I almost didn't buy this book. I'm not even sure why I brought this book. Maybe it's the cover; I don't know.


Brave Story tells the interior and exterior of a young boy's struggle to deal with his changing family situation. There are similarities, as another review pointed out, to The Neverending Story, but the allergory between the magical world and inner self of the boy is more obivious.

The characters are well drawn and while the main character is a boy, there are several strong female characters. In many ways, the most powerful section of the book is the beginning where the home life of the boy is set up and then ripped asunder.

There is heavy reference to video games, culture, and manga, but the book is easy to get into , though at times a little slow. But this is one of those supposedly YA books that is really an adult book.