Kitsune-Tsuki (edition 2012)

I like the context (japanese, legends, animals and nature) very much. The scenario is also a nice one. I would just have wanted more of them! The twist in the end is good, but lacks an explanation, an epilogue... Something that would open to a possible story in the future, or one from the past.
All in all, a good read, makes one want to read more from the author!

Published in: http://www.amazon.com/review/R21SWD1KSE6P9K/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm ( )

I won this novella through LibraryThing's Member Giveaways, and since I had just read Yamada Monogatari it seemed like a natural next read.

In keeping with my confusion over what "Monogatari" meant, I expected "Tsuki" to mean "story" or something along those lines. But it doesn't. It's not a literary term at all, at least according to my limited search: it means "punch" or "thrust". Perhaps it refers to the twist in the tale, which ought to come as a shock equivalent to a kendo attack. Because there certainly was a twist. Of sorts.

As the synopsis says, Tsurugu no Kiyomori is a sort of magic-using private eye, hired to protect a warlord's new bride from a kitsune (often malicious fox spirit) they believe is near, and threatening. Kitsune can and often do take human shape in order to work mischief (and worse), and it could be anyone – or no one. And – again, as the synopsis says – a PI in ancient Japan doesn't have the leeway a classic American gumshoe would, since a mistaken accusation against, say, the bride herself could end in very ugly, very painful, possibly very fatal results.

Tsurugu is partnered – against his will – with a warrior named Shishio Hitoshi, who makes up in grit and determination what he lacks in magic. They become a good team, until they aren't any longer, and that's the problem I had with this story. I'll come back to that. It was well done, with several factors that made it both a very good and a very bad followup to Yamada Monogatari - there were surprising similarities (which is why it was both good and bad). I'm not in any way suggesting anything hinky about either book – just surprise at a superficial resemblance. This is a quick tale (wouldn't it be fun to write stories about kitsune in sets of three? Three tales? Geddit??) which encompasses a pair of mysterious twins, a dog hunt (which was, I felt, an unnecessarily ugly scene, but at least it was not graphic or detailed), and a beautiful bride who may not be what she is supposed to be.

The twist in the tail tale was very much a surprise, and so was effective in that way – but it was so very close to the end of the novella that I think I was still thinking "What … just happened here?" when I hit the last sentence. With the fast pace of the story, it felt like flying along on a bobsled, hitting a wall, and continuing to fly along without the benefit of the sled for a while until I came to a spinning stop several yards away. (This would be one of those rare times I wish I knew where to find a gif that would illustrate that better.) Once I stopped blinking in surprise, I think I was just unhappy about the whole thing. It was clever – I just didn't like it.

But, to end this at least on a positive note, I do love kitsune. I love that the fox-as-trickster trope is as strong in Japan as it is in Native American lore. I love that the creatures can be malice personified or merely mischievous, can fall in love with human and be willing to kill anyone else. They're a fascinating class of being, and it's fun to see them as much as I have lately. And they have three tails – how cool is that? ( )

iS JUST A LITTLE PIECE OF THE BOOK SO IS KIND OF DIFFICULT TO REVIEW IT.tILL i COULD READ IS NICELY WRITEN AND FUN ( )

Any time I find myself reaching the end of a book and thinking, "That's it? There's no more?" and frowning sadly in the absence of the characters, I figure I must have deeply enjoyed the time I spent reading. This book went by so fast for me that I find it very hard to believe that I spent any time reading at all. Suddenly the story seems to have become a part of my mind and that is an odd, yet wonderful feeling.

Kitsune-Tsuki is based on Japanese legend and it is written very well. I ended up feeling a deep sense of culture that came from the story with what seemed like very little effort on the part of the writer. Reading this book was like watching it all happen before my eyes, the visual power of the words quite easily whisking me away to Japan long ago. At the end of my reviewer's copy there is a mention of things to come in the future, based on some of the characters within these pages, and I certainly hope that comes to be. I would love to read more of this world from this author.

Note: Though this book was a free gift from the author, the content of my review was in no way influenced by the gifting. The book speaks for itself and my review would have been worded just this way even if I'd gone out and bought it. I also give bonus points for Text To Speech enabling on Kindle format.... but that also wasn't a factor in the above review. ( )

I received a free copy of this book through the LibraryThing “Member Giveaway” program.

Kitsune-Tsuki by Laura V. Baugh

PLEASE keep in mind, this review is written by my “taste in books”/my opinion. Check out my library ratings of other books to see if your tastes are the same as mine before judging this book by my review)

I wasn't sure what to think about this book at first. I requested it because I love to read about Asian culture, mythology, etc (especially Korea and Japan). The reason I was hesitant is because I normally like to read books on these topics by people FROM Korea or Japan...it just seem more "authentic" to me. Well...I was surprised. Ms. Baugh did her research and from what I could tell, she did it well. I am definitely NOT an expert on all things Japanese but she didn't make any huge mistakes that I noticed.

I really enjoyed the flow and the length was good for the story itself. There could have been a bit more character development but overall I really enjoyed the story. The one thing that may be difficult for readers is the large amount of Japanese words/phrases. The author defines some of the words/phrases immediately after she writes them in the story but she didn't do it for all of them and I felt a bit confused at times (and I have studied Japanese and Japanese culture).

The story is about a Daimyo (territorial lord in ancient Japan) and his wife who believe they are bewitched by a Kitsune (fox spirit). They hire a Onmyouji (basically like a shaman) to help ward off the Kitsune and protect everyone from its magic/charms. Throughout the story, the Onmyouji (named Tsurugu) doubts that the suspicious events happening are the work of a Kitsune and he teams up with others in the Daimyo's charge to find the culprit(s).

(SPOILER ALERT)
The ending was a surprise, especially after seeing the book through Tsurugu's eyes...I won't say anymore although I probably said too much already.

CONCLUSION
The story was interesting and fun but a bit confusing at times with all the Japanese words (especially for those not familiar with Japanese culture and mythology). I would be interested in reading future stories by Ms. Baugh and I am grateful to have shared this experience with her.

OVERALL RATING: 3 stars ( )