I struggled a little with this book, I feel like it was trying to do too many things and this left the story feeling a little disjointed at points. For the first half of the book, I found the pace quite slow and a lot of the turns the book took confusing but it does pick up a lot and the second half is quite enjoyable. I liked most of the characters, especially Daisuke and was rooting for them but I also never felt a sense of jeopardy for them, the story felt quite low stakes, despite the dangers they were facing. I also liked the mythology aspect, I found learning about the kami very interesting. Overall, I think this book just wasn't for me, but I did enjoy aspects of it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

“Woven Song,” by Rachel Krotec

After being banished from the imperial city, Yuki is now called back by the emperor. She hopes to reopen her family’s dojo. The truth of her banishment complicates what she wants and needs to do. Her life is intertwined with the dragon god, Ryu, and they need to work together to save the human realm from Izanami, ruler of the land of the dead.

This book has an interesting plot, and the lore was interesting. With samurai’s and yokai’s and Mononoke’s were unique and kept me in the story. It was a little slow at times with things I didn’t care about, and the good parts of the story moved too fast at points. 3 out of 5 stars.

-Yokai
-Samurai
-Mononoke
-Japanese Lore

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

Rating: 3 stars

To be honest, I found this book to be quite similar to many other books out there that explore Asian mythology. While the plotline may differ slightly, it felt too similar.
The writing is a bit dense and it does take some time to get into, but it serves as a good introduction to the world of Asian mythology (even if fictional) for a much younger audience who may want to delve deeper into the concept. or for people who want something easy to dip their toes into Asian mythology.

Although I did enjoy the novel I have to admit it is not my favorite in the category.
(on a side note, the cover is gorgeous and really deserves some appreciation.)

thank you to NetGalley and Nib and Feather, LLC for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

hank you to NetGalley for providing the ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

I really struggled with this book (as you can see with it taking a whole month to read).

The characters: I struggled to differentiate the characters. I like dual or multiple POV books but for me I like these POVs being separated out into different chapters. This for me makes actually differentiating the characters much easier. With this book I found a lot of the characters had the same narration and I couldn’t tell the characters apart.

The plot: I was mostly confused by the plot. Most of the time I wasn’t quite sure what was happening. Sometimes things were explained well whereas other times I felt more confused by the explanation. I can see what it was trying to do but I’m just not sure how well executed it was done. There seemed to be some gaps and some things that it felt like we skipped over. Although I feel like this is going to be a series so maybe the author is saving some of this for later books!

The world building: this was the one saving grace of this book - the world. Although it didn’t feel fully fleshed out and again we were given things without much explanation which made the world or parts of the world sometimes hard to imagine. However, overall this was much stronger than other elements of the book.

Overall: I’m not sure how I feel about this book or whether I would read any more books in this series. If you want a fantasy that draws on Japan (I think it wasn’t 100% what it was drawing on) or East Asian cultures then you may enjoy this book. However, personally this book was just not for me.

The writing style of this just did not do it for me. I felt like it dulled what, conceptually could have been a really good story. The POV's were good choices, but they just didn't feel like they had much emotion to them.

------WHAT I ENJOYED: -------
- This book had such an interesting concept; it is an amalgamation of different myths and legends from Asian culture, centering around the Gods. When we really got into the main plot throughout the second half of the book, the story was so exciting to me - it felt like an age-old tale of love and betrayal. I was just captured by the story once the different Gods had been introduced, and especially loved when we got to learn more about the different realms: Yomi, the Mortal World, and the Heavenly Realm.

-I also just loved the atmosphere of this book - the vibes were immaculate. It just felt very whimsical and classic; it almost felt like a tale being told around a campfire. The writing style that the author adopted really pushed this timeless feeling and it honestly made it feel like a legend was unfolding before my eyes. I think if you are someone who is into any Japanese media, especially anything from Studio Ghibli, you would love the atmosphere of this book!

- As well as enjoying the overall plot, I also really enjoyed the relationships between our main characters, especially with our FMC Yuki and her student, Diasuke. The found-family trope was strong with this pairing, and I loved it. Daisuke started as a rebellious teen who thought no one understood or wanted him, but he found love and acceptance when he was taken in by Yuki. The mutual respect and love they have for each other is just so precious; they helped each other grow whilst supporting each other through their shared trauma, and it created such a lovely relationship.

- The other main relationship I enjoyed seeing unfold was between Yuki and the dragon god, Ryū. Despite there being some pacing issues (which I will come back to later), I thought that this relationship was just so sweet. They cared about each other so much, and just had an unwavering trust in each other. And what can I say, I am a sap for disgruntled heroes who go around thinking "why do I have feelings?" when introduced to the female main character 🤷‍♀️.

--------WHAT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME:--------
- One small issue I had whilst reading was the way the author included definitions of things common to Asian/ Japanese culture within the story itself. The way this was written just kept taking me out of the story - I feel that if these definitions had been included within a glossary rather than the story itself, it would have allowed for more immersion into the culture being represented.

- But let's get back to the pacing issues because, I'm going to be honest, it really impacted how much I enjoyed this book. Mainly, I felt like the main plot simply came in far too late for me. The interesting fantasy plot that makes up the majority of the synopsis only started at just under the 50% mark. Before this, we are just seeing our character get back to normalcy and settle into her mundane life with her found-family. Which would be fine but I felt like I was duped by the synopsis! Like I kept looking back at the story it was describing and thinking okay but..."when?"

- The other reason that the pacing issues were such a big issue for me was because I felt that not enough time was spent on the main plot, leaving it feeling a bit underdeveloped. I think that the fantasy elements should have taken more of the spotlight throughout the book, especially as most of the first half honestly felt a bit redundant to me due to a lot of the plot elements being mentioned in the synopsis!

- This was especially frustrating to me as I felt like this first section really could have been cut down, but it felt like the author cut stuff from the fantasy sections instead. The main reason I think this is because there were moments, that only occurred in the fantasy section, when the author jumped between two points in a scene - for example, showing the build up to a fight, and then jumping straight to the aftermath, completely cutting out the fight itself. Not only did this make the narrative feel super jumpy throughout the second half, but it also meant a lot of the tension was lost in what should have been the more intense moments of the book. I seriously had to go back a few pages just to check that I hadn't skipped anything! Now, I don't know how much of that would be an editorial decision or if that was just how the author wrote it, but it left me feeling like a lot of the wrong stuff had been cut.

- Leading on from this, because the plot started quite late, a lot of the side characters felt very surface level because we just didn't get to see enough of them. This even felt true with Ryū to an extent; he was introduced super late, despite being a main character, and so we didn't really do a deep enough dive into his character. This left the relationship between him and Yuki, despite being super sweet, feeling a bit "insta-lovey" rather than feeling like an organic development. Honestly, what I did get from the fantasy plot I really enjoyed, but overall I was just left feeling like "I wanted more".

-------OVERALL:--------
Overall, I loved the atmosphere of this book and think that people who enjoy Studio Ghibli films would love the vibes. But, honestly, the pacing issues just really threw me off with this one, and left me feeling a bit disappointed! I still enjoyed elements of the fantasy plot, especially the mythological elements, but this just wasn't a perfect read for me, sadly.

Thank you again to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.

If you want to read an anime in book format, then this is the book for you.

This book combines aspects that I like of anime story telling with Asian mythology. I loved the relationship between the main characters and the found family trope, along with the happy ending but not what you expect it to be. The prose was more YA, but that fits with the style of story telling. Overall, this is a fun and enjoyable read for anyone who wants a light Asian Mythology book with anime story telling aspects, or who just wants something with a love triangle.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher & author for a chance to read an ARC of Woven Song.

Rating: 2.5 rounded up to 3 ⭐

Thank you to the author, publisher & Netgalley for an ARC of this book!

First off- this cover is gorgeous! Overall, this book would be a good fit for younger readers looking to dip their toes into fantasy books, especially those revolving around Asian mythology. I liked the interesting aspects of the Asian mythology weaved into this book which was done in an extremely accessible way. The writing is also fairly easy to follow & the plot is full of intriguing twists & turns.

My main critiques of this book are of the writing style which tends to heavily focus on 'telling' over 'showing'. Plot points/events alongside character ramifications often occur and are glossed over rapidly, giving a sense of whiplash. After a significant tragic event, the characters tend to cry and then move on in the next chapter/page without lingering or reflecting on the actual repercussions or their thoughts & emotions. There is also a few inconsistencies with the honorifics used. Another aspect which took me out of the book was the use of extremely modern slang in a historical setting such as 'punk'. Overall, I liked the main cast of characters, especially the mentor-mentee relationship between Yuki & Daisuke. However, I feel like their characters need to be more fleshed out & explored for me to become attached to them. There is decent character development in this book though and really cute found family.

This was a pretty interesting read. Loved the focus on Asian mythology and it was pretty atmospheric. Great writing though the characters could have been more fleshed out.

Dnf at 13%, chapter 6.

The goddess, Yuki, lives on the moon but she is drawn to the human connection, to feel the warmth of another person; but why was she banished to the moon? And how will she live as a mortal? And who is the dragon god, Ryu?

Bear in mind that I shelved this as ‘did not finished’; I was looking forward to reading this but it was just plain boring. I could not connect with the main character, or find the story fascinating at all.

Hopefully someone else will find this to be their next favorite read, but unfortunately it was a no from me.

Happy reading!♥️

I’ve been reading a lot of Asian inspired fantasies recently so I was excited to read this. Unfortunately this one was just not for me. The cover is very nice though.

As an Asian American I love reading books that have this specific kind of representation. This book was especially perfect to read during AAPI month!

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachael Krotec, and Victory for the chance to enjoy this advanced copy.

Overall rating: 2.5

Woven Song follows Kaguya-hime, the moon kami that falls to the mortal realm. She gets taken in, renamed Yuki, and is raised and trained in the dojo, where she becomes a skilled swordsman. After being accused of a murderous scandal and banished, she roams the world until she is invited back to her village where she encounters secrets, scandals, family, magic, and mystery.

I am once again on the fence. This book had a lot of good in it, from Asian and cultural mythology to soft, cozy fantasy. The interpersonal relationships between Yuki and the other characters was refreshing, and I loved the found family aspect within the novel. Furthermore, I found myself enjoying the characters. They all felt unique, and I loved the myriad of different voices, backgrounds, and perspectives that each had.

I made it through the book, but I did struggle at points. My biggest gripe was the writing. The writing style felt underdeveloped and off putting throughout the entirety of the novel. There felt like there was a lot of telling what was going on rather than showing. There were a multitude of rapid, minimally fleshed out conflicts. Most external conflicts felt like they had little foreshadowing or build up, and were resolved rather quickly (as in within a chapter or two). On top of that, the central plot points felt brushed over. The characters and history felt placed into the novel instead of explained. As a result, I found myself forgetting key details about important characters, and losing interest in the plot points. Another gripe was the pacing. I understand this is a cozy novel! However, some parts of the plot felt slow (not boring, just slow).

Honestly, the book just wasn’t for me. The writing felt juvenile, and I tend to gravitate towards high-stakes fantasy books. However, for younger readers, or readers interested in a cozy fantasy that features mythology, magic, and family, this book is perfect!

* I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely incredible! I adored following yuki and Daisuke and everything that came with their eventual bond. I loved the introduction of Ryu! I think the whole story was filled with mystery and intruige and I couldn't put it down

Another book that immediately attracted my attention due to its cover! The story wants to do a lot of things which is the major reason I had trouble with it. It attempts to discuss stories and draws on myths from multiple Asian cultures but it does so in an erratic manner. There were numerous instances when I thought the writing required a lot of improvement and where things were either omitted or not well explained.

This was my first Asian mythology style book. I did have a hard time with the pronunciation of the names at times, but overall a very good read. I enjoyed that the FMC was a very strong character from the beginning. This book made me feel a range of emotions, and I would recommend if You like to take emotional rollercoasters when reading. Which I do enjoy!

Thank you to Nib and Feather, LLC and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rachael Krotec’s Woven Song is a young adult fantasy novel that follows Yuki, a woman who aims to restore her family’s dojo after being banished for reasons unclear to her and Ryu, the dragon god. After Yuki’s near-death experience in the spiritual realm, they work together to protect Gobe from Izanami who rules the land of the dead. Krotec intertwines Japanese and Chinese mythology to provide a new take on a heroine’s journey to save her home.

The cover of those book is stunning. It's what originally drew me in to reading the description, and then the journey continued from there. This book had me hooked from the start, and once I had time off work I could not put this down.

This book has so many elements I adored, with Found Family, Girls with Swords, Asian Mythology, Dragons, Will They Won't They? and Chronic Illness Representation.

This book I cludes so many elements, and tells a compelling story from the beginning to end. There was a point where I was suspicious because things were going to well for the characters, then when things did go wrong, they REALLY went wrong. With secret plots and schemes by the previous generation, that the children have to deal with the consequences off, with manipulation and the question, of is fate written for us or can we change it and decide for ourselves. That is a large part of this book. The story's told and predetermined about both the gods and the Mortals.
For me, this book has settled itself within my favourites. And something that I could see myself reading again one day. And should It ever get a physical release.... it will be quickly found amongst my shelves.

Unfortunately, I had to dnf this book.

From the beginning we are told that a high importance has been place on Japanese Honorifics and yet on the first page of the prologue we see “Mr Usagi-san”, there is also no consistency with the use of these honorifics where sometimes they are used to convey respect and on the next page that character is no longer referenced with the honorific. The whole thing therefore felt flat.

The book is also marketed as a fantasy novel however I think it’s better placed as a Young Adult book, the way that the characters speak to each other felt far too immature.

I did give the book a fair go but ultimately had to stop around chapter 3.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nib and Feather and Rachael Krotec for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Nib and Feather for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think I'm learning my lesson to not judge a book by it's cover. The cover of Woven Song is stunning, but unfortunately I DNF this book at 35%. This book showed promise, but ultimately it did not follow through. I wanted to be interested in Yuki and Masato's story. I really did. I just could not get invested in the characters or the story overall because the writing lacked depth and development. I often felt like I was outside of the story instead of really in it, which is truly ironic given that the author's goodreads profile says she "delv[es] into the depth of human emotion." That did not come through in this book. Instead, the dialogue often feels stilted. As if it was originally written in another language and then machine translated to English, so some of the phrases and wording are just a little off. Except it wasn’t and this is the original English writing. Her choice to use italics for some of the character's inner dialogue also felt odd and random. I don't know why this bothers me so much, but every time it was used it grated on me. The only character that I do care about is Daisuke, but it wasn't enough for me to keep reading.

I also had questions about the plot. I won't get into them here because I recognize that some of these may be answered later on in the book. Unfortunately, I could not summon the will to keep going and find out.