Amazing story. I had no idea females could be ninjas. Very empowering tale from old Japan. Based on fact though little proof remains. I think 4th grade up would enjoy this story. The illustrations are truly wonderful, just so detailed. Lovely book overall.

'Shadow Warrior: Based on the True Story of a Fearless Ninja and Her Network of Female Spies' by Tanya Lloyd Kyi with illustrations by Celia Krampien is true. Maybe.

Young Mochizuki Chiyonne trains to be a ninja, and she's quite good at it. Unfortunately, before she can use her skills, she finds herself married off to Mochizuki Moritoki, the nephew of a powerful daimyo named Takeda Shingen. Soon after her wedding, her husband goes off to war and she feels like her training could be put to good use. She finds a young orphan girl named Aki, and starts a school. The cover is that her girls will be in a religious order, but they will actually be spies.

Some of the characters are real, and some are fictional. There isn't much known about Mochizuki Chiyonne, but there are legends about her. It makes for an interesting story. Especially when the beautiful art by Celia Krampien is added. Along with that art are drawings from the time period, which helps add nice flavor to the story.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Annick Press Ltd. and NetGalley in exchange for an honest reivew. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

Shadow Warrior by Tanya Lloyd Kyi is a really interesting story based on a true story of a Japanese female ninja and her network of spies. This quick synopsis had me intrigued immediately. I was under the impression that this would be in comic format but it is set up as a long form picture book, with larger images and also larger blocks of text. Overall, an interesting story that readers may not be familiar with.

It's 1558, and warlords across Japan are battling for territory and control. Into this setting, Tanya Lloyd Kyi weaves the stories of three people: Mochizuki Chiyome, a young woman determined to become a ninja whose plans are thwarted by an arranged marriage; Takeda Shingen (The Tiger), a fierce warlord seeking a new weapon to outsmart his enemies; and Aki, an orphaned tavern girl whose destiny is changed by a mysterious woman.

As their stories intersect, the three characters become key players in an elaborate network of undercover female ninjas who will eventually shift the balance of power in Japan. Based on the true story of Mochizuki Chiyome and her all-female spy network.- Goodreads

*Short Review*

I really enjoyed this. I don't know what I was expecting when I picked up this book but the amount of history and story placed in this quick read was amazing. From the beginning, you are pulled in and you don't want to leave. 

This book is detailed without being dragged out and its colorful and complicated without feeling the author is trying to do too much. My only issue with this read, is I wish it was longer. 

I loved how the author moved easily between three different point of views/three different stories. But I wanted to know more about each of them. Not necessarily their past, but what they were doing presently, what happened when the world started changing. I know that this book is meant for children, specifically middle schoolers but this read opened my curiosity to Mochizuki and what women did during this time. 

It really is a good starting point for anyone that is mildly interested in badass women. 

4 Pickles

A fascinating topic, but the style in which the story was told did not work for me. I'd love to read more about these characters in a more fleshed-out format.

Fantastic take on the legend of female shinobi, Chiyome, who trained over 200 women to be shadow warriors in 16th century Japan. Gorgeously illustrated with an exciting and empowering story, showing the rewards of having courage and the patience to pursue your dreams. Chiyome showed that despite her station in life, and the emotional and physical hardships she had to endure as a woman, she was strong and smart and lived the ninja life of her dreams because she was brave enough to go after what she wanted.

Written for young readers but it's a great lesson for anyone at any age!

Thank you to NetGalley and Annick Press for this awesome ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was an great story. With gorgeous art!

I’ve never heard of Chiyome - but I’m going to have to find out more about her.

This is written almost as a folk tale. But there may be some truth to the tale; Chiyome might have been a real person. It’s always nice to have a section in the back that separates fact from fiction and gives the reader references for further investigation.

This was an enjoyable story that could be read in a single sitting. Recommended.

Graphic novel, Japanese culture, female ninjas... What more else I ask for?

This story about a female ninja who managed to build an all-female army in the 1500s in Japan is the perfect read in the age of an even more feminist version of Wonder Woman, and a newfound boom of graphic novels. Definitely a must.

Interesting story based on a legend of the first female ninja and the women she trained to gather information to keep their prefecture—or the equivalent at the time—safe.

A quick, highly readable book with a compelling story. It has two major selling points: girl power and spies. Yes, it's an historical setting and is told with more formal language. In fact, stylistically it comes closer to creative non-fiction than a true novel. These might be significant barriers for young readers. But, its a relatively short and compelling read if you're willing to put in a little effort and could spark some good non-fiction reading as well.

Gorgeously illustrated visual novel about a badass lady ninja network in 16th century Japan. If at least three of those words appeal to you, then you should read this book. Because are you really going to say no to "badass lady ninjas"?

This is a story which combines fiction with historical mythology in Japanese culture.. The story chronicles the journey of a woman who wanted to become a ninja, got married off to a warlord and ends up running an organisation of spies which had a significant influence on the japanese history..

Recommended, short read.. The illustration in the book is also commendable..

I loved reading Shadow Warrior. Excellent writing style, compelling story, believable characters, and an interesting setting Japan. My favorite element is Mochizuki Chiyome, a woman who wants to become a ninja. It's so rare we see a strong female character who doesn't somehow become melted butter around a dominant male. The pacing is done well and the action scenes are beautifully crafted. Honestly, I couldn't put this book down and I loved that I got lost in 1558 Japan. It was an entirely different world than what I expected and kept me captivated.

16th century Japan was a land riddled with warring factions. Yet while the men fought and died on battlefields, vying for glory and more land, one woman developed a network of over 200 spy girls. This female ninja, who may or may not have really existed, although many historians believe she was a real life figure in some sense, developed an undercover spy school and taught her girls to be ninjas.

I really enjoyed the mixture of artwork throughout this book, particularly the traditional Japanese style for landscape shots of feudal Japan and the more modern Japanese-style drawings for the characters in the story, both of which combined to evoke the sense the reader was entering an era of danger, tradition and fighting.

While I wish that there was more involved in the story of Chiyome's spy girls and what they actually did (granted, the historical record is based upon folk lore and 17th century storybooks), this is still a pretty cool look into feudal Japan and one fearless woman who dared to be a fighter and ninja in a man's world.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

Mochizuki Chiyome vive in un mondo duro: il Giappone del XVI secolo è frammentato in staterelli costantemente in guerra, e nessun signore, per quanto fiero e feroce, sembra in grado di porre fine alla situazione.

Chiyome vive anche in un mondo in cui le donne hanno poca scelta: un matrimonio combinato la fa sì entrare nella famiglia di un potente damyo, ma insieme soffoca il sogno per cui si è addestrata con tenacia: diventare un ninja, una guerriera capace di raccogliere informazioni e confondere i nemici, sparire nella nebbia  e comparire nella notte.

O forse no. 

La morte del marito la induce a fare al suo signore una proposta che non può rifiutare: Chiyome fonda quindi una scuola, e tesse la più efficiente e ampia rete di spie che il Giappone abbia mai conosciuto: una rete di ninja donne.

Verità o leggenda?

Non conoscevo la storia di Chiyome, e che nasca da una verità storica o sia un'invenzione della fantasia popolare per me ha poca importanza: l'idea che sia esistita (o sia stata creata) un'eroina che con astuzia e coraggio si è ricavata un posto di potere in un mondo interamente maschile, trasmettendo le sue conoscenze e di fatto liberando altre centinaia di giovani donne mi ha incantata.

Magnifica anche la resa grafica, che fonde stampe giapponesi d'epoca con illustrazioni originali in stile, riportando alla luce un mondo passato, ricco di orrore e splendore.

Goodreads Rating: 4 stars
NetGalley Rating: 5 stars

In the vein of "Rejected Princesses", this kids book is an excellent look into the life of Mochizuki Chiyome--the all-around bad@$$ founder of an order of women ninja spies.

Through short vignette scenes, we see Chiyome grow up in ninja training, be married to a samurai, and finally fulfill her dream of teaching young women the art and skills of being a ninja spy. No one ever suspects the innocent women, dressed as shrine maidens or servants, but they end up collecting vital info which they pass on to Chiyome who then informs the military leaders. We also see through the eyes of a fictional trainee, Aki, who goes on a quest to give the reader a first-hand glimpse of how Chiyome's training was put into place.

I loved the integration of Japanese art in addition to Krampien's illustrations. It gives a heightened sense of setting and time period and subtly introduces traditional Japanese art styles to the reader.

Also, all the points for providing a "Further Reading" section AND a "Selected Sources" bibliography at the end. I love when I see kids non-fiction that includes sources, as it encourages further research, whether now or later, reinforces the factual nature of the book, and creates a more reliable source for using in possible reports.

This was a very informative read and I can definitely see this appealing to young girls who are looking for a bad@$$, real-life role-model/inspiration.

This imaginative tale takes young readers on a journey to Japan of days long considered history with colourful images, strong heroines, and strategy galore, providing an engaging read.

Did you know that there are stories that circulated, during Japans golden age, the time of peace that came after the Shoguns, that told of female ninjas?

Nope, neither did I.

At first I thought this was going to be a modern take on what could have happened if a girl or woman became a ninja, and I thought that it was going to be full of modern thinking. But, when I read this was based on legend, and stories, so many stories that though there was no direct evidence of the existance of female ninjas, the stories that were told matched up, from all over Japan, and formed a picture of a school of ninjas for girls.

This is just a picture book, but it is well written, very well researched, and with the mindset of the time period. Chiyomi, instead of fighting her arranged marriage, as a girl from this era would, she accepted it because that is what girls did.

Beautifully illustrated with modern pictures, as well as pictures from the era.

Very cool story, and it all works. And the information at the end of the book, about the legends is also quite good.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.