Taro
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Taro
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Narrated by:
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Steve Marvel
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By:
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Blue Spruell
About this listen
A B.R.A.G. MEDALLION HONOREE. IAN Outstanding Action Adventure Fiction Book of the Year 2021. 1st Place Fantasy Fiction CIPA Book Award 2021. Readers' Favorite Gold Medal Winner 2021. IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards 2021 Silver Medal Winner for Audiobook Fiction.
To save an empire from the ruthless warlord who killed his parents, a young samurai must summon the courage to face his past and seize his destiny.
Award-winning author Blue Spruell reimagines classic Japanese folklore in an historical fantasy adventure of warlords, swords and mythical beasts from old Japan—an engaging tale for adults young and old—Banzai!
Lost in the mists of Mount Fuji...but no one can escape destiny.
Accompanied by Tanuki, his shape-shifting badger sidekick, Tarō embarks on a quest of self-discovery and revenge, falls for Kamehime, the teenage samurai daughter of a powerful warlord, and ultimately becomes embroiled in the political struggle for the imperial throne. Along the way, Tarō and his allies face fearsome yōkai, the ghosts, goblins, and ghouls of Japanese folklore.
©2020 Blue Spruel (P)2022 Blue SpruellListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"Engaging and fun samurai adventures with a captivating cast." (Kirkus Reviews)
"An exciting, magical coming-of-age adventure book that draws from Japanese folklore and history." (Book Life by Publishers Weekly)
"Taro is an extraordinary coming-of-age saga and highly recommended especially for connoisseurs of ancient legends retold. Highly recommended!" (Midwest Book Review)
What listeners say about Taro
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kristel Greer
- 12-08-22
A wonderfully creative story incorporating folklore and myths from Japanese culture
I was sent a copy of this audiobook for review.
Tarō is a child fascinated by books but as the son of a Samurai warrior, Lord Takeda, he is told that value lies in fighting skills instead. His father gifts him a wakizashi blade, a short Samurai sword and prepares him for a life as a future Samurai. However, before Tarō can show his father his potential, their family are attacked by brutal warlords led by Lord Monkey that kill his father and his General. Tarō's mother tries to escape with him but is killed in the process of getting him to safety in a basket on the river. Tarō goes over a waterfall, loses his sword and is found by a witch. She plans to eat him but takes him home and raises him as her son instead.
Four years pass in the misty forests at the base of Mount Fuji. Tarō has grown large and strong feeding on the witch's magical milk and is friends with shapeshifting animals. One day he saves an important Lord from drowning and is offered a place in his Court. Tarō and his shape-shifting badger friend Tanuki set out to find glory. When they arrive at Court they are immediately entangled in age-old feuds and surrounded by dangers from the empire's political infighting. Having lost most of his childhood memories, Tarō starts to remember what happened to him and his parents and seeks revenge on the vicious warlords that murdered his family. To complicate matters, he falls in love with Kamehime, the daughter of a powerful warlord, whose samurai skills rival his battle expertise and makes him question his actions.
🌟🌟🌟🌟. I listened to the audiobook and was immersed in the magical world from the start. The story was wonderfully creative incorporating folklore and myths from Japanese culture. The narrative infused complex and intriguing characters who fought internal battles as well as physical ones against human foes, ghosts and other unique adversaries. I loved seeing Tarō's character development throughout the book and felt his friendship with Tanuki was heartfelt and based on loyalty and respect. Overall an entertaining and interesting story.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Laura (TheBookishHermit)
- 04-08-22
Historically wholesome
I absolutely love myths, folk tales and anything of that sort, these kinds of stories fascinate me and always get my imagination going! I like how the author has done something a little different here by taking three different folk tales which are all linked by the name ‘Taro’ and binds them together to make one tale.
This is a reimagining of Japanese folklore, not something I have read much of in the past so I was very keen to dive into this and I enjoyed every minute!
This is fantasy fiction at its very best, the story includes a lot of history of Japan, I learnt so much from this book and it’s clear that the author has done plenty of research and taken the time to get facts historically correct.
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