YA Review : Samurai Awakening by Benjamin Martin

March 19, 2013

I loved watching martial arts movies as kid growing up, which is probably one reason why I have read several YA books based in Japan with a martial arts theme. This story is about an American teen as an exchange student to Japan, who is having a hard time fitting in because of the language barrier and cultural differences. He's just an exchange student going to school in a different country; he doesn't set out to learn martial arts or to be a samurai. He is accidentally killed trying to protect someone during a ritual and then brought back to life/possessed by a Japanese god, who now exist within him. The Japanese god is in the form of a tiger, which can change the teen's body into a tiger about the size of a household cat. They both have to get used to existing together in order to fight the evil that has invaded Japan.

This is a great story to read if you are interested in martial arts, going to a different country like Japan as an exchange student, shape shifting, or embracing a destiny.

Kevin Z.
Red Bridge Branch