Stormdancer

Author: Jay Kristoff
Series: The Lotus War, #1
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Release Date: September 18, 2012

A DYING LAND
The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; an island nation once rich in tradition and myth, now decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, the land is choked with toxic pollution, and the great spirit animals that once roamed its wilds have departed forever.

AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST
The hunters of Shima's imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger—a legendary creature, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows the beasts have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death.

A HIDDEN GIFT
Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a talent that if discovered, would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shōgun's hunt, she finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in Shima's last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled thunder tiger for company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, even though she saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her.

But together, the pair will form an indomitable friendship, and rise to challenge the might of an empire.

I wanted diversity. But not like this. Never like this.

I would be willing to bet that the author had written this after reading a legion of manga and watching a shit ton of anime because honestly, I was at that stage too. I wanted to dash a book full of Japanese words I wasn't truly fluent in. I wanted to write a book full of East Asian mythology knowledge I found on Wikipedia, to lump them haphazardly together to suit my own needs. Unlike the author though, one day I took a step back from my idea and realized how terrible it was. I was acting like a writer version of a weeaboo.

There was a way for my story to get on paper, but the way I wanted to go about it was one of the worst, disgusting and offensive. Their country is not a prop. Proper research is a must. It's a sign of respect towards another person's culture. Someone outside of it will make mistakes, and people will and should call them out for it, but as long as that writer tries to correct it and show that they're making an honest effort, then it's part of the learning process. Jay Kristoff shows in his actions and his work that he is not that writer.

Yukiko has a gift, an ability that allows her to touch the thoughts of animals. This allows her to gives her the unique potential to become a Stormdancer, the rider of the mighty thunder tiger that roams the land and the sky. Too bad they're nigh extinct, and the one she has hates all humans and is highly coveted by the Shōgun, who will obtain him any cost. This unlikely pair will have to brave the coming turmoil of the Shima Isles, a fictional, steampunk'd feudal Japan.

Talk about one of the biggest disappointments I've ever had felt for a book. A gorgeous cover and intriguing concept wasted.

Yukiko is a completely unlikable protagonist, to put it mildly. She's skilled in the art of combat and not afraid to demonstrate. She holds wonderful relationships with other female characters. Yet she's heavily exotified, particularly when she fights against others, and her personality is shit. She's unreasonably disrespectful, overwhelmingly arrogant, and just all-around, hair-pulling infuriating. This attitude never changes and probably never will. I can't say much different for the rest of the characters, with the exception of Jin, who is adorable, despite his Gary Stu tendencies.

One hit, and she would never see the samurai with sea-green eyes again.

It's fine to put a non-Asian trait on an Asian character, such as green eyes, but to place a huge emphases on it and to make it so that it's one of the main reasons why anyone would be attracted to them is completely. Not. Fine. It's about as grossly offensive as having East Asian characters dye a strand of their hair purple to "spice them up."

I've come to the conclusion that Jay Kristoff can't write a romance. Yukiko and the green-eyed Iron Samurai, Masari and Kasumi. Even Yukiko and Buruu's platonic relationship. All forced and terribly-paced, with horrible reasons behind all of them. These relationships had even drove me to hate the cast even more. I wouldn't care if all of them died alone by the end of this.

"Sama, please. Enough for one day, hai?"

Yes, please, sama. Enough for one day. Why do you need to put a foreign word in if a perfectly suitable word in the English can replace it? Especially if that word has no significant importance? The abundance and misuse of Romaji thrown here and there had me slogging through the pages, sometimes having me at a loss at what the characters were referring to. The glossary at the back was a waste of space, since I'd rather not go back and forth to see what this and that meant.

With all the passion in my heart, I urge you not to pick this up. It's tempting, but not worth it. I'm sure plenty of others have pointed out these problems, and to support an author who will continue to perpetuate this-this insult while disregarding genuine concerns (look it up) would be just as bad. We need diverse books, but not these ones.