I won't be able to leave a review for this book; I requested it in a past lifetime of my NetGalley use (over ten years ago) and it no longer fits with my reading interests. If I ever do end up reading it I'll come back and update this!

This book was EPIC as I said to Jay Kristoff on twitter. E is for Excellent. P is for Provoking my inner ninja skills. I is for Incredible. C is for Crazy Awesome Book. So I changed the "E" word, but it still means that this book is remarkably EPIC.
The world Jay Kristoff created is a poisonous yet beautiful world in which you can barely breathe because of toxic fumes. There are millions of people who are dying, yet Shōgun does not do anything to help his people. All he cares about is the war and he will do anything to win, even if means capturing a almost-extinct creature. The city is a dangerous place especially if you are a impure. The Wild is different from the city, yet it is still perilous place to be. And that is where we find the thunder tiger.
I absolutely loved the different point of views from several of characters in this book. Yukiko and Buruu's relationship grow throughout the book from the time they first meant, and all the way up to the end. It was beautiful to see, read, feel etc. I think I love the animal and human relationship in books, because they are so magical, and innocent. Buruu doesn't trust Yukiko at first, actually Buruu's perception of humans, is totally hilarious because he thinks of humans as "monkey-child, insect, despoiler and parasite." Buruu still doesn't like most humans at the end of book, but he likes Yukiko.
Yukiko is a brave girl, who is a strong fighter, and we see her grow through out the book. Her past, present, and most likely her future is troubled because of all the wrong doings of the Shōgun. Her father, Masaru, tries to be a good father, however he is crippled with all the bad things that has happened in his past. Yukiko tries to find the truth about her past, and what she can do to save the future.
Kristoff does a wonderful job at jumping into the past, and then transitioning back into the present. The fighting scenes were exciting especially one fight in the wild with the oni. I totally want to learn all of Yukiko's fighting skills.
I like the demons, or oni because it gives the book a paranormal edge to it. Oni were probably one of the scariest things in the book. I like some of the supporting characters as well : Kin-san, The Kage, Akihito, Kasumi, and Aisha.
There are plenty more things I can say about this book but I don't want to spoil anything for those who have not read it yet. This book has so many different genres (steampunk, dystopian, paranormal romance, fantasy etc) that anyone in the world would enjoy reading Stormdancer.
This book is the top book in my "Best Books Of 2012". (a page that I will start soon on my blog) FIVE STARS TO THIS BABY :D

Since writing Stormdancer, Jay Kristoff has gone from strength to strength. This novel is beautifully written and set in a wonderful world, but at times felt too focused on the worldbuilding to the detriment of loving the characters and story plot. But a very excellent beginning to what is looking like an excellent career for one of my favourite current authors.

It's August and so I shall finally post a review of this little YA gem. I was fortunate enough to be granted an ARC e-book version of this book and now intend to buy the paperback when it's available. Mainly because I may enjoy the book even more in paper form. But that all said it was worth gaining this early glimpse of a very solid debut novel.

"This is a steampunk science-fiction/fantasy novel set in a feudal Japan similar to, but also different from, our Japan. It features technologies powered by the properties of the lotus, technologies which produce a waste that choke the land. Enter the protagonist Yukiko who has been set on the quest to find a fabled griffin in order to satisfy a greedy Shogun. Readers can also expect telepathic abilities, chainkatanas and lotus powered flying mech suits. Add to that the incredibly lyrical and rich writing and you have the makings of a very fine first series novel and I will certainly read the later books in this series.

All in all this is a YA novel to rival The Hunger Games in scope, ideas and execution. Its only flaws are perhaps that it starts slowly and features some well-written but awkwardly placed description early on. However by the end the novel is superior to mostly any YA book currently on the market. And it is written with greater lyricism and with characters readers will care for more I believe. So I greatly recommend reading this novel when it is available."

Admittedly, it took me a good 100 pages to become invested in this book but once there, I thoroughly it. Good characterisations and world building, and there is plenty of court intrigue and action. I particularly enjoyed the bonding/kenning of Yukiko and Baruu.
I didn't get much of a sense of the steampunk aspect, it's there but not as pronounced as I was led to believe.
Very enjoyable, and a series I would like to finish.

I enjoyed this book very much and great world building

Japanese Steampunk. Not words I ever really thought I would see together, let alone the basis of a book I would be reading. I picked it up on the recommendation of one of my favorite authors (Kevin Hearne - Iron Druid Series. The best. Get immediately.), more out of curiosity than anything else. I started reading yesterday, and had to peel myself away to go to bed at Chapter 24. I almost yelled at the lady behind me who was talking entirely too loud while I was waiting for my kids at the dentist's office. And I just about blew off dinner for the family to finish the story. It's that good. The writing has a few fits and starts, but the story is enough to wipe that away as you read. It's really well put together - I got it from the library, and it's one of the rare books that I want to purchase anyway. The only down side to having read this? It just came out. It's part one in a trilogy. I have a LONG wait until I can get my hands on part two.

I opted not to pick this one up after hearing concerns about racist microaggressions and poor representation.