A middle grade fantasy steeped in Japanese folklore that explores the boundaries of friendship. Momo stopped believing in her mother’s fairy tales long ago, once she realized not everyone saw the spirit world the way she did. And sure enough, once she stopped “imagining” fantastical things around her, they went away. Fast forward years later, and Momo is suddenly confronted with a talking fox and attacked by a death hag straight out of her mother’s stories. Turns out Momo has to–you guessed it–save the world. The book is fast-paced and full of adventure. What separates this one from similar stories is Momo’s companion–her ex-best-friend-turned-bully. Momo hasn’t wanted anything to do with Danny since he became one of the jerky popular kids. And she’s not at all sure she wants his help now, but for better or worse, he can see the death hag when it attacks and enter the spirit world, so she’s stuck with him. I liked the way the book explored the demise of their friendship and the social pressures to fit in. Race and culture are explored since Danny is an Asian boy adopted by a white family and is encouraged to pursue things that will help him assimilate with his classmates instead of standing out. The book delves into these issues without demonizing any of the characters, which is a tough balance. In the end, the book will get kids thinking about what makes a bully and how social pressures can make you do things you might not otherwise do. There are no perfect characters in this book (and that includes Momo), which mirrors the real world. Overall, I’d say this is a great start to a new series!

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley so I could provide an honest review. No compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

4.25 stars

I love finding Japanese based books for my kids to read! I'm Japanese and I think it's important that they see themselves in the MCs. I truly loved this book all except something in the end I felt detracted from the story. This was still a fun middle grade read that kept my kids entertained. The characters are well developed and fleshed out. The world building is epic and fun. I felt the characters acted their age. I loved all the Asian influence! I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in this series!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children's, Labyrinth Road for my review e-copy!

Twelve-year-old Momo Arashima just wants to be normal. She’s tired of being the weird girl who confuses imagination with reality and takes care of her single mom rather than being taken care of herself. But when Momo’s mother becomes ill and she finds herself being chased by a death hag she was told stories about her whole life, she realizes there is more at play than she ever dreamed of. Throwing in the fact that her mother is secretly a magical Shinto goddess who needs help protecting the magical passageway to the land of the dead, and pairing her up with a magical talking fox and her ex-best friend turned popular jerk, is enough to make any tween’s head spin! But Momo will need all the help she can get to go on an epic multi-world adventure to save her mother and life as she knows it!

This book is incredibly witty, exciting, and heartfelt due in large part to its incredible characters! Momo is an absolute delight of a character and her journey is as fantastical as it is relatable. Danny is such a solid character and has wonderful character development. His narrative arc really highlights the effects of parental pressure and it’s both heartbreaking and illuminating to see how his story unfolds. Nico is a Sherlock Holmesian, cap-wearing, magical fox, so obviously I adore him! But more than that, he is a great example of how people in a position of authority don’t always know what’s best and should be open and honest about their mistakes.

Miss Sugiura does such a remarkable job of crafting a wholly enjoyable adventure story, filled with wonderful characters and amazingly high stakes, while also presenting young audiences with tough situations and questions that they themselves may be grappling with. Needless to say, I am pumped to recommend this to the young readers in my life and I will eagerly be awaiting the next installment in this delightful series!

What an adventurous read! It’s book one and I have high hopes for the rest of the series. This is a great middle grade read to check out; for you or your teens! I’m not familiar with Japanese mythology so I appreciated those elements in this story. Momo was so relatable and you could easily root for her and her journey. Speaking of journeys…. Though this is a middle grade read, there were some points that everyone can relate to. Danny has his own journey when it came to his own cultural identity. Overall, this was a charming and heartwarming story. I loved the characters and the author did a great job weaving all of these pieces together to create an enjoyable world and reading experience.

Favorite lines:
✨ His parents believe that love means looking past outer differences and focusing only on our shared humanity. But Danny knows that he is different from his parents in one important way—how can he not? And he’s had no one to share it with because his parents believe they should act as if that difference does not exist. That is why he has been lonely
✨ It’s natural for children to want to face a different direction from their parents sometimes

Book Review

Tile: Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind by Misa Sugiura (Momo Arashima Book 1)

Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy

Rating: 4.25 Stars

I have a love, hate relationship with middle grade as many will know, I’ve read some like Song for a Whale and The Girl with More Than One Heart and loved them but others like the Genie Lo series were a disappointment. However, when I learnt that this focuses on Japanese folklore I knew I had to give it a chance and it didn’t disappoint. Now because middle grade novels tend to have less depth because of their readership my review isn’t going to be as long as they normally are so I don’t spoil anything since I ended up really loving this book.

Let’s look at the characters, we have our protagonist Momo, who is going through the stereotypical teen phased of no one understands me and to someone older it does come across as a whiny and made me cringe a little but that’s because it reminded me of myself at that age. Momo does start the book quite insecure which is something many of us can relate to but she steadily grows in confidence as the novel progresses and it makes for a great coming of age story. There is also Danny, who seems like your typical sidekick and best friend but he is more than that. Danny isn’t like other characters designed to be good role models for kids because he isn’t but because of that he is the most realistic and relatable character in the book and his prescence really added to my enjoyment. Finally, there is Niko, who is a shape-shifting fox and was definitely the comic relief and fun loving character which provided from some of the heavier moments. That being said some characters deserved more limelight than they got but that tends to happen in almost every novel since the authors can’t go into depth about every single character.

Sugiura also touches on some close to home topics for me throughout the book including family issues, bullying and the quest to fit in even at the cost of your own identity and these are things that really resonated with me and I wish I read this book at 10 or 11 as it would have made me feel a lot better ab out myself and my situation. The novel explores heavier themes like race and class in a way that is easier and accessible for children and it also explores more. I really like Danny because he is a Japanese child adopted by a white couple and this is something many people could relate to and it isn’t always viewed in the most flattering light. We can’t forget the absolute treasure trove of Japanese folklore packed into this book and if you’re like me and adore all things Japan then this will most definitely be the best element for you.

We see many fantastical creatures from Japanese folklore including kitsune, kappa and tengu as well as some lesser known creatures like keikegani crabs and since it is an own voices novel we know the author had done the appropriate research before including these elements and they really shine. Having been obsessed with all things Japan for many years, the stories behind these creatures I am already familiar with and it was nice to see the variety presented by the author and how she made them relevant to the story. The only issue I had with the book was there were a few pacing issues, at almost 400 pages it is very long for a middle grade novel but the pacing felt a little rushed in places and I did feel like the author could have spread some things out over the series like introducing these creatures at different stages rather than all at once but it didn’t distract me from my enjoyment. I will definitely be picking up the second book and highly recommend this one.

Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind by Misa Sugiura is an awesome book for an introduction to the Shinto myths and tales. Honestly that is what made me want to read it!

In the vein of other "demi-god/demi-goddess" books, Momo just wants to be a normal girl. She wants friends. She wants her mom to be well. And she wants to stop seeing thing that other people cannot--like a talking fox.
Unfortunately, Momo doesn't get what she wants as she goes off, rather hesitantly, on a quest with the fox and once-friend, Danny.

Middle Grade readers, especially, will feel empathy for Momo as she navigates the drama of school, becoming a teenager, and befriending and/or fighting monsters, beasts and gods. OK, maybe no the last part, but that sure does make the book fun!

This is a great read and once it picks up speed during the quest, it is impossible to put down.

Thanks to NetGalley and Labyrinth Road for the ARC. The opinions, however, are totally mine! Happy Reading!

This one was good. I loved the Japanese mythology and how it was all depicted. The two side characters on the quest with her were very fun and lovable. Momo though, by the end of the story she went from relatable to just being a narcissist which would be fine if she had character development. But there was none. Even though the two side characters had lots of character development to improve upon their narcissist traits. It felt very man bashing by the end, which isn’t great in a middle grade. There was also hate on white people. The popular kids who are also the school bullies are the only white kids at school. Her Asian friend Danny was adopted by white parents and they are terrible parents because they treat him like their kid, a white kid. I’m sorry. What???? It was very weird and came up multiple times. They do have some bad parenting on their part, but so does momo’s mom. So why is race a part of it? I didn’t enjoy it. It felt like every day politics put into a middle grade book. I don’t like any part of politics in my escapism, but I know some people do. So if that’s your thing go for this book. It’s just not my preference.

I did love the quest, adventure, and depiction of yokai. I really enjoyed the first half. But Momo constantly points out her friend’s flaws and tells them of. Danny and Niko take that to heart and try to do better. Momo is never criticized even though she should be sometimes and try to be a better person too. Seeing Momo have no chartered development made her thoughts very redundant and annoying for the second half the book. But I also really enjoyed the adventure she’s on. And the love that Momo realizes she has for her mom. That was sweet. Over all, I have mixed feelings about this book. I think I’d give the second one a try to see if any character development comes. I did really enjoy the writing.

I love these middle school books which take us into the mythologies of different countries and this book was no exception. This one is based mostly on an amalgamation of different Japanese traditions, including a variety of religions, folktales, and history, as well as some stories from Chinese, and Hindu stories. I was not familiar with any of it, but that didn't matter as the author spent enough time giving you context so that things made sense.

Momo is an outcast in her middle school, ranked by the mean popular girl in their school as the least popular person in their school. While some of the teachers might pity her, they do nothing to stop the bullying and teasing. Yeah, I wasn't a fan of that part. But Momo is partly an outcast because she sees things that are not there, from the stories that her mom used to tell her, and once you're labeled as "strange" you can never undo that. At least in this school. As an educator, this really hurt my heart and made me mad at their school, not to mention the other kids.

Momo also doesn't have friends because she's always taking care of her mom, who is not in good health. Her dad was lost at sea, presumably dead, although her mom has always said he's still alive. Momo disagrees but also doesn't want to upset her mom further.

We learn the gist of this in the first couple of chapters and then our story really begins. Without revealing spoilers, Momo is drawn into a quest with her former friend (now one of the most popular kids) and a talking fox. Yep, the adventure begins pretty quickly and from there, I was drawn into Momo's quest.

While I was not happy with Danny at first, I liked that Momo, Danny, and Niko all worked through their own insecurities and they actually talked about issues like bullying/teasing ("I'm just joking, you just can't take a joke" is a trigger for me in these situations), changing your behavior and interests just to fit in, being Asian in a community where it's not that common and suppressing that part of you, dealing with anger in a healthy way, and learning to work as a team, leaning on each other, which takes time and trust, which is impossible if you are not truthful to each other, including yourself.

The ending was exciting and had our three main characters work through their interpersonal and intrapersonal issues, which I felt made them a stronger team. Because the story is not finished. I don't know if this is supposed to be a trilogy or something more, but I am excited about reading the next book, whenever it comes out!

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and the publishers, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Please note: I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. But I hope you read them! :)

The book, Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind, was exciting from the first page. You can't help but feel for Momo, a kid literally at the bottom of the social totem pole, who has no friends and an odd mother who is suffering from such grief that Momo feels like she must take care of her. Momo has always been seen as "odd" for seeing things nobody else does...and one day, she sees a fox. In clothing.

Little does she know that it is not just her active imagination, and it turns out that not only is Momo's mother not who she appears to be, but neither is Momo herself.

This story was really excellent, especially in how it spelled out Momo's fears. I often wonder when reading these fantasy novels how I would react, and honestly I think I would want to curl up in a little ball and hide. Knowing Momo struggles to be who her mother--who the world--needs her to be is refreshing and realistic, even alongside the amazing mythical creatures and beings Momo is forced to deal with.

I was delighted with the glossary, which helped me keep track of the various creatures and deities Momo encountered, but Misa Sugiura did a nice enough job explaining them in the story and in context that I didn't really need to use it much. It was more a nice extra than a necessity.

I was delighted and bummed to find out there is a second book--delighted because I want more Momo and her Mom--I have my opinions about what happens next--but ugh, to have to wait for it to come out is going to be torture!

I loved this book and think those middle schoolers and kids who love Japanese culture, anime, and fantasy will enjoy this book! I will be recommending it to my students!

Fans of Percy Jackson will also love Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind by Misa Sugiura!

Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind is the first book in a new middle grade fantasy series. Momo is the daughter of a Shinto goddess, but she doesn't know that at the beginning of the story. In fact, Momo sees a lot of fantastic things and isn't sure what is reality and what is her imagination. She soon realizes the existence of things that she could never have imagined.

Middle grade students will be able to relate to the characters in this book, despite the addition of fantasy elements. The banter between Momo, Niko (a fox), and Danny (Momo's former friend/current jerk) is fantastic and keeps the story entertaining by adding an element of humor. The action scenes begin early in the story and don't let up, so readers will be hooked! I'm excited to see what the rest of the series has in store for Momo and her friends!

This book would make an excellent addition to home, school, and classroom libraries. I would recommend it to fans of middle grade fantasy series such as Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and Aru Shah. It's also a great choice for children/students that are looking for stories with strong female protagonists.

Thank you to Misa Sugiura, NetGalley, and Random House Children's for the opportunity to review an eARC of this title.

I received a digital arc via Netgalley from the publisher though all thoughts are my own. This is the story of Momo and two unlikely companions who find themselves helping her to save her Mom's Island (who Momo recently finds out is a Goddess) and the world in general. If they don't safe the Island, then creatures will come through the barrier and take over the world.

Overall, I really enjoyed the concept of this book and I found myself laughing out loud Danny was trying to be funny but it often fell flat. I also enjoy some of Niko's antics particularly some of the nicknames he would come up with and how he was first introduced to Momo.

I also really enjoyed the mythology which I don't know a lot about and how it was something that Momo saw nearly on a daily basis for a while. I loved the theme of the importance of being yourself even when others can't seem to accept that uniqueness.

I'm looking forward to continuing on with this author and can't wait to eventually read about more adventures involving Momo and her friends.

Trigger warnings: presumed dead parent, bullying, sick parent, danger, some violence

<b>An Entertaining Book with Fun Mythology!</b>

I quite enjoy fairy tale retellings and books about mythology. Usually, the mythology is limited to Greek/Roman or maybe Egyptian. It's great that in the last few years, we've seen books about other mythology and that's so great.

This is a great addition to those books! This aimed more at the Middle School age (10-14) than at YA but it's a genuinely entertaining book. I love Momo's fierceness that still manages to be kind. Her fear of giving in to her dark side is compelling as it is understandable.

I love Niko, but I'm fond of kitsunes so that's a given! Danny...is an entertaining character and I feel for his struggles about fitting in but maybe because we see it from Momo's point of view, I find it hard to trust him.

The quest was great with struggles, twists, and fun characters! I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next one!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind follows twelve-year-old Momo on her birthday as her mother falls ill and magical beings suddenly pull her into their world.

This was such a fun adventure and an awesome kick off to what I’m sure will be a hit middle grade series! Fast-paced and steeped in rich Japanese folklore, I honestly couldn’t put it down. This book does fall on the longer side, so some younger middle grade readers might take more time to get through it, but the pacing and compelling characters and plot are worth every minute. I also loved the helpful information at the end of the book with information on how to pronounce various names and who/what those creatures and people are.

Overall, this was a super fun and fast middle grade read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

In a Nutshell: A middle-grade fantasy with elements and entities from Japanese lore. Should have worked, but gives mixed results because of attempting too much. First of a planned series.

Story Synopsis:
Momo, a twelve year old with a hyperactive imagination and no friends, wishes for an ordinary life. But because of her dreaminess in school and her responsibility of taking care of her ill widowed mother, Momo finds herself struggling to go through her routine life. Until suddenly, routine life itself seems to turn crazy, what with death hags and a talking fox making an appearance. This leads to a reveal of a huge secret about Momo’s mother, whose health is turning worse. To save her, Momo finds herself on a journey across the earth to close a secret passageway, stop evil spirits, and save her mother. Will she be able to do it with only Niko the fox and Danny her ex-best-friend-now-selfish-snob for company?
The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Momo.

Middle-grade fiction is among my favourite genres, even more than YA, for the range and depth it offers. I had fully expected to love this book, but it ended up one of my rare mixed-bag MG reads.

The portrayal of the central characters is interesting. Momo is a typical teen, angry with the entire world with a constant "No one gets me" refrain. Too whiny for my liking, but children might *get* her character more. Her insecurities make her adventures daunting, but she grows courageous as the pages go by. This makes for a good coming-of-age narrative. Danny too was an unusual choice. The typical sidekick on adventurous missions is an encouraging best friend, so to see someone Momo is clearly not comfortable with but is forced to put up with was a different experience. Danny isn’t exactly a good role model for kids, but I suppose having perfect characters every time is also boring. Danny is more realistic in that sense. Niko the shapeshifting fox makes for a fun third wheel. The rest of the characters don’t get enough of a page space for us to know them well enough. Momo’s mother didn’t get the deserved character arc – it didn’t help to see the only parent in the story being so shakily portrayed despite having tremendous potential.

There are some relevant themes explored through the story. Bullying, family issues, standing up for oneself, not losing sense of your identity in a quest to fit in,… At the same time, the book also explores the impact of race on self-confidence, social standing and acceptance by peer groups. I felt that some part of this didn’t come out well, especially with Danny, who is shown as a Japanese-origin child adopted by white parents.

There are plenty of characters and artefacts from Japanese folklore. While I did appreciate the variety, the book seems to go overboard on this factor. Be it yuki, tengu, kitsune, kappa, kami, dragons, heikegani crabs,… the list is endless. There’s no question that the author has done her research well (and as an #OwnVoices work, it is quite authentic too, though modernised). However, it felt as if she had a checklist of Japanese lore elements, and she went ticking off the items until every single one had made an appearance in the story. This overabundance means that most of the lore elements find a nominal mention in the story without being sketched out well. This also leads to the book feeling highly rushed. The pacing is far too quick for any scene to stand out. Barely is one scene over when the next is ready with a fresh set of characters. A detailed focus on fewer fantastical beings/objects would have worked better for me.

This is somewhat lengthy for a middle-grade book at nearly 400 pages, but the pace saves the day. There’s an extensive glossary at the end for the lore terms and characters.

As this is the first of a series, the ending completes the current thread without any major cliff-hanger, and gives enough of a clue for us to know where the story will proceed next.

All in all, a decent read but not a memorable one for me. The story could have been great but the writing choices brought it down. Of course, I am not the target reader for this title. Children who like adventure stories and reading about fantastical creatures from another culture might still enjoy this.

2.5 stars, rounding up.


My thanks to Random House Children's and NetGalley for the DRC of “Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishers for sending me this e-arc in return for an honest review.

This story was fun, exploding with adventure, quirky characters, and a main character who is trying to fit in. Momo tries to hide from her Japanese heritage and stories of legend that were told to her by her mom, so she can't be bullied anymore. All she wants is to have friends, and fit in with those around her, but back in her mind something keeps telling her she is different.

We soon find out she is the daughter of a Kami, that all the legends her mom had told her were true, which then sets her on a course to save her mom and help stop the Oni from destroying earth with two unlikely friends.

The mythology, the world, pacing, and story concept were beautiful. I loved being immersed in the legends, and seeing how she intricately put them in the story. The big gripe I had with the book is the dialogue and main character's personality, I feel like it had been poorly written and was quite annoying. It made it difficult to enjoy the rest of the story that I loved. Some refining on both the dialogue and main character could use some work, as I know from many series I read as a kid to even now reading young readers stories, that it isn't because of the age group.

Besides that, I think it is still an enjoyable book, and I am interested to see where the second book goes.

Oh Boy what a ride Momo Arashima steals the Sword of the Wind was. First we have a talking fox an ordinary mum or is she and of course Momo who for me is not your usual heroine and that's what I love about this book. You think Danny would be the hero wouldn't you but even he has his flaws. The story and the world building was top notch. Even though the action was high stakes there was alot of comedy dotted around which did make me smile and laugh.

I especially loved the glossary and found it very interesting and informative. I'm just wondering when the next book we be published as I really want it now. For all these reasons I am giving Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind 5 stars.

One of the elements I appreciate the most in Misa Suguira’s book, “Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind” is the wonderful characters she has created. In the novel, I absolutely adored Momo Arashima, most particularly because she isn’t perfect. None of the protagonists are perfect. They exist in the gray areas, with all the wonderful imperfections and foibles that make them resonate and connect with readers, especially young readers. In the book, Momo and Danny used to be friends and as they journey together on this adventure, they find themselves bonding again but Momo remembers how alone and isolated she’s been and that makes friendship more difficult. All three of the main characters, Momo, Danny, and their fox companion Niko all have issues they struggle with and must overcome. 

Readers will also fall in love with the adventure. Misa Seguira has presented a world that is rich and full of depth, with care taken with the mythos and the culture of Japan. I like that in the midst of the main adventure, we also get snippets of Japanese lore. The story is engaging, the dynamic between the characters is complex, and the ending leaves room for more, a whole series of books with the characters. 

If you like books of a similar style, such as Rick Riordan’s young adult series, I think you’ll love “Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind.” It incorporates Japanese elements well and has Asian characters that will allow Asian readers someone they can connect with. The characters are complex and have depth with the book developing themes of bullying and peer pressure as well as learning to like yourself. Readers will love the ideas and the story.

This is a solid and entertaining read and I really enjoyed the character development. It was really interesting to read about Japanese mythology and folklore. This is a title that I would purchase and recommend to kids who are looking for more fantasy books.

Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind was really fun to read, I liked it but just didn't totally love it. Therefore, I feel 3 out of 5 stars is the best reflection of my experience with this book.

Let's start with what worked really well. The characters were very endearing. Momo and Danny are in middle school, but that doesn't mean they don't have deep feelings and important struggles. I appreciated the way Sugiura explored certain themes in this book especially identity, bullying, and the dangers of dismissing children's imaginations. Momo isn’t popular at school and doesn’t have any friends, not through any fault of her own; middle school is just stupid and tough when someone decides you aren’t popular and bullies you or when a teacher considers your imagination “not developmentally appropriate.” Like Momo, Danny is Japanese but was adopted by white parents. I was a bit surprised that the author touched on race a little in this book and how that plays a part in parenting children. I'm not a parent, but I am a mixed race person so I appreciate the author's intentions but I'm not sure if it was nuanced enough to be very impactful. The dialogue between Momo, Danny, and Niko was very entertaining if a bit silly at times. I think it brought a lightheartedness to the very high stakes adventure that our three characters embark on. I really liked that Sugiura clearly wrote about Japanese mythology in a modern setting. I think the author did an excellent job at explaining the shikome, oni, and kami as well as the Land of the Dead (or Yomi).

What didn't work very well for me was the pacing of the events that take place in this story. I understand that it's supposed to be a high-stakes fantasy, but it just felt like so much happened and continued to happen that the climax didn't feel very,,,climactic. There was also some repetition. As much as I found the dialogue to be entertaining, it oddly dragged at times due to the back-and-forth between our main characters and side characters.

This book is filled with exciting scenes, lovable characters, and secrets. Overall, this was an entertaining read that could bring joy to many people - especially younger readers.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for sending me an ARC.

Disclaimer: I do not read middle grade regularly. I am also older than the target audience, but young enough to remember what I was reading at that age. Now an important fact about me as a child: I was obsessed with Percy Jackson. I was introduced to Greek mythology through my grandmother, who lent me an old copy of Edith Hamilton’s collection of stories. Predictably, I fell in love with Riordan’s reimagining. In fact, I picked this book up partly because of my grade school nostalgia. I have to admit that I made a fair amount of comparisons between the two while reading this, which I think is unfair, especially considering my recollections of the Percy Jackson series are foggy from the passage of time.

All of this to say, I did enjoy this book. It didn’t blow me away but it was a solid read and I particularly enjoyed the character work. I found the exploration of transracial identity to be interesting and based on my understanding, portrayed with depth. I found the relationship between Momo and her sidekicks (Niko and Danny) to be endearing. Nobody demonstrates Sugiura’s ability to write fully-realised characters more than the titular Momo herself. Sugiura represents grief, trauma and anxiety with incredible empathy. I can’t deny I was frustrated by her at many points of the story. But this was because I saw so much of myself in Momo, who was often unable to be a “hero” because of her insecurities. Sugiura illustrates the all-consuming power of anxiety – a panic that prevents you from moving forward – with frightening clarity.

Another reason I requested this book is because I’m Japanese and am always interested to read about Japanese folklore and mythology. I adored the title, thinking the subtle nod to Momotaro, a Japanese folk hero, was clever. I was excited for Sugiura’s twist on familiar creatures, spirits and gods. However, the result was a mixed bag. Susano-O was my favourite representation mythologically speaking. Niko, her kitsune companion, I also liked. However, I was lost when it came to the portrayal of the other kami (gods). I understand the modern update to their attire, considering most Japanese people do not wear traditional clothing anymore, but their personalities felt hyper-Americanised (sports bar scene?). And while I enjoyed the depictions of kappa, tengu and other supernatural creatures, I question their purpose. It sometimes felt like Sugiura was attempting to introduce the reader to as many characters from Japanese folklore without deciding if it was appropriate for the narrative. While I appreciate it, I feel like it is part of the reason why the pacing feels so all over the place. Several of the fights felt unnecessary to the plot as a whole, serving only to slow down the progression of the narrative. From my notes while reading: “the scope of her journey is [so wide] which makes for some interesting elements of mythology and mystery but serve very little purpose to propel the story forward (it feels 'stuck'/stagnated). For a story that has such a tight time frame there is no sense of urgency.” Because of the lack of build-up, the pay-off felt unearned.

Even though it was not to my taste, I am glad I read this book. Any book that has me scribbling annotations in the margins as I read is well worth my time. I hope others find engaging with the text as fruitful. Also, I appreciate Sugiura’s disclaimer in the acknowledgements that there exist many versions of each represented folk figure and it’s clear she’s done her research.

I will definitely be recommending this to whoever asks and I’ll feature them front and centre in our displays so people can find it easily. I think it would be a great for a child in the intended demographic.