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Katana #2
Senshi
Is Rileigh’s only hope for salvation to team up with her sworn enemy?
Rileigh Martin just wants to do normal teenage things, like go on romantic dates with Kim, her boyfriend and past life soul mate. Although that seems impossible when she’s the reincarnation of Senshi, a fifteenth century samurai warrior. After a ninja ambush leaves her unable to control her ki powers, Rileigh vows to get them under control before her friends lose more than their eyebrows. But when Kim leaves her for his past life betrothed and the other samurai stop talking to her, Rileigh realizes she doesn’t have any friends left to worry about.
As the ninja attacks increase, Rileigh learns that the reincarnated kunoichi, a powerful female ninja, wants to kill her in order to reclaim her destructive powers. Alone and with increasingly unstable powers, Rileigh’s only offer of help comes from Whitley, her sworn past life enemy. Rileigh knows she doesn’t stand a chance against the kunoichi by herself, but Whitley’s sudden allegiance might be hiding a much deadlier agenda.
Rileigh Martin just wants to do normal teenage things, like go on romantic dates with Kim, her boyfriend and past life soul mate. Although that seems impossible when she’s the reincarnation of Senshi, a fifteenth century samurai warrior. After a ninja ambush leaves her unable to control her ki powers, Rileigh vows to get them under control before her friends lose more than their eyebrows. But when Kim leaves her for his past life betrothed and the other samurai stop talking to her, Rileigh realizes she doesn’t have any friends left to worry about.
As the ninja attacks increase, Rileigh learns that the reincarnated kunoichi, a powerful female ninja, wants to kill her in order to reclaim her destructive powers. Alone and with increasingly unstable powers, Rileigh’s only offer of help comes from Whitley, her sworn past life enemy. Rileigh knows she doesn’t stand a chance against the kunoichi by herself, but Whitley’s sudden allegiance might be hiding a much deadlier agenda.
384 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2013
4 people are currently reading
651 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 33 reviews
November 29, 2012
Shenshi is a fantastic follow-up to Katana! In the second installment of the Katana series, Rileigh Martin has embraced her inner warrior making her a force to be reckoned with. I especially love Rileigh's internal monologue and one-liners; her general attitude and demeanor make her a very relatable and lovable character. I pray there is more to Rileigh's story, I need to know what happens to her and those she loves!
I would like to thank Net Galley, Flux Books, and Cole Gibsen for giving me the opportunity to review the advance reader copy.
I would like to thank Net Galley, Flux Books, and Cole Gibsen for giving me the opportunity to review the advance reader copy.
June 23, 2013
if you've been with me for a while, you know that I absolutely loved Katana, so when I hear that book 2 was on NetGalley? Of course I rushed to get it! I admit, I had my doubts. Would it go through the Sequel Syndrome? Here's the answer: It really didn't. Senshi was just as intriguing and hilarious as Katana and I loved every page of it!
Rileigh (or as I like to call her, Riley) is probably somewhere in my Top 10 Heroines list somewhere! She's hilarious to the nth and she has some seriously awesome comebacks. I'm pretty sure she can shock anyone into speechlessness! I loved her sassiness and how she could make light of most situations. But at the same time, she was more than just a girl who knew words. There are tons of things in Katana that I think would've broken her, but she stayed strong. Poised at the edge, but still strong. I'm extremely glad to say that Rileigh hasn't changed a bit since Katana!
The romance. Heh, that was about half the plot and instead of being annoyed by it like I usually would, I kept waiting for more of the romance bits to show through the actual plot. Not that it wasn't good! But in Senshi, Sumi (you remember her?) has awakened and she turns out to be Yoshido's old fiance, the one who supposedly died before he met Senshi. Things got even more complicated when Kim says that he's honor bound to Sumi and can't see Rileigh anymore. And when I say complicated? I meant heartbreaking. There were so many times when I could literally feel a pang in my chest and I wanted to strangle Sumi for doing this to Kim and Rileigh. If she were real...
Plot-wise, can any story with samurai in it be boring? Definitely not. Senshi was filled with ninja attacks, brainwashing, new concepts (Healers and soul mates) discovered and it was just so fun! I actually read this, entirely on the computer, in less than 3 hours. Of course, that has something to do with how fast paced Senshi was. And I loved it! Ri was a seriously awesome fighter and I, personally, love reading detailed fights. I know, I'm weird!
If you felt a bit iffy about Katana, I'd still give Senshi a try! and if you just haven't read Katana...READ IT! It was one of my favorite books of the old year, and you know you can't resist the Nikki Puppy Dog eyes. Please? I can promise that it'll be sassy, fun, and insanely filled with action!
Rileigh (or as I like to call her, Riley) is probably somewhere in my Top 10 Heroines list somewhere! She's hilarious to the nth and she has some seriously awesome comebacks. I'm pretty sure she can shock anyone into speechlessness! I loved her sassiness and how she could make light of most situations. But at the same time, she was more than just a girl who knew words. There are tons of things in Katana that I think would've broken her, but she stayed strong. Poised at the edge, but still strong. I'm extremely glad to say that Rileigh hasn't changed a bit since Katana!
The romance. Heh, that was about half the plot and instead of being annoyed by it like I usually would, I kept waiting for more of the romance bits to show through the actual plot. Not that it wasn't good! But in Senshi, Sumi (you remember her?) has awakened and she turns out to be Yoshido's old fiance, the one who supposedly died before he met Senshi. Things got even more complicated when Kim says that he's honor bound to Sumi and can't see Rileigh anymore. And when I say complicated? I meant heartbreaking. There were so many times when I could literally feel a pang in my chest and I wanted to strangle Sumi for doing this to Kim and Rileigh. If she were real...
Plot-wise, can any story with samurai in it be boring? Definitely not. Senshi was filled with ninja attacks, brainwashing, new concepts (Healers and soul mates) discovered and it was just so fun! I actually read this, entirely on the computer, in less than 3 hours. Of course, that has something to do with how fast paced Senshi was. And I loved it! Ri was a seriously awesome fighter and I, personally, love reading detailed fights. I know, I'm weird!
If you felt a bit iffy about Katana, I'd still give Senshi a try! and if you just haven't read Katana...READ IT! It was one of my favorite books of the old year, and you know you can't resist the Nikki Puppy Dog eyes. Please? I can promise that it'll be sassy, fun, and insanely filled with action!
Want to read
June 21, 2012OMG soooooo f-ing happy that there will be 2nd book =)
Want to read
August 1, 2012I want, I wan, I want
March 7, 2013
I had quite a few complaints when I read Katana last year and I ended up giving it a slightly lower rating than I'd wanted to (B- is still a good rating but it's kind of on the border between great and okay). When I picked up Senshi I hadn't had amazing hopes for it and it actually was a little better than Katana in my opinion, I really enjoyed it.
It's no secret that I love books about samurai or with an East Asian/Oriental tone, so I really am enjoying this series simply for that, but on top of that I felt that this book seemed a little more realistic (well, as realistic as reincarnated samurai and ninja can get). I mean mainly in the characters, in Katana I found that Quentin was just a gay stereotype but in Senshi I started to really like him and respect the role that he plays in Rileigh's life. Kim was as fantastic and brooding as ever, though he's a bit of a numbskull in the decisions he makes but you understand why later. Sumi is the girl you love to hate and I really started to like Dr. Wendell towards the end.
As I'd left a year between reading Katana and this (and I don't reread books before the sequels unless I LOVED them) I felt like I could deal with the similarities between each books with the plot points and the wit, but someone reading them back to back may find that they are a little too similar to eachother, which is one fault that I found. On top of that, there was quite a few cheesy lines and there were a few places where the pacing dipped a little and my reading slowed a little. And that ending! COLE GIBSEN is killing me, I cannot wait to read the third book in this series (I hope there's a third book!)
Overall, despite still not being amazing, I can happily say that Senshi was a great book that I really enjoyed reading. The characters seemed a little more realistic but I did find that at places the pacing dipped and the dialogue seemed a little too cheesy to be believable. Nevertheless, I still would recommend this series for people looking for something a little original.
Overall Rating: B
It's no secret that I love books about samurai or with an East Asian/Oriental tone, so I really am enjoying this series simply for that, but on top of that I felt that this book seemed a little more realistic (well, as realistic as reincarnated samurai and ninja can get). I mean mainly in the characters, in Katana I found that Quentin was just a gay stereotype but in Senshi I started to really like him and respect the role that he plays in Rileigh's life. Kim was as fantastic and brooding as ever, though he's a bit of a numbskull in the decisions he makes but you understand why later. Sumi is the girl you love to hate and I really started to like Dr. Wendell towards the end.
As I'd left a year between reading Katana and this (and I don't reread books before the sequels unless I LOVED them) I felt like I could deal with the similarities between each books with the plot points and the wit, but someone reading them back to back may find that they are a little too similar to eachother, which is one fault that I found. On top of that, there was quite a few cheesy lines and there were a few places where the pacing dipped a little and my reading slowed a little. And that ending! COLE GIBSEN is killing me, I cannot wait to read the third book in this series (I hope there's a third book!)
Overall, despite still not being amazing, I can happily say that Senshi was a great book that I really enjoyed reading. The characters seemed a little more realistic but I did find that at places the pacing dipped and the dialogue seemed a little too cheesy to be believable. Nevertheless, I still would recommend this series for people looking for something a little original.
Overall Rating: B
January 19, 2013
Finalmente riusciamo a leggere il sequel di Katana, un libro che mi aveva appassionata molto. In Senshi Rileigh accetta il suo passato da guerriera, che ormai si è fuso con i ricordi della sua nuova vita, ma quello che vuole è avere una vita normale con il suo ragazzo, anche lui ex samurai, Kim. Ed era quello che (cof cof) avrei voluto anche io, peccato che di drammi ce ne sono parecchi e di Kim poco. Infatti la nostra erona resterà senza di lui per parecchi mesi, infatti questo secondo libro finisce a livello temporale esattamente un anno dopo alla notte dove iniziò tutto... ovvero la sera del famoso ballo di fine anno. Per quanto riguarda i personaggi, vedremo una crescita notevole di Rileigh e Quentin, anche se personalmente la star di questa storia è, senza alcun dubbio, Whitley.... un "soul mate" molto speciale.
A conti fatti, è stata una storia che mi ha fato soffrire molto a livello emotivo, e il finale dolce amaro mi ha intristita molto. L'unica speranza ora è che il terzo libro "sistemi" il tutto.
Voto: 3 1/2
Si ringrazia NetGalley e Flux per la gentile preview.
A conti fatti, è stata una storia che mi ha fato soffrire molto a livello emotivo, e il finale dolce amaro mi ha intristita molto. L'unica speranza ora è che il terzo libro "sistemi" il tutto.
Voto: 3 1/2
Si ringrazia NetGalley e Flux per la gentile preview.
June 6, 2014
*Genre* Young Adult Paranormal
*Rating* 3.5-4
*My Thoughts*
Senshi is the sequel, or middle book in the Katana series. Time line wise, it has been FOUR months since Rileigh Martin was nearly killed by her nemesis Whitley aka Zeami, and learned that she's the reincarnated fifteenth century samurai warrior known as Senshi.
Rileigh now wants a normal life, with normal dates with the boyfriend, Gimhae Kim (aka Yoshido), who had been the love of her life in a previous life. She still has no desire to do what the Network wants her to do. She has friends in Michelle, Braden, Drew, and Quentin who keeps her busy. She also has the ability to manipulate KI energy which makes her unique and powerful.
**READ MORE OF MY REVIEW HERE**
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
Published March 8th 2013 by Flux (first published March 1st 2013)
*Rating* 3.5-4
*My Thoughts*
Senshi is the sequel, or middle book in the Katana series. Time line wise, it has been FOUR months since Rileigh Martin was nearly killed by her nemesis Whitley aka Zeami, and learned that she's the reincarnated fifteenth century samurai warrior known as Senshi.
Rileigh now wants a normal life, with normal dates with the boyfriend, Gimhae Kim (aka Yoshido), who had been the love of her life in a previous life. She still has no desire to do what the Network wants her to do. She has friends in Michelle, Braden, Drew, and Quentin who keeps her busy. She also has the ability to manipulate KI energy which makes her unique and powerful.
**READ MORE OF MY REVIEW HERE**
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
Published March 8th 2013 by Flux (first published March 1st 2013)
July 9, 2013
GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH SO CLOSE TO A HAPPY ENDING!!!!!!!!!! there better be a third book where Kim regains his memory other wise I will find Mrs.Gibsen and kill her!!!! WAIT I WILL TAKE HER HOSTAGE AND FORCE HER TO WRITE A THIRD BOOK!!!!!!!!I love Whitley though!!hehe
July 27, 2014
OMG! KIM!!!!!!!!
August 11, 2013
I can't fucking believe it !! But whatever it's awesometacular read
October 26, 2020
As others say, this is an excellent followup to Katana. Fast paced and fun read.
August 24, 2015
Being introduced to Rileigh Martin in Katana [book one of this series] didn’t exactly leave a memorable impression on me. I enjoyed reading the book but I voiced out a lot qualms about it in my review of Katana. The thought of having fun reading it was enough to make me give Senshi [book two] a try.
I expected nothing special from Senshi. In fact, the first parts were rather annoying to me that I was beginning to feel like I didn’t want to continue reading anymore. I question a lot of Rileigh’s decisions. Like, this is probably petty but I couldn’t get it off my head, when she broke the car interior light so that it wouldn’t turn on once she opens the door [so it wouldn’t give away her location to the ninja]. Uh, hello?! From what I know all cars nowadays have that off switch for that? No need to break the little thing. Sheesh! Then again, she wrecked the entire car using her ki anyway so, never mind.
Another thing I noticed was the simile she used to describe her pain, this probably another petty thing but I couldn’t help myself. She said, “Pain blossomed under my skin like an angry flower...” – which flower are we referring to and how exactly does it get angry? LOL. I’m sorry, I’m being sarcastic. Okay I’m going to stop there on the insignificant complains. Let’s move on to something else...
In my review of Katana, I noticed that the skater side of Rileigh wasn’t exactly given proof that she truly was a skater. I don’t recall having seen her have a skate scene, and I just had as much of a fit over her complaining that she’s not about to sacrifice skating over serving the Network. Dude, nobody saw you skate at all! And speaking of the Network, I really didn’t understand her angst over it. She barely knows anything about it to begin with so it’s hard to find justice towards how she feels.
I’m not exactly a fan of the sweet scenes between Rileigh and Kim. It was just too cheesy. It was hard to buy the idea. It feels forced and unrealistic. That is until Sumi’s character came into picture. Well now, I didn’t see that one coming. And goodness, how I loved that! I only came to appreciate Rileigh and Kim’s relationship then, and also during the flashbacks on how Senshi and Yoshido met in Japan. I also loved the story on how Senshi came upon becoming a samurai.
So this is where my feelings about Senshi changed. Ah, finally! I see all the fuss about these two lovebirds. And I finally get to see the other characters get the recognition they deserve; Quentin most of all. At least now, every single one of the members of the group had a very significant role to play, even the villains. By the way, the revelation of who the kuniochi really was... that was a good one! That just caught my breath there.
And guess what? I finally got to see her skate! It was one quick scene, but better than nothing, right?
The ending wasn’t exactly a happy one. But boy am I excited to see how that would turn out in book three. That’s one true test of love right there! I appreciated that more than the cheesy parts from the beginning, very touching.
Senshi is an impressive follow up to Katana, and I guess this series is one of those that get better as it progresses. I will definitely be watching out for book three’s release.
*Thank you, Flux and NetGalley for the copy of Senshi.
For more of my reviews, please visit my blog:
The Blair Book Project @ www.theblairbookproject.blogspot.com
I expected nothing special from Senshi. In fact, the first parts were rather annoying to me that I was beginning to feel like I didn’t want to continue reading anymore. I question a lot of Rileigh’s decisions. Like, this is probably petty but I couldn’t get it off my head, when she broke the car interior light so that it wouldn’t turn on once she opens the door [so it wouldn’t give away her location to the ninja]. Uh, hello?! From what I know all cars nowadays have that off switch for that? No need to break the little thing. Sheesh! Then again, she wrecked the entire car using her ki anyway so, never mind.
Another thing I noticed was the simile she used to describe her pain, this probably another petty thing but I couldn’t help myself. She said, “Pain blossomed under my skin like an angry flower...” – which flower are we referring to and how exactly does it get angry? LOL. I’m sorry, I’m being sarcastic. Okay I’m going to stop there on the insignificant complains. Let’s move on to something else...
In my review of Katana, I noticed that the skater side of Rileigh wasn’t exactly given proof that she truly was a skater. I don’t recall having seen her have a skate scene, and I just had as much of a fit over her complaining that she’s not about to sacrifice skating over serving the Network. Dude, nobody saw you skate at all! And speaking of the Network, I really didn’t understand her angst over it. She barely knows anything about it to begin with so it’s hard to find justice towards how she feels.
I’m not exactly a fan of the sweet scenes between Rileigh and Kim. It was just too cheesy. It was hard to buy the idea. It feels forced and unrealistic. That is until Sumi’s character came into picture. Well now, I didn’t see that one coming. And goodness, how I loved that! I only came to appreciate Rileigh and Kim’s relationship then, and also during the flashbacks on how Senshi and Yoshido met in Japan. I also loved the story on how Senshi came upon becoming a samurai.
So this is where my feelings about Senshi changed. Ah, finally! I see all the fuss about these two lovebirds. And I finally get to see the other characters get the recognition they deserve; Quentin most of all. At least now, every single one of the members of the group had a very significant role to play, even the villains. By the way, the revelation of who the kuniochi really was... that was a good one! That just caught my breath there.
And guess what? I finally got to see her skate! It was one quick scene, but better than nothing, right?
The ending wasn’t exactly a happy one. But boy am I excited to see how that would turn out in book three. That’s one true test of love right there! I appreciated that more than the cheesy parts from the beginning, very touching.
Senshi is an impressive follow up to Katana, and I guess this series is one of those that get better as it progresses. I will definitely be watching out for book three’s release.
*Thank you, Flux and NetGalley for the copy of Senshi.
For more of my reviews, please visit my blog:
The Blair Book Project @ www.theblairbookproject.blogspot.com
November 7, 2013
Original Review posted on http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2013/11/review-senshi-by-cole-gibsen.html
Original Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Owls
Note: Formatting may be lost due to copy and paste
Well, I'll admit Katana felt like a stand alone – with the "oh, hey, they lived happily ever after! There's no more!" And I actually did think Katana was a stand alone.
But then Goodreads spoiled everything. -_- I can't believe you would do that to me, Goodreads.
Well, not exactly. I really wouldn't have known Katana had a sequel without Goodreads, but with the announcements every single day (Katana was a book club read in October) at school about preordering Senshi, I'm bound to know eventually.
Or the county library would have said, "hey, there's a sequel!" right after I returned Katana in Ebooks Library Lend101. Go figure.
Moving on.
In Senshi, it's been a few months since the events left off in Katana. Going down memory lane in terms of nutshell spoilers, Rileigh's finally come to terms with her inner warrior self (go Rileigh!).
I must say, despite the fact Katana felt like a stand alone, Senshi had some nice surprises waiting for me when reading, and it was almost as good as the first novel. Okay, I almost always love the first novel before the sequels because it's not the end where you have to wave good bye to characters.
But I just love it when authors lead you down one road but then all of a sudden, they toss in a thing or two (or more) that throws the reader off balance. It makes everything less predictable. ^_^
The characters are just as amazingly written as ever, particularly Quentin, who I must admit has already landed on my favorite characters from the series next to Rileigh (of course, Rileigh. It's not like I can read Quentin's mind from Rileigh's view, even though I would love to, but I'm just one little opinion out of... hundreds). Then there's Sumi and also Dr. Wendell. I hope I'm not the only when I say the interaction between Rileigh and Dr. Wendell is pretty classic in the way Rileigh pushes Dr. Wendell's buttons all the time. Sumi, on the other hand, is a nuisance and a pain in the butt. Unfortunately, she's likely back in the next book: Shinobi. Fantabulous. A great way to make a Tuesday better. Good thing it's not a Friday. I think I'll survive.
My Two Cents of Randomness: Aliens didn't abduct Rileigh and change her up did they? I still find the cover really weird. O_o (But only the story matters in my humble opinion, so says the girl who can't even draw a pair of eyes that aren't lopsided.)
Original Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Owls
Note: Formatting may be lost due to copy and paste
Well, I'll admit Katana felt like a stand alone – with the "oh, hey, they lived happily ever after! There's no more!" And I actually did think Katana was a stand alone.
But then Goodreads spoiled everything. -_- I can't believe you would do that to me, Goodreads.
Well, not exactly. I really wouldn't have known Katana had a sequel without Goodreads, but with the announcements every single day (Katana was a book club read in October) at school about preordering Senshi, I'm bound to know eventually.
Or the county library would have said, "hey, there's a sequel!" right after I returned Katana in Ebooks Library Lend101. Go figure.
Moving on.
In Senshi, it's been a few months since the events left off in Katana. Going down memory lane in terms of nutshell spoilers, Rileigh's finally come to terms with her inner warrior self (go Rileigh!).
I must say, despite the fact Katana felt like a stand alone, Senshi had some nice surprises waiting for me when reading, and it was almost as good as the first novel. Okay, I almost always love the first novel before the sequels because it's not the end where you have to wave good bye to characters.
But I just love it when authors lead you down one road but then all of a sudden, they toss in a thing or two (or more) that throws the reader off balance. It makes everything less predictable. ^_^
The characters are just as amazingly written as ever, particularly Quentin, who I must admit has already landed on my favorite characters from the series next to Rileigh (of course, Rileigh. It's not like I can read Quentin's mind from Rileigh's view, even though I would love to, but I'm just one little opinion out of... hundreds). Then there's Sumi and also Dr. Wendell. I hope I'm not the only when I say the interaction between Rileigh and Dr. Wendell is pretty classic in the way Rileigh pushes Dr. Wendell's buttons all the time. Sumi, on the other hand, is a nuisance and a pain in the butt. Unfortunately, she's likely back in the next book: Shinobi. Fantabulous. A great way to make a Tuesday better. Good thing it's not a Friday. I think I'll survive.
My Two Cents of Randomness: Aliens didn't abduct Rileigh and change her up did they? I still find the cover really weird. O_o (But only the story matters in my humble opinion, so says the girl who can't even draw a pair of eyes that aren't lopsided.)
March 8, 2014
GO RILEIGH!!!!!!
This book was amazingly fantabulous. With a cherry on top.
My favourite book moment EVERRRRR
Rileigh is so amazing. She has failures and flaws instead of being a Bella. And I laughed at her when
Poor Kim.
Lotsa spoilers LOL
I NEVER would have guessed this books villain. Well done! Rileigh was a little dim near the end on figuring out who was who and who had been who etc. but I forgive her since she just reeeeeaaalllllly didn't want it to be true.
Getting a view into pre-samurai past was awesome: it really developed Senshi.
READ THIS AWESOMENESS!!
Perfect theme song for this book: Let Me Go by Avril Lavigne
This book was amazingly fantabulous. With a cherry on top.
My favourite book moment EVERRRRR
Rileigh is so amazing. She has failures and flaws instead of being a Bella. And I laughed at her when
Poor Kim.
Lotsa spoilers LOL
I NEVER would have guessed this books villain. Well done! Rileigh was a little dim near the end on figuring out who was who and who had been who etc. but I forgive her since she just reeeeeaaalllllly didn't want it to be true.
Getting a view into pre-samurai past was awesome: it really developed Senshi.
READ THIS AWESOMENESS!!
Perfect theme song for this book: Let Me Go by Avril Lavigne
March 31, 2013
This was fun and cute, lots of action and a revisit of all the characters from Katana.
There were parts of this book that were better than in the first book, and others that didn't work for the second time around.
But in my opinion it was too similar to Katana. Around halfway I was rolling eyes at Righley's snarky comments rather than laughing about them- they got old!
The charter building this time around was definitely better than Katana. While in Katana all of the characters were very cliche and even sometimes cartoon like, Gibsen definitely added different dimensions to them in Senshi
Righley was her snarky kick-ass self- and when things turned half way through, she acted more mature than i would have expected. In fact I could totally relate to her heartache.
Q character was such an improvement. While he still was the gay bestie stereotype- the overly superficial side to him was toned down to a pleasantly funny side effect. Still when he in one scene exclaimed: I am not just stereotypes! I couldn't help but scoff! YES you are!
Kim was again closed up but this time not so mysterious in the good way he was in Katana.
To be honest there isn't much to be said to the character even though they were a slight bit better than in the first book.
The writing style is fast, fun and lighthearted most of the times. Except when it comes to the scenes with Senshi. Then Gibson manages to evoke beautiful pictures, deep feelings and shows off a writing talent that seems lost in the rest of the book. What a pity! I felt the same in Katana, and this time around I felt the contrast even more. Gibson definitely knows how to write beautifully, sadly that wouldn't come through without the Senshi Scenes.
The plot line- was at first a bit of a re-run of the first book. Then there were actually quite interesting twists! The concept of soul mates and the one big love, was given a different look at. Which I really liked. I did find some of the story line a bit out there and definitely did wonder if this was worth a sequel.
All in all a fun light read. The second half definitely better than the first half. Fans of Katana will definitely enjoy it.
September 8, 2014
Rileigh might finally be mastering her samurai skills and even fine tuning her ability to use her ki. Things are finally returning to normal and she's even excited to spend time with her boyfriend and soul mate Kim. But that doesn't stop a band of ninjas from chasing after her or her ki from going crazy. And to make matters worse, Kim suddenly leaves her for another and none of her friends seem to be around to care. Whoever said being a reincarnate fifteenth century samurai would be easy? As the ninja attacks increase, Rileigh realizes she can't do this alone, but with no friends in sight, she may have to team with someone unexpected just to stay alive long enough to track down who is behind the attacks.
While I found this second installment of the Katana series a bit predictable that didn't stop me from really enjoying the story and a few unexpected surprises along the way. I love the characters and following them through their journeys. I love that Rileigh is finally embracing every part of herself, including her connection to Senshi, her inner warrior. In Senshi, she's becoming a force to be reckoned with and it's fun and exciting to watch her continue develop and grow into a strong, confident person and warrior who doesn't take any crap from anyone. Sure she makes mistakes along the way, but she never stops fighting. I'm excited to dive into the third and final book to see what happens to all my favorite characters.
While I found this second installment of the Katana series a bit predictable that didn't stop me from really enjoying the story and a few unexpected surprises along the way. I love the characters and following them through their journeys. I love that Rileigh is finally embracing every part of herself, including her connection to Senshi, her inner warrior. In Senshi, she's becoming a force to be reckoned with and it's fun and exciting to watch her continue develop and grow into a strong, confident person and warrior who doesn't take any crap from anyone. Sure she makes mistakes along the way, but she never stops fighting. I'm excited to dive into the third and final book to see what happens to all my favorite characters.
July 13, 2014
OMG, my heart is aching. So much has happened in this book, I can't even wrap my mind around it. First, that Sumi girl turned out to be Chiyo (Kim's betrothed) and was the kunoichi (I knew I didn't like her for a reason). Then, Kim kind of dumps Rileigh for Sumi and she's heartbroken, I would be too. Also, it turned out that Whitley is alive and is Rileigh's soul mate (more of a yin and yang) AND Q is a healer, so he has all of these cool powers.
The ending is what killed me because Rileigh was going to kill Sumi, but Kim and Sumi are soul mates, so Kim would die if Sumi died. I was ready to cry then, but it got worse when Q erased Sumi's memory and accidentally erased Kim's memory as well, so Kim doesn't remember Rileigh at all. I was so upset and I was ready for Rileigh to be without anybody for a while, but then Q sets Kim up with Rileigh in a funny fashion for prom and so I started to have hope for Rileigh and Kim, but still it's very bittersweet.
I absolutely loved the book and I hope there's another book after this.
The ending is what killed me because Rileigh was going to kill Sumi, but Kim and Sumi are soul mates, so Kim would die if Sumi died. I was ready to cry then, but it got worse when Q erased Sumi's memory and accidentally erased Kim's memory as well, so Kim doesn't remember Rileigh at all. I was so upset and I was ready for Rileigh to be without anybody for a while, but then Q sets Kim up with Rileigh in a funny fashion for prom and so I started to have hope for Rileigh and Kim, but still it's very bittersweet.
I absolutely loved the book and I hope there's another book after this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2014
Booklist review:
Skater girl Rileigh is coming to terms with being awakened as Senshi, a reincarnated samurai warrior, by learning about her powers while avoiding being drawn into a shadowy government organization. Then her soul mate Kim’s former betrothed is awakened, throwing everything into question. Gibsen jumps right in with little backstory (Katana, 2012), which could be confusing to new readers. Alternating time lines—Rileigh battling ninja in contemporary St. Louis and Senshi’s journey to becoming a samurai in 1491 Japan—keep the story moving, with Rileigh tossing pithy quips Buffy-style and delivering kick-ass action. Gibsen leaves the ending wide open for Rileigh’s next adventure. Grades 7-10. --Charli Osborne
Skater girl Rileigh is coming to terms with being awakened as Senshi, a reincarnated samurai warrior, by learning about her powers while avoiding being drawn into a shadowy government organization. Then her soul mate Kim’s former betrothed is awakened, throwing everything into question. Gibsen jumps right in with little backstory (Katana, 2012), which could be confusing to new readers. Alternating time lines—Rileigh battling ninja in contemporary St. Louis and Senshi’s journey to becoming a samurai in 1491 Japan—keep the story moving, with Rileigh tossing pithy quips Buffy-style and delivering kick-ass action. Gibsen leaves the ending wide open for Rileigh’s next adventure. Grades 7-10. --Charli Osborne
September 13, 2013
An action-packed, heart-wrenching sequel that emulates it's predecessor! There were more characters from Rileigh's ad Kim's illustrious and dangerous past that came into play (mainly enemies and nemesis) and more plot curves. With Rileigh finally fully-transcended, we get more glimpses into Senshi's intriguing beginning and how she met the mysterious samurai, Yoshido; LOVED it! (I'm not a fan of the cover though...)
Read this awhile back but didn't have the time to review it, sigh. Full review to come.
Read this awhile back but didn't have the time to review it, sigh. Full review to come.
March 7, 2023
Katana was amazing, and now Senshi has blown me away! I wanted to throw the book across the room and then hug it to my chest. Loved it!
I'm glad I decided to impulsively buy book 3, Shinobi because I knew it was going to be good.
The only part I saw coming plot wise was Sumi being Chiyo and being the evil woman in the plot. Felt like it should've been someone different or maybe even Michelle or Quentin?
I'm glad I decided to impulsively buy book 3, Shinobi because I knew it was going to be good.
The only part I saw coming plot wise was Sumi being Chiyo and being the evil woman in the plot. Felt like it should've been someone different or maybe even Michelle or Quentin?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2013
This second book was ok. I think Riley is just more annoying. I don't know. It had some great action scenes and I love Q but I just hope the third book is better. PS....Sumi is a crazy you know what.
August 10, 2015
This was a really good book. It kept me guessing as to what would happen next. I loved it. The end was kind of a bummer though....I hope there's another book.
June 23, 2013
Loved it! Can't wait for the next one!
March 23, 2013
Read this book from my teen daughter's TBR pile. I think it will appeal to readers her age, so strong caveat as regards my stars: the book simply isn't for me. I'm too old! ;-)
May 22, 2013
I did really enjoy this book but it just did not seem as memorable as katana.
January 31, 2015
i thouight it was a great book and i loved how it tided in with the first; But there is 1 thing i dont understand: if Q cat take away Kims memories cant he bring them back?
June 17, 2017
ohmigod, this is INTENSE. I loved it!!
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January 17, 2018I really liked Katana, but I had a hard time getting into Senshi. It's the same thing but less interesting the second time around.
April 12, 2014
Like the first, an entertaining, light read, though the plot twists got a bit absurd...
August 30, 2016
Another good book! The second half of the book really picked up for me-- action wise. I liked the glimpses of the past lives throughout the book. I cannot wait to read the 3rd book!
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