Samurai Awakening

Samurai Awakening by Benjamin Martin stars David Matthews a foreign exchange student living in Japan.  He begins the story unable to speak much Japanese and horribly out of shape.  However, when he attends a sword ceremony he finds himself possessed by a Japanese god and suddenly able to speak and understand Japanese.  He soon starts to train and becomes a part of this new family who fights evil.

This is a very detailed book that will speak to readers that are very interested in the topic.  The plot moves a little slowly because of all the detail which makes it not as engaging for those who aren't interested in Japanese mythology however the book is not overly long (it's right around 300 pages).  This is a book that readers will either love or hate.

Appropriateness:  This book seems very heavy at times.  Although there is no inappropriate content and or much relationship drama and it is not overly violent it's a little heavy for middle grade readers and I'd recommend it to readers 14+.

Review copy provided by Amazon Vine