The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi translated by Cathy Hirano

If you don’t know, my husband and I are geeks and watch anime. When I saw this book being released, I wanted to get my hands on it, just so I could rub it in my husband’s face 🙂

Thank you Henry Holt books for Kids for gifting me a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Synopsis from Goodreads: Elin’s family has an important responsibility: caring for the fearsome water serpents that form the core of their kingdom’s army. So when some of the beasts mysteriously die, Elin’s mother is sentenced to death as punishment. With her last breath she manages to send her daughter to safety. Alone, far from home, Elin soon discovers that she can talk to both the terrifying water serpents and the majestic flying beasts that guard her queen. This skill gives her great powers, but it also involves her in deadly plots that could cost her life. Can she save herself and prevent her beloved beasts from being used as tools of war? Or is there no way of escaping the terrible battles to come?

This is right up my alley in terms of a true Japanese story. The book is adorable and emotional, in true anime form. The author does an excellent job at helping you paint a picture in your head of Japanese mythology and Japanese nature. At times, I felt that the descriptions were a bit too much and made the story drag on, but I understand that they were necessary. My husband and I would travel to Japan in a heartbeat! Of course, we had to go and track down the anime show and watch this one together. As always, the book is better 🙂

4/5 Stars