A Mortal Song by Megan Crewe

Can one girl struggling with her identity save Mount Fuji and all its inhabitants?

FTC Notice: This book was provided free in exchange for an honest review. This is no way impacts my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Title:  A Mortal Song
Author:  Megan Crewe
Series: stand alone
Publish Date:  September 13, 2016
Genre:  YA Fantasy
Source: Provided by the author

Publisher’s Description: 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.

Possible spoilers beyond this point.

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Luna Lovebooks says…

What I liked: Japanese lore is quickly becoming one of my favorite subjects. This novel is filled with the benevolent spirits and the malicious ghosts that fill those tales. Sora is by far my favorite character. She struggles with the idea that she is not kami but human, but she never waivers in her devotion to the fact that Chiyo is the chosen one. The writing is beautiful and really takes you to Tokyo and the temples there and around Mount Fuji. A Mortal Song is a beautiful tale of figuring out who you are.

What I didn’t like: I really didn’t like Chiyo’s character. She was way too chipper and accepting of what was going on for just finding out that she was actually a supernatural being. I found her quite annoying at times. I also did not like the fact that even after he betrays them so spectacularly everyone forgives Keiji rather quickly. There were a few times when I could predict what was going to happen.

Even though there were a few issues that bothered me, I loved this novel overall and give it a 5.

Fickle Fiona says…

If you enjoyed the Harry Potter series, you will enjoy Mortal Song as well. On the surface, these stories seem worlds apart, but at their core, they follow the same premise—both protagonists grow up believing they are something they are not and, once that is discovered, they go on a journey to save the world from evil.

For the past 17 years, Sora has believed she is one of the spirits of the earth, the Kami, only to find out that she is actually human and has been using borrowed magic all her life. As the story progresses, she loses her borrowed magic and has to learn how to deal with her new human emotions and instincts.

While the story is starting and we are meeting the characters, the author does a great job of pulling you in with her description and imagery. The Kami are beautifully described, and I love that they are all kinds of creatures, especially the animal spirits. Crewe creates a beautiful world within our own that you cannot help but escape to in your mind.

Once Sora’s journey starts the story really picks up. It is fun to watch Sora’s human aspects develop as she constantly struggles to do what needs to be done and know when to step back and allow others to take the lead.

If you like this book…

…you might try the InuYasha series (anime) by Rumiko Takahashi, Tales of the Otori series by Lian Hearn, and The Fox Woman by Kij Johnson.

FTC Notice: This book was provided free in exchange for an honest review. This is no way impacts my opinion of the book or the content of my review.