February 09, 2012

Review: Katana by Cole Gibsen

Katana
Author: Cole Gibsen
Publisher: Flux
Publication Date: March 8, 2012
Pages: 384
Source: Galley from NetGalley/Publisher 

Kill Bill meets Buffy in this supernatural samurai tale.

Rileigh Martin would love to believe that adrenaline gave her the uncanny courage and strength to fend off three muggers. But it doesn't explain her dreams of fifteenth-century Japan, the incredible fighting skills she suddenly possesses, or the strange voice giving her battle tips and danger warnings. While worrying that she's going crazy (always a reputation ruiner), Rileigh gets a visit from Kim, a handsome martial arts instructor, who tells Rileigh she's harboring the spirit of a five-hundred-year-old samurai warrior.

Relentlessly attacked by ninjas, Rileigh has no choice but to master the katana--a deadly Japanese sword that's also the key to her past. As the spirit grows stronger and her feelings for Kim intensify, Rileigh is torn between continuing as the girl she's always been and embracing the warrior inside her. 

Review: I really enjoyed this book! I really loved how it wasn't about something like Wolves, Vampires or Fae. It was about Samurai! This is the first book I read about Samurai and it was a hit! First of all, I really enjoyed Cole Gibsen's writing! She knew just what to say to make you want to keep reading (especially during dramatic scenes and also made it fun to read in the less dramatic scenes. I really liked the whole storyline of Rileigh harboring the spirit of a Samurai. The story switches back and forth between Rileigh as she's living currently and her Samurai spirit Senshi's memories of the past. I liked how it was done because Senshi's memories would come in right before we would learn something somehow related to her memories. So the memories helped you understand what was happening and the memories helped Rileigh understand by who and why she was being attacked. Everything tied itself together really well!

I loved how much Rileigh matured throughout the book. At first she was in denial, didn't want anything to do with the Samurai even though she knew deep down she couldn't run from it. But she slowly opened up to it even though she wasn't even sure if she believed it yet. Plus she knew that when she was in trouble she could trust the Samurai to protect her even if she didn't like it. Lol. The Samurai.. I thought it was so cool how the group of Samurai were brothers and sisters from the past, who all found each other again. And Kim.. He was Rileigh's spirits (Senshi's) reincarnated lover from the past. Even though it took forever, I'm glad Rileigh warmed up to him enough to trust him (with the memories from Senshi's help). Overall I thought this book was very well done and I definitely look forward to reading more of Cole Gibsen's writing in the future!

4 Stars!