Customer Reviews

Blood Ninja II: The Revenge of Lord Oda

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
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The quest for the Buddha ball continues in Nick Lake's follow up to his debut novel (Blood Ninja). Male protagonist, Taro, born and raised as a peasant in a fishing village, continues to come to grips with the fact he is now not only a ninja vampire, but also the lost son of Lord Tokugawa, the most powerful daimyo of 16th century Japan. Accompanied by his most loyal friend, Hiro, and the beautiful wakizashi wielding princess, Hana, daughter of Lord Oda, the second most powerful daimyo, Taro continues on his quest to find his mother and beat the evil Lord Oda at retrieving the all-powerful Buddha ball.

In a literary world of YA that is so clearly dominated by female protagonists and female readership, I applaud Mr. Lake for putting out something for the guys. With abundant violence, plentiful swordplay, and more blood than both volumes of Kill Bill combined, BN II is an action-packed read. Fans of the increasingly popular anime graphic novels will find the Blood Ninja series a worthwhile read--plenty of anime-esque fun yet with more substance.

Not a teen male? Don't despair. Fans of paranormal romance should find enough to be happy about even though these vampires don't sparkle in the sunlight. Mr. Lake has successfully created main characters I actually care about, who struggle internally with the choices they make and the violence surrounding them. And I must confess...I like the bad guys too. Add in a budding romance between a peasant boy and a princess and two female characters that can wield a sword as well as any man? I'm so there. I anxiously await the release the next book. Type quickly, Mr. Lake. And allow me to officially cast my ballot for a happy ending.

The book looked good, felt good, reads even better. It shipped quickly too! Really couldn't ask for more. There really isn't anything I can say bad about this. All things considered though, I wish I could have found it at a bookstore.... Guess it just really isn't that popular.

This book is a delightful cacophony of betrayal, love, and loss. It reaches into your heart and draws pity for Taro as he heads on his epic adventure against the notorious Lord Oda Nobunga. The book has many unexpected twists and turns and keeps you enraptured from the title page to the very last word.