I didn't love it. But I also didn't hate it. It's mediocre. There's not really much plot and what plot there is is bland. It was easy enough to read, although the format was strange with the diary entries and that. It brings up lots of questions but answers none of them. I won't bother picking up any of the other books in the series, I don't really care enough to find out what happens. ( )

Reasons that I knew this book was going to be awesomely bad from the very start:

1. According to the inside cover, it's copyrighted to a corporation ("17th Street Productions, an Alloy company"), not the "author."

2. The back copy reads: "When I was six months old, I dropped from the sky -- the lone survivor of a deadly Japanese plane crash. The newspapers named me Heaven. I was adopted by a wealthy family in Tokyo, pampered, and protected. For nineteen years, I thought I was lucky. I'm learning how wrong I was. THEY SAY YOUR LIFE BEGINS ON YOUR WEDDING DAY. Here's what happened on mine: I lost the person I love most. I learned that everything I knew about my family was a lie. Now I'm being hunted. I must fight back ... or die. My life ended that day. The old Heaven is gone. I AM SAMURAI GIRL."

3. There are free removable tattoos (which read: SAMURAI GIRL) in the back of the book.

Reasons that I knew this book was exceeding my wildest expectations while I was reading it:

1. Page 8: "And this is the Beverly Wilshire, I reminded myself. This is where a powerful businessman fell in love with a hooker. Anything's possible here. For a second I wondered if I could find a Julia-Roberts-style prostitute for Teddy to marry instead."

2. The book includes occasional "diary" entries from Heaven's enemies: "If only she weren't quite so beautiful. Even when she's bedraggled, she looks like some kind of royalty. It's not as if she's at peace -- her inner struggle is so visible, and it makes her face riveting. It's been so long since I felt threatened by another woman, but she's grown so close to Hiro after only a month." (157)

3. FREE TATTOOS IN THE BACK

What a great bad book. ( )

Read the books, the made for tv version is bad. ( )

Heaven was the sole survivor of a horrific plane crash when she was an infant. One of the richest families in the country, the Kogos, adopted her, and she's been a dutiful daughter ever since. However, when her adoptive father tries to marry her off to a rival family's playboy son, her entire life changes. When her brother is murdered by a mysterious ninja right in front of her, she runs from her adoptive home and begins samurai training. The sharp black and white illustrations don't encourage the eye to linger, and the text does not provide much insight into motivation or character development. The action of the story moves it along, and dramatic elements are present but undeveloped. Overall, an unsatisfying read. Ages 11-15. Recommended for additional purchase. ( )

From my librarytart blog: http://librarytart.wordpress.com/2009/02/14/sword-fighting-shopping-and-a-silly-...

50-word description
Heaven is famous in Japan after surviving a plane crash at the age of two. Orphaned, she is adopted by a wealthy family and her pampered upbringing ends at 19 when her adopted father forces her to marry for mercantile reasons. On her wedding day, Heaven’s beloved brother is murdered and she flees the scene and her family in a search for justice.

150-word review
The first book of the six-novel Samurai Girl series contains all the ingredients of a successful franchise: love, murder, money, shopping, opportunity, revenge, burgeoning sexuality, a kick-arse heroine and a crush-worthy teacher skilled in the arts of the Samurai. The narrative device of Heaven’s perspective interwoven with notes by other characters works nicely.

Heaven’s mixed priorities, such as believing she’s an assassin’s target yet goes shopping for clothes, are frustrating but almost tolerable. She’s likeable when she starts training with Hiro, her only confidante after her brother’s murder, and starts evolving from sheltered teen to stand-alone young woman on a mission to exact revenge against trained ninjas.

However, plots gape with holes and leave the ending with more questions than answers – the book was weighted too heavily towards storylines for the next book in the series rather than satisfying resolution. I did try to borrow the second book for some answers to assuage my curiosity, however, the school holiday crowd had swooped on the entire series and the shelf was bare. It’s the quick and the dead at the library at the moment.

Read
Jan 09

Rating
Passable ( )