From the Valley of Orchids

It appears I only got an ARC of the first three chapters. I am really enjoying the story and would love to read more. I love the folklore feel of this book. The book cover is beautiful. I wish I could review more of the book, however, three chapters in, I can’t wait to find out what happens with Saru.

Hi everyone, the full book is now available, so if you've downloaded the 3-chapter version, please re-download it and it should work. Alternatively, you can email me at nielssaunders@hotmail.com and I'll send you the right file. Sorry for the confusion, and thank you for your patience.

I'm always on the hunt for more mythological retellings, and this is the first one I read taking place in the mythological framework of Japan. It was fascinating and completely outside my realm of knowledge. I hope this author writes more.

4.5 stars

I received an arc (of the first few chapters) from Netgalley to review this book. My review is not influenced because of the free copy I got
Edit: The author was generous enough to provide me with a full copy of the book. So, here's the review of the entire book:

Pre Edit: The book follows the journey of Saru, a monkey. It was enough to tug me into reading this book because I have never read a book told from a monkey's perspective. The narrative was poetic and poignant, and it made me feel serene- like I'm hearing someone narrating a classic story over tea and snacks. I'm intrigued by this book because I love Japanese culture, but so far, I haven't found anything strictly Japanese about this book. I am excited to read about Saru's adventures and see where he ends up next!

Post Edit: Yes, this book starts with a dreamy feeling, almost like you're watching a Studio Ghibli movie, but after a while, the story begins to get darker like some fantasy series, for example, the Witcher- I have to say I didn't quite expect this.

But is this book enjoyable? Absolutely. I am glad that the author didn't change its beautiful, poetic narrative in the later part of the book- even though the book gets darker, reading this book gives the same feeling of longing and dreaminess- like you're hearing a tale from your grandma or reading a children's book like the old times. Reading the sentences alone- even if you don't like the story- will fill you with warmth (and, weirdly, nostalgia).

The book may not be for you if you are in the mood for a light read and want to speed through a book without having to think too much . Every character here has been written with intrinsic detail- you would love this book if you love morally grey characters and character-driven stories . I love both traits in a book, so obviously, I loved it. However, sometimes it felt a bit overwhelming to remember all the characters' backstories because I felt like I was drifting away from the main plot. Again I'm not really complaining since I love character-driven stories.

The only reason I'm not giving this a 5 star is because the story feels unfinished. I know there's a second book, but still, something about the way the book stops abruptly doesn't sit right with me:(

Final thoughts: The quotes in this book are heck beautiful.
#The world is random, full of chaos and coincidence.
# The most interesting people are the quiet ones. They walk their lives in gentle grace but inside are full of fascinating places.
#"What kind of dream is this?" "The best there is, of course. The one where you never wake."

This was really enjoyable,!

The premise alone was so interesting and the execution of it even better. The world building and the rich detailing with which is described is definitely my favourite thing about the book. I felt like I *was* there Walking in the snow and the village along with our protagonist! Further more our main characters interactions with and inner monologue about the humans that he met were quite thought provoking as well.

Also the magic system was SO interesting. Shapeshifters are starting to become a new favourite thing of mine to read about!


Such a great book, however I did have to take one star off as the descriptions despite being so charming and helpful when it came to imagining the world, were also at some points a bit *too* long which tired me.


Overall an amazing book through, and I'd definitely recommend!

"When I think upon my enemies, I can't tell right from wrong."
"Such is the nature of pain. It is easier to act when we know little of our foes, so simple when we loathe them unconditionally."

I've just finished reading this thanks to a review copy from @Netgalley, and had to share my thoughts right away. This is definitely in my top 3 books of 2023 (and the cover art is spectacular).

Sometimes when humans pray to the spirits, their gods are born into reality in the bodies of seemingly normal creatures. Saru the snow monkey is one of these extraordinary beings, and with the help and mentoring of Neku the cat amongst others, he sets out to learn about his powers.

What starts with Saru's desperate flight from the Valley of Orchids becomes a story of revenge and forgiveness all set against a gorgeous backdrop of Japanese folktales and mythology.

Full of vengeful ghosts, mischievous tengu, heroic warriors and spirit animals, this really is a mythology lover's dream.

As with any folktale inspired story there are highs and lows and this one gets incredibly dark at times. Seeing the atrocities caused by Akame the demon monk really made me feel a visceral hate for him.

The fact that Niels also manages to make me feel sad for Akame is amazing. It's these fully developed and rounded villains that make it really difficult to tell who is good or evil. It makes you realise that with very few exceptions most of these characters can be seen from multiple angles.

This initial book in The Legend Of Saru series released on 22nd May, but the remaining 8 books in the series are already ready to go! They'll be releasing monthly this year and I absolutely cannot wait to read them all.

I'm so excited to see the gorgeous special editions that I'm sure this book will receive over the coming years.

Right on the first page you encounter Saru and learn how he sees the world from his eyes. It becomes clear that he is a young monkey with a limited understanding of the world around him but emotions and empathy that make up for it. This makes for an interesting perspective and I loved the first part of the book. It is filled with tragedy and learning. I understood his emotions and could feel his sorrow and his happiness.

The longer he lives and travels the more he learns and understands his nature. It is a slow book and in the beginning I loved it. It explored all the relationships carefully and went slowly from event to event, gradually building the bigger picture. The descriptions made me feel as if I was there and I really enjoyed it.

But, as soon as I reached the 60% mark it started to drag. At this point I would‘ve loved to see more action and to see more fast paced action and less long descriptions.

It makes sense in the context of the book. In the dream realm they are spectators and there the time feels different and even when there are things happening in the memories it doesn‘t feel like a lot of action.

Overall I think the dream realm was a convenient and interesting way to let the reader learn new things about the world, but on some occasions it felt like an excuse to give Saru the information he needed without him having to do much. As a consequence this is reflected in how slow the action feels.

However, a thing that I loved was how all the puzzle pieces started to fit together and show a bigger picture. You learn about this world together with Saru but not in dialogues but through what he sees and learns from memories. Everything starts to make sense the longer you read the story.

I also liked the poetic writing style. It felt like a warm hug and even though the story got really dark really quick, it had these calming studio ghibli vibes.
It made me feel really nostalgic.

I plan on reading the next book in this nine part series because I liked Saru as a main character and I liked the world the author created. All the mythology and the creatures and how they thought and felt, captured me from the start.
It is a big world and I‘m interested in finding out what happens next with Saru.

What a breath of fresh air! The story feels like a fairy tale and reads like a poem. In a fantasy era of mighty heroes, high stakes, and training arcs, the step by step adventure of Saru is a joy to read. Saru, the main character, is a snow Monkey, not a powerful human hero or a lost princess heroine. Reading this story breaks up the monotony of the standard fantasy archetype.

The characters are well formed and the friends Saru makes along the way are easy to get attached to. My favorite was Neko, a cat, who really brought this story together and connected a lot of plot dots.

The pacing makes it straightforward to read. You can feel the influence from Japanese mythology and it ties into the story nicely. I am looking forward to the next step of the journey!

3.5 stars The world-building for the mythology of Japan but not being Japan made this work. The characters are well fleshed out and the reader can experience the emotions in the writing for them. The beginning takes you in and I for one was a bit freaked out about the Monk. More is learned about what connects Saru to the villains as you read. I will be looking forward to reading the second book in this series.

Niels Sanders has lived a peripatetic life that has brought him from Cambridge to Devon, Brighton, Canterbury - and even as far afield as Tokyo. An avid writer since he was a teen, this year sees the release of his nine book mythological epic series THE LEGEND OF SARU, the first of which is the book FROM THE VALLEY OF ORCHIDS.

FROM THE VALLEY OF ORCHIDS tells the origins of the snow monkey Saru. Set in the distant past in the Kingdom of Yamato, Saru lives what seems to be an idyllic life. The monks at the nearby abbey feed him, and his mother cares for him lovingly. The only mar upon an easy existence is his own burning curiosity - he wants to understand what the humans say and what their strange rituals are. This curiosity catches the attention of Akame, the demon, whose cruelty soon sets Saru on a strange and meandering path through the whole of the Kingdom and beyond.

This fantasy series is awash in Asian mythology and folklore. Saru’s journey towards deeper understanding of himself brings him face to face with the other gods of ancient Japan. These gods are animals born from the hopes and prayers of humans, creatures who each contain different abilities within themselves and seeming immortality. There are rumors of older gods - Kitsune the trickster fox, and Karasu the wise crow. Saru seeks them out where he can, and alongside his newfound friend Neko the cat, even encounters the enigmatic Tengu.

Sanders writes a compelling story, and throughout the year of 2023 will be releasing new books in the series monthly. Saru is a lovable protagonist, and his awe at the world he is only beginning to understand aids the reader in immersing themselves within the Kingdom of Yamato. The story is cinematic in its scope and its visuals, and sure to delight any fans of Asian mythology. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of THE LEGEND OF SARU.