The story is based on Japanese mythology, as humans, deities, and monsters interact. Ryuichi is the main character, and his father, Ryucage, is a powerful, feared god in the spirit world. His mother once guarded the gate between the worlds, but that job now falls upon Ryuichi. He doesn’t understand how to use his powers, so he’ll never stand a chance against Orochi. His parents weakened and imprisoned the “World Eater”, so Orochi is focused on gaining revenge. Ryuichi’s mother is gone, Ryucage is missing, so Orochi’s fury and growing power are now aimed at Ryuichi. Ryuichi and his friends think their only desperate hope is to seek help from his violent, malevolent father.
Ryuichi’s team is a highlight of the book. The most unusual character is Ryuichi’s shadow, which has separated from his body. Ryuichi-kage has a mind and spirit of his own, and he enjoys fighting and killing. He reveals something later in the book that adds a countdown clock to the importance of reuniting with Ryuichi. Haruki is a goddess, incessantly insulting and antagonizing the others, often reminding them that they’ll probably die soon. Koichi is Ryuichi’s fighting teacher, but he’s constantly trying to get his hands on sake to drink. Masaru has vowed to protect Ryuichi, and he can enter Ryuichi’s body to make him a formidable warrior. He also likes to banter with Haruki and takes verbal jabs at Koichi. Ryuichi is joined by other colorful characters along the way that create additional entertaining exchanges.
What didn’t work as well:
Readers unfamiliar with Japanese culture may struggle with the language, names, and terms. Also, Ryuichi defeated Ryucage in the first book, but many of the characters that are helping Ryuichi are still loyal to his father. It’s puzzling why demons following Ryucage are helping the character who defeated Ryucage.
The final verdict:
I strongly recommend that you read the first book in the series. Without reading it, readers will feel they're lacking the depth of knowledge needed to fully understand the backstory and current conflict. I recommend you give the series a shot, starting with The Secret War.
