Review: Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Sky

Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Sky

Written by: Misa Sugiura

Yearling

2023

A brilliant and action-packed start to a new series, Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind follows three young kids on a journey to save the world from demons.

Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind starts a new series about three young ones who are swept together to save Momo’s mom, a former Shinto Priestess, and the world from demons.

Storytelling

I think my favorite part of the novel was the chapter titles. I absolutely loved the chapters heading because they were fun. You had the first chapter titled “Happy Birthday to Me,” and then later on one titled “Think of it as ‘borrowing in a time of great need.” All the chapter titles are fun and engaging, and they made me smile or laugh because they gave me something to look forward to. They captured the novel’s tone and attitude, drawing the reader in. I immediately reacted as I read every chapter heading: “Oh boy, what will happen next.”

This tone was reflected in the storytelling and pacing of the novel. It was fun and adventurous and really carried on throughout the novel.

Characterization

What also made Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind a fun read was the characterization.

Momo is a great character, especially because she is an outcast. Maybe I just have a soft spot for the misfits and the outcasts, but she has such a wonderful, if not slightly strained, relationship with her mother. She loves her mother, but it becomes a strain when she is bullied for believing her mother’s wonderous tales and taking them as fact.

Until she discovers that she is not, in fact, crazy or imaginative. Her mother’s stories were true, and Momo, it turns out, is a half-goddess. Talk about an awakening.

Her journey is one about acceptance and loving herself because it is hard to love yourself when your best friend turns their back on you to join the popular crowd and you’re bullied almost every day. But that makes her relatable, mainly because young ones struggle with loving themselves and need to find that confidence to believe in themselves.

This creates a lot of tension for Danny, the former best friend. Danny can see what she sees and decides to join her, help her, and be the friend he knew he should have always been. But for Momo, the past is not easily forgiven or forgotten.

Final Thoughts

I absolutely loved Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind. It was a great read that was engaging and entertaining from start to finish.

Cynthia Ayala

Cynthia Ayala-Bujnicki majored in Writing and Publishing from Emerson College. Editor-in-chief of Cyn's Workshop, she loves to read and write while tending to her pepper plants. She currently lives in South Florida with her husband, two kids Dante and Selene and two furbabies Mr. J the Kitten who Thinks He's Batman (yes, that is his full name) and Nyx.