** Thank you Penguin Teen for the early copy!! This doesn't affect my review. **

So. Where to start with this book?

I liked it, but it wasn't amazing. It was fun to read and I enjoyed making connections to Mulan throughout the story. It was a quick read, something I'm sure I would've read in a day if I'd had more time.

But otherwise I'm kind of indifferent. It's not an extremely memorable story.

I liked the feudal Japan setting, and the cultural information scattered throughout. This was my first experience with anything feudal outside of history class.

In my opinion, the story was kind of slow. Not a whole lot happened. I don't mind slow stories, and this one was interesting, but there wasn't enough action to suit me. I mean, samurai, Mulan... you'd think that would make for an action-packed story, right?

And honestly, the characters weren't that memorable either. I liked them, and their varying friendships, and their banter. But each individual just seemed plain. Mariko was an admirably strong heroine, but didn't really have any traits that set her apart.

I'm not sure how I feel about the romance. It seemed to come out of nowhere. Am I supposed to be rooting for it, or..?

And then the ending. After a consistently slower story, the end was suddenly intense and full of action. It was a bit confusing, if I'm being honest. I saw about half of the twists coming and was surprised by the other half. And if the last two chapters or so were taken out, I'm not sure this would even need a sequel. As it is, I'm curious about the sequel. I know nothing about it, but I'll likely give it a try.

I know I was critical of this book, but I did like it. For me, it was more of a fun read than anything else. It had its problems but it was enjoyable, and that's really all there is to it. :)

Also, the lake scene was the best part. If only there was a musical number by Ōkami somewhere within the book. We were close! "As swift as the wind [...] as fierce as the fire [...]" There's a connection there, right? ("With all the force of a great typhoon. […] Mysterious as the dark side of the moon!")

I'll stop now. I'm probably grasping at strings anyway. XD

EDIT, 5/20: Disregard the Mulan references in this review. I read other reviews and thought back on it, and there are only similarities. It's not a retelling. My mistake.