What I Loved:
The main character in this story is Keiko and I loved her SO MUCH! She was given a cruddy lot in life, but she is sure going to try to turn it around! The character building is amazing and made me connect very quickly to the story.
How I Felt:
I was pulled into this story right from the start. The characters are rich and full of life, while the world is built in such descriptive depth that I could envision everything. I loved the strength that Keiko shows through every step of her journey.
Keiko’s family is just awful to her and it grated on me over and over. Her sister is especially terrible to her. This adversity in the story made every achievement of Keiko’s so much greater for me. I really appreciate the author’s ability write a character I hate so much that I WANT to read so I know that the main character overcomes!
My 4 star rather than a 5 star is due to some of the sexual sections that did not feel like they even belonged in the book. I did not like the way they flowed into the story, and felt that they were a bit overdone and could have been shortened or eluded to, but not described.
To Read or Not To Read:
This is a historical fiction novel with some romance in it. Historical fiction junkies will enjoy this, but I believe it reaches beyond just those readers. If you enjoy a story with a strong female main character, a journey of self-growth and discovery, or Japanese history this book is perfect for you.
Where to Find This Book:
There are some who believe that the honor of a samurai is reserved for men. But they are wrong.
Keiko was born the daughter of a samurai. But as a mere younger sister, her future was to run errands for her lovely elder sister and obey her father. Until the day it fell to her to defend the honor of her sister and her family…
Aren’t you so excited now?!?! You should be! I loved that blurb so much!
In this book, we meet Keiko, the youngest of the Samurai family. She expects to spend her days running errands and taking care of her older, beautiful sister. She is the lowest family member and she reminds herself to be grateful as her father could have killed her as a child, just because he could.
Keiko is only treated nicely by her brother and her sister’s fiance. One day, her brother brings her to see an ancient book of the onna-bugeisha, a female samurai. She had always believed these stories to be fairy tales, until her brother opens her eyes to a very real historical onna-bugeisha. He begins to train her in the way of the onna-bugeisha and she is determined to succeed.
Firefly by India Millar
Series: Warrior Woman of the Samurai, Book 1
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Page Count: 324 pages
Publisher: Red Empress Publishing
Publishing Date: September 10, 2019
I was provided an advanced reader’s copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.
She Just Loves Books 