I picked up this book randomly and almost put it down again because it seemed like it was so full of first-person teenage angst that didn't resonate wI picked up this book randomly and almost put it down again because it seemed like it was so full of first-person teenage angst that didn't resonate with me. But somehow I couldn't really put the book down either because Robin McKinley knows well how to spin a tale and I found myself going further and further along with the book. By the time I resurfaced I knew I was going to finish because I really did honestly want to know what would happen. And here we are.
I found myself starting to enjoy the characterization, the world-building, and the solid writing style. I laughed happily at some uses of Japanese words (while wondering how Maggie learned super causal Japanese - kohi ka for example - when any textbook would start off with polite versions and yet Taks would only speak quite politely in what I would suppose is the Japanese way; there would always be a desu/masu in there somewhere. Also I think monster originally appeared as hito nashi, right? So that would be an odd was of saying not human, rather than monster. Wouldn't it be ningen ja nai? Or maybe uchujin but I guess that would be alien. Hm). I also especially appreciated the lack of super techno-jargon. Yes, this was somewhat of a sci-fi story that takes place in a world not dissimilar to ours and there are some new words bandied about but never enough to get annoying. And the fantasy bits were great!
Regardless, I found this to be a better read than the first couple of pages lend itself to be. I'd call this a good, solid YA book somewhere in the vein of Andrea K. Höst....more
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