Gr 8 Up—What's better than ninjas or vampires? How about vampire ninjas? The two genres collide in this installment in the series. Taro, made a vampire by his ninja master in Blood Ninja (S & S, 2009), thinks he killed Lord Oda, a dangerous warlord who wants to see him dead. With his friend Hiro and Lord Oda's daughter, whom he loves, Taro goes in search of his mother. A clue leads them away from the safety of the ninja mountain and into a world of hungry ghosts, warrior monks, and the servants of Lord Oda who still hunt them. Add a former friend who is now also seeking the protagonist's death, and Taro has enough on his plate without thinking about the prophecy that he will become shogun, or the mystical object, the Buddha ball, that he is supposed to retrieve, and that could make him an unstoppable warrior. The abilities of vampires are woven seamlessly into the already-supernatural talents of ninjas, and the questions of spiritual consequences for these abilities give Taro some interesting moments of introspection. Japanese folklore and history blend well with the fantasy world that Lake has created, and the Zen-styled lessons that Taro learns over the course of the novel give depth to the fast-paced adventure. Graduates of Masashi Kishimoto's "Naruto" (Viz Media) series who are looking for a reading challenge will find much to enjoy here.—Alana Joli Abbott, formerly at James Blackstone Memorial Library, Branford, CT
Vampiric ninja Taro, caught up in the political intrigue of feudal Japan, finds himself fighting Lord Oda while being played by Lord Tokugawa who has his own plans for the boy. As if this all weren't enough, Lake throws in Buddhist mysticism and magical orbs to further the plot. Still, as outlandish as it all seems, these devices do keep the action going.
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