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Katana #1
Katana
Skater girl or supernatural samurai? Rileigh Martin wants to believe that adrenaline gave her the strength to fend off three muggers in the mall parking lot. But adrenaline doesn't explain the voice in her head giving her battle tips and warnings.
While worrying that she's going crazy (always a reputation ruiner), Rileigh gets a visit from Kim, a handsome martial arts instructor, who tells Rileigh she's harboring the spirit of a five-hundred-year-old samurai warrior.
Relentlessly attacked by ninjas, Rileigh has no choice but to master the katana--a deadly Japanese sword that's also the key to her past. As the spirit grows stronger and her feelings for Kim intensify, Rileigh is torn between continuing as the girl she's always been and embracing the warrior inside her.
While worrying that she's going crazy (always a reputation ruiner), Rileigh gets a visit from Kim, a handsome martial arts instructor, who tells Rileigh she's harboring the spirit of a five-hundred-year-old samurai warrior.
Relentlessly attacked by ninjas, Rileigh has no choice but to master the katana--a deadly Japanese sword that's also the key to her past. As the spirit grows stronger and her feelings for Kim intensify, Rileigh is torn between continuing as the girl she's always been and embracing the warrior inside her.
375 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2012
14 people are currently reading
3441 people want to read
About the author
Cole Gibsen
16 books418 followersGrowing up, Cole Gibsen couldn't decide what she loved more--dogs or books. So she decided to devote her life to both! Dog trainer (wrangler) by day and author by night, she's the author of over ten books with more on the way.
She would love to connect with you on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/ColeGibsen
and Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ColeGibsen
She would love to connect with you on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/ColeGibsen
and Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ColeGibsen
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 192 reviews
February 20, 2012
DNF as of page 66. I cannot in good conscience as someone with a BA in the history, language, and culture of Japan recommend this as even a bit of light reading. There were so many bits of this that infuriated me (poor character development, a shoddy main arc that needed at least two more drafts to smooth out, flimsy banter, and a gay stereotypical male best friend who felt as if he were thrown in there for the sake of diversity), that it just made me want to throw Mr. Nook across the room in a fit of rage.
Guys, you know I love retellings, and I love risky retellings of historical figures even more. But this was nowhere even close to either of those but instead poorly researched and relying way too much on Tarentino's work (I loved "Kill Bill", but at least Tarentino knew what he was doing as he did have some education of the subject matter when making the film) to help prop up her own work.
So in return, I offer you this quick history lesson to correct where Gibsen has failed the readers in terms of history research:
There were no female samurai during the Sengoku Period (or any other period), but there were onna bugeisha, which were female family members of noble houses trained to defend during times of war. They fought alongside samurai during these times of war (the one of 1493, ending Toyotomi Hideyoshi's reign is where part of this book takes place), but by no means were they accorded the same rights or other social benefits as samurai. They were sisters, mothers, housewives given swords to help defend their lord and that's all they were - their roles only diverged from typical women's roles under the duress of wartime conditions.
This isn't to say that there weren't some exceptions to the role, beginning with the pioneer, Empress Jingu of the Yayoi Period, who only rose to power after her husband Emperor Chuuhai was killed in battle in 200AD. She was not a warrior but an empress, and is known for leading the more or less bloodless Japanese conquest of Korea within that period. Another example of the exception is Tomoe Gozen, wife of Minamoto Yoshinaka (of the Minamoto clan, you may know them from "Heike Monogatari" as they're kind of a big deal), who accompanied him into battle during the Genpei war. She is believed to have both fought and survived that war with her husband. We're not really sure if she actually existed, she still heavily affected history as a legendary figure to look up to for women who were able to become onna bugeisha. During the same period, Hojo Masako did exist and was the first onna bugeisha known for putting her hand in politics, becoming one of the first shogunate nun-wives (she became a Buddhist nun after her husband died) and became Shikken (regent) while waiting for her son to come of age and take control of the Kamakura shogunate. The most recent and final is Nakano Takeko of Aizu (daughter of a high-up Aizu official) who fought and died in the Boshin war in the 19th century (the Edo period). She helped lead the unofficial Joshitai (women's corp) of female volenteer soldiers of the Imperial Army during this time.
What do all of these women have in common? They're nobility or close to it. Someone who was not married into the noble class or directly part of their family would most likely not been able to qualify as one of the rare onna bugeishi. As far as I could tell by the information given to the audience, Senshi (I chuckled at her name, I'll admit - senshi meaning "warrior") was not of the noble class, and thus not quite socially qualified for her role as onna bugeisha.
And for what we know of history, in most cases they did not use katana, but naginata (Japanese polearms) in battle instead.
End of history lesson (and many thanks to wikipedia for helping to refresh my memory on Japanese history).
However, Gibsen completely disregards this piece of actual and very important piece of Japanese history and makes it into a farce - where the female samurai gets reincarnated into a white girl's body, and the samurai gets reincarnated into a Korean man's body. Korea and Japan have never really been friends until very recently (within the past 20-30 years recently), and Korea is still pretty mad at Japan for annexing them and using their women as "comfort women" during WWII. So, while I appreciate the effort to break down cultural barriers with this romance and reincarnation and try a retelling of actual history by the author in this story, this book really needed more research and a few more drafts to smooth the rough edges off. It felt unfinished and very unstable in so many technical areas. I think I might have liked it better had it had more of the aforesaid fixes.
Needless to say, anyone who knows their Japanese history? Don't read this. You'll just get angry. For those who want an actual, accurate, and respectful portrayal of an actual horrible battle, don't read this. I see all of the raving reviews and just shake my head, because all this book is doing is reinforcing stereotypes. For those who do want to read this book...well, might I suggest you go and do Tarentino a solid and watch "Kill Bill" instead? At least he knew his subject matter in order to play with it as he desired.
(posted to goodreads, shelfari, and witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com)
Guys, you know I love retellings, and I love risky retellings of historical figures even more. But this was nowhere even close to either of those but instead poorly researched and relying way too much on Tarentino's work (I loved "Kill Bill", but at least Tarentino knew what he was doing as he did have some education of the subject matter when making the film) to help prop up her own work.
So in return, I offer you this quick history lesson to correct where Gibsen has failed the readers in terms of history research:
There were no female samurai during the Sengoku Period (or any other period), but there were onna bugeisha, which were female family members of noble houses trained to defend during times of war. They fought alongside samurai during these times of war (the one of 1493, ending Toyotomi Hideyoshi's reign is where part of this book takes place), but by no means were they accorded the same rights or other social benefits as samurai. They were sisters, mothers, housewives given swords to help defend their lord and that's all they were - their roles only diverged from typical women's roles under the duress of wartime conditions.
This isn't to say that there weren't some exceptions to the role, beginning with the pioneer, Empress Jingu of the Yayoi Period, who only rose to power after her husband Emperor Chuuhai was killed in battle in 200AD. She was not a warrior but an empress, and is known for leading the more or less bloodless Japanese conquest of Korea within that period. Another example of the exception is Tomoe Gozen, wife of Minamoto Yoshinaka (of the Minamoto clan, you may know them from "Heike Monogatari" as they're kind of a big deal), who accompanied him into battle during the Genpei war. She is believed to have both fought and survived that war with her husband. We're not really sure if she actually existed, she still heavily affected history as a legendary figure to look up to for women who were able to become onna bugeisha. During the same period, Hojo Masako did exist and was the first onna bugeisha known for putting her hand in politics, becoming one of the first shogunate nun-wives (she became a Buddhist nun after her husband died) and became Shikken (regent) while waiting for her son to come of age and take control of the Kamakura shogunate. The most recent and final is Nakano Takeko of Aizu (daughter of a high-up Aizu official) who fought and died in the Boshin war in the 19th century (the Edo period). She helped lead the unofficial Joshitai (women's corp) of female volenteer soldiers of the Imperial Army during this time.
What do all of these women have in common? They're nobility or close to it. Someone who was not married into the noble class or directly part of their family would most likely not been able to qualify as one of the rare onna bugeishi. As far as I could tell by the information given to the audience, Senshi (I chuckled at her name, I'll admit - senshi meaning "warrior") was not of the noble class, and thus not quite socially qualified for her role as onna bugeisha.
And for what we know of history, in most cases they did not use katana, but naginata (Japanese polearms) in battle instead.
End of history lesson (and many thanks to wikipedia for helping to refresh my memory on Japanese history).
However, Gibsen completely disregards this piece of actual and very important piece of Japanese history and makes it into a farce - where the female samurai gets reincarnated into a white girl's body, and the samurai gets reincarnated into a Korean man's body. Korea and Japan have never really been friends until very recently (within the past 20-30 years recently), and Korea is still pretty mad at Japan for annexing them and using their women as "comfort women" during WWII. So, while I appreciate the effort to break down cultural barriers with this romance and reincarnation and try a retelling of actual history by the author in this story, this book really needed more research and a few more drafts to smooth the rough edges off. It felt unfinished and very unstable in so many technical areas. I think I might have liked it better had it had more of the aforesaid fixes.
Needless to say, anyone who knows their Japanese history? Don't read this. You'll just get angry. For those who want an actual, accurate, and respectful portrayal of an actual horrible battle, don't read this. I see all of the raving reviews and just shake my head, because all this book is doing is reinforcing stereotypes. For those who do want to read this book...well, might I suggest you go and do Tarentino a solid and watch "Kill Bill" instead? At least he knew his subject matter in order to play with it as he desired.
(posted to goodreads, shelfari, and witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com)
December 17, 2011
It’s not unusual for a book to promise more than it can deliver. One can seldom blame the book itself for that, since so much time and effort from the publishers goes into making said book as marketable as possible. The temptation of a supernatural mash-up with Asian culture was one with immeasurable potential, as well as one that could easily slip into misguided cultural appropriation. On the bright side, such awkwardness is for the most part avoided. Unfortunately, this book is also just not very good.
Immediately, my biggest complaint with the novel was its heroine, Rileigh. Not for one moment did she register as an authentic or particularly likeable teenager. Her speech rings false on every count, as do her interactions with token gay best friend Quentin, who doesn’t rise beyond the stereotype of the make-up applying squealing, hysterical gay male. I firmly believe that this can be pulled off well and used to create an interesting, complex character but in this instance it was just lazy storytelling, and such Quentin doesn’t serve much of a purpose beyond Rileigh having someone to complain about her love life with, he barely registers. The pair read more like how bad sitcom writers imagine teenagers to speak, because apparently they’re from a different planet or something. As well as the dialogue being awkward and clunky, it’s used primarily for exposition and stretched out discussions of romance, neither of which are pulled off with any particular success.
The storytelling is so awkward; it’s as if the author had fragments of an extremely conventional plot in her mind and hastily connected them together. The plotting is extremely predictable and conventional, with far too many overused YA tropes being crossed from the check-list – the flighty, irresponsible parent who is seldom there, thus allowing the heroine to continue her life without any consequences or parental guidance, the mysterious, rude and jerky designated love interest who hides secrets and stalks the heroine to make sure she’s safe, the heroine being incredibly skilled with practically no effort as well as the most super special heroine who ever lived, and so on. It is possible to take conventional tropes and subvert them in an interesting or gripping manner, and is common when referencing specific genres or modes of storytelling (the Kill Bill series and Kung Fu Panda both pay homage and frequently reference the martial arts tales that inspired them, and do so with humour, skill and panache), but here it feels lazy. Some of the fight scenes are well put together, but Rileigh’s narration proves to be extremely irritating and distracting. While the book’s marketing is trying to push this book as one with a strong ‘kick-ass’ heroine, Rileigh is emotionally weak, makes too many rash decisions that potentially put herself and others at risk, and quickly begins to use designated love interest Kim as a crutch. It’s easy to claim a female character is ‘strong’ because she can hold her own in a fight or has the most super special magical powers ever, but such demonstrations of power mean nothing if the heroine spends the rest of the story whining about the men in her life. She can’t just be physically able, she must be emotionally so as well.
The romance itself is also a tired mish-mash of every YA romance trope I have come to despise. At one point, Kim is described by Rileigh as “a jerk… he preys on innocent girls… but then, with abs like that, why would he have to?” That moment there is pretty representative of so many issues I have with YA romance these days. Looks matter above questionable behaviour, something that Kim exhibits quite frequently, but does so because he wants to protect Rileigh (because despite being the reincarnation of one of the most powerful samurai of her time, she’s essentially a damsel-in-distress). While Rileigh, to her credit, does call him out on his behaviour, her protests do not matter since she quickly devotes herself to him, even though they barely know each other. Being in love in a previous life is all they need apparently. The get-out-of-character-development-free card was borderline insulting.
I was absolutely dreading the possibility of cultural appropriation in this book, but while there are some clunker moments, the flashbacks to 15th century Japan are infrequent. Little detail is given and one doesn’t gain a full sense of the period, the characters within or their predicaments. The constant references to honour also felt lazy, but I can begrudgingly let this pass since it’s a staple in almost every samurai or martial arts movie ever made. But that really sums up “Katana” in a nutshell; it’s lazy.
I’m sure there are many readers out there who will thoroughly enjoy this book. Indeed, at this moment in time the book has ten 5 star ratings, although one of them is by a self-admitted friend of the author’s, one from a beta-reader and five ratings with no review from authors who list Gibsen as a friend. However, this book did not connect with me on any level. The prose is as stilted as the plotting and characterisation and the samurai element is mishandled at best. Usually I leave the 1 star rating solely for books that offended me on some level, but the sheer laziness of this novel mean I cannot give it any other rating, although the fight scenes elevate it to a 1.5 for accuracy’s sake. “Katana” was as tired as the tropes it recycled over and over.
1.5/5.
Immediately, my biggest complaint with the novel was its heroine, Rileigh. Not for one moment did she register as an authentic or particularly likeable teenager. Her speech rings false on every count, as do her interactions with token gay best friend Quentin, who doesn’t rise beyond the stereotype of the make-up applying squealing, hysterical gay male. I firmly believe that this can be pulled off well and used to create an interesting, complex character but in this instance it was just lazy storytelling, and such Quentin doesn’t serve much of a purpose beyond Rileigh having someone to complain about her love life with, he barely registers. The pair read more like how bad sitcom writers imagine teenagers to speak, because apparently they’re from a different planet or something. As well as the dialogue being awkward and clunky, it’s used primarily for exposition and stretched out discussions of romance, neither of which are pulled off with any particular success.
The storytelling is so awkward; it’s as if the author had fragments of an extremely conventional plot in her mind and hastily connected them together. The plotting is extremely predictable and conventional, with far too many overused YA tropes being crossed from the check-list – the flighty, irresponsible parent who is seldom there, thus allowing the heroine to continue her life without any consequences or parental guidance, the mysterious, rude and jerky designated love interest who hides secrets and stalks the heroine to make sure she’s safe, the heroine being incredibly skilled with practically no effort as well as the most super special heroine who ever lived, and so on. It is possible to take conventional tropes and subvert them in an interesting or gripping manner, and is common when referencing specific genres or modes of storytelling (the Kill Bill series and Kung Fu Panda both pay homage and frequently reference the martial arts tales that inspired them, and do so with humour, skill and panache), but here it feels lazy. Some of the fight scenes are well put together, but Rileigh’s narration proves to be extremely irritating and distracting. While the book’s marketing is trying to push this book as one with a strong ‘kick-ass’ heroine, Rileigh is emotionally weak, makes too many rash decisions that potentially put herself and others at risk, and quickly begins to use designated love interest Kim as a crutch. It’s easy to claim a female character is ‘strong’ because she can hold her own in a fight or has the most super special magical powers ever, but such demonstrations of power mean nothing if the heroine spends the rest of the story whining about the men in her life. She can’t just be physically able, she must be emotionally so as well.
The romance itself is also a tired mish-mash of every YA romance trope I have come to despise. At one point, Kim is described by Rileigh as “a jerk… he preys on innocent girls… but then, with abs like that, why would he have to?” That moment there is pretty representative of so many issues I have with YA romance these days. Looks matter above questionable behaviour, something that Kim exhibits quite frequently, but does so because he wants to protect Rileigh (because despite being the reincarnation of one of the most powerful samurai of her time, she’s essentially a damsel-in-distress). While Rileigh, to her credit, does call him out on his behaviour, her protests do not matter since she quickly devotes herself to him, even though they barely know each other. Being in love in a previous life is all they need apparently. The get-out-of-character-development-free card was borderline insulting.
I was absolutely dreading the possibility of cultural appropriation in this book, but while there are some clunker moments, the flashbacks to 15th century Japan are infrequent. Little detail is given and one doesn’t gain a full sense of the period, the characters within or their predicaments. The constant references to honour also felt lazy, but I can begrudgingly let this pass since it’s a staple in almost every samurai or martial arts movie ever made. But that really sums up “Katana” in a nutshell; it’s lazy.
I’m sure there are many readers out there who will thoroughly enjoy this book. Indeed, at this moment in time the book has ten 5 star ratings, although one of them is by a self-admitted friend of the author’s, one from a beta-reader and five ratings with no review from authors who list Gibsen as a friend. However, this book did not connect with me on any level. The prose is as stilted as the plotting and characterisation and the samurai element is mishandled at best. Usually I leave the 1 star rating solely for books that offended me on some level, but the sheer laziness of this novel mean I cannot give it any other rating, although the fight scenes elevate it to a 1.5 for accuracy’s sake. “Katana” was as tired as the tropes it recycled over and over.
1.5/5.
December 10, 2011
2.5 stars An interesting premise and intriguing beginning eventually became bogged down by a stereotypical story, a lack of character development, and a story that wasn't really developed to its full potential.
The romance was a major component of this story, and for me, it just wasn't that compelling. Even though the flashbacks to the past life were overall well-written, it was in sharp contrast to what was going on in present day that it was hard to make the connection to the teenagers in the primary storyline. It was also bothersome that there were wasn't an explanation behind Kim's Korean or Vietnamese name, even though most of the influences seemed to be Japanese. It's disappointing, since I was looking forward to reading this, and with a bit more reworking, I might've liked this one a bit more.
The romance was a major component of this story, and for me, it just wasn't that compelling. Even though the flashbacks to the past life were overall well-written, it was in sharp contrast to what was going on in present day that it was hard to make the connection to the teenagers in the primary storyline. It was also bothersome that there were wasn't an explanation behind Kim's Korean or Vietnamese name, even though most of the influences seemed to be Japanese. It's disappointing, since I was looking forward to reading this, and with a bit more reworking, I might've liked this one a bit more.
Want to read
August 27, 2016I know I'm such a dork, but a book about a girl samurai? That should be an awesome read.
January 21, 2012
Originally posted at A Bookalicious Story.
*4.5 stars* It was amazing! I think I have finally found the perfect novel with a Japanese martial arts theme. This book is phenomenal! I loved the flashbacks to 15th century Japan, I loved the undying love of the two samurais from the past, and I loved how that loved stayed true and un-cliche even till modern age. Wow.
My Summary
Rileigh Martin is a skater chick with a gay best friend, Quentin. They were shopping for a gift for the party they were about to attend when they were assaulted by three thugs. They thought they were dead for sure, until Rileigh hears this voice in her head, and her body seems to know how to defend itself - martial arts style. After fending those thugs off, she faints and is carted off to the hospital. Upon waking up, she meets a strange - and very handsome - Asian martial arts teacher who seems to know about the voice in her head. And if her life's not weird enough, she's having flashbacks of a female samurai back in 15th century Japan.
She finds out that those flashbacks are actually memories of her past life, and it's high time Rileigh embrace her identity and accept the help of Kim - said handsome Asian martial arts teacher, and who has a soul-deep connection to her past samurai life - and 3 other familiar faces from the past, or be killed by an old enemy who was reincarnated to the present.
My Thoughts
Again, WOWOW! You have no idea how long I've been searching for for a perfect samurai-martial arts novel. KATANA, though not perfect (that's where the 0.5 stars went), is amazing. I love the plot, I love the cast, I love, LOVE the heroine and hero, I love the romance between them, and all the fast-paced action and suspense!
Let me get the imperfect 0.5 stars out of the way first before I start gushing about the other 4.5. There were many stereotypes in KATANA. For one, there was the gay best friend with lots of hugs and pedis and manis even when "Ri Ri" was in mortal danger. And what's up with the incessant "Ri Ri" calling? The first time I saw Q call Rileigh "Ri Ri", I literally cringed! A little over-the-top. Why not Ri or something less....gay? Haha. Anyway, for stereotype number two, there was the fact that our lead guy is Asian. Not that I have something against that (Heck, I'm an Asian myself), but must the male protagonist in a samurai novel be Asian when all his other samurai friends were reincarnated as Whites? Gibsen already said that soul-mates will never be reborn far from each other, so why the big cultural difference? Another stereotype I read from a Goodreads review which said that biker chicks aren't all badass wannabes. We don't have biker chicks here in Singapore, so I'm not sure what they're like, but the ones in KATANA were mean-ass bitches who tried to beat the shit out of Rileigh.
Now on to the 4.5! I have always found the soul-mates reincarnating together and finding their love for each other again very cliche, but in KATANA, it is just so damn sweet. And romantic. Kim Gimhae (this is a Korean name, by the way, not Japanese) didn't force Rileigh to accept him when she went out on a date with some other guy from school, just watch over her as a silent protector. They felt the connection, but Rileigh's afraid of embracing her past cause she thinks that she will lose her modern self, so she constantly pushes Kim away.
I was a little turned off when I realise that the lead male in KATANA was named Kim (even if it's only his first name/surname/family name) - not to mention shocked out of my wits. But I started overlooking the fact as I got to know him. He's a tough warrior, through and through, he's a natural born leader, he's playful and witty when he wants to be, he's kind, and he's very sincere and tender towards Rileigh. But he resumes the tough warrior-natural leader persona during their warrior's training, even towards Rileigh. Rileigh feels pain in her chest one time but Kim signals everyone to continue combating and Rileigh shoots him a dirty look. All in a day's work. Haha. But yes, Kim is an enigmatic warrior who I am very much in *ahem* love *ahem* with. Not only is he hot and a warrior, he's the brooding type of male. Rileigh even made a hilarious comment about it:
"After studying him for a moment, I realized it was a good thing Debbie wasn’t here. She would have signed him to be a model in a second. The brooding types always sold the most underwear."
Rileigh's awesome. She's strong, she's brave, she's funny and sarcastic, but she can be feminine when she wants to be. She's so sarcastic that no-nonsense Kim picked up on it and cracked a few sarcastic jokes himself! When she first met Kim and the other warriors, she was very rude to them. That part was a little extreme, but I can understand cause they lied to her and tried to kill her. But still, it doesn't mean she has to be so rude.. But she's still awesome with all her cool moves.
I really liked that Kim and Rileigh had a deep connection in the past, and their story back then was heartwrenchingly sweet. And heartbreaking. They didn't die natural deaths (being samurai and all), but they died together with honor.
Another thing that I really liked about KATANA was Gibsen's phrasings. There were a lot of descriptions and metaphors that were unique and well, vivid. An example:
"It was too much. I was on sensory overload. My body felt like it held a Ferris wheel with anger, confusion, and fear spinning round and round, each taking their turn at the top. I couldn’t focus enough to organize my thoughts, so I did the first thing that came to mind.
I ran."
It did get a little immature at times, and there were a few errors, but overall I thought that Gibsen has a special way of writing, and one that I really appreciate. I will only list one of the errors I've spotted cause I know that since this is an ARC, the final copy will be edited. But this one error is a common misconception that people have:
"At the rate of speed I fell, everything should have been a blur. Instead, I saw it all with crystal clarity."
Spot the error? Rate of speed? Speed is a rate. You can't say the rate of rate of motion. But apart from this, the rest are more inconsequential. But there were some that were cheesy (which I think is inevitable for a novel which has romance):
I gave an exaggerated sigh. “It’s not that easy. Whitley is so nice and drama-free. But Kim, the way I feel around him … it scares me. It’s like gravity ceases to exist and he’s the only thing I can hold on to.”
Gravity ceases? Uh huh, ok.
But anyway, I really, really loved KATANA, and I'd recommend this to any fan of action and romance. The action, well the title is self-explanatory, and there's a beautiful romance in here. Even though there were errors and things like stereotyping that I am quite averse to, I think that the awesomeness of it all trumps the bad, so yes, I still like it. Very much. I look forward to its sequel, and there's no doubt that I will grab onto it the moment it - or its ARC :D - is out, and that I'll reread this several more times before that. I urge and beseech you to read KATANA when it releases in March. You will not regret the money, time, and brain space. :)
*eARC courtesy of Flux via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
PS. This is a looong review.:P
*4.5 stars* It was amazing! I think I have finally found the perfect novel with a Japanese martial arts theme. This book is phenomenal! I loved the flashbacks to 15th century Japan, I loved the undying love of the two samurais from the past, and I loved how that loved stayed true and un-cliche even till modern age. Wow.
My Summary
Rileigh Martin is a skater chick with a gay best friend, Quentin. They were shopping for a gift for the party they were about to attend when they were assaulted by three thugs. They thought they were dead for sure, until Rileigh hears this voice in her head, and her body seems to know how to defend itself - martial arts style. After fending those thugs off, she faints and is carted off to the hospital. Upon waking up, she meets a strange - and very handsome - Asian martial arts teacher who seems to know about the voice in her head. And if her life's not weird enough, she's having flashbacks of a female samurai back in 15th century Japan.
She finds out that those flashbacks are actually memories of her past life, and it's high time Rileigh embrace her identity and accept the help of Kim - said handsome Asian martial arts teacher, and who has a soul-deep connection to her past samurai life - and 3 other familiar faces from the past, or be killed by an old enemy who was reincarnated to the present.
My Thoughts
Again, WOWOW! You have no idea how long I've been searching for for a perfect samurai-martial arts novel. KATANA, though not perfect (that's where the 0.5 stars went), is amazing. I love the plot, I love the cast, I love, LOVE the heroine and hero, I love the romance between them, and all the fast-paced action and suspense!
Let me get the imperfect 0.5 stars out of the way first before I start gushing about the other 4.5. There were many stereotypes in KATANA. For one, there was the gay best friend with lots of hugs and pedis and manis even when "Ri Ri" was in mortal danger. And what's up with the incessant "Ri Ri" calling? The first time I saw Q call Rileigh "Ri Ri", I literally cringed! A little over-the-top. Why not Ri or something less....gay? Haha. Anyway, for stereotype number two, there was the fact that our lead guy is Asian. Not that I have something against that (Heck, I'm an Asian myself), but must the male protagonist in a samurai novel be Asian when all his other samurai friends were reincarnated as Whites? Gibsen already said that soul-mates will never be reborn far from each other, so why the big cultural difference? Another stereotype I read from a Goodreads review which said that biker chicks aren't all badass wannabes. We don't have biker chicks here in Singapore, so I'm not sure what they're like, but the ones in KATANA were mean-ass bitches who tried to beat the shit out of Rileigh.
Now on to the 4.5! I have always found the soul-mates reincarnating together and finding their love for each other again very cliche, but in KATANA, it is just so damn sweet. And romantic. Kim Gimhae (this is a Korean name, by the way, not Japanese) didn't force Rileigh to accept him when she went out on a date with some other guy from school, just watch over her as a silent protector. They felt the connection, but Rileigh's afraid of embracing her past cause she thinks that she will lose her modern self, so she constantly pushes Kim away.
I was a little turned off when I realise that the lead male in KATANA was named Kim (even if it's only his first name/surname/family name) - not to mention shocked out of my wits. But I started overlooking the fact as I got to know him. He's a tough warrior, through and through, he's a natural born leader, he's playful and witty when he wants to be, he's kind, and he's very sincere and tender towards Rileigh. But he resumes the tough warrior-natural leader persona during their warrior's training, even towards Rileigh. Rileigh feels pain in her chest one time but Kim signals everyone to continue combating and Rileigh shoots him a dirty look. All in a day's work. Haha. But yes, Kim is an enigmatic warrior who I am very much in *ahem* love *ahem* with. Not only is he hot and a warrior, he's the brooding type of male. Rileigh even made a hilarious comment about it:
"After studying him for a moment, I realized it was a good thing Debbie wasn’t here. She would have signed him to be a model in a second. The brooding types always sold the most underwear."
Rileigh's awesome. She's strong, she's brave, she's funny and sarcastic, but she can be feminine when she wants to be. She's so sarcastic that no-nonsense Kim picked up on it and cracked a few sarcastic jokes himself! When she first met Kim and the other warriors, she was very rude to them. That part was a little extreme, but I can understand cause they lied to her and tried to kill her. But still, it doesn't mean she has to be so rude.. But she's still awesome with all her cool moves.
I really liked that Kim and Rileigh had a deep connection in the past, and their story back then was heartwrenchingly sweet. And heartbreaking. They didn't die natural deaths (being samurai and all), but they died together with honor.
Another thing that I really liked about KATANA was Gibsen's phrasings. There were a lot of descriptions and metaphors that were unique and well, vivid. An example:
"It was too much. I was on sensory overload. My body felt like it held a Ferris wheel with anger, confusion, and fear spinning round and round, each taking their turn at the top. I couldn’t focus enough to organize my thoughts, so I did the first thing that came to mind.
I ran."
It did get a little immature at times, and there were a few errors, but overall I thought that Gibsen has a special way of writing, and one that I really appreciate. I will only list one of the errors I've spotted cause I know that since this is an ARC, the final copy will be edited. But this one error is a common misconception that people have:
"At the rate of speed I fell, everything should have been a blur. Instead, I saw it all with crystal clarity."
Spot the error? Rate of speed? Speed is a rate. You can't say the rate of rate of motion. But apart from this, the rest are more inconsequential. But there were some that were cheesy (which I think is inevitable for a novel which has romance):
I gave an exaggerated sigh. “It’s not that easy. Whitley is so nice and drama-free. But Kim, the way I feel around him … it scares me. It’s like gravity ceases to exist and he’s the only thing I can hold on to.”
Gravity ceases? Uh huh, ok.
But anyway, I really, really loved KATANA, and I'd recommend this to any fan of action and romance. The action, well the title is self-explanatory, and there's a beautiful romance in here. Even though there were errors and things like stereotyping that I am quite averse to, I think that the awesomeness of it all trumps the bad, so yes, I still like it. Very much. I look forward to its sequel, and there's no doubt that I will grab onto it the moment it - or its ARC :D - is out, and that I'll reread this several more times before that. I urge and beseech you to read KATANA when it releases in March. You will not regret the money, time, and brain space. :)
*eARC courtesy of Flux via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
PS. This is a looong review.:P
February 5, 2012
"Katana" has perhaps a very familiar premise to many stories centering around a contemporary teen embracing their roots as a pre-destined warrior/fighter. Unfortunately, the familiarity in its troupes are perhaps a bit too much, at least in my overall reaction to Cole Gibsen's work. I don't doubt that there are some who would enjoy this story, particularly in the target age group this book is aimed for, but for me, the biggest issues were never being able to connect to the characters and having to wade through a sea of stereotypical, predictable depictions that might promise a good fight or development of a relationship, but delivers on neither one.
Rileigh Martin is a young woman who can't explain her sudden defense against three assailants who attacked her and her best friend Quentin one night. But with the help of a trainer, Kim, Rileigh learns that she has latent abilities residing in her from a former life - a 500-year old samurai warrior. The story sequences itself between the present day and a love story between two characters in feudal Japan. Rileigh has to embrace her spirit in the face of ninjas and other forces that threaten her life, and rise to the occasion as a warrior.
Rileigh herself is difficult to like, since she fights her destiny, and not even in the sense where she does it in an emotionally plausible way. She's more apt to complain about it, and I never really had a sense of growth/strength surrounding her character - she's more passive than active except for when her latent abilities tend to kick in - resulting in some decent fighting scenes accounted from the author, but I never really had a sense of urgency, passion, or will from her when it came to becoming a warrior - much of that energy seemed spent on developing her relationship with dojo owner Kim, who trains her and has an incarnate spirit of his own. I felt the connection between Kim and Rileigh was lukewarm at best, and while there were spot showings of the emotional connection between Senshi and Yoshido that I liked, I don't think it ever conveyed the depth or connectivity associated with the time they lived - it seems just touched/grazed upon at best.
The surrounding cast of characters were stereotypical cutouts for me, including Quentin, who I thought in some measures was humorous, but his presence is so stilted. I usually prefer characters that have a bit more dimension, and are active/reactive in the settings around them, rather than having a cookie cutter persona that's meant to fulfill only the main character's need.
I think the writing shows growth potential on Gibsen's behalf, so I'm not opposed to seeking out other work from her, but I thought "Katana" never reached a plane distinctive enough to set itself apart for its genre, despite an intriguing premise.
Overall score: 1.5/5
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Flux Books.
Rileigh Martin is a young woman who can't explain her sudden defense against three assailants who attacked her and her best friend Quentin one night. But with the help of a trainer, Kim, Rileigh learns that she has latent abilities residing in her from a former life - a 500-year old samurai warrior. The story sequences itself between the present day and a love story between two characters in feudal Japan. Rileigh has to embrace her spirit in the face of ninjas and other forces that threaten her life, and rise to the occasion as a warrior.
Rileigh herself is difficult to like, since she fights her destiny, and not even in the sense where she does it in an emotionally plausible way. She's more apt to complain about it, and I never really had a sense of growth/strength surrounding her character - she's more passive than active except for when her latent abilities tend to kick in - resulting in some decent fighting scenes accounted from the author, but I never really had a sense of urgency, passion, or will from her when it came to becoming a warrior - much of that energy seemed spent on developing her relationship with dojo owner Kim, who trains her and has an incarnate spirit of his own. I felt the connection between Kim and Rileigh was lukewarm at best, and while there were spot showings of the emotional connection between Senshi and Yoshido that I liked, I don't think it ever conveyed the depth or connectivity associated with the time they lived - it seems just touched/grazed upon at best.
The surrounding cast of characters were stereotypical cutouts for me, including Quentin, who I thought in some measures was humorous, but his presence is so stilted. I usually prefer characters that have a bit more dimension, and are active/reactive in the settings around them, rather than having a cookie cutter persona that's meant to fulfill only the main character's need.
I think the writing shows growth potential on Gibsen's behalf, so I'm not opposed to seeking out other work from her, but I thought "Katana" never reached a plane distinctive enough to set itself apart for its genre, despite an intriguing premise.
Overall score: 1.5/5
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Flux Books.
December 17, 2011
In the interests of openness: Cole Gibsen is a friend of mine. But . . .
She did not ask me to read KATANA, or to review or blurb it. However, I asked her editor for a copy, and will definitely blurb it (if they'll let me) because I think this book rocks. The "Kill Bill" and "Buffy" comparisons are spot on, but I'd also add "Hold Me Closer, Nercromancer" by Lish McBride as an even closer spiritual companion. As in HMC,N, the main character, Rileigh, has no idea what's about to hit her, but both authors do a great job of making sure we hit the ground running in chapter 1. After that, the pace never lets up. Both narrators may be reluctant heroes, but once they realize their place in the world, neither backs down either. I really appreciate that.
I also like the handling of the parallel ancient Japan / modern USA storylines. Rileigh is learning this history along with us, which lends everything an appealing authenticity, but she also has issues with the notion of a predestined life that really ring true. The love interest is thoroughly cool, and the resulting romance rather swoony. And the fight scenes, while heart-pounding, also serve to reveal characters' personalities and relationships.
KATANA is super fast-paced, and chaotic in a really wonderful way. It's a cracking debut.
She did not ask me to read KATANA, or to review or blurb it. However, I asked her editor for a copy, and will definitely blurb it (if they'll let me) because I think this book rocks. The "Kill Bill" and "Buffy" comparisons are spot on, but I'd also add "Hold Me Closer, Nercromancer" by Lish McBride as an even closer spiritual companion. As in HMC,N, the main character, Rileigh, has no idea what's about to hit her, but both authors do a great job of making sure we hit the ground running in chapter 1. After that, the pace never lets up. Both narrators may be reluctant heroes, but once they realize their place in the world, neither backs down either. I really appreciate that.
I also like the handling of the parallel ancient Japan / modern USA storylines. Rileigh is learning this history along with us, which lends everything an appealing authenticity, but she also has issues with the notion of a predestined life that really ring true. The love interest is thoroughly cool, and the resulting romance rather swoony. And the fight scenes, while heart-pounding, also serve to reveal characters' personalities and relationships.
KATANA is super fast-paced, and chaotic in a really wonderful way. It's a cracking debut.
June 17, 2015
After Rileigh Martin manages to single-handedly fight off three attackers in a parking lot one sultry summer night between her junior and senior years of high school, her life takes a dramatic turn. A handsome boy named Kim starts trying to convince her that she bears the soul of his long-ago samurai girlfriend. The doctor who treated her takes an interest in her mother, but raises Rileigh's hackles. And an enemy begins to stalk her. Who can she believe, or trust? Anyone? Or maybe no one.Well, this book LOOKED good. Lovely cover with a blonde model holding two swords crossed behind her back and a border of cherry blossoms, and a blurb from Antony John, who wrote Five Flavors of Dumb, which I loved. And some of it was good. Every so often I found myself actually caught up in the trickiness of Rileigh's new situation; often enough that I kept reading. But in the end, the minuses really outweigh the few good things this book had going for it.
Minus One: It's utterly derivative. It's essentially another Buffy knock-off, with a shallow girl finding out she has a Destiny. Sure, Rileigh is supposedly a not-so-popular skateboarding girl instead of a cheerleader, but really, she's Buffy. It reads like every other Buffy-inspired book out there, complete with plenty of handwringing and resentment of her new situation. Weirdly, it also reads like Transcendence , by C. J. Omololu. The main characters are reincarnated; when their memories fully return, they "transcend" into their complete selves; there's even a "Network" just like the Sekhem in the other book! I was suffering from deja vu all over again reading this, as Yogi Berra might say.
Minus Two: The dialogue. Oh, my goodness, the utterly terrible dialogue. It was painfully unnatural; I kept reading lines out loud because they were so stiff and awful, and then yelling, "Nobody talks like this!" This writer has a tin ear. I found myself vastly preferring long blocks of prose to anyone trying to talk to each other in this book. Just as one example, when Rileigh meets a group of other reincarnated teenage samurai (essentially the Scooby Gang, hello more Buffy), and agrees to be friends with the one other girl (yeah, they have to discuss becoming friends), the girl claps her hands and says, "Yay! I just know that we'll be great friends! We're going to have so much fun. We can have sleepovers and talk about boys!" And she appears to say this seriously! Try it yourself with a straight face. The whole book goes on like this.
Minus Three: The gay best friend. He is the absolutely most stereotypical twinky gay boy ever, into hair and clothing and swishing. And even if he weren't written as a stereotype, he'd still be a total fail as a character, because his only true interest in life is Rileigh. He exists only to boost her and revolve around her and show how lovable and important she is.
Minus Four: The "romance." Golly gee, Kim and Rileigh were soulmate lovers back in 15th-century Japan, so there is this amazing, mystical, steamy connection between them now -- and absolutely no other reason for them to like each other. And, of course, Kim is the most incredibly handsome, fit, sexy guy Rileigh has ever seen. I am getting so sick of lazy paranormal romances like this. Is this the kind of relationship all of these writers actually have with their husbands? Just so destined that they never have to think about it? So full of wonderful vibrations between them that they're just always tuned into each other? Really? REALLY? I would just like to see some work put into showing me a genuine, real-world connection between characters, some reason why they might still want to share toast in the morning thirty years down the road. Is this really so much to ask? Or so hard for an author to come up with?
Minus Five: The Speshul Snowflake effect. It's not enough for Rileigh to be reincarnated from a good samurai. No, Senshi was the bestest samurai, with a magical control over her ki. She had wind power! (And when I read the sentence, "I stopped in front of a katana and felt the first stirrings of the wind inside my center," I burst out laughing. Did no editor or beta reader see how that can be read?)
Minus Five and a Half: They're all Speshul! Out of an entire Network of reincarnated folks, these five teenage samurai are the A-Team. Even though they all died as teenagers the last time around, they have "more battle experience than most four-star generals." Oh, of course they do! And their 500-year-old samurai skills totally apply to modern-day fighting, right? (Okay, I know this is the basis of all Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan movies, but I just couldn't swallow it here.)
So I'm sorry. I really wanted to like this book, but by the end, I was just rolling my eyes and cringing over what a too-familiar mess it was. I just couldn't suspend my disbelief in the face of all the bad mythology and bad writing. As you can see, it only brought out the snark. So, if you can ignore the flaws, it might be a pleasant diversion, but I really can't recommend it.
May 20, 2016
3.5 stars
Once upon a time, they were samurai warrior couple, who give they live for they master.
Can they now, after more than 500 years later, (reincarnated) stay alive long enuff to remember they are souls mates, and to remember who betrayed them the first time around?
Read and find out!
Once upon a time, they were samurai warrior couple, who give they live for they master.
Can they now, after more than 500 years later, (reincarnated) stay alive long enuff to remember they are souls mates, and to remember who betrayed them the first time around?
Read and find out!
December 10, 2011
The story between Senshi and Yoshido was absolutely beautiful. The story between Rileigh and Kim? Not so much...
When I saw the cover and the summary, I thought, "This book is going to be so cool." Unfortunately, there wasn't as much action as I thought there was going to be. Just a lot of drama as Rileigh fights so hard against everything.
I think Rileigh was the reason why I didn't like this book as much as I wanted to. She had potential to be such a great character, but she ended up being a huge disappointment. She was mentally and emotionally weak (despite having this 500-year-old spirit in her). She was constantly in denial. And her sarcastic personality just made me want to shake her. I usually like spunky girls, but the way she was written was really grating on my nerves.
I also didn't like Quentin. Now before you go on assuming anything, I have nothing against gay people and actually had a really close gay guy friend. But I hated how Quentin was written as the stereotypical token gay best friend, and his personality was very irritating. He goes around making decisions for Rileigh (given she probably would have stumbled on her own, but I think it's pretty presumptuous of him to assume he knows what's best). He squeals "OMG OMG OMG," and he's squeamish in more instances in one. I just don't like ANY characters written like that - whether it's a straight girl or gay guy best friend. For what was supposed to be a kick-butt, action-filled book, I had expected a lot more from the supporting roles.
But like I said, I liked the book enough. I just wish RIleigh and Quentin weren't so annoying. The story had potential, and I can't say Cole isn't a great writer who's pretty descriptive. There were a few instances I was cracking up because I can actually visualize what Cole had in mind. "She was the only woman I knew who ran as if her legs were plastic-wrapped together from her thighs to her ankles." "His English was clipped and tight, as if each word he spoke might be the end of his sentence." "I fisted my hand inches away from the storm door handle as spiders with ice-crusted legs crawled down my spine."
Overall, I think Cole is a talented writer, and I look forward to reading her future works. She did a good job pacing this book, especially incorporating the flashbacks with the progression of the modern-day story. This one just wasn't for me. But like I said, I thought the story between Senshi and Yoshido was absolutely beautiful, and if there's one good thing I got out of this book, it was definitely that.
When I saw the cover and the summary, I thought, "This book is going to be so cool." Unfortunately, there wasn't as much action as I thought there was going to be. Just a lot of drama as Rileigh fights so hard against everything.
I think Rileigh was the reason why I didn't like this book as much as I wanted to. She had potential to be such a great character, but she ended up being a huge disappointment. She was mentally and emotionally weak (despite having this 500-year-old spirit in her). She was constantly in denial. And her sarcastic personality just made me want to shake her. I usually like spunky girls, but the way she was written was really grating on my nerves.
I also didn't like Quentin. Now before you go on assuming anything, I have nothing against gay people and actually had a really close gay guy friend. But I hated how Quentin was written as the stereotypical token gay best friend, and his personality was very irritating. He goes around making decisions for Rileigh (given she probably would have stumbled on her own, but I think it's pretty presumptuous of him to assume he knows what's best). He squeals "OMG OMG OMG," and he's squeamish in more instances in one. I just don't like ANY characters written like that - whether it's a straight girl or gay guy best friend. For what was supposed to be a kick-butt, action-filled book, I had expected a lot more from the supporting roles.
But like I said, I liked the book enough. I just wish RIleigh and Quentin weren't so annoying. The story had potential, and I can't say Cole isn't a great writer who's pretty descriptive. There were a few instances I was cracking up because I can actually visualize what Cole had in mind. "She was the only woman I knew who ran as if her legs were plastic-wrapped together from her thighs to her ankles." "His English was clipped and tight, as if each word he spoke might be the end of his sentence." "I fisted my hand inches away from the storm door handle as spiders with ice-crusted legs crawled down my spine."
Overall, I think Cole is a talented writer, and I look forward to reading her future works. She did a good job pacing this book, especially incorporating the flashbacks with the progression of the modern-day story. This one just wasn't for me. But like I said, I thought the story between Senshi and Yoshido was absolutely beautiful, and if there's one good thing I got out of this book, it was definitely that.
April 6, 2014
This was such a fun read!!
I'd say that the last line of the summary, "Rileigh is torn between continuing as the girl she's always been and embracing the warrior inside her," accurately describes most of this book. Don't get me wrong there was so much going on that when I was done with it I was so disappointed because I wanted to read MORE! However, Rileigh does spend way too much time in denial about the whole reincarnation thing despite overwhelming evidence. It tends to get a bit annoying; I mean, I know that it's a big adjustment for her but she started out so strong than spent the majority of the story scared and in need of help from the spirit inside her. Also she spent far too much time trying to kick start a romantic relationship that had no hope from the start. But than once she embraces her inner warrior... AHHH!XD It was so much fun!
The fight scenes were very well written and really put me in the action without over describing it. It was like I was watching it in real time. And there were plenty of them to enjoy too; it seemed like every time she took a step she was fighting with someone else!:)
And Kim. Ah, Kim...He was so not what I was expecting. I thought he would be brooding and never say a word, but he laughs through most of the book despite not having the funnest of upbringings.And the way he loves Rileigh, sigh, it was so very sweet and sad at the same time. Unfortunately for them both her confusion about embracing her samurai spirit gets tangled with her growing feelings toward Kim and further complicates their relationship.
And the supporting cast of characters was fantastic! Quentin is the best gay friend you could possibly hope for! He was supportive and funny and so sweet. And I so wanted to get to know the rest of the reincarnated samurai better! They were all great and I know there are more past-life stories for them to tell us.
My last thought on this book? I want MORE! I feel like it only scratched to surface of the potential this story had. Rileigh became a much stronger character by the end of the story and seeing her grow and learn to trust was so rewarding and I just want to hear more of her story. So imagine my surprise when I read this from the author;
"Will there be a second?"
"There will be! It will be out spring 2013!!!"
Weeeeeeee!!!! I can't wait!!
Happy Reading!
I'd say that the last line of the summary, "Rileigh is torn between continuing as the girl she's always been and embracing the warrior inside her," accurately describes most of this book. Don't get me wrong there was so much going on that when I was done with it I was so disappointed because I wanted to read MORE! However, Rileigh does spend way too much time in denial about the whole reincarnation thing despite overwhelming evidence. It tends to get a bit annoying; I mean, I know that it's a big adjustment for her but she started out so strong than spent the majority of the story scared and in need of help from the spirit inside her. Also she spent far too much time trying to kick start a romantic relationship that had no hope from the start. But than once she embraces her inner warrior... AHHH!XD It was so much fun!
The fight scenes were very well written and really put me in the action without over describing it. It was like I was watching it in real time. And there were plenty of them to enjoy too; it seemed like every time she took a step she was fighting with someone else!:)
And Kim. Ah, Kim...He was so not what I was expecting. I thought he would be brooding and never say a word, but he laughs through most of the book despite not having the funnest of upbringings.And the way he loves Rileigh, sigh, it was so very sweet and sad at the same time. Unfortunately for them both her confusion about embracing her samurai spirit gets tangled with her growing feelings toward Kim and further complicates their relationship.
And the supporting cast of characters was fantastic! Quentin is the best gay friend you could possibly hope for! He was supportive and funny and so sweet. And I so wanted to get to know the rest of the reincarnated samurai better! They were all great and I know there are more past-life stories for them to tell us.
My last thought on this book? I want MORE! I feel like it only scratched to surface of the potential this story had. Rileigh became a much stronger character by the end of the story and seeing her grow and learn to trust was so rewarding and I just want to hear more of her story. So imagine my surprise when I read this from the author;
"Will there be a second?"
"There will be! It will be out spring 2013!!!"
Weeeeeeee!!!! I can't wait!!
Happy Reading!
January 11, 2012
I wasn't sure what to expect from this when I first started reading. And was even more apprehensive because the author is a fellow Apocalypsie and the last thing I wanted was to read their book and not like it. But that was not the case here. From start to finish, I was never bored. Plenty of action and building romance to keep the book going.
Katana was a long book. It did take me quite a while to get through. And the biggest issue I found was that I didn't really get a sense of urgency out of it. So while I was stopping and starting, there wasn't a burning question I needed answering to tempt me into picking back up the book. But once I did, I was captivated by the story and the writing.
The main character is a stubborn and strong-willed girl called Rileigh. Her best friend is a quite stereotypical gay boy who is a supportive secondary character, but at the same time, doesn't add much to the story. I liked him, though. I mostly liked Rileigh, but there were parts of her that irritated me. The whole 'maybe I should think about that, but actually I won't' happened often. Maybe if she had of stopped and considered the information she had, she'd have been happier in the long run.
I thought Kim was a great love interest, even though I didn't trust him as far as I could throw him. This, though, was a common thought I shared with Rileigh, so perhaps his character was supposed to be that way. I was pretty torn about their relationship, though. I wanted to be on board with it because he was sweet and their training/fighting was pretty hot. On the other hand, though, his feelings weren't for her - they were for the person she used to be. And her feelings for him were forced onto her by the presence of the person she used to be. I felt like they were slaves to the past, you know?
The twist of who the bad guy was, wasn't a twist. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be a twist or not because I guessed it from the start.
Mostly, I did enjoy this. The fight scenes were done very well. I loved Rileigh's arc of learning who she was, and although I didn't like the other samurai's much, certainly not enough to care what happened with them, I appreciated their role in the story. The climax of the novel was great too.
All in all, four worthy stars! I look forward to the sequel. A great debut.
Katana was a long book. It did take me quite a while to get through. And the biggest issue I found was that I didn't really get a sense of urgency out of it. So while I was stopping and starting, there wasn't a burning question I needed answering to tempt me into picking back up the book. But once I did, I was captivated by the story and the writing.
The main character is a stubborn and strong-willed girl called Rileigh. Her best friend is a quite stereotypical gay boy who is a supportive secondary character, but at the same time, doesn't add much to the story. I liked him, though. I mostly liked Rileigh, but there were parts of her that irritated me. The whole 'maybe I should think about that, but actually I won't' happened often. Maybe if she had of stopped and considered the information she had, she'd have been happier in the long run.
I thought Kim was a great love interest, even though I didn't trust him as far as I could throw him. This, though, was a common thought I shared with Rileigh, so perhaps his character was supposed to be that way. I was pretty torn about their relationship, though. I wanted to be on board with it because he was sweet and their training/fighting was pretty hot. On the other hand, though, his feelings weren't for her - they were for the person she used to be. And her feelings for him were forced onto her by the presence of the person she used to be. I felt like they were slaves to the past, you know?
The twist of who the bad guy was, wasn't a twist. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be a twist or not because I guessed it from the start.
Mostly, I did enjoy this. The fight scenes were done very well. I loved Rileigh's arc of learning who she was, and although I didn't like the other samurai's much, certainly not enough to care what happened with them, I appreciated their role in the story. The climax of the novel was great too.
All in all, four worthy stars! I look forward to the sequel. A great debut.
December 30, 2011
What's not to like about Katana? A gorgeous, Japanese-inspired covered with a kick-ass chick dual-wielding katanas, an intriguing and action-packed blurb evoking the classic cult series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Kill Bill films. I was pretty much in love from the start.
While the story turned out to be much more Kill Bill than Buffy, there was still plenty to enjoy. Young Rileigh Martin hasn't had a normal life lately. She's been having strange dreams about feudal Japan, and finds herself with the sudden strength and courage to fight off three muggers -who are much bigger than her. While reeling from her experience, Rileigh meets Kim, a sexy martial arts master who tells Rileigh that she happens to have the spirit of a samurai warrior inside her. It's not long, of course, until word gets out.
Katana introduces readers to a fun new character with plenty of spunk and excitement suddenly thrown into a world that she doesn't understand. Not only that, but she's constantly being attacked by ninjas and others who claim to be settling a score -or following a lost love -from Rileigh's past life. Laced with plenty of fast-paced action, Katana is a different kind of action story with a new kind of hero.
And definitely my kind of hero..
While the story turned out to be much more Kill Bill than Buffy, there was still plenty to enjoy. Young Rileigh Martin hasn't had a normal life lately. She's been having strange dreams about feudal Japan, and finds herself with the sudden strength and courage to fight off three muggers -who are much bigger than her. While reeling from her experience, Rileigh meets Kim, a sexy martial arts master who tells Rileigh that she happens to have the spirit of a samurai warrior inside her. It's not long, of course, until word gets out.
Katana introduces readers to a fun new character with plenty of spunk and excitement suddenly thrown into a world that she doesn't understand. Not only that, but she's constantly being attacked by ninjas and others who claim to be settling a score -or following a lost love -from Rileigh's past life. Laced with plenty of fast-paced action, Katana is a different kind of action story with a new kind of hero.
And definitely my kind of hero..
January 9, 2012
I loved this book! It had one of my favorite romance tropes - an enduring love that crosses over lifetimes - and a ton of action to keep things moving along. I couldn't put it down.
Full review soon at www.mangamaniaccafe.com
Full review soon at www.mangamaniaccafe.com
January 21, 2012
It all started with a quest for a toaster at the mall. Rileigh, a normal teenage girl, and her best friend, Quentin, are attacked in the parking lot, and Rileigh somehow fights off all three men. While at the hospital, she meets Kim, a hot Asian martial arts instructor, who insists she’s the reincarnation of a Japanese Samurai from 500 years ago. She thinks she’s just going crazy. But as people start coming after her, and the voice in her head and the change, almost possession, in her body happen more frequently, she begins to wonder if maybe Kim is right after all...
The good: Teenage girl samurai warrior, need I say more? As a marital arts enthusiast, I loved the descriptions of that aspect of the book, and the fighting. I felt like Rileigh’s progression from disbelief and thinking she was crazy to accepting what was happening to her was pretty realistic. Of course there were moments when she really wanted her old life back, and would try to pretend things were “normal,” but that in and of itself is normal. The pacing was good, and Rileigh, while she did need help at times, was pretty good at kicking ass all on her own, which was great to see, especially in a female main character. Even though at one point in the book it seems like it is headed towards a love triangle, at no point does Rileigh put up with a guy being a jerk to her because he’s hot. I also loved how this book had a real ending. Many books I’ve read lately have been a part of a series, and the “cliffhanger” ending seems more like a stop part way through what should’ve been a longer book rather than any kind of resolution. While not every single question I had about what was going on was answered, this book actually had a resolution, and it was quite refreshing!
The not-so-good: The description of the first time or two Rileigh was possessed seemed awkward to me, but it got better as I continued to read, either because I became more familiar with what was happening, or because the description was actually better, I’m not really sure which. Especially in the first few chapters, there are too many awkward/obvious similes that really stood out from the rest of the text.
Sometimes some of the characters came off as stereotypes more than actual people, Quentin, the “gay best friend” in particular. There were moments where I thought he was well written, but many times where his actions or words seemed to fall more into the stereotype than what a person might actually do or say. I found it refreshing to have such a prominent gay character in a book, but wish more had been done to make him an individual person.
Also, there were a few details that even after finishing the book strike me as odd/not well explained. No matter how good at martial arts he is, how could Kim be 18 and running his own dojo and teaching children for two years already? I also would’ve liked to know more about the Network. These five teens can’t be the only people in the world who are reincarnations...how big is it? What is it, exactly? How is Dr. Wendell involved?
Despite the few things that bothered me about the book, overall I thought it was great. I loved the way the tale of Senshi and Yoshido was interspersed with the modern day story as Rileigh learned more and more about her past, and how it would affect her future. I thought the idea for the book was great, and though the execution wasn’t perfect, it was a fun, interesting read. Recommended for those who enjoy seeing a girl who can kick ass for herself!
The good: Teenage girl samurai warrior, need I say more? As a marital arts enthusiast, I loved the descriptions of that aspect of the book, and the fighting. I felt like Rileigh’s progression from disbelief and thinking she was crazy to accepting what was happening to her was pretty realistic. Of course there were moments when she really wanted her old life back, and would try to pretend things were “normal,” but that in and of itself is normal. The pacing was good, and Rileigh, while she did need help at times, was pretty good at kicking ass all on her own, which was great to see, especially in a female main character. Even though at one point in the book it seems like it is headed towards a love triangle, at no point does Rileigh put up with a guy being a jerk to her because he’s hot. I also loved how this book had a real ending. Many books I’ve read lately have been a part of a series, and the “cliffhanger” ending seems more like a stop part way through what should’ve been a longer book rather than any kind of resolution. While not every single question I had about what was going on was answered, this book actually had a resolution, and it was quite refreshing!
The not-so-good: The description of the first time or two Rileigh was possessed seemed awkward to me, but it got better as I continued to read, either because I became more familiar with what was happening, or because the description was actually better, I’m not really sure which. Especially in the first few chapters, there are too many awkward/obvious similes that really stood out from the rest of the text.
Sometimes some of the characters came off as stereotypes more than actual people, Quentin, the “gay best friend” in particular. There were moments where I thought he was well written, but many times where his actions or words seemed to fall more into the stereotype than what a person might actually do or say. I found it refreshing to have such a prominent gay character in a book, but wish more had been done to make him an individual person.
Also, there were a few details that even after finishing the book strike me as odd/not well explained. No matter how good at martial arts he is, how could Kim be 18 and running his own dojo and teaching children for two years already? I also would’ve liked to know more about the Network. These five teens can’t be the only people in the world who are reincarnations...how big is it? What is it, exactly? How is Dr. Wendell involved?
Despite the few things that bothered me about the book, overall I thought it was great. I loved the way the tale of Senshi and Yoshido was interspersed with the modern day story as Rileigh learned more and more about her past, and how it would affect her future. I thought the idea for the book was great, and though the execution wasn’t perfect, it was a fun, interesting read. Recommended for those who enjoy seeing a girl who can kick ass for herself!
March 5, 2012
So this book was billed as Kill Bill meets Buffy on NetGalley. Do I love Kill Bill? Yes self, I do! Do I love Buffy? Yes again Emma, I think Buffy kicks ass and I miss her! I have also had a fascination in ancient Japanese culture for as long as I can remember. So I think it is clear to say that I had high hopes for this book! I was pleased that it delivered everything I was expecting and more.
Rileigh is a normal skateboard loving girl until she and her best friend, Quentin, are attacked by muggers in a parking lot. Without knowing what she is doing Rileigh manages to defend herself against all 3 of the muggers leaving them broken on the ground. This is when the dreams begin! Dreams of ancient Japan which are so real they make Rileigh's heart hurt with recognition. Before she knows it Rileigh has been pulled into a world of reincarnated Samurai Warriors and she must defend herself against enemies from the past. The only problem is that her enemies could be anyone!
There are only a handful of literary characters that I think I would get on well with in real life and that I would want to hang out with. Rileigh is one of them. She is such a strong character who is totally thrown into a situation that she is not prepared for and she totally reacts in the way I probably would, although I would have added being drunk to the moping and the bar fight!! In lots of books when the protagonist moans about the situation they have found themselves in you just want to shake them, but in this case you understand her concerns and let it slide as she is so kickass. She is totally Buffy-esque and that makes me so happy (I miss Buffy!).
Any awesome reincarnated Samurai action story has to have a smoking hot love interest and this one has two!! This was an interesting love triangle and not the usual bog standard one. Rileigh's head and current self is securely settled on the cute guy from school, but her heart and past self are all about the smoking hot Kim. He is buff, handsome, looks out for Rileigh and only wants her to be happy... where can I get me one? Also he owns his own dojo and I like a man who has plans for his future and a way to support himself (Argh, I'm getting so sensible in my old age!!)
This had some great supporting characters which enriched the story, especially her gay best friend Q (who doesn't love a gay best friend?). I also liked that Rileigh had a job and therefore could not just up and disappear on an adventure without thinking of the consequences or telling anyone. This is something that can often annoy me in YA fiction, but in this book it was tackled with grace. As we started to piece together the story from ancient Japan I was constantly trying to guess who the enemy was in her current life. I was suspicious of so many characters that it actually did not turn out to be the one I was most sceptical about! I had no idea who was trust worthy in this book.
I loved this book and flew through it constantly wanting more. The only thing I was disappointed about at the end was that this is a stand alone novel. I would have loved to keep reading about Rileigh and the antics her and her band of Samurai might get up to. I will definitely be picking up Cole Gibsen's next book as soon as it's released. I can't wait.
Rileigh is a normal skateboard loving girl until she and her best friend, Quentin, are attacked by muggers in a parking lot. Without knowing what she is doing Rileigh manages to defend herself against all 3 of the muggers leaving them broken on the ground. This is when the dreams begin! Dreams of ancient Japan which are so real they make Rileigh's heart hurt with recognition. Before she knows it Rileigh has been pulled into a world of reincarnated Samurai Warriors and she must defend herself against enemies from the past. The only problem is that her enemies could be anyone!
There are only a handful of literary characters that I think I would get on well with in real life and that I would want to hang out with. Rileigh is one of them. She is such a strong character who is totally thrown into a situation that she is not prepared for and she totally reacts in the way I probably would, although I would have added being drunk to the moping and the bar fight!! In lots of books when the protagonist moans about the situation they have found themselves in you just want to shake them, but in this case you understand her concerns and let it slide as she is so kickass. She is totally Buffy-esque and that makes me so happy (I miss Buffy!).
Any awesome reincarnated Samurai action story has to have a smoking hot love interest and this one has two!! This was an interesting love triangle and not the usual bog standard one. Rileigh's head and current self is securely settled on the cute guy from school, but her heart and past self are all about the smoking hot Kim. He is buff, handsome, looks out for Rileigh and only wants her to be happy... where can I get me one? Also he owns his own dojo and I like a man who has plans for his future and a way to support himself (Argh, I'm getting so sensible in my old age!!)
This had some great supporting characters which enriched the story, especially her gay best friend Q (who doesn't love a gay best friend?). I also liked that Rileigh had a job and therefore could not just up and disappear on an adventure without thinking of the consequences or telling anyone. This is something that can often annoy me in YA fiction, but in this book it was tackled with grace. As we started to piece together the story from ancient Japan I was constantly trying to guess who the enemy was in her current life. I was suspicious of so many characters that it actually did not turn out to be the one I was most sceptical about! I had no idea who was trust worthy in this book.
I loved this book and flew through it constantly wanting more. The only thing I was disappointed about at the end was that this is a stand alone novel. I would have loved to keep reading about Rileigh and the antics her and her band of Samurai might get up to. I will definitely be picking up Cole Gibsen's next book as soon as it's released. I can't wait.
January 10, 2013
Rileigh heads to the mall with her best friend Q when the pair leaves they witness a attempted mugging. The mugger flee's with but before he can run past Rileigh she trips him ending up with the purse and he runs off. It isn't till Rileigh and Q get to her car that they are confronted by the mugger and his two friends. They attempt to rough them up but Rileigh surprises them as well as herself by using ancient samurai skills. When she's caught on the security camera's beating up the bad guys, suddenly the guy she's been dying to date in high school is showing up at her home. She's also visited by a stranger who claims to know who she is and why she's suddenly hearing a voice and has some new fighting skills.
At his urging Rileigh agree's to meet the stranger at his dojo in hopes of learning what's going on. She's attacked by three strangers who attempt to kill her but with her skills she easily fights them off. She learns that Kim was testing her to prove that she is indeed the one he's been searching for the fifth of their group well as his long lost love. Rileigh struggles with learning the truth, unable to believe they are telling her all the truth she decides to go out with the guy from school at the urging of her best friends. It's on the date she's attacked, and when her home is broken into and the katana stolen she heads back to Kim for advice.
I've been dying to read Katana forever since long before it came out and after procrastinating on purchasing it due to the ever growing review pile I caved. However it hit the shelf where it's been teasing me for months. I was tickled when I found the chance to read while my kindles had dead batteries. I love the cover cherry blossoms are one of my favorite flowers to start with plus one of my favorite movies is Kill Bill so I had high hopes. I was drawn in right from the first chapter I couldn't wait to see what would happen next in Rileighs adventure. Katana is a fast story that is easy to lose all track of time, with a flowing story-line it a story that teens as well as adults will enjoy. I will admit it is a little stereotypical but I don't think it detracts from the story. I like the concept for Katana it's my first martial art's related story but the concept of soul mates and past lives is one of my favorite romantic stories. I've always wanted a stereotypical gay best friend so I'm a little jealous that Rileigh has one and he even accepts her for the samurai she is. I found all the characters are great they way that their past lives mix with the current lives just creates a better story. I can honestly say I really loved Katana; it's a awesome story that left me going awwww. I can't wait to get my hands on the next one.
At his urging Rileigh agree's to meet the stranger at his dojo in hopes of learning what's going on. She's attacked by three strangers who attempt to kill her but with her skills she easily fights them off. She learns that Kim was testing her to prove that she is indeed the one he's been searching for the fifth of their group well as his long lost love. Rileigh struggles with learning the truth, unable to believe they are telling her all the truth she decides to go out with the guy from school at the urging of her best friends. It's on the date she's attacked, and when her home is broken into and the katana stolen she heads back to Kim for advice.
I've been dying to read Katana forever since long before it came out and after procrastinating on purchasing it due to the ever growing review pile I caved. However it hit the shelf where it's been teasing me for months. I was tickled when I found the chance to read while my kindles had dead batteries. I love the cover cherry blossoms are one of my favorite flowers to start with plus one of my favorite movies is Kill Bill so I had high hopes. I was drawn in right from the first chapter I couldn't wait to see what would happen next in Rileighs adventure. Katana is a fast story that is easy to lose all track of time, with a flowing story-line it a story that teens as well as adults will enjoy. I will admit it is a little stereotypical but I don't think it detracts from the story. I like the concept for Katana it's my first martial art's related story but the concept of soul mates and past lives is one of my favorite romantic stories. I've always wanted a stereotypical gay best friend so I'm a little jealous that Rileigh has one and he even accepts her for the samurai she is. I found all the characters are great they way that their past lives mix with the current lives just creates a better story. I can honestly say I really loved Katana; it's a awesome story that left me going awwww. I can't wait to get my hands on the next one.
March 15, 2013
Finally a book that doesn't leave me wanting to kill the heroine. Finally a novel where the heroine does not put the plot on hold to go on and on about how good looking the hero is. FINALLY JUST FINALLY A HERO THAT DOES NOT SHOW HIS LOVE BY BEING A COMPLETE AN UTTER ASS HOLE. OH FINALLY A HEROINE WHO DOES NOT WALK AROUND WANTING A DAMN PITTY PARTY BECAUSE SHE BEEN THROUGH SOME THINGS.
This was such a breath of fresh air.
Thank you Cole Gibson.
Light, funny, good dialogue, wonderful characters, wonderfully realistic heroine, and a kick ass hero that wasn't a brooding asshole. What more can I want?
Rileigh was a tough chick who instead of wallowing in her unpleasant position she was always moving forward, seeking answer while on her guard to find the truth.
She was smart and I really liked and connected with her. I rarely ever agree with decisions that characters make because it’s often feels like authors try to dumb the character down to drag the story out; however, that didn't happen with Rileigh. If she needed information, our heroine would find it. I loved that about her, and I also adored her friendship with Q (they were a hilarious pair ).
I don’t know what I can say about the simple, yet sweet romance without coming off as a gushing, rambling fool. So I’ll just save you the trouble and just simply say that they had great chemistry, sweetness, and just the right amount of steam. The romance wasn't over played and didn't distract you from the plot. The author created a great balance between the two to keep you wanting more, so I highly recommend this book if you’re interested in it's intriguing idea.
I mean, like seriously: samurais.
Nuff said, go get your copy.
Your welcome. ;)
edit:
Oh my, the author liked my review! Whoa. Although my review seemed targeted to the author, I didn't even know authors read these!LOL. What motivation, to make this slacker write more. THANK YOU :D
May 9, 2012
Well if Buffy ever was a samurai in a past life and could wield a katana? She'd totally be Rileigh Martin. Well maybe not totally, but definitely a lot like her.
I was gripped in the beginning of the book, not by the plot or the summary or anything particularly significant other than Rileigh's relationship with her best friend Quentin. It tugged at my heartstrings in so many ways with it's echoes of my relationship with my best friend who calls me "poodle" and my other one that calls me "Juno." Seeing someone write this relationship on paper and well? I was just in gagaland over it. It was all sorts of excellent. And that was just her relationship with her best friend!
The plot was kind of twisted and with no mentions of a second book anywhere there were a lot of loops that needed to be knotted up. As it stands...I'm pleasantly surprised that I didn't see everything coming until the very end, when it started clicking for me.
I love the whole soulmates concept. I hate, a little bit anyways, that Rileigh really didn't have to work to get Kim. Seeing Kim struggle to love and protect her was hot though. Their love scenes were pretty great...even if there were only like three. :/
I'm going to be honest here, Quentin is my favorite character. He's hilarious and accepting...just everything you think a best friend should be. And having two Quentins in my life? I have all the more appreciation for him.
All in all? It's a solid book. It has great twists and turns, a stereotypical boy trying to protect the girl he loves by keeping things from her, great love scenes, and a semi-stable plot line. I'd definitely suggest checking it out.
I was gripped in the beginning of the book, not by the plot or the summary or anything particularly significant other than Rileigh's relationship with her best friend Quentin. It tugged at my heartstrings in so many ways with it's echoes of my relationship with my best friend who calls me "poodle" and my other one that calls me "Juno." Seeing someone write this relationship on paper and well? I was just in gagaland over it. It was all sorts of excellent. And that was just her relationship with her best friend!
The plot was kind of twisted and with no mentions of a second book anywhere there were a lot of loops that needed to be knotted up. As it stands...I'm pleasantly surprised that I didn't see everything coming until the very end, when it started clicking for me.
I love the whole soulmates concept. I hate, a little bit anyways, that Rileigh really didn't have to work to get Kim. Seeing Kim struggle to love and protect her was hot though. Their love scenes were pretty great...even if there were only like three. :/
I'm going to be honest here, Quentin is my favorite character. He's hilarious and accepting...just everything you think a best friend should be. And having two Quentins in my life? I have all the more appreciation for him.
All in all? It's a solid book. It has great twists and turns, a stereotypical boy trying to protect the girl he loves by keeping things from her, great love scenes, and a semi-stable plot line. I'd definitely suggest checking it out.
May 8, 2012
Rileigh never expected her life to turn from skate boarding and hunging with her friend Q to getting attack and beating guys twice her size every other night. But it did. Rileigh is the reincarnation of a great samurai and soon she finds out that there are more people like her, people that know her from her past life and people that want to bring her back fully aware of who she used to be. Beside these new "friends" there are also new enemies and Rileigh can trust no one, only the voice inside her head which isn't even hers.
I really loved all the action in this book. Rileigh, taken over by the spirit of Senshi, did some serious beating. I loved who even though sometimes she wasn't sure who she was she didn't want to lose herself into the memories of her past life and fought strong enough to not let that happen until the end. We were more focused on her story, with flushes from her past life, which were one of the best parts in the book if only there were more. I loved how her friend Q was always there, always by her side no matter what. Also Kim, her soul-mate from her past life, had all the glory of the samurai of the sengoku era.
I am a huge fan of anything Japanese so of course I really liked this book. I would love it even more if it wasn't so focused on Rileigh but had all the other great characters in the spotlight a little bit more. Reading through the end I thought this was a stand-alone but then I found out there is going to be another book coming out, so I can't wait to see what will happen now that Rileigh actually knows who she is and accepts it.
I really loved all the action in this book. Rileigh, taken over by the spirit of Senshi, did some serious beating. I loved who even though sometimes she wasn't sure who she was she didn't want to lose herself into the memories of her past life and fought strong enough to not let that happen until the end. We were more focused on her story, with flushes from her past life, which were one of the best parts in the book if only there were more. I loved how her friend Q was always there, always by her side no matter what. Also Kim, her soul-mate from her past life, had all the glory of the samurai of the sengoku era.
I am a huge fan of anything Japanese so of course I really liked this book. I would love it even more if it wasn't so focused on Rileigh but had all the other great characters in the spotlight a little bit more. Reading through the end I thought this was a stand-alone but then I found out there is going to be another book coming out, so I can't wait to see what will happen now that Rileigh actually knows who she is and accepts it.
March 21, 2012
Check out more of my reviews on my blog, The Muses Circle
Katana was an absolute pleasure to read. It was one of those books that didn't require a lot of hard thinking, yet has all the elements of a great YA novel. That is NOT an insult. Let me explain. Before Katana, I had read 2 books back to back that were quite demanding. Both had stories centered around new mythology and world building. While I absolutely love books that are unique and don't fit a particular mold, those qualities do not neccessarily define what makes a good novel. Katana was a refreshing read, filled with action, romance, history, and perfectly placed comic relief.
The story opens with Rileigh and her out and proud best friend Quentin leaving the mall after buying a gift for a wedding. A thug tries robbing an old couple in the parking lot and without her even realizing it, Rileigh comes to their rescue. When the thug comes back for a second round, this time to teach her a lesson, Rileigh thinks she is going crazy when she hears a voice in her head and her body busts out martial arts moves that are completely foriegn to her. Thus starts Rileigh's "Awakening", where pieces of her past life starts to collide with her present. Talk about a great way to start a story! I absolutely love a book that grabs you from the very first couple of pages!
As Rileigh tries to figure out if she is losing her mind or not, the mysterious, sexy martial arts instructor Kim enters her life, which only confuses her more since he seems to know more about what's going on inside her mind and body them she cares to admit. She tries to convince herself that Whitley is the boy of her dreams, but has a hard time denying the instant attraction and pull she feels when around Kim. Sounds like one of those annoying love triangles that many YA writers can't seem to do without, right? Well, I think what makes Katana different is that Whitley is really no competition when he is up against the kind of love that lasts for centuries, literally!
While the setting is in present day America, Cole Gibsen does a great job bringing us back to 13th century Japan every few chapters so that we can see how Rileigh and Kim's previous lives intertwine with their lives now. I don't want to get into too much detail here for fear of leaking too many spoilers, but let's just say Cole knows how to pull on the heartstrings and once you read the book, you will understand what I mean about the kind of love that stands the test of time.
I like the fact that this is also sort of an interracial romance. I know that may sound weird, but I am bi-racial-- half Italian, half African American and I have noticed that there are not many young adult books out there where the heroine is white and the hero is of Asian descent. I know that's not what this book's agenda is about (or is it? love doesn't know color, gender and happens when you least expect it) but I like that angle of the book.
Cole Gibsen not only writes a great story but creates interesting characters. I enjoyed learning about Drew, Michelle, and Braden who were also samurai warriors in their previous lives. And in case you are wondering how it can be possible that the spirits of these young people were able to find each other in this life when they could have been anywhere in the world--apparently, the stronger the connection in their previous life, the easier it is for their spirits to find each other in this one.
If I had one thing to complain about-- and this is me just being straight up picky-- it's the whole Sumi situation. Sumi is Kim's receptionist/assistant at the dojo who fathoms herself in love with him. Throughout the novel Sumi makes it abundantly clear that Kim is hers and that they are "meant" to be together. There are quite a few scenes where her jealousy shines through, one in particular towards the end where she sort of threatens Rileigh. Then suddenly Sumi is never mentioned again. I'm not sure if Katana is the first in a planned series-- if so, then maybe we will see her in the next book. It's not that big of a deal, but the last scene with Sumi and Rileigh felt....unfinished.
But that minor complaint doesn't change my 5 star rating :). There is really nothing else negative I can say about Katana. It's a solid YA novel packed with action, laugh-out-loud moments, and a romance worth dying for! If you don't believe me, then let me end this review with a scene that shows how much Kim loves Rileigh.
"Kim? Why are you afraid to touch me?" I asked.
He rotated back...for a moment I thought he would leave without answering my question. Instead, he pushed his shoulders back and reeled around to face me, closing the distance between us in two strides, leaving only enough room to breathe.
"I'm afraid," he whispered.
"Of what?" I whispered back. I was afraid myself, but I couldn't think of why I should be.
"I'm afraid that if I touch you, even for a moment, I might not be able to let go."
Before I could react, he turned and strode out of the room.
Romantic, right? Well then what are you waiting for? Go pick up a copy of Katana today! Kill Bill meets Buffy? How about, Kill Bill meets Buffy who meets Samurai Girl? lol
Mia
Katana was an absolute pleasure to read. It was one of those books that didn't require a lot of hard thinking, yet has all the elements of a great YA novel. That is NOT an insult. Let me explain. Before Katana, I had read 2 books back to back that were quite demanding. Both had stories centered around new mythology and world building. While I absolutely love books that are unique and don't fit a particular mold, those qualities do not neccessarily define what makes a good novel. Katana was a refreshing read, filled with action, romance, history, and perfectly placed comic relief.
The story opens with Rileigh and her out and proud best friend Quentin leaving the mall after buying a gift for a wedding. A thug tries robbing an old couple in the parking lot and without her even realizing it, Rileigh comes to their rescue. When the thug comes back for a second round, this time to teach her a lesson, Rileigh thinks she is going crazy when she hears a voice in her head and her body busts out martial arts moves that are completely foriegn to her. Thus starts Rileigh's "Awakening", where pieces of her past life starts to collide with her present. Talk about a great way to start a story! I absolutely love a book that grabs you from the very first couple of pages!
As Rileigh tries to figure out if she is losing her mind or not, the mysterious, sexy martial arts instructor Kim enters her life, which only confuses her more since he seems to know more about what's going on inside her mind and body them she cares to admit. She tries to convince herself that Whitley is the boy of her dreams, but has a hard time denying the instant attraction and pull she feels when around Kim. Sounds like one of those annoying love triangles that many YA writers can't seem to do without, right? Well, I think what makes Katana different is that Whitley is really no competition when he is up against the kind of love that lasts for centuries, literally!
While the setting is in present day America, Cole Gibsen does a great job bringing us back to 13th century Japan every few chapters so that we can see how Rileigh and Kim's previous lives intertwine with their lives now. I don't want to get into too much detail here for fear of leaking too many spoilers, but let's just say Cole knows how to pull on the heartstrings and once you read the book, you will understand what I mean about the kind of love that stands the test of time.
I like the fact that this is also sort of an interracial romance. I know that may sound weird, but I am bi-racial-- half Italian, half African American and I have noticed that there are not many young adult books out there where the heroine is white and the hero is of Asian descent. I know that's not what this book's agenda is about (or is it? love doesn't know color, gender and happens when you least expect it) but I like that angle of the book.
Cole Gibsen not only writes a great story but creates interesting characters. I enjoyed learning about Drew, Michelle, and Braden who were also samurai warriors in their previous lives. And in case you are wondering how it can be possible that the spirits of these young people were able to find each other in this life when they could have been anywhere in the world--apparently, the stronger the connection in their previous life, the easier it is for their spirits to find each other in this one.
If I had one thing to complain about-- and this is me just being straight up picky-- it's the whole Sumi situation. Sumi is Kim's receptionist/assistant at the dojo who fathoms herself in love with him. Throughout the novel Sumi makes it abundantly clear that Kim is hers and that they are "meant" to be together. There are quite a few scenes where her jealousy shines through, one in particular towards the end where she sort of threatens Rileigh. Then suddenly Sumi is never mentioned again. I'm not sure if Katana is the first in a planned series-- if so, then maybe we will see her in the next book. It's not that big of a deal, but the last scene with Sumi and Rileigh felt....unfinished.
But that minor complaint doesn't change my 5 star rating :). There is really nothing else negative I can say about Katana. It's a solid YA novel packed with action, laugh-out-loud moments, and a romance worth dying for! If you don't believe me, then let me end this review with a scene that shows how much Kim loves Rileigh.
"Kim? Why are you afraid to touch me?" I asked.
He rotated back...for a moment I thought he would leave without answering my question. Instead, he pushed his shoulders back and reeled around to face me, closing the distance between us in two strides, leaving only enough room to breathe.
"I'm afraid," he whispered.
"Of what?" I whispered back. I was afraid myself, but I couldn't think of why I should be.
"I'm afraid that if I touch you, even for a moment, I might not be able to let go."
Before I could react, he turned and strode out of the room.
Romantic, right? Well then what are you waiting for? Go pick up a copy of Katana today! Kill Bill meets Buffy? How about, Kill Bill meets Buffy who meets Samurai Girl? lol
Mia
April 4, 2015
♥ Find my reviews on Blogger ~ Reviews by Bookish Sarah
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On the outside, Rileigh Martin is just your average high school senior. She spends her days in school, working, skating, or with her best friend Quentin. On the inside, she is something entirely unexpected. She is the reincarnated soul of an ancient samurai warrior named “Senshi”. Does she know this? Of course not! Then the changes begin.
One night she and Quentin are leaving the mall after a late-evening shopping trip. While in the parking lot, the two friends witness a mugging. When the muggers turn their eyes on Rileigh and Quentin, there's barely time to think. Before she even knows what hit her, Rileigh hears a voice in her head and her body begins to fight as if possessed. In the end, she has fought off all three muggers with obviously well-honed martial arts skills. Rileigh has never taken a day of martial arts lessons in her life, so needless to say, she is freaked.
After passing out, she wakes up in the hospital. This is where she meets Kim - a stranger who doesn't feel like a stranger. A sexy martial arts teacher who tells Rileigh he can answer all her questions. Voices in her head, fighting off muggers with skills she shouldn't possess, strange dreams and flashbacks to 15th century Japan, and the déjà vu-like feeling she gets around the mysterious Kim - even after all of that, Rileigh decides Kim is nothing but a crazy stalker. In the end, the threat of death saves her from drowning in an ocean of denial.
- - -
Dislikes:
Quentin. His character was written in a too stereotypical-gay-guy-best-friend way. My irritation from that pulled me from the story a few times. It wasn't the only stereotype in this book, but for me, it's the only one worth mentioning.
The pace wasn't to my liking. I felt like it took much too long to get to the good bits. The dramatics and revelations were all clumped together thanks to Rileigh's extreme denial of everything going on around and within her.
Likes:
Stereotypes and denial aside, I did enjoy the characters. They were multidimensional and each one had a distinct, interesting personality. I like that Rileigh was this perfect mix of girly and tomboy. Kim was just broody enough, and just dreamy enough (I also applaud Ms. Gibsen for making someone with the name ‘Kim’ sexy.. because that is my mother-in-law's name and it turned me off of the hero at first LOL - so it was quite a feat to make me swoon over this guy). There were a lot of characters in this book, and if it was the first in a series I would generally say that's not a problem. In a stand-alone, I would consider it a bit of a risk. There's too much of a chance for confusion and pulling away from the plot because here you are, trying to remember who is who, what they are doing there, and how they add to the storyline. That didn't happen for me here. In the case of Katana, it worked. It was never too much, never confusing. I enjoyed each person I read about and I didn't feel that any of the characters were pointless and/or lacking anything.
The plot was very good. I love reading books about reincarnation, and I think this was a nice interpretation of it. I enjoyed the flashbacks to Japan 500 years in the past. They were realistic, thrilling, and didn't take up too much space in the book. The romance was also very good. Rileigh and Kim didn't run into each other's arms at first glance. The tension between them wasn't overly done, and neither was the almost-love-triangle. There was a bit of mystery as to who the villains were, and I was definitely surprised by the outcome.
Overall:
Katana was a unique, fresh YA read. It was a step outside the box. I would definitely consider it “Kill Bill” meets “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (minus the vampires, of course). The characters are a pleasure. The storyline is beautiful and entertaining. It was a clean, fun, quick read. A truly wonderful story about past, present, and future.
- - -
Book source: NetGalley
Publisher: Flux Books
May 21, 2012
Rileigh Martin just wants to have a normal summer. She wants to hang out with her best friend, Quentin, go skateboarding, and daydream about her crush, Whitley. However, things change one day when three men attack her in the mall parking lot. Suddenly, she hears a voice in her head giving her warnings and battle tips. She feels this weird sensation coming over her, and single-handedly takes out all three men, even though she’s never had a martial arts lesson in her life.
Rileigh desperately does not want to believe what happened. She wants to go back to her life before the attack. She wants to believe that it was all adrenaline. She does not want to think that she is crazy.
Then, she meets a mysterious man named Kim Gimhae, who tells her that she is the reincarnation of a samurai named Senshi, who lived over 500 years ago. After numerous attacks, and against what she thinks is her better judgment, she agrees to learn the use of the katana. The katana is a sword, which was the favorite weapon of the spirit that resides in her.
As the spirit in her gets stronger and begins to unlock powers that she never knew she had, Rileigh gets scared. She wants to get away and be just Rileigh again. But as she pulls away, her feelings for Kim pull her closer to the life that she so desperately does not want to live. Now, Rileigh must choose which life she wants to live.
In my opinion, this was a very good book, with an interesting plotline and great characters. It’s well written, too. I liked a couple things in this book, like the character development. Watching Rileigh and Kim’s relationship develop was very interesting. Also, I enjoyed the scenes from Senshi’s point of view in Japan. They added an interesting twist to the book, and I actually think that if the author hadn’t included those bits, the book wouldn’t have been nearly as interesting or made as much sense as it did with those little chapters.
There are a couple of things that I wished Cole Gibsen had taken out or added. I wish that she had added a bit more Kim-Rileigh relationship stuff towards the end, when Rileigh realizes that she is in love with him. I also think that the author should have added more clips from Senshi’s point of view in Japan. She should have also added more about Rileigh’s power. It would have been interesting, at least for me, to see Rileigh use her power to fight. I also think that she should have taken out when the random homeless woman sprayed pepper spray in the devil-man’s eyes, because it was random and didn’t contribute to the plot. Moreover, I honestly think that Rileigh could have taken the devil-man out without the homeless woman’s help, even if he had a gun. I also would have liked to see a fight scene with Kim, because you hear a lot about how dangerous he looks, but you don’t actually get to see it in action.
I enjoyed reading this book from Rileigh’s point of view because I feel like it added an in-depth look into the mind of the main character. If Mrs. Gibsen had not written the book in Rileigh’s point of view, and written in third person, I feel that the book would have lost some of what makes the book good, which is the fact that Rileigh is so sarcastic that it’s funny. Her thoughts make the book just that appealing, and made me want to read on.
Mrs. Gibsen also did a great job developing and describing the characters. It may just be my imagination gone wild, but I felt like I could see what Rileigh saw during the book. One of the amazing things about this book is that the author didn’t use a lot of ink to describe the characters, but she added more details about what the characters were like as the book went on. All in all, this was a great book. I would highly recommend reading it.
Katana
Rileigh desperately does not want to believe what happened. She wants to go back to her life before the attack. She wants to believe that it was all adrenaline. She does not want to think that she is crazy.
Then, she meets a mysterious man named Kim Gimhae, who tells her that she is the reincarnation of a samurai named Senshi, who lived over 500 years ago. After numerous attacks, and against what she thinks is her better judgment, she agrees to learn the use of the katana. The katana is a sword, which was the favorite weapon of the spirit that resides in her.
As the spirit in her gets stronger and begins to unlock powers that she never knew she had, Rileigh gets scared. She wants to get away and be just Rileigh again. But as she pulls away, her feelings for Kim pull her closer to the life that she so desperately does not want to live. Now, Rileigh must choose which life she wants to live.
In my opinion, this was a very good book, with an interesting plotline and great characters. It’s well written, too. I liked a couple things in this book, like the character development. Watching Rileigh and Kim’s relationship develop was very interesting. Also, I enjoyed the scenes from Senshi’s point of view in Japan. They added an interesting twist to the book, and I actually think that if the author hadn’t included those bits, the book wouldn’t have been nearly as interesting or made as much sense as it did with those little chapters.
There are a couple of things that I wished Cole Gibsen had taken out or added. I wish that she had added a bit more Kim-Rileigh relationship stuff towards the end, when Rileigh realizes that she is in love with him. I also think that the author should have added more clips from Senshi’s point of view in Japan. She should have also added more about Rileigh’s power. It would have been interesting, at least for me, to see Rileigh use her power to fight. I also think that she should have taken out when the random homeless woman sprayed pepper spray in the devil-man’s eyes, because it was random and didn’t contribute to the plot. Moreover, I honestly think that Rileigh could have taken the devil-man out without the homeless woman’s help, even if he had a gun. I also would have liked to see a fight scene with Kim, because you hear a lot about how dangerous he looks, but you don’t actually get to see it in action.
I enjoyed reading this book from Rileigh’s point of view because I feel like it added an in-depth look into the mind of the main character. If Mrs. Gibsen had not written the book in Rileigh’s point of view, and written in third person, I feel that the book would have lost some of what makes the book good, which is the fact that Rileigh is so sarcastic that it’s funny. Her thoughts make the book just that appealing, and made me want to read on.
Mrs. Gibsen also did a great job developing and describing the characters. It may just be my imagination gone wild, but I felt like I could see what Rileigh saw during the book. One of the amazing things about this book is that the author didn’t use a lot of ink to describe the characters, but she added more details about what the characters were like as the book went on. All in all, this was a great book. I would highly recommend reading it.
Katana
January 12, 2012
More reviews at http://readerpants.blogspot.com.
WHAT I LIKED: Sigh. Katana really had so much going for it. Samurai warriors. Reincarnation. Kicking butt with a side of romance and eternal love. Sounds like my kind of paradise. I give Gibsen major props for an original premise; I love the idea of past lives melding together and making us who we are today. Ever since I saw the movie Dead Again with my baby-doll Kenneth Branagh back in the 90s, I've been in love with the idea that we are constantly reincarnated. I love the idea that we encounter the same souls in every lifetime, that our souls have the same friends, enemies, and lovers every time, no matter where fate decides to take us. Even though I didn't always understand them, I enjoyed reading about Rileigh's dreams of 15th Century Japan. Katana's premise has huge potential, and I am really so sad that I disliked it as much as I did.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: I did not like one character. Not a single person. I disliked self-absorbed, naive Rileigh so much that even the spelling of her name bothered me. She and her best friend Quentin only talk about Rileigh's problems, relegating poor Quentin (who might have otherwise been an interesting character) to stereotyped sidekick status, his only raison d'etre being to support/ analyze/ comfort/ fawn over Rileigh.
Supporting characters are equally aggravating. Rileigh's mother really has no business even having a child; she is a selfish, stupid hag of a mother who truly possesses not one redeeming quality. Love-interest Kim, who somehow owns a successful dojo at age 18, is simply creepy. He stalks Rileigh at her home, her job, in the hospital; I cannot for the life of me fathom why Rileigh would trust him or do anything but run fast in the opposite direction.
The other love interest, Whitley, is equally creepy. Why would Rileigh, who had just been attacked a few days before, 1)wait for weirdo Whitley outside, alone, in the dark and 2) stick around for more than two seconds after Whitley says he feels "drawn to her" on their first coffee date? Ugh. Add incredibly stupid to the list of reasons Rileigh gets under my skin.
Characters aside, how many corny cliches can we fit into one book? We have the news report that alerted the bad guys to Rileigh's powers, the ransacked room (that mom never notices), the stolen artifact, the conveniently-left-behind wallet, the mysterious box delivered by UPS (yet opened anyway despite numerous physical attacks--seriously?), a bad guy who gives away all his plans on the cell phone right outside Rileigh's open window. Not to mention the damsel-in-distress, the flamboyantly gay best friend, the fighting biker chicks, the protective boyfriend-stalker, the absent and irresponsible mother...
THE BOTTOM LINE: Despite tremendous potential and originality, Katana's irritating characters and numerous cliched "plot twists" make reading it almost as exhausting and obvious as watching an hours-long marathon of Scooby Doo. Just say NO.
WHAT I LIKED: Sigh. Katana really had so much going for it. Samurai warriors. Reincarnation. Kicking butt with a side of romance and eternal love. Sounds like my kind of paradise. I give Gibsen major props for an original premise; I love the idea of past lives melding together and making us who we are today. Ever since I saw the movie Dead Again with my baby-doll Kenneth Branagh back in the 90s, I've been in love with the idea that we are constantly reincarnated. I love the idea that we encounter the same souls in every lifetime, that our souls have the same friends, enemies, and lovers every time, no matter where fate decides to take us. Even though I didn't always understand them, I enjoyed reading about Rileigh's dreams of 15th Century Japan. Katana's premise has huge potential, and I am really so sad that I disliked it as much as I did.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: I did not like one character. Not a single person. I disliked self-absorbed, naive Rileigh so much that even the spelling of her name bothered me. She and her best friend Quentin only talk about Rileigh's problems, relegating poor Quentin (who might have otherwise been an interesting character) to stereotyped sidekick status, his only raison d'etre being to support/ analyze/ comfort/ fawn over Rileigh.
Supporting characters are equally aggravating. Rileigh's mother really has no business even having a child; she is a selfish, stupid hag of a mother who truly possesses not one redeeming quality. Love-interest Kim, who somehow owns a successful dojo at age 18, is simply creepy. He stalks Rileigh at her home, her job, in the hospital; I cannot for the life of me fathom why Rileigh would trust him or do anything but run fast in the opposite direction.
The other love interest, Whitley, is equally creepy. Why would Rileigh, who had just been attacked a few days before, 1)wait for weirdo Whitley outside, alone, in the dark and 2) stick around for more than two seconds after Whitley says he feels "drawn to her" on their first coffee date? Ugh. Add incredibly stupid to the list of reasons Rileigh gets under my skin.
Characters aside, how many corny cliches can we fit into one book? We have the news report that alerted the bad guys to Rileigh's powers, the ransacked room (that mom never notices), the stolen artifact, the conveniently-left-behind wallet, the mysterious box delivered by UPS (yet opened anyway despite numerous physical attacks--seriously?), a bad guy who gives away all his plans on the cell phone right outside Rileigh's open window. Not to mention the damsel-in-distress, the flamboyantly gay best friend, the fighting biker chicks, the protective boyfriend-stalker, the absent and irresponsible mother...
THE BOTTOM LINE: Despite tremendous potential and originality, Katana's irritating characters and numerous cliched "plot twists" make reading it almost as exhausting and obvious as watching an hours-long marathon of Scooby Doo. Just say NO.
May 11, 2016
Oh my god.
Where do I even begin.
I went into this book wanting to make fun of it. I never had any intention of taking it seriously. But dear god I had no idea it was going to be this bad. I can't even make fun of it. It tries so hard to be "hip" and "cool" that you have to feel sorry for it.
What's with the YA cliche that these teenagers have to call their parents by their first name? In the Starcrossed series, Helen calls her father Jerry. Twilight, Bella calls her dad Charlie. Here, it's Debbie or Daphne or who the hell really cares because there's also the whole MY SINGLE PARENT IS NEVER AROUND AND NOW I'M ALL ALONE syndrome that these characters have, too. Maybe I've just read too much YA in a short period of time. Maybe I need a break. I don't know. All I know is that it's stupid and this book was stupid and it was horrible.
The only part I liked was the "flashback" bits where we got to meet the real Senshi. Not this reincarnation bullshit that Rileigh is going through. No, I didn't read the whole thing. No, I don't know if the past and future combines as one. And I don't care. Yes, female samurai are really unheard of, but that was cleared up through these dreaming flashbacks. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe "senshi" actually means "warrior" in Japanese. Way to be creative, author.
Then there's the fact Rileigh is completely reckless and when trouble doesn't find her, she finds it herself. She actually goes out of her way to some biker bar and then picks a fight with a bunch of biker chicks. The trash her car and then the only person who actually notices and asks about it is this guy named Kim who is trying to protect her and tell her she's in danger and he's technically a stranger and this book is so full of holes.
I'm done.
Where do I even begin.
I went into this book wanting to make fun of it. I never had any intention of taking it seriously. But dear god I had no idea it was going to be this bad. I can't even make fun of it. It tries so hard to be "hip" and "cool" that you have to feel sorry for it.
What's with the YA cliche that these teenagers have to call their parents by their first name? In the Starcrossed series, Helen calls her father Jerry. Twilight, Bella calls her dad Charlie. Here, it's Debbie or Daphne or who the hell really cares because there's also the whole MY SINGLE PARENT IS NEVER AROUND AND NOW I'M ALL ALONE syndrome that these characters have, too. Maybe I've just read too much YA in a short period of time. Maybe I need a break. I don't know. All I know is that it's stupid and this book was stupid and it was horrible.
The only part I liked was the "flashback" bits where we got to meet the real Senshi. Not this reincarnation bullshit that Rileigh is going through. No, I didn't read the whole thing. No, I don't know if the past and future combines as one. And I don't care. Yes, female samurai are really unheard of, but that was cleared up through these dreaming flashbacks. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe "senshi" actually means "warrior" in Japanese. Way to be creative, author.
Then there's the fact Rileigh is completely reckless and when trouble doesn't find her, she finds it herself. She actually goes out of her way to some biker bar and then picks a fight with a bunch of biker chicks. The trash her car and then the only person who actually notices and asks about it is this guy named Kim who is trying to protect her and tell her she's in danger and he's technically a stranger and this book is so full of holes.
I'm done.
February 4, 2012
Review:
Katana will immerse you fully and completely in the world of Rileigh Martin. I found myself thinking about the book even after I had stopped reading. Planning out the different scenarios that could possibly happen! If your looking for a easy and fun read that'll leave you guessing, then pick up a copy of Katana when it's available!
Cover:
The cover describes the book perfectly! Even if that isn't how I pictured the swords, the cover still works! Plus I love how they incorperated certain things from the the book! :)
Plot:
I was thrown into the plot from day one. The writing style of the book was very easy to follow and was well written. The actual story line kept me guessing! First thinking it was someone, the quickly changing my mind. The idea behind the story was new and refreshing and it hasn't been written yet. I mean who would've thought of combining concepts from Kill Bill and Buffy for an action filled adventure! :)
Characters:
The characters were awesome! Some were butt-kicking ninja's/samurai, and others were the gay best friend that every girl knows she wants! They were funny and acted like real people, but with something much more cool going on in their lives! Some of the names were a little hard to pronounce, but other than that, the characters were sweet!!
Rileigh is going through a rough time. She was mugged and found out she has super awesome fighting skills. It was a major shock to her and she had no idea. Yet she takes it all in stride. Sure she thinks she is crazy, but then as more and more things happen she learns to accept it and embrace the awesome! I loved Rileigh, yet I still can't figure out how to pronounce her name. I spent probably 10 minutes trying to figure out how to say her name every 30 or so pages...
All in all:
I loved this book! It was eventful and didn't drag on and on like some book can! It defiantly should be put on your to be read piles!! 51 out of 51 tacos! :)
~~Sam :)
Katana will immerse you fully and completely in the world of Rileigh Martin. I found myself thinking about the book even after I had stopped reading. Planning out the different scenarios that could possibly happen! If your looking for a easy and fun read that'll leave you guessing, then pick up a copy of Katana when it's available!
Cover:
The cover describes the book perfectly! Even if that isn't how I pictured the swords, the cover still works! Plus I love how they incorperated certain things from the the book! :)
Plot:
I was thrown into the plot from day one. The writing style of the book was very easy to follow and was well written. The actual story line kept me guessing! First thinking it was someone, the quickly changing my mind. The idea behind the story was new and refreshing and it hasn't been written yet. I mean who would've thought of combining concepts from Kill Bill and Buffy for an action filled adventure! :)
Characters:
The characters were awesome! Some were butt-kicking ninja's/samurai, and others were the gay best friend that every girl knows she wants! They were funny and acted like real people, but with something much more cool going on in their lives! Some of the names were a little hard to pronounce, but other than that, the characters were sweet!!
Rileigh is going through a rough time. She was mugged and found out she has super awesome fighting skills. It was a major shock to her and she had no idea. Yet she takes it all in stride. Sure she thinks she is crazy, but then as more and more things happen she learns to accept it and embrace the awesome! I loved Rileigh, yet I still can't figure out how to pronounce her name. I spent probably 10 minutes trying to figure out how to say her name every 30 or so pages...
All in all:
I loved this book! It was eventful and didn't drag on and on like some book can! It defiantly should be put on your to be read piles!! 51 out of 51 tacos! :)
~~Sam :)
March 11, 2012
The reader will be drawn in after the first chapter thanks to the main character's, Rileigh's, humor and wit. Rileigh is just the average teenager who is concerned about her social appeal and status as well as what her friends are doing and how does she look in those cute shoes. Well...she *was* a normal teenager. When Rileigh and her best friend are attacked in a mall parking lot, she discovers that while some people have inner strength, she has an...inner samurai??? Kim, a shockingly good-looking Asian teenager, tracks her down and tells her to come to him when she wants more information after that stunt in the parking lot. Kim, as the reader will discover, is a bit of a love interest...yet another plot point the reader can look forward to!
The novel develops from there, with Rileigh discovering just how much her inner samurai can do and why she has one. Kim and Rileigh slowly begin to delve into a potential relationship even as Rileigh's own friendships begin to falter slightly as the secrets she finds herself keeping begin to pile on top of her. Rileigh's best friend, Quentin, is a bit of a stereotypical "gay friend," but he infuses the novel with plenty of humor and may rival Rileigh as the favorite character. Kim, with his stoicism and few words, will keep the reader intrigued and the other characters fit the novel perfectly.
The plot itself is very fast-paced. Rileigh goes from shoe-shopping to skilled fighting in a manner of weeks. The samurai learn that there may be a traitor in their midst, but who? This book is highly recommended to young adult/teen readers.
The novel develops from there, with Rileigh discovering just how much her inner samurai can do and why she has one. Kim and Rileigh slowly begin to delve into a potential relationship even as Rileigh's own friendships begin to falter slightly as the secrets she finds herself keeping begin to pile on top of her. Rileigh's best friend, Quentin, is a bit of a stereotypical "gay friend," but he infuses the novel with plenty of humor and may rival Rileigh as the favorite character. Kim, with his stoicism and few words, will keep the reader intrigued and the other characters fit the novel perfectly.
The plot itself is very fast-paced. Rileigh goes from shoe-shopping to skilled fighting in a manner of weeks. The samurai learn that there may be a traitor in their midst, but who? This book is highly recommended to young adult/teen readers.
March 10, 2015
This book has a lot of spunk! It is very different from the books I normally read and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Cole Gibsen has a wonderfully unique voice. The main character, Rileigh Martin, is a snarky girl with lots of heart! She's a very endearing character and as the story unfolds you find yourself wanting the best for her.
Cole also writes a compelling villain. I was completely surprised at end when I found out who the "bad guy" was. I had it completely wrong!
This is definitely a book to check out! Katana is a great debut by a great author! I can't wait to read more work by Cole Gibsen!
Cole also writes a compelling villain. I was completely surprised at end when I found out who the "bad guy" was. I had it completely wrong!
This is definitely a book to check out! Katana is a great debut by a great author! I can't wait to read more work by Cole Gibsen!
April 17, 2012
At first, I was only looking for a book to pass the time after a state test, but the moment I saw the title, I was looking for a book I would enjoy. And I whole-heartedly did. From the very first page, I was already laughing from the quirk that Rileigh had. They were just normal teenagers, but that all changed when Rileigh and Quentin were attacked by muggers. After that, it's all a twist of emotions for Rileigh, and you experience them with her. I don't know about you, but I get really into my books. All the characters, emotions, action scenes, and history entwined into this book make it a greatly entertaining read.
January 19, 2012
Being Asian, the concept of a reincarnated female samurai appeals to me and I really wanted to love this story but just couldn't. Rileigh is so whiny and I get that she's confused and all but..dear me. The supporting characters are much more likeable. Her gay best friend; Quentin, the hot dojo owner; Kim.
There are a lot action scenes and Rileigh prove that she's very kick-ass but I guess this is just not for me.
There are a lot action scenes and Rileigh prove that she's very kick-ass but I guess this is just not for me.
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