A breathtaking new urban fantasy trilogy from the critically acclaimed, award winning author of The Swan Kingdom and Shadows on the Moon.
When fifteen year old Mio Yamato furtively sneaks the katana - an ancestral Japanese sword - out of its hiding place in her parent's attic to help liven up her Christmas party costume, she has no idea of the darkness she is about to unleash on modern day London, or the family secrets that she is going to uncover.
The paralysing paranoia that descends on her before she gets to her friend's party is her first clue. The vivid and terrifying visions that nearly get her killed are a pretty good warning too.
The giant nine-tailed cat demon that comes after the sword and tries to rip her throat out? Overkill.
Seconds away from becoming kitty-food, Mio is saved by Shinobu, a mysterious warrior boy. But it's already too late. Mio has ruptured the veil between the mortal realm and the Underworld, and now the gods and monsters of ancient Japan stalk the streets of London, searching for her and the sword.
With the help of her best friend Jack, a fox spirit named Hikaru - and the devoted protection of the betwitchingly familiar Shinobu - Mio attempts to discover the true nature of the sword and its connection to the Yamato family. Because if she doesn't learn how to control the katana's incredible powers, she's in danger of being overwhelmed by them. And if she can't keep the sword safe from the terrible creatures who want it for their own, she'll lose not only her own life... but the love of a lifetime.
My Thoughts
Let me say for the record I am not a fan of fantasy books and rarely read them however I do usually make an exception when it comes to Zoe's books.
The night itself is the start of a new series by Zoe. It plays around with Japanese mythology, is fast paced and exciting and by all accounts a cracking good read. What I enjoy about Zoe's books is that they are just that little bit different from the other titles that are floating around out there and I love how diverse they are with the different characters they feature. This book was no exception and I will be highly recommending in it the future for that reason only. I loved her characters and found myself really wanting to get behind them and root for them.
Was it the book for me? Probably not. I'm not good with fantasy titles and I find myself switching off fairly easily when I'm reading them so I probably didn't get the enjoyment out of it that I know others will but that's more due to my faddy reading habits more than anything else. However it has to be said this one kept me happily entertained right the way through which says something for its quality.
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