Now, it is unusual I take so damn long to finish Reading a particular book, and a lot of it simply has to do with the fact that I wasn’t gung-ho about this book. It is sort of funny because when I read a book that ends up with a solid 5 stars, I know I am going to love it from the first 15 pages and very unusually I am proven wrong. Luckily I tried to swallow my pride and put up with the sluggish first 30% of the book and then after the 50% mark, I started to actually enjoy it enough to read the ending.
There are plenty of reviews so I have no need to repeat the story. One thing that really struck me was that despite taking place in regions of Japan I have visited a few times which are shown in the book, the characters didn’t have the “voice” and “mannerisms” of real Japanese people. Okay, so Takeo is a brooding bodyguard/potential love interest for Sora, but he could have had any skin color because his personality was so generic. Sora spends 60% of the book engaging in mental ramblings regarding everything now sucks because her entire life as a kami princess was a lie or considering whether to toss the towel and move in with the Ikedas in suburban Tokyo. Nobody really earnestly speaks with the quirks and mannerisms of Japanese people. Save for the Asian names and concept of kamis over a more western supernatural being such as fae, the whole story could have been rewritten to happen in England for example and Stonehenge as a replacement for Mt Fuji and the story would not have been affected.
I haven’t read a lot of fantasy written by Japanese authors mainly because not a lot of them write in English, but there is a book called Zero-Sum Game by American author Cody Martin. That book takes place in Hiroshima and is about an alien who escapes a group of assassins. Badly injured and about to die, he gives his magical super clothes to a terrified Japanese teenager so that she could somehow use the suit with its hidden AI to defeat the bad guys and save her world. The way she speaks with timid softness and how she freaks out when she discovers the mighty supersuit that had temporarily copied her school uniform prompting her to wear it by accident sounds so fluid and close to a real Japanese studious teenager would behave if thrown into a similar situation. Everyone has a certain tone to their speech that sounds insanely authentic. It is obvious the author has lived in the country for a long time.
Setting that gripe aside from Mortal Song, I personally liked Keiji’s character, he is probably the only character with a true personality in the plot and a sort of voice of reason while Sora starts to get used to her human emotions and the advantages she has over true kami during this dire battle. I personally enjoyed the ending of the story, but I do feel like the book could have benefitted hugely if the kami palace had been described in full. We just get a few vague descriptions of the buildings and very little time to enjoy the captured kami to garner a vented interest in their plight or the urgency of calming the volcano before it erupts. If you don’t mind those aspects, the story of how Chiyo goes for the 3 sacred treasures whereas Sora locates the belongings of the bad guy Omori to try to discover a weakness are probably the huge highlights of a somewhat interesting, albeit disjointed read. ( )

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

Review to follow after August 11. ( )

So, let's start with the good about this book. First off, it's set in Japan and has a rich tie to Japanese lore, which I loved. I've always found Shinto to be fascinating, with its deep reverence of the Kami, who keep our world whole and healthy. It's hard not to fall in love with the concept of nature based spirits, and their ability to interact with our human world. I was really impressed that Megan Crewe decided to base A Mortal Song in this faith, and thrilled that ki flowed through these pages.

Sora and Midori are also a very strong aspect of this story. Although Sora has other relationships that make their way onto the page, Midori is her link to the world of the Kami. Their bond is one that goes beyond physical contact, or even the deepest emotions. I loved how linked they were and, most of all, how appreciative Sora was of everything she had been granted. It's wonderful to see a character who actually understands everything they have to lose.

Which brings me to the things I had a tougher time with, mainly Chiyo. I have to give credit where credit is due. It was pleasantly surprising to find out that, although Sora begins this story, she wasn't actually the "chosen one". Seeing what it's like to be the one on the outside, the one who wasn't considered to be "special" was a nice change. The downside to this, is that the book didn't give much attention to Chiyo's overall character development. She felt flat to me, and a little bit flippant regarding her newfound destiny. It drove me a little batty, to be honest. I felt sorry for poor Sora, more than anything.

In fact, had this story simply focused more on Sora and the Kami I would have been smitten. The fact that Sora had to deal with her basic humaness was a great story line. I wanted more of that. More introspection, more newly found inner strength, and more of her growth. As it stands, a vast majority of this book is nothing but battle scenes. It makes the second half of the book very stagnant, since it feels like nothing but battles are happening, over and over. If this were an anime, it would be perfect! In this case I wanted more flowery writing and character growth. Oh, and less instalove please.

As you can see, this book falls right on the fence for me. Thus, the three star rating. There's a lot to love in A Mortal Song. Its premise is rich, and actually pretty well explored here. I just wanted more, so I'm hoping that I'll get what I was missing in the next book. ( )

It was fine. Very YA. ( )

I am so torn on whether this one deserves 3 stars or 4... While the plot didn't really interest me, I did enjoy the creativity. The characters were well developed, the landscape was magically described, and the romance was subtle, but swoony. My problem lies more within the mediocre substance. The story builds up with all of these action scenes, but in all honesty, I was just bored. It was too redundant. Someone got hurt and ghosts fizzled away. I felt like I was ringing a dry cloth. I wanted more substance, but it just wasn't there. It all builds up to this final scene and you expect intensity when all you get is an emotional heart to heart. I know it will appeal to many readers, but for me I needed a character death or just something to drop my jaw and lock in my connection to the book as a whole.

With all of that being said... I did enjoy the mini love triangle (though I would've liked even more play on that). I also really liked the family focus in the book. The human vs. Ki struggle was real and it intrigued me. I looked forward to seeing which side Sora chose in the end.

Overall, I think maybe this one was just a tad too young for me. It had everything that makes a great YA book. I just craved more twists and intensity. ( )