A Mortal Song
by Megan Crewe
Rating: 4 stars
Blurb:
Sora’s life was full of magic–until she discovered it was all a lie.Heir to Mt. Fuji’s spirit kingdom, Sora yearns to finally take on the sacred kami duties. But just as she confronts her parents to make a plea, a ghostly army invades the mountain. Barely escaping with her life, Sora follows her mother’s last instructions to a heart-wrenching discovery: she is a human changeling, raised as a decoy while her parents’ true daughter remained safe but unaware in modern-day Tokyo. Her powers were only borrowed, never her own. Now, with the world’s natural cycles falling into chaos and the ghosts plotting an even more deadly assault, it falls on her to train the unprepared kami princess.
As Sora struggles with her emerging human weaknesses and the draw of an unanticipated ally with secrets of his own, she vows to keep fighting for her loved ones and the world they once protected. But for one mortal girl to make a difference in this desperate war between the spirits, she may have to give up the only home she’s ever known.
My Review:
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review
It was the cover that caught my attention and the blurb that convinced me I had to read this one. I was so happy I managed to got a review copy from netgalley. I really enjoyed A Mortal Song, it was an unique read with how the story is told from someone who would normally be a side character. It took place in Japan and there was some Japanese mythology in there as well. There was action, magic and a saving the world plot line, but it’s also more than that. It’s about how power and strength can come in different shapes, finding out who you are and what being human is about.
A Mortal Song follows the story of Sora, who always thought she was a kami, but then she learns everything she believed was a lie. She’s just a normal human and the people she thought were her parents aren’t. It was very interesting to read about Sora her struggle with this. She has to deal with knowing her whole life was base don a lie, not having magic and just being human and everything that comes with it. I liked how this book turned things around, instead of the normal main character finding out she’s special, we have a main character who thought she was special, and finding out she isn’t. I really liked this.
This book is mostly Sora her journey, her mortal song as the title calls it. It’s very fitting I think and the cover fits the book as well. I think we get to know Sora the most of all the characters as we only get her perspective, but that was fine with me. Sora was an interesting character and there’s a lot of character change in this book. The side characters all were great too, although I would’ve liked to get to know them a bit better. From Takeo who has been Sora her friend since they were young. To Keji who was just a normal human who gets involved. Then there is Chiyo who is the real kami and who got switched with Sora at birth. And more. I also liked how the kami felt a bit off to human standards and how Sora eventually realizes this and how kami and humans are different. It was interesting. There is a bit of romance, but it really is just a subplot, I did like it and how it was handled. It’s very subtle, but done well. I also liked how Sora handles things with the romance.
Then there is the story, the danger and Sora and her friends their journey throughout Japan to save their home. There are obstacles, doubts and difficult parts. The book kept my attention the whole time and I really enjoyed reading it. The pace was very well done. It is a bit of a longer book than I normally read at close to 400 pages, but the length was perfect for the story. I did think the ending was a tad rushed, it also seemed a bit too easily how things got solved in the end, but on the other hand I also liked how things were handled as it was a bit different. I also would’ve liked to see more of what happens afterwards or maybe a sort of epilogue, but that also might be because I got so involved in the story and wanted to read more about Sora and how she would adjust to life after everything that had happened in this book.
The world building isn’t the focus of this book, but the world did came alive. We learn about the kami, their magic and tasks and mount Fuji. We get to travel through Tokyo and the surrounding regions with Sora and her friends. There are ghosts and demons and along the way they find out a bit more about ghosts and what works against them. I liked the focus on Japanese mythology that gave the book a unique feel. And I loved imaging how everything looked like.
To summarize: I really enjoyed this book! The book follows Sora her journey after finding out she isn’t a kami, but just a normal human. I liked reading about her struggles and seeing her character change and find her own strength along the way. This kept my attention the whole time and the pace was well done. The ending felt a bit rushed and like things got fixed a bit too easily, but I also liked how things got handled. I just would’ve liked it to get a bit more dragged out around the ending. Sora is a great main character and I liked reading about her, the side characters are fun too although we get to know less about them and there’s a bit of romance which was subtle, but well done. I also like the Japanese mythology and feel of the book. Overall this was a great read and I am glad I read it!
This sounds pretty heart-breaking, Lola! I already feel both sad and angry on Sora’s behalf. And how would a girl who grew up unaware in Tokyo be able to accept that she has magic?
I’m adding this to my TBR, it seems very interesting 🙂
I hope you’re having a great week!
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It was a great read and I definitely understood all the emotions Sora went through and how she struggles with this new reality. The girl who got the magical powers is an easy going cheerful person and she actually took the news a lot better, but I did think they handled it realistically how she reacted.
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A great review, Lola. It sounds a great book – and I’ll be thinking about adding it to my TBR when it’s under better control… As for your question – Jay Kristoff’s Stormdancer is set in a world inspired by Japanese steampunk. Not exactly Japanese, but as I generally inhabit sci fi/fantasy worlds anyway – I’ll take it:)
I hope you’ll add it when your TBR is under better control.
I’ve heard of Jay Kristoff’s Stormdancer book, I think it’s even on my to-read list. It sounds promising!
Oh that really is an interesting twist. You’re right, most fantasy books are about ordinary characters finding out they’re actually not human or that they have some special character. So I imagine reading about one who thought she had powers but turned out to just be human would be a nice change. But that’s also so sad that her parents aren’t even her parents.
I’ve never read a book set in Japan, so I think that would be cool too. I also don’t know any Japanese mythology, I don’t think. And I definitely agree that it has a great cover. I’m glad you liked it!
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Yes the twist of her finding out she was just a normal human was very interesting and unique. It was kinda sad her parents weren’t her real parents, but they did treated her very well and I liked how that part was handled.
I have read a few books set in japan besides this one, but not a lot. One of my favorite authors SJ Pajonas writes a lot of books set there. It’s fun to read about a country like Japan, that’s so different from what you normally read about in books.
I love books set in other countries – I don’t know if I’ve read one in Japan before or not, but I’d love to. I like how it was a bit of a subject switch, with the girl thinking she was special and finding out she wasn’t.
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Me too, it’s always fun to be able to visit another country though a book :). I have read a few set in japan and it’s a fun setting to read about. And yes the subject switch in this one was great!
That is neat about how the author did a switch-up and made the heroine the average human instead of the special magic user she thought she was and I like that it’s set in Japan.
My last Japanese setting for a story was for Toru: Wayfairer. I enjoyed it.
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I really liked how the author switched things up, it made for an interesting story. And the setting in Japan was great too 🙂
Fun you had a recent book set in Japan as well. I hadn’t heard of that book before, will kep an eye out for your review of that one!
I like that she’s human versus another supernatural/super human. I do love the sound of this series, it’s definitely different from my usual read.
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It was really interesting to read about a character who thought she was a supernatural and then finds out she isn’t. It definitely was different.
That is a stunning cover, Lola! It would catch my eye for sure. I haven’t read many with Japanese mythology. She sounds like a great character as well. Glad it was a good one for ya!
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It was the cover that caught my eye at first, it so pretty and it fits the book as well. I have read a few with Japanese mythology and so far I enjoy reading about Japan and Japanese mythology.
This is the second time I’m seeing this book and I didn’t know about it! I usually get wind of a Japanese book before they’re published. 🙂 It sounds really interesting and I’ve definitely added it to my KU library. I can’t wait to give it a read!
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While I was reading this one I wondered if you knew of this book as it sounded like a book you might enjoy with the Japanese setting. Let me know what you think of it when you’ve read it!