by Allison Conroe
Nov 19, 2023
Pages: 257
Kairi Raynott is a girl of the modern world.
Nearly a decade after her mother’s passing, all Kairi wants is to return to Japan to reconnect with her maternal culture.
Mato Asahi is an ancestor of the old world.
After nearly a decade as a Fire Keeper, all Mato wants is to murder the demons who stole his family from him.
When Kairi is told an old legend of a valley of ancestors hidden deep within the mountains of her mother’s hometown, the appearance of a mysterious crow leads to the collision of two worlds for the first time in centuries. Mato and Kairi must join forces and draw upon the wisdom of those who came before them to face the dangers that lie ahead.
Set in a mystical world inspired by the stories of ancient Japan, The Legend of Sosen no Tani is a captivating introductory tale of reverence for the wisdom of our ancestors and finding the courage to embrace trust and empathy for the sake of our community..
I decided to give this book a try because I like Allison’s dad’s series and I figured if her writing was anywhere near as good as his I would like her book and she did not disappoint. At first it took me a little bit to get into the book because Japan is not an area I usually read but I really thought she did a great job.
Kairi has returned to Japan after a decade in the United States to spend some time with her aunt and to reconnect with her mom and the culture she was raised in. At first it was really hard work, and Kairi wasn’t sure she was cut out for the farmer’s life but then something happened. When a disaster hits, Kairi flees the area following a mysterious crow who leads her to an old legend that she couldn’t believe might be true. If it wasn’t for Mato, one of the Fire Keepers, Kairi might not have survived the disaster. Here she encounters a whole other world, one that is in the past as far as how they live their everyday lives and there’s no technology which is new for her.
Kairi slowly begins to learn their ways and finds herself enjoying this slower pace of life. She still is in shock that her world is infested with demons that is slowly destroying her world as well as theirs.
Getting 5 sheep
Denise B
Goodreads
Allison Conroe is a community development and disaster philanthropy professional living somewhere between the mountains of Northeast United States and the Japanese Alps. Hailing from a long lineage of scribes, Allison is always learning, and enjoys writing on the importance of ancestral knowledge, systems change, and human relation. As a self proclaimed student of all, master of none, Allison is an amateur potter, farmer, fermentation scientist, and aerial dancer. She is proud to add ‘author’ to her list, with The Legend of Sosen no Tani: Through the Well being the first book of her debut series.
