perhaps excitement. “For a girl?”
“For anyone brave enough to look.”

1 Sentence Summary: Miuko is just an ordinary girl, but when a chance encounter leads to a curse transforming her into a demon, everything changes, and in her quest to reverse the curse, she must decide if being normal is worth giving up the freedom she has found along the way.

My Thoughts: The concept for this book was very cool. I loved the mythology and the Japanese inspiration. There’s a cool time travel aspect, too, which I enjoyed.

Miuko was a fun character (if a bit annoying at times), and the story was interesting. My biggest complaint was the writing: it wasn’t bad per se, but it felt very stilted and juvenile at times, and the dialogue did not seem realistic at all.

Overall, though, an enjoyable book. I loved the ending!

Recommend to: People interested in Japanese-inspired YA fantasy.

(Warnings: death)

“Over the wild blue countryside they flew, like a pair of heroes from some ancient tale or a constellation limned in stars, and not once did she look back, for she did not need to—she had the support of her loved ones behind her, and the big, beautiful world ahead.”

[Mia Anti · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains all a certified RiotGirl could want; Epic Fantasy, A Feminist Point of View, A Fantastic adventure. All with a traditional Japanese folklore coating. What more could a girly weeabo really want? UwU



Well, that's what I thought in the start at least, and the book is still all that. But it sadly drags on for far too long. I thought the book was ending about 3 times without it doing so.

[Bon · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF 65%. I really don't know what it was with this book, because the ingredients and world for a story I'd love are there. But it's a story-driven plot and I couldn't care less for the characters, or the narrator on audio. I kept pausing this and it was pulling teeth to get back to it. Shame. Passing this along to the line of holders at the library.

[kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

With adventure, magic and a lovable protagonist I couldn't help but root for, this was an action packed and entertaining read with major ghibli vibes and a lovely message. Admittedly, I found myself a little lost at times and found the large cast a tad hard to keep track of but even so, I had a lot of fun with this book and wouldn't hesitate to recommend if you're looking for a fast paced and entertaining standalone fantasy read.

[mads · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I think you have folded yourself into the shape that others expect of you; but that shape does not suit you, has never suited you, and all your young life, you have been dying to be free of it."

TW: abandonment, animal death, assault (forced kiss), confinement, domestic abuse, kidnapping, misogyny, murder, sexism, violence.

My feelings on this are pretty middle of the line. I liked it, but I also felt like it was taking me three million years to read. However, according to Libby, my total reading time was less than 3 hours... so... yeah. I feel like that's a pretty good indicator of how I felt about this book.

It was a fun adventure story with a message rooted in feminism as well as not shrinking yourself for others and I loved how that was done. There's also quite a bit of comedic relief throughout this book as well, which alternated between being entertaining and feeling pretty forced.
As for the plot itself, so much happens and yet it can feel pretty slow-paced at times. We go so many places and meet so many characters, which definitely could have had something to do with this feeling like it was taking forever lol.

Miuko was a funny, relatable character. I just found myself rolling my eyes at quite a few of her decisions which, arguably, could be an aspect that makes her more relatable. (Geiki was the real star of the story though. I love him.)

I also loved the inclusion of Japanese mythology! I'm a sucker for mythology, anyway, so I'm always a sucker for stories that make an effort to include it.

I'd totally recommend this to someone looking for a fun, coming-of-age type adventure with demons and absolutely no romance. It was fun, I liked it; and now I'm ready to go read something else lol.

[Ani · Rating 1 out of 5]

Miuko is an innkeeper’s daughter in her small village, and she is resigned to living an ordinary life. That is, until one day, when she is cursed by a demon and she starts to transform from human to demon. Thus begins her quest for answers to reverse the transformation. She is accompanied by a chatty and thieving magpie, and both a demon hunter and prince are close at her heels.

I found this book to be slow-paced and convoluted, aka the opposite of what I had expected from a high-stakes adventure that is targeted to young adult readers. I could appreciate the journey to find oneself, friendships made along the way, and infusion of Japanese culture/language. However, I also got the sense that the author had a cornucopia of elements that she wanted to cram into the story but their purpose got lost in the execution. It didn’t help that there was a long list of characters and some had 2-3 names/nicknames each. Moreover, I was not a fan of the immature characters and bland dialogue. Ultimately, this was not for me. That being said, perhaps this would better suit a young teen. Or, you might enjoy this book if you liked Unravel the Dusk!

TWs for murdered and mutilated girls, and two unsolicited kisses.

Thank you to Clarion Books, Traci Chee, and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Alexa (Alexa Loves Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, but I currently feel like I can round it up due to my level of enjoyment! The fairytale like quality of this story coupled with a main character who is easy to root for and like (especially for being her stubborn, loud self) heavily contributed to my enjoyment. I could totally see this being made into an anime - it would be quite fun to watch!

[Sahitya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never read any Traci Chee book before but I do own one of them and they’ve been on my radar for a long time. So, when I got the opportunity to read this arc which had such a fun premise, I couldn’t resist.

I’m always up for books with fairytale feels and folklore inspirations and this book, with a blend of both, was super entertaining and fun. The world building is very immersive and we feel transported to Awara, meeting all the supernatural creatures. There were footnotes with explanations for terms, meanings and any underlying stories associated, along with pronunciations and I thought it was a perfect way to get to know the history of this world better. The writing is wonderful and fast paced and the adventure is very engaging, making me wonder every chapter where it was going next. And the fairytale feel was so strong that I knew ultimately, good would prevail.

The main theme of the book is also something I really enjoy when explored in SFF. Awara is a very patriarchal and misogynistic society with very a confined and restricted role for women and anyone crossing them is made to suffer. The author explores the confines and possibilities that gaining power can provide to a woman from such an environment. I thought the discussion about what is more important - never being powerless again or retaining one’s humanity even if it means going back to a powerless existence - was very thoughtful and fascinating. And the story also proved that just having power doesn’t mean anything, it’s what is done with the power that gives meaning to it.

Muiko is an ordinary girl living in a forgotten village but she has always felt that she doesn’t fit the box that she is expected to limit herself to. When she is cursed and chased away from her village, but the curse also keeps giving her more power, she faces the dilemma of what she wants to be - a malevolent demon who is shunned by everyone and is destined to kill, or a human woman with all the restrictions that come with her regressive society. The rest of the story is about what this young, kind but loud woman wants to choose for herself but frankly, it’s never in doubt what she will do to protect the people she cares about and maybe even the country which doesn’t actually accept her the way she is.

In her adventures, she is aptly supported by her new found friend Geiki, who is a magpie spirit and can’t resist stealing whatever shiny thing he comes across. But he is absolute hoot whenever he is on page and probably the main source of entertainment throughout. We also encounter many other different kinds of spirits, humans, demigods and gods who all end up helping Muiko in their own ways and it all made for such a thoroughly captivating journey.

Overall, this was the perfect kind of fairytale-esque Japanese folklore inspired story I could have asked for which is full of thrilling adventures, an enchanting world and a cast of characters who are very easy to love. I’m so glad I finally got to experience Traci’s writing and can’t wait to checkout their backlist.

[gauri · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book gives what it promises! adventures, supernatural creatures, demons, talking animal companions and a worldbuilding heavily influenced by japanese folklore. i loved miuko's character and how she made her place in a patriarchal society, how she remained the loud and cheery girl while also saving her friends and country. the pacing was another thing that impressed me, fast enough to keep me intrigued in miuko's journey.

while the book was enjoyable for most part, the ending was definitely rushed. the whole concept of a character trying to make miuko embrace her demon self was underwhelming and these two drawbacks combined didn't leave me satisfied with how the story ends. but otherwise, i do recomment a thousand steps into the night if you're looking for a short, fun read! it has great character growth, humourous conversations, spirts, demons and great folklore.

thank you clarion books and netgalley for the arc!

[Kass · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first this book was a fun little adventure with intriguing characters, but as the story wore on the plot became so unfocused (characters flip-flopped constantly and got distracted) and the pacing somehow simultaneously ground to a halt. Part II of the book was a slog to get through. I skipped 50+ pages because it just became sooo dull.

The feminist message of the book was also very underdeveloped and juvenile. I was waiting for a point to be made or someone to do something but it never amounted to more than Miuko whining about being a girl.

I hate that I didn't enjoy this book, especially since it took me so long to finish. I'd say to just read the decent first half and then put it down.

[Aida · Rating 3 out of 5]

پایان: ۱۴۰۲/۵/۷
نمره ۳/۵
کتاب قشنگی بود یک تک‌جلدی فانتزی آسیای شرقی
رومنس داستان هم خوب بود ملیکان سانسور زیادی نداشت[چون آسیای شرقی خودشون اگه ژانرش اسمات نباشه چندان نمی‌نویسن]
ولی خیلی مشکلات ویراستاری وجود داشت که بنظرم واسه کتابی که الان چاپ سوم رسیده باید یکم بیشتر دقت کنن [من خودم چاپ دوم داشتم و مشکلات ویراستارفنی وجود داشت]

از گیکی هم خیلی خوشم اومد اصلا عشققق منو یاد گربه کیکی مینداخت ولی این یکی خیلی میخندید و شاد بود😭

داستان هیجانی و پراز اتفاق‌های مختلف بود که باعث شد داستان جذاب‌تر بشه.

[Glenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. Made it maybe a quarter through and just couldn’t be bothered. I can appreciate books that explore gender roles and question the patriarchy, but this was heavy handed and felt immature. I get it, you are a girl in a man’s world. It’s a story I’ve read hundreds of times by now and this version wasn’t adding anything useful to the discourse. I usually feel compelled to finish books based on a checklist need alone, but I put this one down and can’t be bothered to invest any more of my limited time in it.

[Bang Bang Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Traci Chee's writing but this was just not my jam. This is plot driven and I HATE plot driven books but even I can get over it. However, I couldn't get over it in this book; it was a whole lotta stuff coming' at me and I couldn't get into it. If you haven't read The Reader, check that out; it's so much better.

Check out my Youtube review here https://youtu.be/SilZkh2iRr8