As Dorothy Gale would say: “Yokai and shinigami and kitsune, oh my!” (Wait, you don’t remember her saying that? Okay okay okay, so I might’ve taken a few creative liberties…Please don’t sue me, MGM Studios 💦). But all slightly-altered Wizard of Oz quotes aside, if you’re on the prowl for an urban fantasy set in Japan starring any of the aforementioned otherworldly creatures, then Seven Deadly Shadows by Courtney Alameda and Valynne E. Maetani is the book for you!
My Review of Seven Deadly Shadows
What I Liked
🇯🇵The Japanese Culture!
As somebody who proudly places their “Home Sweet Home” welcome mat outside a small apartment in the far-flung suburbs of Tokyo, when I see a book that’s set in Japan or that’s Japanese-inspired, I get so dang excite that I forget the finer points of grammar.
Seeing the people, language, and country that I’ve grown to adore so much realistically captured in words and ink is a kind of magic that rivals that of Disneyland. And Seven Deadly Shadows definitely delivers on that front. Alameda and Maetani go to great lengths to accurately depict the distinct personalities of both Tokyo and Kyoto, as well as Japanese culture as a whole. The characters’ reactions to certain social situations felt very authentic to me; they mirrored what I’ve experienced and observed every day here in Japan.
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💡The Concept!
When I saw that Seven Deadly Shadows is loosely based on Kurosawa’s iconic movie, Seven Samurai (AKA, one of my husband’s favoritest movies of all time) and that it’s also inspired by legendary Japanese storytellers such as Hayao Miyazaki, CLAMP, and Naoko Takeuchi…WELP, I basically turned into Abu while he was in The Cave of Wonders:
If we lived in an alternate universe where books were rated solely on the awesomeness of their premises and the undying love I have for their book blurbs, then this one would get an A+++ from me. But alas, we do not.
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What I Liked Less
👥The Characters!
This story had all the trappings for a fantabulous found family. First there’s Kira, our resident unflinching heroine. By day, she’s your ordinary high school student, and by night, she’s a noble yokai-fighting shrine maiden. (Talk about some serious Sailor Mars vibes.) Next comes Shiro, Kira’s loyal kitsune shrine-guardian-slash-love-interest (who should probably be in a J-Pop band or something because he’s just that ridiculously good looking). And I can’t forget to mention the shinigami, a ragtag group of death god rejects who dress like old-time samurai and cook mouth-watering ramen in their free time. Because heck, why not?
There was so much potential energy stored up in these characters, it was like I was back in one of my dreaded college physics lectures. But although there was potential, they failed to become anything more than just words on a page to me. To paraphrase something Phil from Disney’s Hercules once said: “Every single one of them let me down, flatter than a discus.”
I’ve especially got some Kobe beef to pick with Shiro, whose entire lackluster personality seemed to hinge on his adoring cheerleader act for Kira, and his ability to tenderly cup her face in his soft palms.
✍️The Writing Style!
The writing in Seven Deadly Shadows was ultimately one big “Tell-and-Tell” fest, with the “showing” part conspicuously absent. For example, when initially introducing Kira, we’re met with this inner dialogue: “In spite of my efforts, I stand out. A lot.” Instead of showing us through a specific scene or scenario that Kira stands out, Alameda and Maetani just flat out tell us. And not in a particularly eloquent way, either. This constant telling instead of showing made the writing feel slightly juvenile in nature and ended up distancing me from both the story and the action. It could also be the reason I didn’t really click with any of the characters.
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The Final Verdict
I should’ve enjoyed this a lot more than I did. In fact, I fully expected to. It was a loose reimagining of the movie Seven Samurai featuring shrine maidens, kitsune, and shingami, for waffle’s sake! What could I possibly not love about that? Quite a bit, apparently. But despite its imperfections, Seven Deadly Shadows by Courtney Alameda and Valynne E. Maetani offers a beautifully accurate look at Japanese culture, and for that alone, I would recommend it.
TODAY'S WAFFLE RECIPE
Seven Deadly Shadows
From the Kitchen of: Courtney Alameda, Valynne E. Maetani Cooking Directions:
Kira Fujikawa has always been a girl on the fringe. Bullied by her peers and ignored by her parents, the only place Kira’s ever felt at home is at her grandfather’s Shinto shrine, where she trains to be a priestess.
But Kira’s life is shattered on the night her family’s shrine is attacked by a vicious band of yokai demons. With the help of Shiro—the shrine’s gorgeous half-fox, half-boy kitsune—Kira discovers that her shrine harbors an ancient artifact of great power . . . one the yokai and their demon lord, Shuten-doji, will use to bring down an everlasting darkness upon the world.
Unable to face the Shuten-doji and his minions on her own, Kira enlists the aid of seven ruthless shinigami—or death gods—to help stop the brutal destruction of humankind. But some of the death gods aren’t everything they initially seemed, nor as loyal to Kira’s cause as they first appeared.
With war drawing nearer by the day, Kira realizes that if this unlikely band of heroes is going to survive, they’re going to have to learn to work together, confront their demons, and rise as one to face an army of unimaginable evil.
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Have you read Seven Deadly Shadows?
What did you think?
What are some of your favorite books, manga, or anime starring yokai and shinigami?
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I’m really happy you enjoyed it, Kat! I enjoyed this book too but I agree that the characters didn’t live up to their potential (I want more backstory) and I find some questions didn’t get answer at the end of the book. Great review!
Why did I not know this has Japanese culture?! Now I really want to read this one!
Sad though that the characters and the writing were not the strongest part of the book!
(www.evelynreads.com)
This is one of my most anticipated reads this year. Thank you for the review, it helps me know what to expect!
This sounds so good! <3 I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the writing style though – it's things like showing, not telling, that really help me get more into a book.
Very nice review! I am absolutely in love with Japan-set fantasy books or books with Japanese Mythology in it which is probably why I love Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa so much (if you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend it!). I think that I’ll give this one a try too.