What do you think?
Rate this book
Blood Ninja #2
The Revenge of Lord Oda
Now that the vile Lord Oda is dead, Taro and his friends are safe in the mountain lair of the ninjas. Or so they think. When a homing pigeon arrives with news of Taro's mother's whereabouts, Taro sets out for the Tendai monastery - without stopping to consider why the pigeon, which was given to his mother months ago, took so long to arrive.
Soon, Taro, Hana and Hiro find themselves in a trap, as strange new creatures invade their lives and familiar enemies surround them - and the most deadly enemy of all is their old friend Yukiko. In the end, despite his vampire abilities, Taro is helpless to prevent the death of his mother. Furious and grief stricken, haunted by her mute and beseeching ghost, he determines to recover the object which Lord Oda was so desperate to procure before he died: the Buddha Ball, source of limitless power.
There are just two problems: first, Lord Oda is not dead. And second, the Buddha Ball is not where Taro thought. If Taro is to fulfill his destiny, he must face his arch enemy on an equal battlefield - for Lord Oda is a vampire now too. And then, to make peace with his mother, and recover the Buddha ball, Taro must go to hell and back...
Soon, Taro, Hana and Hiro find themselves in a trap, as strange new creatures invade their lives and familiar enemies surround them - and the most deadly enemy of all is their old friend Yukiko. In the end, despite his vampire abilities, Taro is helpless to prevent the death of his mother. Furious and grief stricken, haunted by her mute and beseeching ghost, he determines to recover the object which Lord Oda was so desperate to procure before he died: the Buddha Ball, source of limitless power.
There are just two problems: first, Lord Oda is not dead. And second, the Buddha Ball is not where Taro thought. If Taro is to fulfill his destiny, he must face his arch enemy on an equal battlefield - for Lord Oda is a vampire now too. And then, to make peace with his mother, and recover the Buddha ball, Taro must go to hell and back...
400 pages, Hardcover
First published November 22, 2010
32 people are currently reading
743 people want to read
About the author
Nick Lake
22 books454 followersMy name is Nick and I write and edit books for young adults. My first YA novel IN DARKNESS, was published by Bloomsbury in 2012 and won the Michael L Printz Award for Excellence in YA Literature. I also wrote a book called HOSTAGE THREE about a girl kidnapped by Somali pirates.
THERE WILL BE LIES is coming in January 15 and is about a girl who learns that everything she knows is a lie. To say it's a book with a twist in the story would be a massive understatement. There is also a talking coyote in it.
I live with my wife, daughter and son in a 16th century house in England with almost 19th century amenities. Sometimes the heating even works.
I like: reading, art, music, food containing sugar, cities at night, the countryside in the daytime, vintage furniture, modern standards of heating (see above), travelling.
I dislike: being sick, failing, being underdressed in the cold, being overdressed in the heat, the unnecessary suffering of children, being punched in the face.
THERE WILL BE LIES is coming in January 15 and is about a girl who learns that everything she knows is a lie. To say it's a book with a twist in the story would be a massive understatement. There is also a talking coyote in it.
I live with my wife, daughter and son in a 16th century house in England with almost 19th century amenities. Sometimes the heating even works.
I like: reading, art, music, food containing sugar, cities at night, the countryside in the daytime, vintage furniture, modern standards of heating (see above), travelling.
I dislike: being sick, failing, being underdressed in the cold, being overdressed in the heat, the unnecessary suffering of children, being punched in the face.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
July 4, 2022
3.5 Stars
What a great follow up to Blood Ninja! It was dark and gritty at times as Taro faces some challenges that threaten those he cares about. I like that we got to see some more character development with the main characters. There were quite a few story arcs to keep a track of but they came together smoothly. I really hope I manage to locate an audiobook of number 3 so I can continue on with the series.
CW: references to seppuku
What a great follow up to Blood Ninja! It was dark and gritty at times as Taro faces some challenges that threaten those he cares about. I like that we got to see some more character development with the main characters. There were quite a few story arcs to keep a track of but they came together smoothly. I really hope I manage to locate an audiobook of number 3 so I can continue on with the series.
CW: references to seppuku
January 17, 2013
Book Report
Tittle: Blood Ninja
Author: Nick Lake
Pages: 377
Type: Fiction
Characters: Lord Oda, Lord Tokugawa, Taro, Hana, Hayao, Kenji Kara, Kawabata, Yukiko, Shusake. This book is told from different point of views throughout the book.
Exposition
1566 was the year. Shusake a blind vampire ninja was walking when he was ambushed. He was sent by Lord Tokugawa just to meet Shusake the weapon were. The lord invited him on bored. Meanwhile Taro was learning how to read by Hana. As soon as he learned it he started to practice his sword men ship. Taro wanted to mate with Hana. Then one day Hayao had come to the monastery because he was being haunted by his dead lover which is a ghost.
Conflict
When Taro was drinking the blood of a deer he heard something. He ran back to the monastery where he lives. He saw Lord Oda's army forming at base of the mountain. He was scared because Lord Oda didn't want Taro to take his place as shogun(Leader of country) as the prophesy says. Lord Oda dominated over Taro, and the monks, almost destroying sacred scrolls. Kenji Kara was commanding at a distance with Yukiko at his side watching their samurai slaughter waves upon waves of monks coming down the hill. Their dead bodies scattered on the grass. Hayao, Taro, and Hana ran from the fight but Hana wanted to save the scrolls. Yukiko finds Taros mother and kills her as a way to get revenge(book one Taro killed Yukiko's sister).
Climax
A year after this Taro returns from hiding and goes back to Ninja Mountain to find all the ninjas were gone. Burned to death by the sun. He went back for Hayao he found him. Taro has been hunted by his mother’s death ever since he came back. So he visited hell and came back and found the Buddha Ball. It was in his dead mother’s chest. He began to cut her open and he found it. Lord Oda gathered his troops again at the bottom of the mountain this planning to crush everyone one the mountain with all his guns. Taro was ready to defeat him because he and his troops as well had guns but his were not affected by weather unlike Lord Oda. Taro had his troops in three rows just like when Kenji Kara had defeated him the first time.
Resolution
As Oda troops were coming up the mountain Taro looked into the ball and made it rain. Lord Oda’s guns were useless in the rain. Then the gap between the two armies closed and now it was hand to hand combat. The circle protecting Taro held but enemy troops still came through. Taro saw Lord Oda on the battle field. Taro used the balls power to tell all the souls in Lord Oda’s body to revolt and the lord exploded. Everyone was amazed but now Taro needed rest and to heal the large hole in his chest.
A theme in this book would be friend ship can be the death of you. Expanding on what i said about that friend ship can be the death of, Taro went back into harms way just to make sure his friend Hayao was safe. Evil thing cling to your soul like magnets, at the end of the book Taro went into the Buddha Ball and he saw a the souls that he had take from other people a Taro was going to tell him to let go of the wrong thing so that the soul could be free. Also when he commanded all the souls in Lord Oda body to retaliate. What I have learned about the human experience is that being power hungry can make you do thing that you don’t want to do. I would relate this book to nothing I have ever read because it doesn’t come close to anything else.
Tittle: Blood Ninja
Author: Nick Lake
Pages: 377
Type: Fiction
Characters: Lord Oda, Lord Tokugawa, Taro, Hana, Hayao, Kenji Kara, Kawabata, Yukiko, Shusake. This book is told from different point of views throughout the book.
Exposition
1566 was the year. Shusake a blind vampire ninja was walking when he was ambushed. He was sent by Lord Tokugawa just to meet Shusake the weapon were. The lord invited him on bored. Meanwhile Taro was learning how to read by Hana. As soon as he learned it he started to practice his sword men ship. Taro wanted to mate with Hana. Then one day Hayao had come to the monastery because he was being haunted by his dead lover which is a ghost.
Conflict
When Taro was drinking the blood of a deer he heard something. He ran back to the monastery where he lives. He saw Lord Oda's army forming at base of the mountain. He was scared because Lord Oda didn't want Taro to take his place as shogun(Leader of country) as the prophesy says. Lord Oda dominated over Taro, and the monks, almost destroying sacred scrolls. Kenji Kara was commanding at a distance with Yukiko at his side watching their samurai slaughter waves upon waves of monks coming down the hill. Their dead bodies scattered on the grass. Hayao, Taro, and Hana ran from the fight but Hana wanted to save the scrolls. Yukiko finds Taros mother and kills her as a way to get revenge(book one Taro killed Yukiko's sister).
Climax
A year after this Taro returns from hiding and goes back to Ninja Mountain to find all the ninjas were gone. Burned to death by the sun. He went back for Hayao he found him. Taro has been hunted by his mother’s death ever since he came back. So he visited hell and came back and found the Buddha Ball. It was in his dead mother’s chest. He began to cut her open and he found it. Lord Oda gathered his troops again at the bottom of the mountain this planning to crush everyone one the mountain with all his guns. Taro was ready to defeat him because he and his troops as well had guns but his were not affected by weather unlike Lord Oda. Taro had his troops in three rows just like when Kenji Kara had defeated him the first time.
Resolution
As Oda troops were coming up the mountain Taro looked into the ball and made it rain. Lord Oda’s guns were useless in the rain. Then the gap between the two armies closed and now it was hand to hand combat. The circle protecting Taro held but enemy troops still came through. Taro saw Lord Oda on the battle field. Taro used the balls power to tell all the souls in Lord Oda’s body to revolt and the lord exploded. Everyone was amazed but now Taro needed rest and to heal the large hole in his chest.
A theme in this book would be friend ship can be the death of you. Expanding on what i said about that friend ship can be the death of, Taro went back into harms way just to make sure his friend Hayao was safe. Evil thing cling to your soul like magnets, at the end of the book Taro went into the Buddha Ball and he saw a the souls that he had take from other people a Taro was going to tell him to let go of the wrong thing so that the soul could be free. Also when he commanded all the souls in Lord Oda body to retaliate. What I have learned about the human experience is that being power hungry can make you do thing that you don’t want to do. I would relate this book to nothing I have ever read because it doesn’t come close to anything else.
January 7, 2012
Blood Ninja by Nick Lake was one of my favourite reads of 2010. For me, everything was right about it. For a start, how could I not like a book where ninjas were vampires, this fact immediately explaining the secret behind their legendary powers. Add to this a story rich with historical detail, fantastic action set pieces, great characters and the occasional gory death and I felt that Nick Lake had delivered the perfect package for boys and girls who are confident readers and want something a little more challenging in their reading diet. And let's not forget that amazing book cover by Hydro74.
Eighteen months on and I am now ready here with my review of the sequel, subtitled Lord Oda's Revenge. In my mind there was a lot riding on this book - would Nick Lake be able to sustain the magic over a second volume? The answer, happily, is a resounding yes. Lord Oda's Revenge has everything its predecessor had, and more and I am slightly surprised that neither of the two books have appeared on the major children's book prize lists so far. Perhaps, like Rick Yancey's brilliant Monstrumologist books, it is just too good for the intended audience who have possibly been dumbed down by the flood of average YA titles teenagers have had to endure over the past few years?
The book picks up the story not long after the close of Blood Ninja. Taro is pining for news about his mother, whilst also being confused about where is relationship with Hana is heading. After all, although he is the lost son of Lord Tokugawa, in his mind he is really the son of a lowly fisherman and his wife, and subsequently lacks the social skills and awareness of etiquette expected of a high born Lord. Together with Hana, and his best friend Hiro, Taro sets off on a quest to find his mother and retrieve the Buddha Ball, even if he has to go to hell and back. Standing in his way is evil personified, the vile Lord Oda, as well as Yukiko, who is hell-bent on a little revenge.
The stand out element of this book for me is the character development. The middle book in a trilogy is always going to feel as if something is lacking, as the story has already been established, and no reader is going to expect a completely satisfying ending that ties off all the loose ends. Nick Lake does what George Lucas did with The Empire Strikes Back, and that is direct the reader's attention to the characters, to make up for this ultimate lack of reward come the final page. I challenge anyone who reads this book not to develop feelings for the main characters - Nick Lake really made me care about them as they faced trial after trial.
In my review of the first book I likened it more to an adventure story than a horror. I am pleased to report that the blood splatter had increased slightly in this sequel, although never to a point where it overshadows the storyline. I would not be surprised if some enterprising artist over in Japan picked this story up to turn it into a manga series. It is not an area on which I am an expert, but the few manga books I have read suggest that this story would fit perfectly within their ranks.
Eighteen months on and I am now ready here with my review of the sequel, subtitled Lord Oda's Revenge. In my mind there was a lot riding on this book - would Nick Lake be able to sustain the magic over a second volume? The answer, happily, is a resounding yes. Lord Oda's Revenge has everything its predecessor had, and more and I am slightly surprised that neither of the two books have appeared on the major children's book prize lists so far. Perhaps, like Rick Yancey's brilliant Monstrumologist books, it is just too good for the intended audience who have possibly been dumbed down by the flood of average YA titles teenagers have had to endure over the past few years?
The book picks up the story not long after the close of Blood Ninja. Taro is pining for news about his mother, whilst also being confused about where is relationship with Hana is heading. After all, although he is the lost son of Lord Tokugawa, in his mind he is really the son of a lowly fisherman and his wife, and subsequently lacks the social skills and awareness of etiquette expected of a high born Lord. Together with Hana, and his best friend Hiro, Taro sets off on a quest to find his mother and retrieve the Buddha Ball, even if he has to go to hell and back. Standing in his way is evil personified, the vile Lord Oda, as well as Yukiko, who is hell-bent on a little revenge.
The stand out element of this book for me is the character development. The middle book in a trilogy is always going to feel as if something is lacking, as the story has already been established, and no reader is going to expect a completely satisfying ending that ties off all the loose ends. Nick Lake does what George Lucas did with The Empire Strikes Back, and that is direct the reader's attention to the characters, to make up for this ultimate lack of reward come the final page. I challenge anyone who reads this book not to develop feelings for the main characters - Nick Lake really made me care about them as they faced trial after trial.
In my review of the first book I likened it more to an adventure story than a horror. I am pleased to report that the blood splatter had increased slightly in this sequel, although never to a point where it overshadows the storyline. I would not be surprised if some enterprising artist over in Japan picked this story up to turn it into a manga series. It is not an area on which I am an expert, but the few manga books I have read suggest that this story would fit perfectly within their ranks.
August 27, 2016
The second in the Blood Ninja trilogy; Lord Oda’s Revenge by Nick Lake, like its predecessor, promised action, gore and death. I am pleased to state that it delivered on all three counts. I wasn’t sure I would like Lord Oda’s Revenge as I felt the first book lacked character development; however this was not the case.
I felt much more sympathetic to Taro this time round because there were periods of contemplation in the book. He reflected on all that he had lost, friends and family he would never see again and a destiny that he never wanted. As if that wasn’t enough, he has self-esteem issues about his love interest and his love interest’s father wants to kill him!
Like Blood Ninja, Lord Oda’s Revenge starts off with a bang; immediately throwing the reader into the action. Already, there are twists in store that I never saw coming. After a brief recounting of the first book, the story follows Taro, Hiro and Hana as they journey to Mount Hiei in search of Taro’s mother whom he has not seen in almost a year. Though they are mindful of the dangers on the road, their old-friend-turned-nemesis Yukiko and the stone-cold Kenji Kira are close on their heels; hungry to fulfil Lord Oda’s deadly command.
There is a lot going on in this book which was great. I not only saw how the goodies such as Taro felt, but I was also permitted into the odious Lord Oda’s mind as well as Kenji Kira’s and Yukiko’s. While I detest them all for the things they did, I can somewhat understand why they did it. I really couldn’t wait for all these villains to get their come-uppance.
Though there were quite a few characters to keep track of, I found it remarkably easy to do so. There were a lot of journeys which gave me a sense of the incredible space the characters cover. The second half of the book was brilliant. Nick Lake out-did himself. It was very cinematic. I could completely visualise the abstract concepts Lake writes about such as death, hell and enlightenment.
I enjoyed the long, grim battle scenes that felt both fantastical and realistic. I really liked all the thought and research that went into writing Lord Oda’s Revenge. The small tales and fables that were interspersed throughout really added to the book. However, there were some characters that felt out of character at some points such as Lord Oda. I thought the book could have been shorter and still preserved its many good points.
One has to remember that this takes place in 16th century Japan and thus people viewed everything very differently; most notably the concept of honour. Ultimately, I really enjoyed Blood Ninja: Lord Oda’s Revenge. It was bloody, gruesome and unforgiving. If you hate blood, betrayals and beheadings, this is not for you. But if you love it, then what are you waiting for?
I felt much more sympathetic to Taro this time round because there were periods of contemplation in the book. He reflected on all that he had lost, friends and family he would never see again and a destiny that he never wanted. As if that wasn’t enough, he has self-esteem issues about his love interest and his love interest’s father wants to kill him!
Like Blood Ninja, Lord Oda’s Revenge starts off with a bang; immediately throwing the reader into the action. Already, there are twists in store that I never saw coming. After a brief recounting of the first book, the story follows Taro, Hiro and Hana as they journey to Mount Hiei in search of Taro’s mother whom he has not seen in almost a year. Though they are mindful of the dangers on the road, their old-friend-turned-nemesis Yukiko and the stone-cold Kenji Kira are close on their heels; hungry to fulfil Lord Oda’s deadly command.
There is a lot going on in this book which was great. I not only saw how the goodies such as Taro felt, but I was also permitted into the odious Lord Oda’s mind as well as Kenji Kira’s and Yukiko’s. While I detest them all for the things they did, I can somewhat understand why they did it. I really couldn’t wait for all these villains to get their come-uppance.
Though there were quite a few characters to keep track of, I found it remarkably easy to do so. There were a lot of journeys which gave me a sense of the incredible space the characters cover. The second half of the book was brilliant. Nick Lake out-did himself. It was very cinematic. I could completely visualise the abstract concepts Lake writes about such as death, hell and enlightenment.
I enjoyed the long, grim battle scenes that felt both fantastical and realistic. I really liked all the thought and research that went into writing Lord Oda’s Revenge. The small tales and fables that were interspersed throughout really added to the book. However, there were some characters that felt out of character at some points such as Lord Oda. I thought the book could have been shorter and still preserved its many good points.
One has to remember that this takes place in 16th century Japan and thus people viewed everything very differently; most notably the concept of honour. Ultimately, I really enjoyed Blood Ninja: Lord Oda’s Revenge. It was bloody, gruesome and unforgiving. If you hate blood, betrayals and beheadings, this is not for you. But if you love it, then what are you waiting for?
June 12, 2011
Blood ninja two is the sequel of blood ninja and in this book Taro is being hunted by Lord Oda and a samurai named Kenji Kira along with his use to be friend Yukiko, whose sister died right in front of her eyes protecting Taro. She blames Taro for her death and her hatred for Taro is relatively great. She would kill Taro and Also Kenji Kira, the one who has killed her sister. Taro has survived all the fights and challenges in the first book and now a bigger and far more dangerous adventure awaits him. Taro sets out finding his mother and even with Taro’s vampire abilities he couldn’t save his mother. His mother is killed by Yukiko who wants Taro to suffer the pain of losing a loved one like she did. She is doing whatever she can to get revenge. Taro faces challenges and sorrows as he searches for the “Buddha ball” (also what Lord Oda is searching for). If he finds the Buddha ball his prophecy will come true, where he is the next shogun. But obtaining the ball isn’t easy when his enemies, who are far more powerful than Taro, are going after it too.
This book was an excellent sequel to the first book because all the suspense it had in the beginning is also shown in this book as well. I can see that as the two books progressed on, Taro’s Character has grown. He was once an innocent boy who was brave but careless at the same time, but as the story progressed and he has seen the dead of those dear to him, he seemed to have matured. He knows his limits and how to fight without losing what he holds dear. I cannot believe the actions of Yukiko though. Who would have though a girl would wanted to know more about Taro and wondered about him, now wants to kill him even though she knows nothing about him. I don’t think it is fair for her to blame him because of her sister’s death, since her sister gave up her life on her own choice for him. Taro has done nothing wrong yet he has to suffer by witnessing the killing of his mother. This book was very interesting and Nick Lake had incorporated so much details that the killing scenes were gruesome, especially that of Kenji Kira’s death. I have to say again the plot slow but the ending was something to look forward to, since even with the death of many people and the violence killings it was a happy ending.
This book was an excellent sequel to the first book because all the suspense it had in the beginning is also shown in this book as well. I can see that as the two books progressed on, Taro’s Character has grown. He was once an innocent boy who was brave but careless at the same time, but as the story progressed and he has seen the dead of those dear to him, he seemed to have matured. He knows his limits and how to fight without losing what he holds dear. I cannot believe the actions of Yukiko though. Who would have though a girl would wanted to know more about Taro and wondered about him, now wants to kill him even though she knows nothing about him. I don’t think it is fair for her to blame him because of her sister’s death, since her sister gave up her life on her own choice for him. Taro has done nothing wrong yet he has to suffer by witnessing the killing of his mother. This book was very interesting and Nick Lake had incorporated so much details that the killing scenes were gruesome, especially that of Kenji Kira’s death. I have to say again the plot slow but the ending was something to look forward to, since even with the death of many people and the violence killings it was a happy ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 10, 2012
In Blood Ninja 2, the protagonist Taro had thought he killed the man who sought out to hill him, the evil lord Oda and all he had left was to find his mother who was hidden to be kept alive. He was wrong, he had accidentally turned the evi lord into a vampire who still sought to kill him. The friend who betrayed Taro, Yukkiko aids lord Oda by baiting Taro with him mother, so she can kill can get ger revenge on Taro, and so Lord Oda can kill him. Taro knows its a trap, but sti goes to see his mother. He finds her at a mountain of holy monks while saving a samuri from dying of being hunted. While Taros old mentor Shusaku, supposedly died in the sun because he was a vampire, is actully alive and still working for Lord Tokugawa, Lord Odas ally yet enemy and Taros real dad. And after his mother dies and Hana, his friend and love, goes into an eternal state of sleep, Taro must go to hell to speak with his dead mother so she can help him find the Buddha ball. Taro is set on another adventure that causes him yet again to lose love ones and yet he comes out alive after each threat is thrown at him.
This book is amazing, it is greater than the first- well its hard to choose but its a grear series! Especially the characters, Taro the vampire that can survive in the sun and suppose to be Shogun one day. Lord Tokugawa, still a mysterious character, yet seems to be in conrtol of the story, he planned everything that happened so far. And Kenji Kira, he was killed by Yukkiko, for he had killed her sister. He followe Taro out of hell and basically became a zombie,but then ripped off all the meat and organs so he was nothing but a waking skeleton. This book has agreat mixture of Anceint Japan and folk tale and a bit more to make it more fantastic. I would say anyone who can get thier hands on this book better read it.
This book is amazing, it is greater than the first- well its hard to choose but its a grear series! Especially the characters, Taro the vampire that can survive in the sun and suppose to be Shogun one day. Lord Tokugawa, still a mysterious character, yet seems to be in conrtol of the story, he planned everything that happened so far. And Kenji Kira, he was killed by Yukkiko, for he had killed her sister. He followe Taro out of hell and basically became a zombie,but then ripped off all the meat and organs so he was nothing but a waking skeleton. This book has agreat mixture of Anceint Japan and folk tale and a bit more to make it more fantastic. I would say anyone who can get thier hands on this book better read it.
May 31, 2013
While helping Hana train in swordplay, Taro starts to get distracted by his thoughts, which eventually stopped the training, as Taro could kill Hana if he wasn't concentrating on the training. After they stopped the training session, Taro comes across a letter that states that his mother is safe in Mount Hiei, where Taro attempts to reunite with her. Upon reaching Mount Hiei, Taro meets her mother there, however, Kenji Kira, who reveals that Lord Oda is not dead to Taro, comes into the scene and Taro fights him, until Yukikio interrupted the fight and killed Kenji and Taro's mother. Depressed by her mother's death, who is now a ghost trying to speak to Taro, and Hana's unconscious state, Taro sets out to retrieve the Buddha ball to understand what his mother is trying to say and wake Hana up. When he reaches his hometown, Shirahama, he dives a ship wreck in hope of retrieving the ball, but when he obtains it, men from Lord Tokugawa's ship take it from him, and later, they realize that the ball that Taro obtained was fake and that the real ball was hidden inside his mother.
I picked up this book because I wanted to find out what will happen to Oda next, after he was turned into a vampire.
I finished this book because I liked the amount of twists there were in the first book, and I was looking forward to the great surprises and twists in the second book, such as Shusaku still being alive.
I would reccommend this book to Sathursan, because he already read the first one and his brother already read it, and he rated it high enough for me to believe that Sathursan would enjoy this book.
I picked up this book because I wanted to find out what will happen to Oda next, after he was turned into a vampire.
I finished this book because I liked the amount of twists there were in the first book, and I was looking forward to the great surprises and twists in the second book, such as Shusaku still being alive.
I would reccommend this book to Sathursan, because he already read the first one and his brother already read it, and he rated it high enough for me to believe that Sathursan would enjoy this book.
May 7, 2013
The Revenge of Lord Oda by Nick Lake
This book is about a boy who is a ninja and a vampire named "Taro" who is the chosen one in a prophecies that requires him to kill an evil ruler and become shogun of the world of Japan.In this book, after nearly dying against the battle of the ruler thus killing him, he must find the Buddha ball, a ball said to be from the Buddha and can control nature itself.But, he soon finds a note saying th whereabouts of his mother,he soon voyage to find her.When he gets there, he faces a challenge that would cost the life of his mother and the news that the ruler is still alive and as a vampire.Now, he must find the ball before the evil ruler does and kills everyone that Taro knows .
I chose this book because it was the second book of the series "The Blood Ninja" and since I read the first book and it was good, I chose to read the second book.
I read this book not only because it was the second book of its series but it was an interesting and amazing book to read.
I would recommend this book to anyone who had read the first book of the series and if not, they should read it.Also,to anyone who likes to read book about ancient Japan or books about ninjas and vampires.
This book is about a boy who is a ninja and a vampire named "Taro" who is the chosen one in a prophecies that requires him to kill an evil ruler and become shogun of the world of Japan.In this book, after nearly dying against the battle of the ruler thus killing him, he must find the Buddha ball, a ball said to be from the Buddha and can control nature itself.But, he soon finds a note saying th whereabouts of his mother,he soon voyage to find her.When he gets there, he faces a challenge that would cost the life of his mother and the news that the ruler is still alive and as a vampire.Now, he must find the ball before the evil ruler does and kills everyone that Taro knows .
I chose this book because it was the second book of the series "The Blood Ninja" and since I read the first book and it was good, I chose to read the second book.
I read this book not only because it was the second book of its series but it was an interesting and amazing book to read.
I would recommend this book to anyone who had read the first book of the series and if not, they should read it.Also,to anyone who likes to read book about ancient Japan or books about ninjas and vampires.
April 5, 2013
Taro finally has killed Lord Oda and they are safe in the mountain lair for ninjas. That's when he receives a carrier pigeon with a note saying that his mother is safe at Tendai monastery. Taro rushes there to see his mother only to discover that it was a trap planned by their friend that betrayed them, Yukiko. When his mother dies in the hands of Yukiko, he goes to search for the buddha ball to save her life.
I started this book because I read the first book. The preview of the second book at the end of the first book got me really excited for the second book.
I finished the book because I wanted to know if Taro really did kill Lord Oda at the end of the book. I also wanted to know if Taro would find his mother.
I would recommend this book to the people who read the first book and to people who like ancient Japanese culture. For the people who like ancient Japanese culture, they should read the first book first.
I started this book because I read the first book. The preview of the second book at the end of the first book got me really excited for the second book.
I finished the book because I wanted to know if Taro really did kill Lord Oda at the end of the book. I also wanted to know if Taro would find his mother.
I would recommend this book to the people who read the first book and to people who like ancient Japanese culture. For the people who like ancient Japanese culture, they should read the first book first.
May 3, 2011
How can you lose with a Ninja Vampire!! This seems tailor-made for teen boys. The writing is excellent, but unfortunately I found it slow and too filled with philosophy to capture my attention. This is the sequel to Blood Ninja, and I didn't read that one. So maybe that was the problem, but the action was too sparse for my taste. It's a great premise.....Taro has survived several challenges in the first book and is now seeking the "Buddha ball", trying to attract the attention of a beautiful and aristocratic girl (who also has the skills of a ninja), and wondering if the prophesy that he will become Shogun will ever come true. Fans of the first book will want to see how things turn out, but will ultimately have to wait longer. According to published reviews, the ending sets up another book. I certainly don't have the patience for that!
February 15, 2017
Taro, with Hana and Hiro have escaped to Ninja Mountain. When information about his mother finally arrives, they set off to find her, knowing they are walking into a trap. In addition to the trap they find they are a part of the large, well laid plan of Ieyasu Tokugawa, who hopes to become the first Shogun of Japan.
I picked this book up because the lure of ninjas, vampires, and the history of 16th century Japan was irresistible.
I finished the book because I wanted to see how Taro would deal with all the things life was throwing at him. Would he achieve some sort of peace or understanding?
I would recommend this to Aarun. I am hoping that the quick paced action combined with the history would intrigue him.
I picked this book up because the lure of ninjas, vampires, and the history of 16th century Japan was irresistible.
I finished the book because I wanted to see how Taro would deal with all the things life was throwing at him. Would he achieve some sort of peace or understanding?
I would recommend this to Aarun. I am hoping that the quick paced action combined with the history would intrigue him.
December 11, 2018
Blood Ninja Book 2
*Lord Oda's Revenge* by Nick Lake
Regardless of how the third book will be this series has made it to my TOP 10 Book Series List. I mean simply read the prologue and you'll see why. As I approached the end of the book the entire setting, the story which occurred until now seems like a melodramatic journey and there's this new element added to it which makes the story appear somewhat smug. It's a weird expression but I can't put it in ant other words. The book is gigantic but doesn't feel so when you begin reading. The thirst for the climax leads to a smooth, fun filled, entertaining reading experience thanks to which I finished the book in less than a week. The story picks up right where it left off and wastes no time to explain the newcomers about the predecessor events. The story decidedly follows the dark note due to the tragic events in the previous novel in the series. I absolutely love Shusaku's comeback though he seems a very different person now that we get to see the world through his eyes and opinion. There are a variety of new elements and aspects added to the story not to mention the interesting new characters which effortlessly add spice to the plot and makes it thicker than most other young adult novels. The opening sequence quickly got me hooked to the book, Taro's exploration and ventures into the unventured is certainly remarkable. The author is well versed in Japanese folklore, legends and blends them with the storyline making use of the all the available resources. The most important element in the book apart from the climax of course was the addition of supernatural entities, the souls of the dead, the ghosts, the betrayal of the living. This addition completely changed the story for me. The enemies are again formidable now that Oda is back from the dead and that too with vampire abilities. If that's not terrifying I don't know what is. What intrigued me the most was the part related with Hana's death, salvation of Taro's mother and revival of Kenji Kira. Mind you, on a serious note there's a lot of death, after death and grim feelings about death involved in the book. Like seriously, you can't read a page without the implied idea or the mention of death. The atmosphere is really dark and grim, something you least expect in YA Novels and that's exactly what I love. The narration keeps shifting between mentors, protagonists, sidekicks, secondary characters and the antagonists so there is much to see here and trust me, all of it is thoroughly entertaining no matter what the chapter or the event. We see Taro coming back to Shirahama somewhere at the middle of the book and that refreshed some good old memories of Taro's secluded and easy life. This book delivers the most surprising things when you least expect them, it's got a lot of plot twists, revelations and epic moments that will give you shivers if you just read the book in the right atmosphere. The hoax with the Buddha Ball blew my mind, I couldn't recall the last time I'd read about such an intricate hoax which works all the way through the ending of the story. You can see each character shaping up, molding and rapidly changing their principles and personality with each turn of the page. Taro has really grown, he barely thinks twice before killing off his enemies and his lust for bloodshed is obnoxious making him an anti-hero or something like that. Shuskau is not in his element yet still his contribution to the storyline is second to none. I think the most important revelation takes place after the climax when Tokugawa states that everything he has been planning has fallen into the respective places and that the endgame will soon begin. That does give me the shivers. Lord Oda's role as a villain to the story was perfect. It simply couldn't be improved, it's the best, that's it. The battle scenes in this book are much more elaborate, realistic and meticulously described as compared to the previous book. You can actually feel the tension and the excitement climbing its way upto you when you dive into the last hundred pages. Nick Lake gets the characters exactly where he wants in the final moments to give you a mind blowing surprise and leaves you fascinated. Seeing Taro's mother parting and Hana coming back to life was a very emotional moment for me. The Ikko-Ikki clan, the monks, Tokugawa and Oda's surface alliance, Shukaku's blind fights, Taro's emotional torment and breakdown and his rise into the glorious path of victory is definitely worth the time it takes to read the book. I found many of the quote relatable. The book is easy to comprehend, has a fancy cover and an impressive storyline in and out. I think the book has got it's issues. Many fan favorite characters returning back to life, even the villains which was the case with the last book, there seems an excessive repetition with addition of some fresh and new aspects which may broaden the storyline later. But compared to the first book, this is much more intricate and action packed. I'm really excited to see how the story goes. The last fifty pages will give you the chills. Mark my words. Let's see how strong a blow the last book in the series delivers. I'm diving into it without any further delay. Strongly recommended to people above 14 years of age. Nice Reading!
*Lord Oda's Revenge* by Nick Lake
Regardless of how the third book will be this series has made it to my TOP 10 Book Series List. I mean simply read the prologue and you'll see why. As I approached the end of the book the entire setting, the story which occurred until now seems like a melodramatic journey and there's this new element added to it which makes the story appear somewhat smug. It's a weird expression but I can't put it in ant other words. The book is gigantic but doesn't feel so when you begin reading. The thirst for the climax leads to a smooth, fun filled, entertaining reading experience thanks to which I finished the book in less than a week. The story picks up right where it left off and wastes no time to explain the newcomers about the predecessor events. The story decidedly follows the dark note due to the tragic events in the previous novel in the series. I absolutely love Shusaku's comeback though he seems a very different person now that we get to see the world through his eyes and opinion. There are a variety of new elements and aspects added to the story not to mention the interesting new characters which effortlessly add spice to the plot and makes it thicker than most other young adult novels. The opening sequence quickly got me hooked to the book, Taro's exploration and ventures into the unventured is certainly remarkable. The author is well versed in Japanese folklore, legends and blends them with the storyline making use of the all the available resources. The most important element in the book apart from the climax of course was the addition of supernatural entities, the souls of the dead, the ghosts, the betrayal of the living. This addition completely changed the story for me. The enemies are again formidable now that Oda is back from the dead and that too with vampire abilities. If that's not terrifying I don't know what is. What intrigued me the most was the part related with Hana's death, salvation of Taro's mother and revival of Kenji Kira. Mind you, on a serious note there's a lot of death, after death and grim feelings about death involved in the book. Like seriously, you can't read a page without the implied idea or the mention of death. The atmosphere is really dark and grim, something you least expect in YA Novels and that's exactly what I love. The narration keeps shifting between mentors, protagonists, sidekicks, secondary characters and the antagonists so there is much to see here and trust me, all of it is thoroughly entertaining no matter what the chapter or the event. We see Taro coming back to Shirahama somewhere at the middle of the book and that refreshed some good old memories of Taro's secluded and easy life. This book delivers the most surprising things when you least expect them, it's got a lot of plot twists, revelations and epic moments that will give you shivers if you just read the book in the right atmosphere. The hoax with the Buddha Ball blew my mind, I couldn't recall the last time I'd read about such an intricate hoax which works all the way through the ending of the story. You can see each character shaping up, molding and rapidly changing their principles and personality with each turn of the page. Taro has really grown, he barely thinks twice before killing off his enemies and his lust for bloodshed is obnoxious making him an anti-hero or something like that. Shuskau is not in his element yet still his contribution to the storyline is second to none. I think the most important revelation takes place after the climax when Tokugawa states that everything he has been planning has fallen into the respective places and that the endgame will soon begin. That does give me the shivers. Lord Oda's role as a villain to the story was perfect. It simply couldn't be improved, it's the best, that's it. The battle scenes in this book are much more elaborate, realistic and meticulously described as compared to the previous book. You can actually feel the tension and the excitement climbing its way upto you when you dive into the last hundred pages. Nick Lake gets the characters exactly where he wants in the final moments to give you a mind blowing surprise and leaves you fascinated. Seeing Taro's mother parting and Hana coming back to life was a very emotional moment for me. The Ikko-Ikki clan, the monks, Tokugawa and Oda's surface alliance, Shukaku's blind fights, Taro's emotional torment and breakdown and his rise into the glorious path of victory is definitely worth the time it takes to read the book. I found many of the quote relatable. The book is easy to comprehend, has a fancy cover and an impressive storyline in and out. I think the book has got it's issues. Many fan favorite characters returning back to life, even the villains which was the case with the last book, there seems an excessive repetition with addition of some fresh and new aspects which may broaden the storyline later. But compared to the first book, this is much more intricate and action packed. I'm really excited to see how the story goes. The last fifty pages will give you the chills. Mark my words. Let's see how strong a blow the last book in the series delivers. I'm diving into it without any further delay. Strongly recommended to people above 14 years of age. Nice Reading!
September 4, 2012
It was good book filled with dark turns and intense action. All around a good book for advanced readers.
September 7, 2012
Book One is awesome, but this one is not really good
November 23, 2023
Bridging an affectionate take on Japanese history and mythology and the kind of novel that sells well to teenage boys comes now the second volume in Nick Lake’s Blood Ninja series.
We get some nice character development (even if like this reviewer the reader hasn’t read the first volume) of Taro - fisherman’s son and assassin - and his friends Hiro and Hana, the story of the Buddha Ball, and a gripping confrontation with the Big Bad, Lord Oda who like Taro's sponsor Lord Tokugawa, was a real person (although probably not a vampire ... he is however generally depicted as evil, and his destruction of the community on Mount Hiei depicted in the book really did take place). Cultural research bonus: the 'mon' (heraldic emblems) on the helmeted skull on the cover are those of the Oda clan, while those which appear inside, at chapter headings, are that of the Tokugawa. Lake's interest in Japanese history especially that part of it involving the rise of the shoguns and the initial impact of European adventurers, is clear. Literary bonus: the character Shusaku's full name is given once as Shusaku Endo. There are also some good minor villains to be dispatched along the way.
And re that cover - there are others and they are better.
Despite being the middle volume it does involve quite a bit of character development; things happen to major characters and all that. The novel is quite clearly aimed at teenage boys, but probably not very late teenage ones (although Our Hero does fall in lurve, there is nowt physical about it described; there is a moment of missed innuendo when someone is described as having a bulge in his trousers but it turns out to be something he's put in his pocket).
I'm not convinced the vampire bit (so to speak) adds anything; it isn't really used very much in the story - our vampire characters have the same fears and face the same dangers as anyone else, and seems to be based in the conceit that ninjas could be vampires - after all they canonically dress in black and do their deadly work at night. Although in fairness the ninja have sometimes had shape-shifting powers claimed for them, which goes along with one particular version of the vampire story; but I am still not convinced they need to be vampires exc that it fits in with the Japanese myth and aura that has grown around them and which a western readership may well not know. And there isn't it seems enough mistrust of ninjas - who creep around and stab people - by samurai, who face proper opponents in honorable combat. Although having a knowledge of anime might well help, as a lot of Japanese / Chinese mythology - and things it would be nice to include in the mythological canon - has found its way into that genre.
We get some nice character development (even if like this reviewer the reader hasn’t read the first volume) of Taro - fisherman’s son and assassin - and his friends Hiro and Hana, the story of the Buddha Ball, and a gripping confrontation with the Big Bad, Lord Oda who like Taro's sponsor Lord Tokugawa, was a real person (although probably not a vampire ... he is however generally depicted as evil, and his destruction of the community on Mount Hiei depicted in the book really did take place). Cultural research bonus: the 'mon' (heraldic emblems) on the helmeted skull on the cover are those of the Oda clan, while those which appear inside, at chapter headings, are that of the Tokugawa. Lake's interest in Japanese history especially that part of it involving the rise of the shoguns and the initial impact of European adventurers, is clear. Literary bonus: the character Shusaku's full name is given once as Shusaku Endo. There are also some good minor villains to be dispatched along the way.
And re that cover - there are others and they are better.
Despite being the middle volume it does involve quite a bit of character development; things happen to major characters and all that. The novel is quite clearly aimed at teenage boys, but probably not very late teenage ones (although Our Hero does fall in lurve, there is nowt physical about it described; there is a moment of missed innuendo when someone is described as having a bulge in his trousers but it turns out to be something he's put in his pocket).
I'm not convinced the vampire bit (so to speak) adds anything; it isn't really used very much in the story - our vampire characters have the same fears and face the same dangers as anyone else, and seems to be based in the conceit that ninjas could be vampires - after all they canonically dress in black and do their deadly work at night. Although in fairness the ninja have sometimes had shape-shifting powers claimed for them, which goes along with one particular version of the vampire story; but I am still not convinced they need to be vampires exc that it fits in with the Japanese myth and aura that has grown around them and which a western readership may well not know. And there isn't it seems enough mistrust of ninjas - who creep around and stab people - by samurai, who face proper opponents in honorable combat. Although having a knowledge of anime might well help, as a lot of Japanese / Chinese mythology - and things it would be nice to include in the mythological canon - has found its way into that genre.
February 15, 2018
This series captured my enthusiasm at first and after the initial book i was eager to read on however i felt that in the second installation the story lost its originality and vigour. The plot became bland and predictable so i read on being just mildly intrigued. The story brought back dead characters and killed others off only to bring THOSE ones back too!! It all felt a bit like the author gave up hope in continuing his plot and just turned it into something vaguely resembling a cheap samurai film. Taro, the main character , weakened a lot and his personality became plain annoying around half way through. The story is just being dragged along loosely and extending the action and events way beyond what is necessary to the main point of the book. I bought the last book already before reading this so for the sake of money not wasted ill try and pull myself through till the hopefully not too conventional ending.
May 14, 2018
This was so good. It had such good characters and presented a beautiful melding of a ninja and a vampire. The way time seemed to pass in huge leaps reminded me of classics like the Belgariad. The plot was so intriguing and had some odd twists. My one little problem is the way that the characters kept coming back from the dead. The author is worse than marvel. Many, many characters seem to die but then appear back alive through some quirk. A good read for everyone
February 28, 2017
it was good
June 28, 2017
I loved it!! It was very adventurous, and emotional. Taro is a Savage with the sword!!!
May 20, 2018
Book died in book 2.
May 10, 2024
Absolutely loved it!
August 15, 2012
Review:
I find Japanese culture and way of life quite fascinating. Having learned the language and being adequately familiar with their culture are also the catalyst for me to always have interest and to at least check out books that take place or revolve around Japan, especially YA books since there is so few with a Japanese setting or plot elements. This is, actually, a real shame since there are endless possibilities to explore and write about. Luckily, there are some YA books already published or will be in the future, so I’m almost satisfied. For now.
Blood Ninja II is the second book in the Blood Ninja trilogy. As the title suggests, it’s an action-packed book with a familiar but still quite a unique premise - ninja vampires in historical Japan. What the book promises it also delivers, I was a big fan of the first book and the second has upped its game and leaves no space to hesitate. It’s bloody, full of adventure and deadly situations, the setting of medieval Japan is detailed and perfectly created, it feels alive. The legends, folklore, traditions, etc. are all perfectly woven together with the plot and characters to form a fantastic and exotic historic YA read that not only young adults can enjoy.
As much as I liked the book I would have liked to see more some humor or more lighthearted moments between the characters and a bit of breathing room. Everyone is constantly overly serious, which they of course have every reason to be, and there is constant action. I understand that fun and comedy doesn’t always have a place in every book and Blood Ninja II is a book that means business and all the grave situations don’t really seem a commonplace for humor, but there is nothing wrong in wishing there is. Nevertheless, this is a really minor issue I had while reading.
Characters:
Taro is a great hero. Despite being a vampire, he still managed to be vulnerable and possessed characteristics that don’t make him anything but human. Feeling unsecure, fear, jealousy and on the other side being brave, self-sacrificing, determined. Taro’s a relatable realistic; he fights for and is loyal to his friends and mother. I liked how through all the hardships and circumstances he questions himself and his limits, without seeming like nothing fazes him and is overly confident and reckless, like a lot of YA male protagonists, but still in the end Taro always remains steadfast and comes through. It was slightly hard to grasp at times that he was brought up as a simple fisherman’s son but could accomplish all the feats that he did, but in the context of the book it worked and he came across special and believable.
Hana and Hiro fulfilled their role as loyal and helpful support for Taro perfectly. They weren’t really anything remarkable in comparison with other characters and served the purpose of the love interest and the best friend, but their parts were satisfying and there was a lot going on in the book for me to notice or mind their one-sidedness.
I felt really bad for Taro’s mentor Shusaku since he goes through so many troubles selflessly and the blows just keep coming. I hope he finds peace eventually.
Lord Oda and Lord Tokugawa – the two giants who make up the two warring sides to the power struggle for total control over Japan. Allies on the surface but, in reality, anything but that. They really seem larger than life, wiser and more cunning than anyone, like puppeteers planning their steps years in advance, willing to sacrifice whatever necessary – in every way deserving to occupy the seats of the two powerhouses in the trilogy. Even though Lord Oda falls slightly short next to Lord Tokugawa in tactics and sneakiness, he makes it up with brutality and ruthlessness. I personally prefer Lord Tokugawa more since he is more composed and cunning, giving out an appearance that doesn’t exactly coincide with his grand ambitions and cruelty, with Lord Oda you get what you see.
Overall:
A worthy sequel for a promising and exciting first book of the trilogy that met my expectations and more. I just got the last book a couple of days ago and I can’t wait to start to see where all the edge-of-your-seat action ends up!
I find Japanese culture and way of life quite fascinating. Having learned the language and being adequately familiar with their culture are also the catalyst for me to always have interest and to at least check out books that take place or revolve around Japan, especially YA books since there is so few with a Japanese setting or plot elements. This is, actually, a real shame since there are endless possibilities to explore and write about. Luckily, there are some YA books already published or will be in the future, so I’m almost satisfied. For now.
Blood Ninja II is the second book in the Blood Ninja trilogy. As the title suggests, it’s an action-packed book with a familiar but still quite a unique premise - ninja vampires in historical Japan. What the book promises it also delivers, I was a big fan of the first book and the second has upped its game and leaves no space to hesitate. It’s bloody, full of adventure and deadly situations, the setting of medieval Japan is detailed and perfectly created, it feels alive. The legends, folklore, traditions, etc. are all perfectly woven together with the plot and characters to form a fantastic and exotic historic YA read that not only young adults can enjoy.
As much as I liked the book I would have liked to see more some humor or more lighthearted moments between the characters and a bit of breathing room. Everyone is constantly overly serious, which they of course have every reason to be, and there is constant action. I understand that fun and comedy doesn’t always have a place in every book and Blood Ninja II is a book that means business and all the grave situations don’t really seem a commonplace for humor, but there is nothing wrong in wishing there is. Nevertheless, this is a really minor issue I had while reading.
Characters:
Taro is a great hero. Despite being a vampire, he still managed to be vulnerable and possessed characteristics that don’t make him anything but human. Feeling unsecure, fear, jealousy and on the other side being brave, self-sacrificing, determined. Taro’s a relatable realistic; he fights for and is loyal to his friends and mother. I liked how through all the hardships and circumstances he questions himself and his limits, without seeming like nothing fazes him and is overly confident and reckless, like a lot of YA male protagonists, but still in the end Taro always remains steadfast and comes through. It was slightly hard to grasp at times that he was brought up as a simple fisherman’s son but could accomplish all the feats that he did, but in the context of the book it worked and he came across special and believable.
Hana and Hiro fulfilled their role as loyal and helpful support for Taro perfectly. They weren’t really anything remarkable in comparison with other characters and served the purpose of the love interest and the best friend, but their parts were satisfying and there was a lot going on in the book for me to notice or mind their one-sidedness.
I felt really bad for Taro’s mentor Shusaku since he goes through so many troubles selflessly and the blows just keep coming. I hope he finds peace eventually.
Lord Oda and Lord Tokugawa – the two giants who make up the two warring sides to the power struggle for total control over Japan. Allies on the surface but, in reality, anything but that. They really seem larger than life, wiser and more cunning than anyone, like puppeteers planning their steps years in advance, willing to sacrifice whatever necessary – in every way deserving to occupy the seats of the two powerhouses in the trilogy. Even though Lord Oda falls slightly short next to Lord Tokugawa in tactics and sneakiness, he makes it up with brutality and ruthlessness. I personally prefer Lord Tokugawa more since he is more composed and cunning, giving out an appearance that doesn’t exactly coincide with his grand ambitions and cruelty, with Lord Oda you get what you see.
Overall:
A worthy sequel for a promising and exciting first book of the trilogy that met my expectations and more. I just got the last book a couple of days ago and I can’t wait to start to see where all the edge-of-your-seat action ends up!
Read
March 15, 2012Now I know what you're thinking. Vampire ninjas? Really Julia? In fact, I almost didn't read it solely because of the fact that it was about vampires. I always say don't judge a book by its cover, but frankly I'm so done with all these Brand-New-Vampire-Romance-Read-Now! books and I only read this one because my sister bought it and I had nothing else to read. It was sitting on her floor, discarded after finishing both this book and number 1, tempting me. I really had no choice.
This book is about a boy who is woken in the middle of the night to find that he is surrounded by ninjas, all on orders to kill him and his parents. He is just a fisher in feudal Japan named Taro, and has never even seen ninjas before. Luckily, one of the ninjas, Shusaku, was actually ordered to save Taro and ends up saving his mother as well. To save Taro, Shusaku had to turn him into a vampire, and therefore swore him to the life of a ninja. His best friend Haro is also involved, mostly because Taro saved his life when he was young; Shusaku takes them both on a journey to figure out why someone would want him dead, and why they would send so many expensive assassins to kill him. This is an amazing book, and I would recommend it to anyone.
I really liked this book because Nick, the author, really did his homework. He also made it interesting and believable, which would be the hardest thing to do in a story like this. Instead of making it run of the mill fiction or thriller in which a uniform set of events happens and in the end the good guy wins he makes it a fun, unexpected story. This book is so much more detailed and creative.
The setting is in feudal Japan, and I actually researched the time period after reading it, and found that the emperors of Japan (key figures in the book) were actually made after real people and had the same ruling personality as the actual emperors. A lot of events were historically accurate as well.
I caught myself half believing that ninjas were actually vampires, and found that a lot of it added up. Think about it; ninjas came out only in the cover of dark, and they killed people in their beds before they could even wake up. Awesome skills complete the outfit, as well as some pretty sick weapons. There was a lot of Buddhist beliefs in it and a lot of myths that ended up being ‘real’ in the book, and I liked how it all tied together.
This book does not follow the usual format. There are no spies, no time travel, and no exploding cars. The ending was unexpected; what I realized was that if I’d actually followed all the hints and where it was going, I might have been able to predict the endings of both books. I liked that bit, because it made me feel more powerful. I know it sounds silly, but it did.
This is an amazing book, and I would love to read the third if I got the opportunity. The only thing I didn’t like is how serious and hard it became, and how Taro seemed to lose the essence of who he was in the first book. I think I would like to read more books by this author rather than read the third or fourth book, but I am definitely not done with Nick Lake.
This book is about a boy who is woken in the middle of the night to find that he is surrounded by ninjas, all on orders to kill him and his parents. He is just a fisher in feudal Japan named Taro, and has never even seen ninjas before. Luckily, one of the ninjas, Shusaku, was actually ordered to save Taro and ends up saving his mother as well. To save Taro, Shusaku had to turn him into a vampire, and therefore swore him to the life of a ninja. His best friend Haro is also involved, mostly because Taro saved his life when he was young; Shusaku takes them both on a journey to figure out why someone would want him dead, and why they would send so many expensive assassins to kill him. This is an amazing book, and I would recommend it to anyone.
I really liked this book because Nick, the author, really did his homework. He also made it interesting and believable, which would be the hardest thing to do in a story like this. Instead of making it run of the mill fiction or thriller in which a uniform set of events happens and in the end the good guy wins he makes it a fun, unexpected story. This book is so much more detailed and creative.
The setting is in feudal Japan, and I actually researched the time period after reading it, and found that the emperors of Japan (key figures in the book) were actually made after real people and had the same ruling personality as the actual emperors. A lot of events were historically accurate as well.
I caught myself half believing that ninjas were actually vampires, and found that a lot of it added up. Think about it; ninjas came out only in the cover of dark, and they killed people in their beds before they could even wake up. Awesome skills complete the outfit, as well as some pretty sick weapons. There was a lot of Buddhist beliefs in it and a lot of myths that ended up being ‘real’ in the book, and I liked how it all tied together.
This book does not follow the usual format. There are no spies, no time travel, and no exploding cars. The ending was unexpected; what I realized was that if I’d actually followed all the hints and where it was going, I might have been able to predict the endings of both books. I liked that bit, because it made me feel more powerful. I know it sounds silly, but it did.
This is an amazing book, and I would love to read the third if I got the opportunity. The only thing I didn’t like is how serious and hard it became, and how Taro seemed to lose the essence of who he was in the first book. I think I would like to read more books by this author rather than read the third or fourth book, but I am definitely not done with Nick Lake.
February 12, 2016
(Don't remember when I started and finished this book. Didn't take a month to finish, though)
The first book was brilliant. It was fun and unexpected (I mean, it's ninjas with vampires. This could go wrong in so many ways). I didn't expect to much on this sophomore volume, and I suppose it did well enough.
We find early on that the hero's teacher, the vampire Whatshisname, didn't die after all after the huge fight at the end of the first book. I thought that was a mistake. Apparently I'm more bloodthirsty than the vampires in the book.
The hero reunites with his mother, only to see her die at the hands of a confused ex-companion who mistakenly believes the hero murdered her sister. This was interesting, I thought, and a move in the right direction from a plot perspective. What I didn't expect, however, is the ghost of the mother haunting her son. A sad, passive-aggressive ghost following the son, draining him of his life energies, and periodically appearing before him in leaving frustratingly undecipherable clues - apparently she forgets that as a ghost her instructions/warnings/apologies don't come through living world, so the hero sees her mouthing... something... and he can't for the life of him figure out what the heck she's saying.
This is, literally, an unhealthy basis for a mother-son relationship. He finally figures out what he needs to do on the cusp of dying (I think I face-palmed myself here), dies and meets his mother finally in hell who (finally!) can communicate! Luckily she doesn't say, "I just wanted to tell you all this while that you didn't tie your shoelaces."
He gets the vital clue he needs to uncover the treasure of the plot, which is something I feel is the wrongly named Buddha Ball. There didn't seem to be anything vaguely Buddhist about this weapon of mass destruction. Anyway, he gets this, and proceeds to destroy the same guy he supposedly killed in the last book. The bad guy got his guts sliced open at the end of the last book, but because the hero was bleeding, some of his blood flowed into the open mouth of the fallen bad guy, turning him into a vampire (because the hero is a vampire ninja - I had forgotten to mention this bit. You know, just in case you didn't realize from the title of the book).
The love interest is the daughter of the said bad guy, and I'd imagine he'd have a hard time courting her now, having killed her father not once, but twice. In fact, he'd have such a hard time of it I suspect he'll spend a big portion of the third book doing just that. I have that very book, and I'm looking forward to seeing how he accomplishes this.
I'm slightly cheeky with this review, but I have to say I did enjoy this book, though admittedly not nearly as much as the first one. There wasn't an expectation with the first book, and the second has to be coloured somewhat with some kind of expectation.
I seriously look forward to the concluding volume of this story.
The first book was brilliant. It was fun and unexpected (I mean, it's ninjas with vampires. This could go wrong in so many ways). I didn't expect to much on this sophomore volume, and I suppose it did well enough.
We find early on that the hero's teacher, the vampire Whatshisname, didn't die after all after the huge fight at the end of the first book. I thought that was a mistake. Apparently I'm more bloodthirsty than the vampires in the book.
The hero reunites with his mother, only to see her die at the hands of a confused ex-companion who mistakenly believes the hero murdered her sister. This was interesting, I thought, and a move in the right direction from a plot perspective. What I didn't expect, however, is the ghost of the mother haunting her son. A sad, passive-aggressive ghost following the son, draining him of his life energies, and periodically appearing before him in leaving frustratingly undecipherable clues - apparently she forgets that as a ghost her instructions/warnings/apologies don't come through living world, so the hero sees her mouthing... something... and he can't for the life of him figure out what the heck she's saying.
This is, literally, an unhealthy basis for a mother-son relationship. He finally figures out what he needs to do on the cusp of dying (I think I face-palmed myself here), dies and meets his mother finally in hell who (finally!) can communicate! Luckily she doesn't say, "I just wanted to tell you all this while that you didn't tie your shoelaces."
He gets the vital clue he needs to uncover the treasure of the plot, which is something I feel is the wrongly named Buddha Ball. There didn't seem to be anything vaguely Buddhist about this weapon of mass destruction. Anyway, he gets this, and proceeds to destroy the same guy he supposedly killed in the last book. The bad guy got his guts sliced open at the end of the last book, but because the hero was bleeding, some of his blood flowed into the open mouth of the fallen bad guy, turning him into a vampire (because the hero is a vampire ninja - I had forgotten to mention this bit. You know, just in case you didn't realize from the title of the book).
The love interest is the daughter of the said bad guy, and I'd imagine he'd have a hard time courting her now, having killed her father not once, but twice. In fact, he'd have such a hard time of it I suspect he'll spend a big portion of the third book doing just that. I have that very book, and I'm looking forward to seeing how he accomplishes this.
I'm slightly cheeky with this review, but I have to say I did enjoy this book, though admittedly not nearly as much as the first one. There wasn't an expectation with the first book, and the second has to be coloured somewhat with some kind of expectation.
I seriously look forward to the concluding volume of this story.
August 14, 2011
This is the second book in the Blood Ninja series by Nick Lake. I thoroughly enjoyed the previous installment so started this one soon after. It picked up straight after the events of the first book and as the background and characters had already been established, it was straight back into the action, rejoining Taro and co.
One of the things I really like about this series is that it portrays an epic struggle between good and evil. Lord Oda is pretty much evil personified and is truly bone chillingly bad. He's an awesome nemesis for Taro who also has to face an enemy in the form of Yukiko. She's determined to avenge her sister's death and has become consumed by thoughts of revenge. She appears even more threatening because as a young girl she's as far removed from a deadly killing machine as you can get. However, she's no longer who she once was and can think of nothing but bringing her sister's killer to justice. Because of this she's depicted as an even bigger threat to Taro's existence.
Nick Lake has obviously done incredible amounts of research into Japanese culture, the ninja way of life and also the religious and spiritual beliefs and philosophies which are described in the book. There is an amazing amount of detail about all of these things and they really enrich the overall story. I love reading about the country of Japan and found this a wonderful setting.
There are subtle romantic undertones in some chapters in the book, as Taro and Hana are drawn closer together. The romance between them is a periphery element of the plot however, rather than being the main focus. Personally, I'd like to see this being developed further as the series progresses.
Fans of the series won't be able to resist grabbing this new installment of Taro's story. For those that haven't discovered Nick Lake's writing yet then I would definitely recommend trying these. Teenage boys in particular will be drawn to the idea of a ninja who's also a vampire!
One of the things I really like about this series is that it portrays an epic struggle between good and evil. Lord Oda is pretty much evil personified and is truly bone chillingly bad. He's an awesome nemesis for Taro who also has to face an enemy in the form of Yukiko. She's determined to avenge her sister's death and has become consumed by thoughts of revenge. She appears even more threatening because as a young girl she's as far removed from a deadly killing machine as you can get. However, she's no longer who she once was and can think of nothing but bringing her sister's killer to justice. Because of this she's depicted as an even bigger threat to Taro's existence.
Nick Lake has obviously done incredible amounts of research into Japanese culture, the ninja way of life and also the religious and spiritual beliefs and philosophies which are described in the book. There is an amazing amount of detail about all of these things and they really enrich the overall story. I love reading about the country of Japan and found this a wonderful setting.
There are subtle romantic undertones in some chapters in the book, as Taro and Hana are drawn closer together. The romance between them is a periphery element of the plot however, rather than being the main focus. Personally, I'd like to see this being developed further as the series progresses.
Fans of the series won't be able to resist grabbing this new installment of Taro's story. For those that haven't discovered Nick Lake's writing yet then I would definitely recommend trying these. Teenage boys in particular will be drawn to the idea of a ninja who's also a vampire!
October 8, 2015
There are obvious reasons to love this book. The words have a nice flow, it's written by the editor of Darren Shan's books, I'm a fan of Japanese culture and fantasy is one of my favorite genres and this mixes them perfectly. The Japanese folkore ties in really well with the supernatural elements. Yet I didn't love this. This book got me in the so called reading slump. I started reading it and gradually noticed I start to feel like reading less and less. So I decided to read another book. It took me half a year to pick this up again. I still don't know why that is.
I know this book has its flaws. It's a typical second book in which the whole time you feel as if it's all building up to something that will happen in the next book. The quick pace only really happens at the end and then it all happens too fast to keep up. It took me some time to read this after I finished the first book, so I found that I just didn't care about the characters anymore. There is a summary of what happened in the last book in the first chapter, which I was very happy about, but it still didn't make me care for the story again. Which is a shame because all the good pointers I mentioned above still remain. To me the supernatural Japanese mix is refreshing to read and also really, really cool. It's actionpacked, a little gory but also an interesting world. Too bad the main character spends most of the time sulking (although in some cases he did have reason to, but just not the entire book please. It was getting boring).
I know this book has its flaws. It's a typical second book in which the whole time you feel as if it's all building up to something that will happen in the next book. The quick pace only really happens at the end and then it all happens too fast to keep up. It took me some time to read this after I finished the first book, so I found that I just didn't care about the characters anymore. There is a summary of what happened in the last book in the first chapter, which I was very happy about, but it still didn't make me care for the story again. Which is a shame because all the good pointers I mentioned above still remain. To me the supernatural Japanese mix is refreshing to read and also really, really cool. It's actionpacked, a little gory but also an interesting world. Too bad the main character spends most of the time sulking (although in some cases he did have reason to, but just not the entire book please. It was getting boring).
November 27, 2016
Name: Sydney Russell
Date: 11/3/16
One of Many
The Revenge of Lord Oda (Blood Ninja, #2)
Nick Lake
# of pages: 377
© 2010
Historical Fiction (based on library)
I would say Action and Adventure (Fiction)
This is the second book of Blood Ninja. It is about Taro, a daimyo's son, raised as a peasant; however, is destined to become the shogun. Taro is a vampire-ninja and after losing his mother he wants to see her again no matter what. He wants to talk to her, so once he gets word he goes to her on Mount Hiei and the result is catastrophic. People die and causes him to go back on his search for the Buddha ball: one of the most powerful items only to be recalled in stories.
This book was just as amazing as the first one. It had many plot twists and I was happy that my favorite character lived. I can't wait for the next one. I do recommend this book; however, read the first book then this one. It also depends on what you like because some f this can leave a gory image in your mind. I rate it a five on our scale.
Date: 11/3/16
One of Many
The Revenge of Lord Oda (Blood Ninja, #2)
Nick Lake
# of pages: 377
© 2010
Historical Fiction (based on library)
I would say Action and Adventure (Fiction)
This is the second book of Blood Ninja. It is about Taro, a daimyo's son, raised as a peasant; however, is destined to become the shogun. Taro is a vampire-ninja and after losing his mother he wants to see her again no matter what. He wants to talk to her, so once he gets word he goes to her on Mount Hiei and the result is catastrophic. People die and causes him to go back on his search for the Buddha ball: one of the most powerful items only to be recalled in stories.
This book was just as amazing as the first one. It had many plot twists and I was happy that my favorite character lived. I can't wait for the next one. I do recommend this book; however, read the first book then this one. It also depends on what you like because some f this can leave a gory image in your mind. I rate it a five on our scale.
October 22, 2012
"Blood Ninja 2" the story starts off after Taro, one of the main character of the story thinks he has killed lord Oda, the man who wanted to kill him an everything he has, but he is wrong he has turned him to a vampire an he wants his revenge.
Taro must go to find his mother who was sent into hiding to keep her safe an he helps a samurai who is being haunted get his life back. As the story goes Taro loses loves one an must go on a journey to find the "Buddha Ball"
This book would be good for anyone who likes to read a series style book the deals with revenge and lose an also great journeys to fight off the evil forces.This book has Vampire Ninjas, Monks, and Samurai Haunted by ghost this book is for you.
Taro must go to find his mother who was sent into hiding to keep her safe an he helps a samurai who is being haunted get his life back. As the story goes Taro loses loves one an must go on a journey to find the "Buddha Ball"
This book would be good for anyone who likes to read a series style book the deals with revenge and lose an also great journeys to fight off the evil forces.This book has Vampire Ninjas, Monks, and Samurai Haunted by ghost this book is for you.
January 21, 2016
A great second addition to Nick Lake's Blood Ninja series! Taro, Hiro, and Hana go to the Tendai monastery in search of Taro's mother, but once they get there, they find themselves the victims of a horrible trap. Taro experiences great pain and must go where (almost) no one has gone before in order to get answers and to finally discover the location of the Buddha Ball.
This whole book was fantastic, with wonderful, lively characters and plenty of action to keep me hooked! The very first chapter made me VERY happy, and I thought the ending was amazing, and I CANNOT wait for the third book to come out! A LOT happens in this book, and I cannot remember how many times I gasped in surprise at all the twists and turns! Simply brilliant!
This whole book was fantastic, with wonderful, lively characters and plenty of action to keep me hooked! The very first chapter made me VERY happy, and I thought the ending was amazing, and I CANNOT wait for the third book to come out! A LOT happens in this book, and I cannot remember how many times I gasped in surprise at all the twists and turns! Simply brilliant!
January 9, 2017
"This lust for adventure, he realized for the first time, is like a curse."
~
"If it was the samurai, they would kill him.
If it was the monks, they would help him, make him live.
And that would be worse."
~
"She's dead," said the samurai. "But you don't have to be."
~
"She would hate him, he was sure. She would consider him a coward and a traitor, for leaving her alone to die. He didn't care. She would live, and then he could die."
~
"Good-bye," said the priest. "May the kami keep you from evil spirits."
Taro laughed. "Too late for that."
~
"Next time you see me," he said, "I'll be coming at you with an army of thousand. I give you till dawn, before I launch the attack."
"Good," said Taro. "We look forward to it."
~
"If it was the samurai, they would kill him.
If it was the monks, they would help him, make him live.
And that would be worse."
~
"She's dead," said the samurai. "But you don't have to be."
~
"She would hate him, he was sure. She would consider him a coward and a traitor, for leaving her alone to die. He didn't care. She would live, and then he could die."
~
"Good-bye," said the priest. "May the kami keep you from evil spirits."
Taro laughed. "Too late for that."
~
"Next time you see me," he said, "I'll be coming at you with an army of thousand. I give you till dawn, before I launch the attack."
"Good," said Taro. "We look forward to it."
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews