Frail Human Heart - Book Review
Zoe Marriott
YA Fantasy
(Name of the Blade Trilogy Book #3)
UK Publisher: Walker Books
Other books in the Series:
Synopsis:
Mio has succeeded in banishing the Goddess of Death’s plague-spreading monsters - by making the most terrible sacrifice. Now Mio’s love Shinobu is lost forever, the Goddess is rising from the underworld, and hell is literally breaking loose in London.
To save the city from the catastrophic war between the Gods, Mio must journey into the perilous dream realm to learn the final secret of the Katana’s origins, and its true powers. With secrets from her own family’s past emerging, and more impossible choices to be made, she will need every bit of help available from her remaining friends and her allies in the Kitsune Kingdom just to escape her quest alive.
Because in the end, the only thing standing between the human world and the apocalypse… is Mio. And her sword.
Review:
This book brought about a perfect end to the trilogy - I’m only sad that I put off reading it for so long. With a cast of loveable characters, The Name of the Blade books have been a rollercoaster of a journey and are the perfect teen adventure.
In this third book, Mio and her friends have no choice but to travel into the dream realm. Only there can they unlock the swords final name and gain the true power of the Katana, which they will need to face the dark goddess. But the dream realm is full of perils and Mio will have to overcome her biggest fears if she is to have any hope of saving her family… and the world.
Surprisingly what I loved most about this book, was the romance that developed between two of the secondary characters. The twist to their relationship and how it was introduced had me laughing in delight, and I was so so happy to see my two favourite characters get together.
However I must admit, the romance between Mio and Shinobu I enjoyed less. Simply because I hate when books pull the trick card of “reincarnated lovers” as I feel it makes the initial meeting and romantic buildup during the first two books totally redundant.
The involvement of Mio’s parents in the story though was something that I thought was really well done. Rarely do parents play a role in YA fantasy so it was nice to see them on board and fighting by Mio’s side.
As for the plot, I thought this book held less adventure and mystery than the previous two books. Mainly because most of the journey happens in the dream land and I didn't feel the stakes were all that high. Having said that, I enjoyed the books ending and felt the story as a whole came to a very satisfying, if slightly predictable conclusion.
Overall though I have adored this series. As I’ve said in my reviews of the other two books, this story reads just like a manga. Full of Japanese culture and myth, it's a book that will not be fast forgotten.
4 stars!
If I'm remembering correctly, I may have read the first book to this series. That was years ago, though. I don't remember much about it anymore. Glad it ended well for you.
ReplyDeleteIt was a pretty good series - although I still prefer Zoe Marriotts stand alone books - Shadows on the Moon & Barefoot in the Wind. Japanese culture and myth are pretty prominent in those books too
DeleteI've heard such good things about this series, and I'm always on the lookout for fantasy with prominent PoC and queer characters! Where would you recommend starting with Zoe Marriott, this trilogy or one of her stand alone titles?
ReplyDeleteOoh, that's a hard one. I think Shadows on the Moon is my favourite book so I would maybe start with that one, but this trilogy is also good too. I guess it just depends what mood you're in. The first is pure fantasy, while the trilogy is more urban fantasy if that helps...
DeleteI really enjoyed Zoe Marriott's 'Barefoot on the Wind' and this trilogy definitely looks interesting enough for me to pick up.
ReplyDeleteI hope you do pick it up :) It is a must read for anyone who likes Japanese themed YA!
DeleteI just added this series to my TBR thanks to your recommendation :) Since I didn't read anything yet, I just skimmed your review to avoid spoilers but I am happy to hear you enjoyed this series!
ReplyDeleteHa ha - yeah I hate spoilers so respect for avoiding them! But I really hope you like this series Lindsey, there is so much imagination behind it and the kitsune character is awesome :)
DeleteLooks fun! I must look on Goodreads for this. Great review.
ReplyDeleteI’ve just joined The British Book Challenge – Yep a little late to the party, but there’s still plenty of reading days left!
Here's my May Read: http://bit.ly/2qyeNGO
And my first sign up page : http://bit.ly/2q32OgT
Enjoy your weekend!
Never too late to join a book challenge! And I hope you read this trilogy - its very fun and action packed.
DeleteI really need to read this series and I love Zoe so much! Thanks for linking up to the British Books Challenge x
ReplyDeleteYou definitely need to read this one Michelle! I hope you get a chance to pick up these books soon!
DeleteOMG!! A Zoe Marriott novel!! I read one of this author's books a couple of years ago. It's titled "The Swan Kingdom". I thoroughly enjoyed it, but have not read anything by this author since then. This novel, as well as the entire series, sounds SO AWESOME!! The fact that Japanese mythology and culture are featured is totally FASCINATING!! I have yet to read any books featuring this culture.
ReplyDeleteI'm adding this novel to my Goodreads shelves! Thanks for your excellent review!! <3 <3 :) :)
Zoe Marriott is the best! I've read all her books and she only seems to get better and better. I hope you enjoy this trilogy! Happy reading!
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