Seven Deadly Shadows

Courtney Alameda · Valynne E. Maetani

Jan 2020 · HarperCollins

About this ebook

A teenage girl must save the world with the help of seven powerful death gods in this “fresh urban fantasy grounded in Japanese culture” (Kirkus).

Seventeen-year-old Kira Fujikawa has never had it easy. She’s bullied at school and ignored by her parents. And she’s also plagued with a secret: She can see yokai, the ghosts and demons that haunt the streets of Kyoto.

But things accelerate from bad to worse when she learns that Shuten-doji, the demon king, will rise at the next blood moon to hunt down an ancient relic and bring the world to a catastrophic end. Not exactly skilled at fighting anything, much less the dead, Kira enlists the aid of seven death gods. They include Shiro, a kitsune with boy-band looks who is more flirtatious than helpful, and O-bei, a regal demon courtier with reasons of her own for getting involved.

As the confrontation with Shuten-doji draws nearer, the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Can Kira save humankind? Or will the demon king succeed in bringing eternal darkness upon the world?

Ratings and reviews

The authors already made a note about the anime influences and how it is sort of a retelling of the movie Seven Samurai, so I will just say that yeah, the anime feels were definitely there. It reminds you of urban fantasy anime with yokai elements, with Kira as a shrine's priestess, who can see the spirits, and who has to prevent a major catastrophe from occurring by raising an force of seven shinigami to fight an evil and powerful oni, while also balancing a life as a high school girl. The fantasy parts of the book were good, but I am not so happy with the high school elements. From the start, like the first scene itself, it felt sort of forced into a plot where the magical aspects far outweighed it. Kira's alliance with a kitsune's shinigami mother has her searching for other shinigami who would fight alongside them, but with the shinigami clans taking a neutral stance in the matter, her prospects are few. She has her shrine's guardian, Shiro, a kitsune (and also her love interest) by her side, but as the days go by and the time of the blood moon approaches, their quest seems tougher. It incorporates a wide variety of creatures, most of whom are against them, so there's a lot of action. My favorite might be the nekomata, Oni-chan, because (a) cat, and (b) demon cat who is still a softie. Kira's story starts from a place of powerlessness and having to be the 'good daughter' to her parents, but with the new challenges thrown at her, she takes up the mantle of responsibility of a hero, to take charge of her fears and face down bullies, whether human or yokai. On the romance side, well, it was cute and inevitable, but the development was a bit weird in that there were some plot holes or missing scenes, so I was a bit confused as to how it grew even in the sidelines. There was also the fact that main plotline sometimes didn't give us all information, or kept us a step behind from Kira to catch up. For instance, I didn't understand why they needed seven shinigami in the first place when it wasn't that essential (even with the deal made, it was puzzling) to make a cabal and then mid-way, they were like, we need to get this sacred Imperial sword that the enemy also wants (seems like keeping it out of enemy hands would be the logical step) - so it was between these two different strategies of defeating Shuten-doji that I was confused at to which one was intended to be the main plotline. The story pacing had me, at times, reluctant to continue, too - it wasn't engaging enough for me to keep reading in one streak (which is what I expected from it). Overall, it has its atmosphere and characterization down, but the plotline and pacing made me go 'eh'.

I received an ARC of this book from HarperTeen via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this affect my rating or review. All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication. Seven Deadly Shadows is absolutely brimming with Japanese lore. Being mostly unfamiliar with everything represented in this story, I believe I learned a great deal about some prominent figures in Japanese lore and mythology, which was fantastic. I think this book would make a fantastic graphic novel, as the variety of creatures would probably be better envisioned with illustrations. Like her grandfather, Kira can see monsters. All around her, they abide. Born into a family connected to the Shinto shrine—a shrine of the dead—Kira has been training to become a priestess. Her parents had long ago abandoned her, so learning in the shadow of her grandfather has been a privilege. "Someday, Grandfather will teach me the ancient art of onmyodo, whi

About the author

Courtney Alameda is a writer, veteran bookseller, and librarian. Her debut novel, Shutter, was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award and hailed as a “standout in the genre” by School Library Journal. She also wrote the YA novel Pitch Dark—a Junior Library Guild selection—as well as Sisters of Sorrow, a comic book series she cowrote with Sons of Anarchy screenwriter Kurt Sutter. She holds a degree in English literature with an emphasis on creative writing. A Northern California native, she now resides in Idaho with her husband, legions of books, and a tiny five-pound cat with a giant personality. Learn more about her at www.courtneyalameda.com. Valynne E. Maetani is a writer and member of We Need Diverse Books. Her debut novel, Ink and Ashes, was the winner of Tu Books’ New Visions Award and an Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Honor, was a Junior Library Guild selection and a Kirkus Reviews Best Book, and received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and now resides in Salt Lake City, Utah. Visit her online at www.valynne.com.