Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind
A thrilling fantasy series about a twelve year old girl who sets out to save her Shinto goddess mother—and the world—by facing down demons intent on bringing chaos.
“A grand adventure.” —Brandon Mull, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fablehaven
“A wild ride of a novel…hilarious.” —Sayantani DasGupta, New York Times bestselling author of The Kingdom Beyond
All Momo wants for her twelfth birthday is an ordinary life—like everyone else's. At home, she has to take care of her absentminded widowed mother. At school, kids ridicule her for mixing up reality with the magical stories her mother used to tell her.
But then Momo’s mother falls gravely ill, and a death hag straight out of those childhood stories attacks Momo at the mall, where she’s rescued by a talking fox . . . and “ordinary” goes out the window. It turns out that Momo's mother is a banished Shinto goddess who used to protect a long-forgotten passageway to Yomi—a.k.a. the land of the dead. That passageway is now under attack, and countless evil spirits threaten to escape and wreak havoc across the earth.
Joined by Niko the fox and Danny—her former best friend turned popular jerk, whom she never planned to speak to again, much less save the world with—Momo must embrace her (definitely not "ordinary") identity as half human, half goddess to unlock her divine powers, save her mother’s life, and force the demons back to Yomi.
“A grand adventure.” —Brandon Mull, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fablehaven
“A wild ride of a novel…hilarious.” —Sayantani DasGupta, New York Times bestselling author of The Kingdom Beyond
All Momo wants for her twelfth birthday is an ordinary life—like everyone else's. At home, she has to take care of her absentminded widowed mother. At school, kids ridicule her for mixing up reality with the magical stories her mother used to tell her.
But then Momo’s mother falls gravely ill, and a death hag straight out of those childhood stories attacks Momo at the mall, where she’s rescued by a talking fox . . . and “ordinary” goes out the window. It turns out that Momo's mother is a banished Shinto goddess who used to protect a long-forgotten passageway to Yomi—a.k.a. the land of the dead. That passageway is now under attack, and countless evil spirits threaten to escape and wreak havoc across the earth.
Joined by Niko the fox and Danny—her former best friend turned popular jerk, whom she never planned to speak to again, much less save the world with—Momo must embrace her (definitely not "ordinary") identity as half human, half goddess to unlock her divine powers, save her mother’s life, and force the demons back to Yomi.
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Community Reviews
Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop
Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind starts a new series about three young ones who are swept together to save Momo’s mom, a former Shinto Priestess, and the world from demons.
Storytelling
I think my favorite part of the novel was the chapter titles. I absolutely loved the chapters heading because they were fun. You had the first chapter titled “Happy Birthday to Me,” and then later on one titled “Think of it as ‘borrowing in a time of great need.” All the chapter titles are fun and engaging, and they made me smile or laugh because they gave me something to look forward to. They captured the novel’s tone and attitude, drawing the reader in. I immediately reacted as I read every chapter heading: “Oh boy, what will happen next.”
This tone was reflected in the storytelling and pacing of the novel. It was fun and adventurous and really carried on throughout the novel.
Characterization
What also made Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind a fun read was the characterization.
Momo is a great character, especially because she is an outcast. Maybe I just have a soft spot for the misfits and the outcasts, but she has such a wonderful, if not slightly strained, relationship with her mother. She loves her mother, but it becomes a strain when she is bullied for believing her mother’s wonderous tales and taking them as fact.
Until she discovers that she is not, in fact, crazy or imaginative. Her mother’s stories were true, and Momo, it turns out, is a half-goddess. Talk about an awakening.
Her journey is one about acceptance and loving herself because it is hard to love yourself when your best friend turns their back on you to join the popular crowd and you’re bullied almost every day. But that makes her relatable, mainly because young ones struggle with loving themselves and need to find that confidence to believe in themselves.
This creates a lot of tension for Danny, the former best friend. Danny can see what she sees and decides to join her, help her, and be the friend he knew he should have always been. But for Momo, the past is not easily forgiven or forgotten.
Final Thoughts
I absolutely loved Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind. It was a great read that was engaging and entertaining from start to finish.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
A brilliant and action-packed start to a new series, Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind follows three young kids on a journey to save the world from demons.
Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind starts a new series about three young ones who are swept together to save Momo’s mom, a former Shinto Priestess, and the world from demons.
Storytelling
I think my favorite part of the novel was the chapter titles. I absolutely loved the chapters heading because they were fun. You had the first chapter titled “Happy Birthday to Me,” and then later on one titled “Think of it as ‘borrowing in a time of great need.” All the chapter titles are fun and engaging, and they made me smile or laugh because they gave me something to look forward to. They captured the novel’s tone and attitude, drawing the reader in. I immediately reacted as I read every chapter heading: “Oh boy, what will happen next.”
This tone was reflected in the storytelling and pacing of the novel. It was fun and adventurous and really carried on throughout the novel.
Characterization
What also made Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind a fun read was the characterization.
Momo is a great character, especially because she is an outcast. Maybe I just have a soft spot for the misfits and the outcasts, but she has such a wonderful, if not slightly strained, relationship with her mother. She loves her mother, but it becomes a strain when she is bullied for believing her mother’s wonderous tales and taking them as fact.
Until she discovers that she is not, in fact, crazy or imaginative. Her mother’s stories were true, and Momo, it turns out, is a half-goddess. Talk about an awakening.
Her journey is one about acceptance and loving herself because it is hard to love yourself when your best friend turns their back on you to join the popular crowd and you’re bullied almost every day. But that makes her relatable, mainly because young ones struggle with loving themselves and need to find that confidence to believe in themselves.
This creates a lot of tension for Danny, the former best friend. Danny can see what she sees and decides to join her, help her, and be the friend he knew he should have always been. But for Momo, the past is not easily forgiven or forgotten.
Final Thoughts
I absolutely loved Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind. It was a great read that was engaging and entertaining from start to finish.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
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