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The Night of Baba Yaga
In this no-holds-barred queer thriller, a fierce mixed-race fighter develops a powerful attachment to the yakuza princess she’s been forced to protect inKill Bill meets The Handmaiden meets Thelma and Louise.
Tokyo, 1979. Yoriko Shindo, a workhorse of a woman who has been an outcast her whole life, is kidnapped and dragged to the lair of the Naiki-kai, a branch of the yakuza. Having brutally beaten nearly every member of the gang in an attempt to escape, Shindo is only permitted to live under one that she will become the bodyguard and driver for Shoko Naiki, the obsessively sheltered daughter of the gang’s boss.
Eighteen-year-old Shoko, pretty and silent as a doll, has no friends, wears strangely old-fashioned clothes, and is completely naive in all matters of life. Originally disdaining her ward, Shindo soon finds herself far more invested in Shoko’s well-being than she ever expected. But every man around them is bloodthirsty and trigger-happy. Shindo doubts she and Shoko will survive much longer if nothing changes. Could there ever be a different life for two women like them?
Akira Otani’s explosive English-language debut moves boldly through time and across gender, stretching the definitions and possibilities of each concept. Rendered in gorgeous translation by International Booker–shortlisted Sam Bett, this lean, mean thriller proves that bonds forged in fire are unbreakable.
Tokyo, 1979. Yoriko Shindo, a workhorse of a woman who has been an outcast her whole life, is kidnapped and dragged to the lair of the Naiki-kai, a branch of the yakuza. Having brutally beaten nearly every member of the gang in an attempt to escape, Shindo is only permitted to live under one that she will become the bodyguard and driver for Shoko Naiki, the obsessively sheltered daughter of the gang’s boss.
Eighteen-year-old Shoko, pretty and silent as a doll, has no friends, wears strangely old-fashioned clothes, and is completely naive in all matters of life. Originally disdaining her ward, Shindo soon finds herself far more invested in Shoko’s well-being than she ever expected. But every man around them is bloodthirsty and trigger-happy. Shindo doubts she and Shoko will survive much longer if nothing changes. Could there ever be a different life for two women like them?
Akira Otani’s explosive English-language debut moves boldly through time and across gender, stretching the definitions and possibilities of each concept. Rendered in gorgeous translation by International Booker–shortlisted Sam Bett, this lean, mean thriller proves that bonds forged in fire are unbreakable.
217 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 22, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 449 reviews
August 9, 2024
Fierce fighter Yoriko Shindo is kidnapped by the Yakuza and forced to become the bodyguard of the boss’s spoiled daughter. Facing sexism at every turn, she must defend herself and her new charge from danger. But the danger is much closer than she thinks.
I was so disappointed by this book! For the sake of fairness, here are the aspects of it I liked:
-I thought it was cool that the main character was a mixed-race Japanese woman, as that’s not a perspective I’ve seen foregrounded before.
-It was nice to see a female main character portrayed as unattractive. Not every badass fighter needs to be hot! Likewise, I appreciated that she’s described as big and muscular. She actually has a realistic physique for her strength.
-There was a twist I wasn’t expecting, and I liked the ending.
On to the many things I didn’t like:
-This book is written very cinematically, in that there are a lot of descriptions of what we’re seeing and not a lot of interiority from the characters. I think this story would work better as an action movie than a novel.
-The main character is a one-dimensional badass. She doesn’t have much of a personality aside from being cool and tough. It felt like the kind of feminism you’d see in a 90s movie? Like, “this woman’s so cool she doesn’t even have emotions!”
-There was a lot of unnecessary sexualization of the female characters. Which brings me to my final point…
-If you follow my reviews, you’ll know that there’s not much content out there that can trigger me. I will read the weirdest, darkest, most twisted horror and lit fic and love it. But the awful misogynistic language, sexual assaults and attempted major sexual assaults in this book made me want to put it down in disgust. The misogynists in this book are clearly portrayed as the bad guys. We’re not supposed to like them. And they get their comeuppance from our heroine. But the sheer amount of gross behaviour felt gratuitous and made this an unpleasant read.
I think there are people who will consider this to be an awesomely subversive feminist text, and more power to them. But I absolutely cannot recommend this book.
I was so disappointed by this book! For the sake of fairness, here are the aspects of it I liked:
-I thought it was cool that the main character was a mixed-race Japanese woman, as that’s not a perspective I’ve seen foregrounded before.
-It was nice to see a female main character portrayed as unattractive. Not every badass fighter needs to be hot! Likewise, I appreciated that she’s described as big and muscular. She actually has a realistic physique for her strength.
-There was a twist I wasn’t expecting, and I liked the ending.
On to the many things I didn’t like:
-This book is written very cinematically, in that there are a lot of descriptions of what we’re seeing and not a lot of interiority from the characters. I think this story would work better as an action movie than a novel.
-The main character is a one-dimensional badass. She doesn’t have much of a personality aside from being cool and tough. It felt like the kind of feminism you’d see in a 90s movie? Like, “this woman’s so cool she doesn’t even have emotions!”
-There was a lot of unnecessary sexualization of the female characters. Which brings me to my final point…
-If you follow my reviews, you’ll know that there’s not much content out there that can trigger me. I will read the weirdest, darkest, most twisted horror and lit fic and love it. But the awful misogynistic language, sexual assaults and attempted major sexual assaults in this book made me want to put it down in disgust. The misogynists in this book are clearly portrayed as the bad guys. We’re not supposed to like them. And they get their comeuppance from our heroine. But the sheer amount of gross behaviour felt gratuitous and made this an unpleasant read.
I think there are people who will consider this to be an awesomely subversive feminist text, and more power to them. But I absolutely cannot recommend this book.
September 19, 2025
Partly inspired by the work of Akio Fukamachi and Hiroyuki Kurokawa, Otani’s award-winning, queer take on a hard-boiled, yakuza narrative revolves around Yoriko Shindo. Shindo’s an exceptionally-accomplished street fighter, as a child she was mercilessly trained in no-holds-barred, any-means-necessary combat by her harsh, eccentric grandfather. Shindo’s outstanding fighting skills attract the attention of Genzo Naiki regional boss for the Naiki crime family. He needs a replacement bodyguard for his sheltered daughter Shoko. The last person to guard her was a man. But, after he was suspected of getting a little too close, he was raped to death by Shoko’s sadistic fiancé Utagawa – his character’s a lot like Yakumo Oomori just without the trademark mask. After Genzo makes Shindo an offer she can’t refuse, she moves to the Naiki family compound. Other than Shoko, she’s the only woman there. Surrounded by Genzo’s hostile subordinates, she forms an unlikely bond with Genzo’s sidekick, like Shindo he doesn’t fit in – she’s mixed-race, he’s Zainichi Korean. And, after a rocky start, she develops a tentative friendship with petulant, taciturn Shoko. But then an unforeseen confrontation and menacing family secrets put both Shoko and Shindo in mortal danger, forcing them to make a dangerous choice.
Otani delights in undermining likely expectations, reworking tropes from a variety of sources ranging from Japanese exploitation cinema to rape-revenge fantasies to so-called “gender bender” manga. Shindo is carefully crafted to subvert the conventions of shōnen manga in which “insanely strong” adrenaline-fuelled men take centre stage. Otani refrains from providing all but the most basic outline of Shindo’s physical appearance, and what she does include is focused on Shindo’s powerful physique and explosive moves. Overall, it’s a compelling fluid piece despite the slightly-frustrating, fast-forward ending. It’s also an inventive exploration of misogyny, gender and patriarchy. Although I suspect the emphasis on extreme violence and abuse will make some readers more than a little uncomfortable – particularly anyone unfamiliar with the genres Otani’s building on here. Translated by Sam Bett
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Faber and Faber Ltd
Rating: 3.5
Otani delights in undermining likely expectations, reworking tropes from a variety of sources ranging from Japanese exploitation cinema to rape-revenge fantasies to so-called “gender bender” manga. Shindo is carefully crafted to subvert the conventions of shōnen manga in which “insanely strong” adrenaline-fuelled men take centre stage. Otani refrains from providing all but the most basic outline of Shindo’s physical appearance, and what she does include is focused on Shindo’s powerful physique and explosive moves. Overall, it’s a compelling fluid piece despite the slightly-frustrating, fast-forward ending. It’s also an inventive exploration of misogyny, gender and patriarchy. Although I suspect the emphasis on extreme violence and abuse will make some readers more than a little uncomfortable – particularly anyone unfamiliar with the genres Otani’s building on here. Translated by Sam Bett
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Faber and Faber Ltd
Rating: 3.5
August 21, 2024
The Night of Baba Yaga is a book highlighting sexism and female rage in the Japanese underground. Yoriko Shindo is kidnapped by the yakuza and forced to become the bodyguard of the leader’s spoiled daughter. (This happens to me every Tuesday so it’s so very realistic 👍).
It was okay-ish. 2.5 rounded down. I liked Shindo’s fierceness and that she’s fit (!!!), but otherwise it was just what you’d expect from the story: yakuza guys being sexist, spoiled daughter being an annoying dumbass (until she isn’t), sexual violence, blood thirsty women, the end. There was a little something unexpected, I’ll give it that, but I don’t think it did much for me.
My favorite bit was when little Shindo said she preferred being the old, ugly, and badass Baba Yaga than a princess. I also laughed at the…. Box the yakuza leader gave her, absolute highlight but not good enough to give it 3 stars.
It was okay-ish. 2.5 rounded down. I liked Shindo’s fierceness and that she’s fit (!!!), but otherwise it was just what you’d expect from the story: yakuza guys being sexist, spoiled daughter being an annoying dumbass (until she isn’t), sexual violence, blood thirsty women, the end. There was a little something unexpected, I’ll give it that, but I don’t think it did much for me.
My favorite bit was when little Shindo said she preferred being the old, ugly, and badass Baba Yaga than a princess. I also laughed at the…. Box the yakuza leader gave her, absolute highlight but not good enough to give it 3 stars.
February 10, 2025
This is an intense ride of a thriller, told in often cinematic writing, especially the fight scenes. It's full of strange striking images that stuck in my mind, like Shindo's black bra under a yellow shirt making her look like a tiger; yakuza threatening to make her "skip rope with her own intestine"; Shoko being "like a crane in a landfill"; someone having "cauliflower ears" or doing a "sandy groan".
Full of queer female rage and pulpy in vibes a la martial arts movies, The Night of Baba Yaga is pretty violent, as you might expect from a story about a young woman fighter being kidnapped and forced to work for the Japanese mafia, but not gratuitously so or in a way that underestimated its effects. There are two scenes of attempted rape, though, as well as descriptions of torture, so read with caution.
Akira Otani pulls off an incredibly well done twist and excellent character development in a short space. I wish it had been a little more explicitly conventionally queer on the one hand, but on the other if you think about it, it's very unconventionally queer, particularly in its refusal to define or describe Shindo and Shoko's relationship in a way that conforms to cishet standards.
That ending!!!! I am dying to talk to someone else who's read this about the ending!!!
If you can handle some matter of fact descriptions of (sexual) violence, I highly recommend this fascinating book!
Full of queer female rage and pulpy in vibes a la martial arts movies, The Night of Baba Yaga is pretty violent, as you might expect from a story about a young woman fighter being kidnapped and forced to work for the Japanese mafia, but not gratuitously so or in a way that underestimated its effects. There are two scenes of attempted rape, though, as well as descriptions of torture, so read with caution.
Akira Otani pulls off an incredibly well done twist and excellent character development in a short space. I wish it had been a little more explicitly conventionally queer on the one hand, but on the other if you think about it, it's very unconventionally queer, particularly in its refusal to define or describe Shindo and Shoko's relationship in a way that conforms to cishet standards.
That ending!!!! I am dying to talk to someone else who's read this about the ending!!!
If you can handle some matter of fact descriptions of (sexual) violence, I highly recommend this fascinating book!
July 8, 2024
this was a mess. review to come.
March 8, 2025
full review on my BookTube channel, ProblemsOfABookNerd!
It was the sort of evening when the sunset burns. The glass towers of Shinjuku were tinted red, as if blood was streaming down the window panes.
Such a stylistic, intense book that was perfect for my action movie-loving brain.
It was the sort of evening when the sunset burns. The glass towers of Shinjuku were tinted red, as if blood was streaming down the window panes.
Such a stylistic, intense book that was perfect for my action movie-loving brain.
May 29, 2024
Arc via netgalley. Violent bordering on gruesome in some places, but if you liked John Wick and/or would like John Wick if it had lesbians, this was a fun and fast read! Avoid if sexual violence is a trigger.
February 27, 2024
I hate men. every woman deserves a bow and arrow and an insatiable lust for violence.
August 11, 2024
This was wild fun. Outrageous and hilarious levels of violence and two great protagonists, a plethora of bad guys who mostly get what's coming to them. Enjoyable, pulpy entertainment that reads like a Tarantino script. Excellent translation by Sam Bett, as always.
November 9, 2024
This fell apart COMPLETELY towards the end. Like, is the saddest and most confusing way possible. Maybe the only female rage book I wouldn’t recommend to anyone.
Check the trigger warnings before you read this.
1.5 stars.
Check the trigger warnings before you read this.
1.5 stars.
September 4, 2024
Rep: Japanese cast & setting, sapphic mcs
CWs: gore, descriptions of torture, incest, rape
CWs: gore, descriptions of torture, incest, rape
November 11, 2024
so disappointing
August 11, 2024
Do not recommend. Multiple on-page rape attempts (to the point of clothes removed and having to fight off attackers) with a constant threat of rape and mutilation, the entire book.
It’s implied that the MC/LI are a couple by the end of the book (indicates that neither friends nor lovers described them well), but on-page it was a 4 hour audiobook that was almost exclusively rape attempts and threats of rape by the entirety of the yakuza clan that has them trapped there, except for the times MC is driving LI to and from college and extracurriculars.
MC also has almost no internal life and beyond a couple conversations, any character or relationship development occurs off-page between the story we read and the time jump of decades later.
It’s great to have a strong built woman lead who isn’t described as classically beautiful, but to have the whole of her personality and her plot be “Good at fighting, spending all her time avoiding being raped by everyone she knows” is not my idea of an awesome queer action novel.
Generally I seek out stories where women have some sort of motivation or plot or internal life that goes beyond “How do I avoid being raped today?”
Very disappointed by this one. I wouldn’t read the author again unless it was personally recommended by a friend that read it first. Audio narrator did a wonderful job though.
It’s implied that the MC/LI are a couple by the end of the book (indicates that neither friends nor lovers described them well), but on-page it was a 4 hour audiobook that was almost exclusively rape attempts and threats of rape by the entirety of the yakuza clan that has them trapped there, except for the times MC is driving LI to and from college and extracurriculars.
MC also has almost no internal life and beyond a couple conversations, any character or relationship development occurs off-page between the story we read and the time jump of decades later.
It’s great to have a strong built woman lead who isn’t described as classically beautiful, but to have the whole of her personality and her plot be “Good at fighting, spending all her time avoiding being raped by everyone she knows” is not my idea of an awesome queer action novel.
Generally I seek out stories where women have some sort of motivation or plot or internal life that goes beyond “How do I avoid being raped today?”
Very disappointed by this one. I wouldn’t read the author again unless it was personally recommended by a friend that read it first. Audio narrator did a wonderful job though.
July 27, 2024
ough. OUGH. Good Shit 👌🏻
August 4, 2024
3.5 Stars
Gays, Violence and a hate for men - I present to you The Night of Baba Yaga
Gays, Violence and a hate for men - I present to you The Night of Baba Yaga
December 9, 2024
WOW. This raw, white-knuckle whirlwind of a novel follows Shindo, a fierce female fighter captured by yakuza and forced to be the bodyguard of the clan head’s daughter. What follows is SUCH a wild ride of high tension action! At no point did I know where the story was going, zigzagging through gritty violence, folklore and playfully guiding the reader one way then the other, right up until an explosively twisty ending.
I was in a bit of a slump at the beginning of the month and this was just the delectable bite I needed to whet my appetite. Love love loved it. 10/10 please more queer yakuza stories from queer authors!!
I was in a bit of a slump at the beginning of the month and this was just the delectable bite I needed to whet my appetite. Love love loved it. 10/10 please more queer yakuza stories from queer authors!!
October 22, 2024
This was a 4* until the final couple of chapters for me. I really enjoyed the fast paced action and gruesome yakuza style story - but the switch up/twisty last few chapters deepened the plot from an almost one note, fun action story, to a deeper more wholesome and queer action story that really made you care about the characters
Want to read
August 24, 2024pre-read: this is the fucking coolest book description I’ve read in a hot minute
January 6, 2025
3.5
could certainly have benefited from a stronger ending, but overall, quite fun, fast-paced and violent
could certainly have benefited from a stronger ending, but overall, quite fun, fast-paced and violent
November 1, 2025
I expect Japanese fiction to be strange. The cultural differences are significant and often not self-evident. The whole approach to storytelling and narrative is different, even in genres that appear to operate within the same conventions. Even so, The Night of Baba Yaga‘ was stranger than I had expected it to be.
Set mostly in Tokyo in 1979, it tells the story of a mixed-race woman who demonstrates such exceptional fighting skills when a man assaults her in public that the local Yakuza abduct her and force her to work as a driver/bodyguard for the boss’s teenage daughter.
It's not a pleasant story. The Yakuza are not pleasant people. Akira Otani disdains romanticising or glamourising the Yakuza. She shows them in all their brutality, which means that this is a story filled with graphic, gory violence. It stinks of testosterone, rage and fear. It quietly ridicules the male posturing and the rituals and hierarchies the Yakuza use to dress their animal aggression and lust with honour and purpose. At the same time, the story accepts that some people, including our ‘heroine’, are built for violence and only really feel alive when they lose themselves in the joy of its intensity. Violence, the hunger for it, the necessity of it, the joy of it, becomes almost a character in its own right.
''The Night of Baba Yaga' is an engaging thriller, told at a fast pace but with great clarity. It is character-driven rather than plot-driven. It focuses on the emerging relationship between the bodyguard and her teenage charge, who, it turns out, has even less freedom than the abducted bodyguard.
AAction rather than introspection moves the story forward. Relationships are described in terms of what the characters do and how they treat each other rather than through internal monologuing. There is a lot of action, most of it violent and none of it glorified. It seemed to me that the subtext of the action was intended to challenge Japanese gender norms. The men in the story are deeply unpleasant and very dangerous.
The plot has a clever structure, with plot twists that kept shifting my understanding of what was going on, right up to the final chapter.
I enjoyed the story, gore and all. I ended up cheering for the bodyguard and hoping that she would find a way out of the mess she was in. I was aware that I probably wasn't understanding the context of the story in the same way a Japanese reader might, but the story still resonated with me and I found I could relate to the characters easily enough.
Set mostly in Tokyo in 1979, it tells the story of a mixed-race woman who demonstrates such exceptional fighting skills when a man assaults her in public that the local Yakuza abduct her and force her to work as a driver/bodyguard for the boss’s teenage daughter.
It's not a pleasant story. The Yakuza are not pleasant people. Akira Otani disdains romanticising or glamourising the Yakuza. She shows them in all their brutality, which means that this is a story filled with graphic, gory violence. It stinks of testosterone, rage and fear. It quietly ridicules the male posturing and the rituals and hierarchies the Yakuza use to dress their animal aggression and lust with honour and purpose. At the same time, the story accepts that some people, including our ‘heroine’, are built for violence and only really feel alive when they lose themselves in the joy of its intensity. Violence, the hunger for it, the necessity of it, the joy of it, becomes almost a character in its own right.
''The Night of Baba Yaga' is an engaging thriller, told at a fast pace but with great clarity. It is character-driven rather than plot-driven. It focuses on the emerging relationship between the bodyguard and her teenage charge, who, it turns out, has even less freedom than the abducted bodyguard.
AAction rather than introspection moves the story forward. Relationships are described in terms of what the characters do and how they treat each other rather than through internal monologuing. There is a lot of action, most of it violent and none of it glorified. It seemed to me that the subtext of the action was intended to challenge Japanese gender norms. The men in the story are deeply unpleasant and very dangerous.
The plot has a clever structure, with plot twists that kept shifting my understanding of what was going on, right up to the final chapter.
I enjoyed the story, gore and all. I ended up cheering for the bodyguard and hoping that she would find a way out of the mess she was in. I was aware that I probably wasn't understanding the context of the story in the same way a Japanese reader might, but the story still resonated with me and I found I could relate to the characters easily enough.
March 29, 2025
this one‘s for the pro-castration girlies 🫶
March 21, 2025
About 2.5 stars.
The first chapter really drew me in. The Night of Baba Yaga reads very cinematic, especially the fight scenes, I understand the Kill Bill comp. But the progression of the novella just felt absurd and like too much to me.
I really liked Shindo and her fierceness but otherwise the book is just very graphic (several tw's for sa and torture) which didn't read as thriller to me as much as just providing shock value and 'female rage'.
I did like the narrator of the audiobook!
The first chapter really drew me in. The Night of Baba Yaga reads very cinematic, especially the fight scenes, I understand the Kill Bill comp. But the progression of the novella just felt absurd and like too much to me.
I really liked Shindo and her fierceness but otherwise the book is just very graphic (several tw's for sa and torture) which didn't read as thriller to me as much as just providing shock value and 'female rage'.
I did like the narrator of the audiobook!
July 14, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an e-ARC!
I picked up the book because I loved the cover, I loved the title and I love Japanese setting in general. I knew it would be a dark read - this much was obvious from the description - and I liked it too. I enjoy darker stories, especially the one which explore relationships between the characters. I expected it to be tragic, dark, cruel and raw story, but unfortunately it was just dark and cruel.
The protagonist of the story, Shindo, is a woman that stands out. Not because of her good looks - quite the opposite, if you believe the narration - but because of her untamed power. She knows how to fight and she loves it, and that's pretty much all that she knows and loves. Unfortunately, that's pretty much all The reader learns about her. It's a short novel, I get it, but it's hard to care for the character as one dimensional as Shindo, though she seemed fascinating at first. Mysterious, stubborn, a fighter, she intrigued me up until I realised she's not going to become any more than that.
The other main character, Shoko, is a young daughter of yakuza boss. We know even less about her. Her circumstances are awful and her life is, frankly, tragic, but, just as Shindo, she doesn't read as an actual person. She's a sketch of a person, of a character, that could be interesting, but she was mostly nothing.
I expected it to be more emotional. For a story like that, two women among dozens of horrible yakuza men, I hoped we would see them becoming closer, relating to each other, feeling protective and dependent on each other, but unfortunately their relationship weren't that at all. The story tells me they have a deep connection, but I fail to see where it comes from, or how it manifests. A lot of telling not showing is what I'm trying to say.
In terms of the plot, it felt intriguing at first, but then it felt very rushed, unrealistic and pointless. The ending wasn't satisfying due to everything I've said before, which made me incredibly upset, cause, again, I'm not unfamiliar with Japanese literature and culture, and I feel like it could be such a fascinating story. If only the writer took the time to explore the characters more, to deepen the plot, to give it some substance. But, we have what we have, which seems to be just an idea of a story instead of an actual story.
I picked up the book because I loved the cover, I loved the title and I love Japanese setting in general. I knew it would be a dark read - this much was obvious from the description - and I liked it too. I enjoy darker stories, especially the one which explore relationships between the characters. I expected it to be tragic, dark, cruel and raw story, but unfortunately it was just dark and cruel.
The protagonist of the story, Shindo, is a woman that stands out. Not because of her good looks - quite the opposite, if you believe the narration - but because of her untamed power. She knows how to fight and she loves it, and that's pretty much all that she knows and loves. Unfortunately, that's pretty much all The reader learns about her. It's a short novel, I get it, but it's hard to care for the character as one dimensional as Shindo, though she seemed fascinating at first. Mysterious, stubborn, a fighter, she intrigued me up until I realised she's not going to become any more than that.
The other main character, Shoko, is a young daughter of yakuza boss. We know even less about her. Her circumstances are awful and her life is, frankly, tragic, but, just as Shindo, she doesn't read as an actual person. She's a sketch of a person, of a character, that could be interesting, but she was mostly nothing.
I expected it to be more emotional. For a story like that, two women among dozens of horrible yakuza men, I hoped we would see them becoming closer, relating to each other, feeling protective and dependent on each other, but unfortunately their relationship weren't that at all. The story tells me they have a deep connection, but I fail to see where it comes from, or how it manifests. A lot of telling not showing is what I'm trying to say.
In terms of the plot, it felt intriguing at first, but then it felt very rushed, unrealistic and pointless. The ending wasn't satisfying due to everything I've said before, which made me incredibly upset, cause, again, I'm not unfamiliar with Japanese literature and culture, and I feel like it could be such a fascinating story. If only the writer took the time to explore the characters more, to deepen the plot, to give it some substance. But, we have what we have, which seems to be just an idea of a story instead of an actual story.
February 18, 2024
A very light (because of it being short and having a light novel writing style) story, "The Night of Baba Yaga" is a good, but not great read, where Otani seems more interested in entertaining the reader with a couple of fights and 'shock' moments than in really developing a story.
It's all pretty easy to follow: Shindo gets into a fight and some yakuza decide to kidnap her. The yakuza boss, Naiki, then decides that that woman is the perfect candidate to protect his daughter. What follows, as said above, is pretty light in the plot department, and also not very deep in the character part. Some things happen, Shoko, Naiki's daughter opens up little by little thanks to Shindo (and the other way around), some fights happen, all pretty straightforward. There are also a couple of things that may be very uncomfortable for some readers (the trigger warning kind of).
The writing style is one of those with whoosh, flash, bang onomatopoeias thrown into the mix (again, Japanese light novel style), fast, breezy, never stopping. It is a pretty easy to read style, but it also lacks of depth, as it is pretty basic. The fights are ok, and that is actually a compliment, because I have always found fights rather difficult to depict in words.
All in all, an easy read, but one that lacks depth (there is so much that could be developed in the story but Otani leaves by the sides (maybe there is going to be a sequel?)).
The best: it is fast, it is furious
The worst: lacks gravitas
Alternatives: heaps of light novels out there, but I wouldn't recommend many; I don't think this is so LGBTQIAP+ as it seems to be advertised, so..., well, I will think about it
6/10
(English translation by Sam Bett)
*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy*
It's all pretty easy to follow: Shindo gets into a fight and some yakuza decide to kidnap her. The yakuza boss, Naiki, then decides that that woman is the perfect candidate to protect his daughter. What follows, as said above, is pretty light in the plot department, and also not very deep in the character part. Some things happen, Shoko, Naiki's daughter opens up little by little thanks to Shindo (and the other way around), some fights happen, all pretty straightforward. There are also a couple of things that may be very uncomfortable for some readers (the trigger warning kind of).
The writing style is one of those with whoosh, flash, bang onomatopoeias thrown into the mix (again, Japanese light novel style), fast, breezy, never stopping. It is a pretty easy to read style, but it also lacks of depth, as it is pretty basic. The fights are ok, and that is actually a compliment, because I have always found fights rather difficult to depict in words.
All in all, an easy read, but one that lacks depth (there is so much that could be developed in the story but Otani leaves by the sides (maybe there is going to be a sequel?)).
The best: it is fast, it is furious
The worst: lacks gravitas
Alternatives: heaps of light novels out there, but I wouldn't recommend many; I don't think this is so LGBTQIAP+ as it seems to be advertised, so..., well, I will think about it
6/10
(English translation by Sam Bett)
*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy*
February 18, 2025
This book proves why Goodreads reviews are not a good starting point to start a book because after seeing the negative reviews of the book my expectations were quite low. However, turns out that the book is a solid 4/5 stars, because of the strong protagonists. The characterization, the twists and the very setting itself.
The mafia gimmicks in the narrative are a cherry on the top. This book at best can be classified as one eerie book where you end up gasping with worry, surprise and disbelief about the way things unfold.
The bond between Shindo and Shoko was beautiful and told that it is not necessary to always label relationships as the romantic one. The ending though left ambiguous (or atleast attempted by the author) creates an impact and tells not just the significance of trauma but the idea of superficiality of life concerning women’s lives when they tend to survive in the patriarchal domain.
The mafia gimmicks in the narrative are a cherry on the top. This book at best can be classified as one eerie book where you end up gasping with worry, surprise and disbelief about the way things unfold.
The bond between Shindo and Shoko was beautiful and told that it is not necessary to always label relationships as the romantic one. The ending though left ambiguous (or atleast attempted by the author) creates an impact and tells not just the significance of trauma but the idea of superficiality of life concerning women’s lives when they tend to survive in the patriarchal domain.
July 23, 2025
started out as fairly standard but enjoyable, a solid 3/5, but elevated by a brilliant subversion of a particular narrative device around 2/3 through which completely reframed the story. from then on I was fully hooked. very fun, cinematic read, I burned through it in 2 nights, would 100% watch the film or play the RGG spinoff game.
October 15, 2024
There were parts I liked and parts not as much. It’s a bit TOO violent. Like some of those images I’m not getting out of my head. I did like the main character’s strength and the female warrior concept was not gross but realistic, but did all the men have to be so awful? It’s also not clear what happened to the other couple- like - what? 3.5 stars for me and if you do venture in there are huge TWs for violence especially sexual. Read at your own risk.
October 14, 2024
3.5 stars rounded up.
One fun thing about stories of female rage is how over the top everything around them has to be to make it seem like they’re not overreacting.
Our FMC is basically threatened with SA and death on every page but she’s build for violence. Violence ensues. Not everyone can be a princess. Some people are born Baba Yagas.
One fun thing about stories of female rage is how over the top everything around them has to be to make it seem like they’re not overreacting.
Our FMC is basically threatened with SA and death on every page but she’s build for violence. Violence ensues. Not everyone can be a princess. Some people are born Baba Yagas.
February 27, 2025
So freaking good. Action packed and very violent but like YES to the queer vibes 😍
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