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Eye of the Ninja
Blink--and you'll miss her.
Mei Barrett has been hiding all of her life. Raised in solitude by her beloved father, she's been trained to fight, to adapt, to defend. She couldn't prevent his death, however, when it comes at the hands of a mysterious creature straight out of legend. She could only run--and learn how to hide in plain sight.
For four long years Mei has lived alone on the fringes of a society still recovering from the devastation of quakes and disasters along the infamous Ring of Fire. Mei's concerns are more immediate however. She must hide her eyes and their despised mutation, and she must stay one step ahead of the strange wind demon that continues to hunt her.
Detection was inevitable. But Mei begins to make some discoveries of her own. For it seems that her old enemy is not the only mythical creature on the loose. Nor is she the only one fighting them.
And perhaps her own tragedies are not as far removed from those the world is facing, after all.
Mei Barrett has been hiding all of her life. Raised in solitude by her beloved father, she's been trained to fight, to adapt, to defend. She couldn't prevent his death, however, when it comes at the hands of a mysterious creature straight out of legend. She could only run--and learn how to hide in plain sight.
For four long years Mei has lived alone on the fringes of a society still recovering from the devastation of quakes and disasters along the infamous Ring of Fire. Mei's concerns are more immediate however. She must hide her eyes and their despised mutation, and she must stay one step ahead of the strange wind demon that continues to hunt her.
Detection was inevitable. But Mei begins to make some discoveries of her own. For it seems that her old enemy is not the only mythical creature on the loose. Nor is she the only one fighting them.
And perhaps her own tragedies are not as far removed from those the world is facing, after all.
- GenresFantasy
292 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2015
About the author
D.M. Marlowe
3 books14 followersD. M. Marlowe lives in North Carolina with her family and two cats. When she is not spoiling them all, she is probably writing. Failing that, she's likely lost in a book or movie, on a long walk, gardening or hanging with her friends.
In her other life, she is a USA Today Bestselling author of Historical Romance as Deb Marlowe.
https://www.facebook.com/d.m.marlowe
In her other life, she is a USA Today Bestselling author of Historical Romance as Deb Marlowe.
https://www.facebook.com/d.m.marlowe
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 19, 2015
Loved this book, seriously cannot wait for the next one.
In this book Mei was been running for four years, since her father was killed by some otherworldly wind creature. Now she meets Ken Sato, and finds there are many other yhat have been looking for her all these years. A village that her father came from before she was was born. She decides to trav r l with him and see what she can learn of fighting this creature that keeps hunting her.
This book is seeped in Japanese mythos and culture. The colors are vivid, the rhythm is fast and smooth, one page to the next. Just keeps you reading as Mei learns to trust others, learns more about her heritage of being born into a ninja clan. She finds two other good friends besides Ken, and another that she is not sure what to do with, he seems like friend, but then they find something something out about him and it brings everything into question. Can he prove himself?
This is a YA book that will entrance audiences of all ages and genres. You must pick up this first book by this new voice in fanasty fiction. Definately five star read.
In this book Mei was been running for four years, since her father was killed by some otherworldly wind creature. Now she meets Ken Sato, and finds there are many other yhat have been looking for her all these years. A village that her father came from before she was was born. She decides to trav r l with him and see what she can learn of fighting this creature that keeps hunting her.
This book is seeped in Japanese mythos and culture. The colors are vivid, the rhythm is fast and smooth, one page to the next. Just keeps you reading as Mei learns to trust others, learns more about her heritage of being born into a ninja clan. She finds two other good friends besides Ken, and another that she is not sure what to do with, he seems like friend, but then they find something something out about him and it brings everything into question. Can he prove himself?
This is a YA book that will entrance audiences of all ages and genres. You must pick up this first book by this new voice in fanasty fiction. Definately five star read.
April 29, 2016
D.M. Marlowe, how did you do that? How did you come up with this other world and language? I am amazed and astonished and absolutely loved it. Wow!
February 24, 2017
Mei Barrett has been hiding all of her life. Raised in solitude by her beloved father, she’s been trained to fight, to adapt, to defend. She couldn’t prevent his death, however, when it comes at the hands of a mysterious creature straight out of legend. She could only run and learn how to hide in plain sight.
For four long years Mei has lived alone on the fringes of a society still recovering from the devastation of quakes and disasters along the infamous Ring of Fire. Mei’s concerns are more immediate however. She must hide her eyes and their despised mutation, and she must stay one step ahead of the strange wind demon that continues to hunt her.
That is, until the day the new guy Ken shows up. He seems to always be on the fringe of the group and Mei catches him watching her. Mei finds herself drawn to him though she continues to keep her distance. Ken seems to know who she is and Mei finds herself trusting enough to follow him to his home. Ken claims this is also Mei’s home and everyone there has been looking for her for a long time. Mei begins to make some discoveries of her own. It seems that her old enemy is not the only mythical creature on the loose. Nor is she the only one fighting them.
I love the author’s other books, this is a very different genre for me but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was of course well written, the characters were well portrayed & the pace of the book very good. I found myself caught up in the story & fascinated by the Japanese folklore. The dystopian futuristic world of JanFran is well described making it easy to visualise. I’d definitely recommend the book & look forward to the next in the series
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book
For four long years Mei has lived alone on the fringes of a society still recovering from the devastation of quakes and disasters along the infamous Ring of Fire. Mei’s concerns are more immediate however. She must hide her eyes and their despised mutation, and she must stay one step ahead of the strange wind demon that continues to hunt her.
That is, until the day the new guy Ken shows up. He seems to always be on the fringe of the group and Mei catches him watching her. Mei finds herself drawn to him though she continues to keep her distance. Ken seems to know who she is and Mei finds herself trusting enough to follow him to his home. Ken claims this is also Mei’s home and everyone there has been looking for her for a long time. Mei begins to make some discoveries of her own. It seems that her old enemy is not the only mythical creature on the loose. Nor is she the only one fighting them.
I love the author’s other books, this is a very different genre for me but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was of course well written, the characters were well portrayed & the pace of the book very good. I found myself caught up in the story & fascinated by the Japanese folklore. The dystopian futuristic world of JanFran is well described making it easy to visualise. I’d definitely recommend the book & look forward to the next in the series
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book
December 21, 2020
This was a fun book though a bit obviously exactly what it was, a Japanese myth heavy book written by an American anime fan (which is okay, since I met the author at an anime con, there is a market for that).
Mei Barret is born into a world that has seen severe disasters stemming from the Ring of Fire. She has pupils shaped like starbursts (not going to go into what that would do to her vision) so that marks her as the new wave of 'mutants' that people who are ostracized. She lost her father who trained her to fight and hide (and she uses it to do parkour).
She is running from a yokai but she doesn't know much about the thing. Enter Ken, a young man who has abilities of his own and seems to want to help the mistrustful Mei. She decides to trust him and through Ken learns more about the forces behind her hard life. He wants to take her to a special city where she can be trained in her heritage.
Ken and Mei are well drawn characters and the action is well done. there is a hint of a love triangle that was thankfully backed off of (unless you're going to go polyamory on me I can do without love triangles).
It's a good story and the main storyline does wrap up but that is just the opener to a much longer story. I'd be interested in seeing more
Mei Barret is born into a world that has seen severe disasters stemming from the Ring of Fire. She has pupils shaped like starbursts (not going to go into what that would do to her vision) so that marks her as the new wave of 'mutants' that people who are ostracized. She lost her father who trained her to fight and hide (and she uses it to do parkour).
She is running from a yokai but she doesn't know much about the thing. Enter Ken, a young man who has abilities of his own and seems to want to help the mistrustful Mei. She decides to trust him and through Ken learns more about the forces behind her hard life. He wants to take her to a special city where she can be trained in her heritage.
Ken and Mei are well drawn characters and the action is well done. there is a hint of a love triangle that was thankfully backed off of (unless you're going to go polyamory on me I can do without love triangles).
It's a good story and the main storyline does wrap up but that is just the opener to a much longer story. I'd be interested in seeing more
February 29, 2016
"On the run!"
Eye of the Ninja is the story about Mei Barrett who just wants to have a normal teenage life. Instead she has been running for her entire life. After the death of her father by an invisible evil, Mei is on her own and not only running, but in hiding.
Mei who is tired from the constant running and hiding from the creatures and the evil that is continually hunting for her, joins a group that trains in “Parkour”. She keeps her distance though she yearns to become a real member of the group. That is, until the day the new guy Ken shows up. He seems to always be on the fringe of the group and Mei catches him watching her. Mei finds herself drawn to him though she continues to keep her distance. Ken seems to know who she is and Mei finds herself trusting enough to follow him to his home. Ken claims this is also Mei’s home and everyone there has been looking for her for a long time. Mei who is starved for family and friends is untrusting but willing to go to Ryu to see if this is true. Along their travels they meet up with Reik who joins them on the trip to Ryu.
Eye of the Ninja is a story based on Japanese legend and folklore. After Japan is destroyed along with the West Coast of the US a dystopian futuristic world is created as JanFran. JanFran is slightly magical and with a tone of mysticism creates an imaginative tale.
The story is fast-paced, interesting to read and has many adventures throughout and there are plenty of new creatures the trio deals with along the way. These Creatures all seem to want the same thing--to capture Mei. The start of a romantic interest between Ken and Mei, which Reik seems to want to break up before it happens provides for a nice romantic twist.
I really enjoyed reading Eye of the Ninja. The characters were well developed and interesting to get to know. The author has done a remarkable job with providing enough detail in describing JanFran, the Japanese legends and the magical qualities that it is easy to visualize.
The cliff-hanger at the end is well done and provided me with enough curiosity to want to read Book 2 to see what happens next.
I highly recommend Eye of the Ninja as a very good read and give it 4.5 stars. Though this title is classified in the YA genre, any adult who likes to read a new and interesting story would thoroughly enjoy reading this as well.
Eye of the Ninja is the story about Mei Barrett who just wants to have a normal teenage life. Instead she has been running for her entire life. After the death of her father by an invisible evil, Mei is on her own and not only running, but in hiding.
Mei who is tired from the constant running and hiding from the creatures and the evil that is continually hunting for her, joins a group that trains in “Parkour”. She keeps her distance though she yearns to become a real member of the group. That is, until the day the new guy Ken shows up. He seems to always be on the fringe of the group and Mei catches him watching her. Mei finds herself drawn to him though she continues to keep her distance. Ken seems to know who she is and Mei finds herself trusting enough to follow him to his home. Ken claims this is also Mei’s home and everyone there has been looking for her for a long time. Mei who is starved for family and friends is untrusting but willing to go to Ryu to see if this is true. Along their travels they meet up with Reik who joins them on the trip to Ryu.
Eye of the Ninja is a story based on Japanese legend and folklore. After Japan is destroyed along with the West Coast of the US a dystopian futuristic world is created as JanFran. JanFran is slightly magical and with a tone of mysticism creates an imaginative tale.
The story is fast-paced, interesting to read and has many adventures throughout and there are plenty of new creatures the trio deals with along the way. These Creatures all seem to want the same thing--to capture Mei. The start of a romantic interest between Ken and Mei, which Reik seems to want to break up before it happens provides for a nice romantic twist.
I really enjoyed reading Eye of the Ninja. The characters were well developed and interesting to get to know. The author has done a remarkable job with providing enough detail in describing JanFran, the Japanese legends and the magical qualities that it is easy to visualize.
The cliff-hanger at the end is well done and provided me with enough curiosity to want to read Book 2 to see what happens next.
I highly recommend Eye of the Ninja as a very good read and give it 4.5 stars. Though this title is classified in the YA genre, any adult who likes to read a new and interesting story would thoroughly enjoy reading this as well.
March 28, 2017
*This book was provided by the publisher/author for an honest review.*
Eye of the Ninja was the book I've been dying for! I love Japanese folklore and ninjas and this YA did it perfectly! In a dystopian future where the world is now called JanFran. Mei is on the run and in hiding after her father's death, so to stave off loneliness she joins a parkour group. I can't believe I never made the connection between ninjas and parkour. It was described so well that I want to try parkour now! One day with the group, she meets the mysterious Ken who claims that he's from the ninja village that she's originally from. Curious about her history, she takes a leap of faith and follows him back to his home.
Don't let that fool you though, this book is full of action and expertly-written fight scenes! Mei was an amazing teen heroine, more concerned about her safety and the creatures around her than boys
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one.
*This review was done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our review process feel free to check out our fanpage www.Facebook.com/NerdGirl.NG
Merged review:
*This book was provided by the publisher/author for an honest review.*
Eye of the Ninja was the book I've been dying for! I love Japanese folklore and ninjas and this YA did it perfectly! In a dystopian future where the world is now called JanFran. Mei is on the run and in hiding after her father's death, so to stave off loneliness she joins a parkour group. I can't believe I never made the connection between ninjas and parkour. It was described so well that I want to try parkour now! One day with the group, she meets the mysterious Ken who claims that he's from the ninja village that she's originally from. Curious about her history, she takes a leap of faith and follows him back to his home.
Don't let that fool you though, this book is full of action and expertly-written fight scenes! Mei was an amazing teen heroine, more concerned about her safety and the creatures around her than boys
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one.
*This review was done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our review process feel free to check out our fanpage www.Facebook.com/NerdGirl.NG
Eye of the Ninja was the book I've been dying for! I love Japanese folklore and ninjas and this YA did it perfectly! In a dystopian future where the world is now called JanFran. Mei is on the run and in hiding after her father's death, so to stave off loneliness she joins a parkour group. I can't believe I never made the connection between ninjas and parkour. It was described so well that I want to try parkour now! One day with the group, she meets the mysterious Ken who claims that he's from the ninja village that she's originally from. Curious about her history, she takes a leap of faith and follows him back to his home.
Don't let that fool you though, this book is full of action and expertly-written fight scenes! Mei was an amazing teen heroine, more concerned about her safety and the creatures around her than boys
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one.
*This review was done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our review process feel free to check out our fanpage www.Facebook.com/NerdGirl.NG
Merged review:
*This book was provided by the publisher/author for an honest review.*
Eye of the Ninja was the book I've been dying for! I love Japanese folklore and ninjas and this YA did it perfectly! In a dystopian future where the world is now called JanFran. Mei is on the run and in hiding after her father's death, so to stave off loneliness she joins a parkour group. I can't believe I never made the connection between ninjas and parkour. It was described so well that I want to try parkour now! One day with the group, she meets the mysterious Ken who claims that he's from the ninja village that she's originally from. Curious about her history, she takes a leap of faith and follows him back to his home.
Don't let that fool you though, this book is full of action and expertly-written fight scenes! Mei was an amazing teen heroine, more concerned about her safety and the creatures around her than boys
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one.
*This review was done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our review process feel free to check out our fanpage www.Facebook.com/NerdGirl.NG
February 16, 2017
The story is woven around fantasy and magic centering on the traditions of the Japanese. The characters are expertly woven into a story that combines both of some of the traditions of the Japanese and a present day world that has experience devastation based on those traditions and myths. The story further combines the magic, hope, and love of a proud people into a very endearing story that should only get better as the series continues. A very good story to read and to occupy a couple of hours time.
August 16, 2018
"Eye of the Ninja" eBook was published in 2015 and was written by D.M. Marlowe (http://www.dmmarlowe.com). Ms. Marlowe has published three novels in her "Eye of the Ninja Chronicles" series. This is the first novel in the series.
I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘PG’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set in the near future. Earthquakes and other disasters have claimed the 'ring of fire' around the Pacific leaving Japan devastated.
The primary character in the story is young Mei Barrett. She has been raised by her father and trained in the Ninja arts. When he is killed she spends four years in hiding. She suffers from a mutation of her eyes that draw attention to her where ever she goes. She must avoid any attention if she is to continue to avoid the wind demon that killed her father.
She finds that there are others that are fighting the demons. Others that knew her mother and father. Others that may become the friends, the allies, and the family that she has been missing.
I enjoyed the 8+ hours I spent reading this 277 page young adult fantasy. There is a lot of Japanese cultures embedded in this novel. I also felt that it was a little disjointed, particularly in the beginning. It also seemed to end more abruptly than it needed to. It is a mixture of martial arts and the supernatural. I do like the cover art. I give this novel a 3.8 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.
Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.
I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘PG’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set in the near future. Earthquakes and other disasters have claimed the 'ring of fire' around the Pacific leaving Japan devastated.
The primary character in the story is young Mei Barrett. She has been raised by her father and trained in the Ninja arts. When he is killed she spends four years in hiding. She suffers from a mutation of her eyes that draw attention to her where ever she goes. She must avoid any attention if she is to continue to avoid the wind demon that killed her father.
She finds that there are others that are fighting the demons. Others that knew her mother and father. Others that may become the friends, the allies, and the family that she has been missing.
I enjoyed the 8+ hours I spent reading this 277 page young adult fantasy. There is a lot of Japanese cultures embedded in this novel. I also felt that it was a little disjointed, particularly in the beginning. It also seemed to end more abruptly than it needed to. It is a mixture of martial arts and the supernatural. I do like the cover art. I give this novel a 3.8 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.
Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.
September 10, 2015
Mei Barrett has been on the run with her father for her entire life. The day he’s murdered by an invisible evil, Mei’s left alone in the world, haunted down by creatures she’s never seen or heard of – straight from Japanese legend. Legends come to life in this slightly magically dystopian novel of a time where Japan was destroyed as well as West Coast of US to create JanFran – all because of the horrors that are wreaked from the spirit world.
Tired of being alone, Mei lets her guard down and joins a parkour group only to become drawn to handsome Ken who shockingly knows exactly who she is and how to help her. Despite her distrustful nature –for survival- Mei decides to follow Ken and to receive answers to her many questions. The journey, filled with danger and strangers, only adds more questions to her never-ending list and confusion as her draws closer both to Ken and another mysterious stranger that joins her on her journey.
I haven’t come across too many young adult novels that are full with Japanese legend; the few that I’ve read (eons ago it seems!) have stuck with me and Eye of the Ninja will do the same. I’m not sure if I would immediately read the sequel in terms of having the first book end on a cliffhanger (not so much) – but for sure it’ll be added to my list of books to read.
Tired of being alone, Mei lets her guard down and joins a parkour group only to become drawn to handsome Ken who shockingly knows exactly who she is and how to help her. Despite her distrustful nature –for survival- Mei decides to follow Ken and to receive answers to her many questions. The journey, filled with danger and strangers, only adds more questions to her never-ending list and confusion as her draws closer both to Ken and another mysterious stranger that joins her on her journey.
I haven’t come across too many young adult novels that are full with Japanese legend; the few that I’ve read (eons ago it seems!) have stuck with me and Eye of the Ninja will do the same. I’m not sure if I would immediately read the sequel in terms of having the first book end on a cliffhanger (not so much) – but for sure it’ll be added to my list of books to read.
June 24, 2016
Mei has been hiding all her life from a demon that wants to kill her. After the demon kills her father, she manages to carry on hiding until she's discovered by a scout from a mysterious village that could hold answers to her history. Getting there will be difficult, and that's only the beginning.
What worked: I liked that Mei is not a girly girl. Her character's history explains her behavior - there is a rational for why she is not super trusting, why she knows how to fight (finally! A character who has had years and years of training to back up the fighting skills!), how she knows how to survive, etc. While she is a "Chosen One" type character, the author's aware that's she's playing with tropes and handles them well. There's a good deal of mythology behind the world the author's created, and we've only seen bits and pieces. The clues given suggest there's a much bigger mythos there and it's intriguing; I'd like to know more. I liked that the author did her research on the parkour culture in Raleigh, NC and knew that NC State's campus was a favorite place for the activity.
What didn't work for me: some of the fight sequences included martial arts details that were inaccurate. This probably won't bother 99% of readers.
Survey Says? I'll pick up the sequel.
What worked: I liked that Mei is not a girly girl. Her character's history explains her behavior - there is a rational for why she is not super trusting, why she knows how to fight (finally! A character who has had years and years of training to back up the fighting skills!), how she knows how to survive, etc. While she is a "Chosen One" type character, the author's aware that's she's playing with tropes and handles them well. There's a good deal of mythology behind the world the author's created, and we've only seen bits and pieces. The clues given suggest there's a much bigger mythos there and it's intriguing; I'd like to know more. I liked that the author did her research on the parkour culture in Raleigh, NC and knew that NC State's campus was a favorite place for the activity.
What didn't work for me: some of the fight sequences included martial arts details that were inaccurate. This probably won't bother 99% of readers.
Survey Says? I'll pick up the sequel.
July 4, 2018
*voluntarily and honestly reviewed the ARC I received from NetGalley*
It's a 3.5 for me. I liked the way it started. It had a few slow bumps for me within the handful of chapters it took them to start seeing other dangers and allies, but things picked back up when they were closer to Ryu, their destination. This is the first I've read of the author and her writing style is pretty cool. Easy to sink into. Things were a lot more exciting when Mei was at Ken's village, mainly because you finally get to know what's really going on.
It's a 3.5 for me. I liked the way it started. It had a few slow bumps for me within the handful of chapters it took them to start seeing other dangers and allies, but things picked back up when they were closer to Ryu, their destination. This is the first I've read of the author and her writing style is pretty cool. Easy to sink into. Things were a lot more exciting when Mei was at Ken's village, mainly because you finally get to know what's really going on.
September 8, 2015
Fresh plot, great action combining a mix of mystery, action and paranormal elements with with interesting characters, creating a wonderful book that I really enjoyed. The next one in the series should be out in December 2015 and I can't wait to read it.This review was originally posted on Books In Brogan
July 17, 2018
I received an early release copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I struggled to continue reading this book. Its pacing wasnt consistent enough for me, parts of it I felt extremely confused and lost as pieces weren't lining up for me. I was really hopeful for this book but it didn't fulfill my reading need. Mei seemed like a character I could love but the connection never happened for me.
1 out of 5 stars
I struggled to continue reading this book. Its pacing wasnt consistent enough for me, parts of it I felt extremely confused and lost as pieces weren't lining up for me. I was really hopeful for this book but it didn't fulfill my reading need. Mei seemed like a character I could love but the connection never happened for me.
1 out of 5 stars
October 7, 2015
Seriously enjoyed this. Fast moving, kept me turning pages. Loved Mei, and the new people she met. My favorite part was in the village of Ryu and I loved 'meeting' the creatures from Japanese folklore. Holding my breath for the next one!
March 16, 2019
This was an interesting read. Some of the Japanese references felt slightly off, but the book still pulled me in. The characters felt real and most of them fit in the story.
Torwads the end, it felt rushed and the ending really needed to be extended more.
Torwads the end, it felt rushed and the ending really needed to be extended more.
March 11, 2016
A fun mix of dystopian, fantasy, and Japanese mythology. The end felt a little rushed, though.
June 3, 2018
Fresh plot, great action combining a mix of mystery, action and paranormal elements with with interesting characters, creating a wonderful book that I really enjoyed.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews