#25 The Heavenward Path by Kara Dalkey
Little Sister was one of my favorite reads of 2008, so I was very much looking forward to reading The Heavenward Path, the out-of-print 
sequel. I bought an ex-library copy on amazon used. Once it arrived in the mail, I immediately dove into its pages. Although the prose is not quite as beautiful as Little Sister, I was very much seduced by Mitsuko’s second adventure.
When The Heavenward Path opens, Mitsuko is spending her time at the Sukaku Temple where she is studying Buddhism. Her serenity is interrupted when she learns that she has offended a ghost whose shire she promised to repair. Her life is further complicated when her father alerts her that she is to leave the temple and fulfill her duty as a daughter by getting married. Mitsuko’s life is pulled into chaos, and every move she makes seems to place her into more danger. She turns to her Tengu friend, Goranu for help, but the only way he’ll help her is if she puts his life in danger. How will Mitsuko survive her second adventure?
The Heavenward Path is admittedly a step down from Little Sister, but it’s still a great read. I loved the adventurous storyline, as poor Mitsuko has to (once again) face Gods and Monsters in order to complete her tasks. The character development is very strong as well. Mitsuko, in her time at the temple, has seemed to grow a little snobbish, but she grows and develops over the book as she faces more challenges. Fans of romance will be happy to see there is a small, but lovely love story to be found in these pages as well, as Mitsuko becomes aware of her feelings for Goranu. Perhaps the books only flaw is the ending does not quite live up to the exciting ending of the previous book.
I highly recommend that fans of Little Sister pick up this book. For those who have not read the first book, people looking for good, Asian inspired fantasy would do well to pick up these two hidden jewels. I’m only sorry that the story has to stop here.
Rating: four and half out of five stars
Length: 229 pages
Source: amazon.com
TBR Pile: 145
Similar Books: For other Japanese inspired fantasies, try the first book in this series, Little Sister ( my review), or Lian Hearn’s Tales of the Otori (which begins with Across the Nightingale Floor). Rumiko Takahashi’s Inuyasha manga series has a similar romantic storyline between a demon and human.
Other books I've read by this author: Little Sister. For short stories: "The Lady of the Ice Garden" in Firebirds, "The Hive" from Firebirds Rising, “Flatland” from Firebirds Soaring ( my review).
xposted to bookish and temporaryworlds
Two more reviews left to post: one for the Audiobook of Inkspell, the other for the second Angel: After the Fall Graphic novel
sequel. I bought an ex-library copy on amazon used. Once it arrived in the mail, I immediately dove into its pages. Although the prose is not quite as beautiful as Little Sister, I was very much seduced by Mitsuko’s second adventure.
When The Heavenward Path opens, Mitsuko is spending her time at the Sukaku Temple where she is studying Buddhism. Her serenity is interrupted when she learns that she has offended a ghost whose shire she promised to repair. Her life is further complicated when her father alerts her that she is to leave the temple and fulfill her duty as a daughter by getting married. Mitsuko’s life is pulled into chaos, and every move she makes seems to place her into more danger. She turns to her Tengu friend, Goranu for help, but the only way he’ll help her is if she puts his life in danger. How will Mitsuko survive her second adventure?
The Heavenward Path is admittedly a step down from Little Sister, but it’s still a great read. I loved the adventurous storyline, as poor Mitsuko has to (once again) face Gods and Monsters in order to complete her tasks. The character development is very strong as well. Mitsuko, in her time at the temple, has seemed to grow a little snobbish, but she grows and develops over the book as she faces more challenges. Fans of romance will be happy to see there is a small, but lovely love story to be found in these pages as well, as Mitsuko becomes aware of her feelings for Goranu. Perhaps the books only flaw is the ending does not quite live up to the exciting ending of the previous book.
I highly recommend that fans of Little Sister pick up this book. For those who have not read the first book, people looking for good, Asian inspired fantasy would do well to pick up these two hidden jewels. I’m only sorry that the story has to stop here.
Rating: four and half out of five stars
Length: 229 pages
Source: amazon.com
TBR Pile: 145
Similar Books: For other Japanese inspired fantasies, try the first book in this series, Little Sister ( my review), or Lian Hearn’s Tales of the Otori (which begins with Across the Nightingale Floor). Rumiko Takahashi’s Inuyasha manga series has a similar romantic storyline between a demon and human.
Other books I've read by this author: Little Sister. For short stories: "The Lady of the Ice Garden" in Firebirds, "The Hive" from Firebirds Rising, “Flatland” from Firebirds Soaring ( my review).
xposted to bookish and temporaryworlds
Two more reviews left to post: one for the Audiobook of Inkspell, the other for the second Angel: After the Fall Graphic novel