Cover: It reminds me of Japanese horror, kinda catchy.

A retelling of fairy tales is always a good challenge, both for the writer and the reader. The writer has to weave a story using key elements–recognizable elements–while adding enough spin to make it stand out; the reader has to step away from the original tale and suspend their disbelief in places while looking for hidden tropes.

As a reader, I rather like the latter. It’s a fun game to play when the book is well-written and captivating, just like Setsuko and the Seven Samurai. Setsuko is a reimagined Snow White, the daughter of a local daimyo and antagonized by Izanami.

The characterization of both is spot on, and as it happened with the original fairy tale, I found myself hoping against hope that Izanami would relent. Her reasoning isn’t sound–well, duh–and the urge of shaking some sense into her is strong whenever she comes on stage. It’s a testament to Sawh’s skills as a writer, being able to paint an interesting character within the constraint of her given role. Setsuko of course reads stronger because of her arc, but Izanami has an unmatchable allure.

The cast of characters is on the big side, but that doesn’t interfere with the plot or the characterization. It’s easy to tell them apart, and their voices don’t blend together. Good!

Another detail I appreciated has to do with the care Sawh has taken in researching Japanese culture. I made a note about it when I was reading, wanting to highlight it, and then I noticed another reviewer pointing it out, too. Fact is, it’s plain that Sawh planned Setsuko and the Seven Samurai to a T.

What could have been handled better? Technicalities. The grammar is good, but there are a few repetitions, and they slow down the flow. Words translations should not be inserted in the text but as footnotes. Nothing major though, and it won’t affect the final rating in a big way.

4 stars on GR.
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