A Thousand Steps Into the Night by Traci Chee

A Thousand Steps Into the Night Book Review 

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3.75 out of 5)

Thank you to everyone who responded to February’s book review survey. A Thousand Steps Into the Night by Traci Chee won majority vote. 

After reading The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh (last month’s book) I was very impressed with the fantasy-adventure-esque genre. So, while I was browsing in the bookstore, a Japanese-inspired adventure into the world of spirits and demons immediately piqued my interest. The overall plot of this book had so much potential, and it seemed like a Studio Ghibli story. I thought Traci Chee did an excellent job at world-building, with clear and vivid descriptions of mythical beasts and spirits. While Miuko was the protagonist, my favorite character was Geiki. I enjoyed reading about his mischievous behavior rooted in him being a thieving bird spirit.

However, the reason why the book is not five stars is because of the execution. The pacing of the first part of the book was very slow, however, the second half of the book felt very rushed to finish the story. I also disliked how although the book was inspired by Japan, the actual language used was a made-up language called Awaran. Many of the characters had multiple names that they went by because it seemed like the author trying to squeeze in a reason for Awaran in the book, and it just ended up being unclear. There were footnotes to translate Awaran words at the bottom of almost every page, but there were also footnotes with just the word and no translation, which was confusing. I felt that Awaran and some plot points in the book were unnecessary for the story. Some other plot points felt important, like Miuko’s absent mother who was mentioned multiple times, which we never really get to learn about and were left unfinished. 

Miuko was just an ordinary girl, the daughter of an innkeeper in a very small town. But one night, she is cursed and slowly begins to become a demon with death at her every touch. Shunned and chased out of her town, she is forced to begin her journey to reverse the curse and return to her normal life. With her newfound powers, Miuko has to protect herself from humans, spirits, and gods. Helped by a thieving bird spirit, she faces a whole new world far from the home she once knew. 

If you would like to read more content like this, follow me!