Disclaimer: By law I’m required to state I received a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for my unbiased review.
Taro takes inspiration from three japanese myths as well as historical characters and blends them together into a cohesive and enjoyable story. The author includes enough information so that those not familiar with japanese folklore do not feel lost and those that have some familiarity with the characters will see where the inspiration came from while being able to enjoy these interpretations as distinct characters.
Speaking of characters, often and fables the main and side characters cane sometimes feel more like role fillers than actual characters and that was not the case here. The author weaves a powerful heroes journey combined with a magical coming of age story for the ages. I will definitely be re-listening to it in years to come.
Speaking of listening, the narrator Steve Marvel had an engaging voice and never stumbled over pronunciation of japanese words. He was easy to listen to and I could not wait to see how the tale would unfold next.
I would recommend this to YA audiences.