Guardian of the Darkness

Starred review from April 27, 2009
Two series from Japan take aim at U.S. readers.
Moribito II: Guardian of the Darkness
Nahoko Uehashi
, trans. by Cathy Hirano. Scholastic/Levine
, $17.99 (272p) ISBN 978-0-545-10295-7

Having successfully protected young Prince Chagum in 2008's Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit
, Balsa, a spear-wielding warrior, ventures to her rocky homeland of Kanbal in this sequel. Once again, Uehashi immerses readers in the culture, traditions, mythology—even diet—of the populace, creating a full, captivating world. Upon her return, Balsa rescues a pair of siblings in the area's caves (home to the mysterious hyohlu
, the guardians of the darkness). She is soon marked as a fugitive, but with help she still uncovers a wide-ranging plot involving her deceased mentor and a scheme to attack the underground kingdom of the Mountain King. Uehashi explores themes of family and honesty with rich prose and compelling characters. Powerful and loyal, Balsa is the core draw (“Although her hands were bound and she was held captive, Balsa's eyes were filled with a fierce light, like a fighter ready to enter the ring”), but the cast of secondary characters are well developed and intriguing in their own right. Add to that some intense spear battles and a gripping finale, and this growing series has something for everyone. Ages 10–up.

August 1, 2009
Gr 6 Up-Though a sequel, "Moribito II" stands on its own as an engrossing story of redemption, with seasoned warrior and bodyguard Balsa back in the center of it all. Seeking to relieve the emotional burden she had been carrying since her foster father died more than 20 years earlier, she returns to her native country of Kanbal. Just a few steps into her homeland, she rescues two children and duels a cave-dwelling mountain spirit. This encounter becomes a catalyst for two worlds to eventually mingle: the human one full of political conspiracy and a reawakened mythological one. Both come alive with the wonderful attention to detail, from descriptions of the geography, food, and social structure to the ceremony where humans come face to face with their gods. Fast-paced action scenes (frenzied but not overly violent) help lessen the weightiness of this epic, where themes like a boy's coming of age, family betrayal, and the consequences of unchecked ambition are also explored. So steeped in anime sensibilities that one could almost imagine commercial breaks between chapters, this series serves as a smooth transition between manga and straight narrative."Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2009
Grades 6-9 The genre-blending adventures in the Moribito series continue, with Balsa returning to her birthplace to find both innocence and political trickery. Not just for manga devotees, this anime-inspired prose series, featuring a large but well differentiated cast of characters and constant plot twists, is a good choice for fans of both historical fiction and fantasy. High production and the beautiful artwork found between sections and decorating pages lend visual texture in spite of the traditional novel format. Newcomers will want to go back to pick up Guardian of the Spirit (2008) but need not do so to be plunged into the story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)