What a fun tale! Right from the get go the authors quirky and energetic writing style snagged my attention. The characters were lovable and unique and i loved the characte building. The storyline was unpredictable and unexpected. I also really enjoyed the world building.

Overall, a perfect YA fantasy book for young and old!

this book gives what it promises! adventures, supernatural creatures, demons, talking animal companions and a worldbuilding heavily influenced by japanese folklore. i loved miuko's character and how she made her place in a patriarchal society, how she remained the loud and cheery girl while also saving her friends and country. the pacing was another thing that impressed me, fast enough to keep me intrigued in miuko's journey.

while the book was enjoyable for most part, the ending was definitely rushed. the whole concept of a character trying to make miuko embrace her demon self was underwhelming and these two drawbacks combined didn't leave me satisfied with how the story ends. but otherwise, i do recomment a thousand steps into the night if you're looking for a short, fun read! it has great character growth, humourous conversations, spirts, demons and great folklore.

Love this for the diverse fantasy representation! I loved Tracy Chee's We Are Not Free and requested this for that reason - I didn't know that she was better known as a fantasy writer! Looking forward to adding this one to my classroom.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of A Thousand Steps into Night by Traci Chee.

A Thousand Steps into Night is the story of a servant class girl, Miuko, who chafes at the restrictions that have been put on girls under the rule of their Noble Class. She has always been too clumsy, too loud and too plain to properly fit in with the rest expectations of the men in the village.

The story starts off when Miuko is sent alone to fetch cups from the local potter. As her father has been injured, he could not accompany her on the journey, and things soon start to go wrong. Several odd occurances appear before and after she reaches the potter, although she doesn't yet realise how much her life is about to change.

On her way back an encounter with a demon, what one character called 'Lady Death', Miuko finds herself cursed to also become a death bringer. Her curse is luckily a slow, spreading one that starts from her feet and works its way up her body.

When she finally arrives back home, she finds everyone was out looking for her, but one mistake reveals that she is turning into a demon, which leads to the priests in the village chasing her out and trying to kill her. And this is where the actual story starts.

From here on we follow Miuko on her quest to remove the curse and to become human again. And how she realises how little freedom she used to have as a normal girl in her village. How much she wanted to be free.

At times the book felt a little bit too preachy about the plight of girls in society. All the pressures we are put under and how we should embrace the wild within ourselves. I also struggled a little bit to get into the writing style.

However, the book is so full of charm. The side characters are amazing and the adventure is sweeping and has such interesting mythological elements to it. The ending was not fully resolved, but the openness was a good one.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves the 'Shadow of the Fox series by Julie Kagawa or the Flame in the Mist duology by Renée Ahdieh. This is definitely full of fun and adventure!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book.

This story follows Miuko, the daughter of an innkeeper who gets cursed by a spirit. Now she’s in a quest to end the curse before she ends up turning into a demon for all eternity.

This was an ok read. It got a little repetitive and the pacing felt like a seesaw: fast in some places and immediately slow which really threw me off. I also wasn't sure if this book was supposed to be funny or not. It started out with sarcasm and laughable parts and then got serious half way through.

Overall though it was an interesting read with a good look at how the culture's sexism really hurts not only the people of their world but the world as a whole. I loved that the ending brought about a win for the gender and that there was representation of nonbinary and transgender persons.

I absolutely adored Traci Chee's historical fiction book, WE ARE NOT FREE. I had hopes for this one but struggled to get into it. I've seen several aspects from the premise in recent books (including the Spin the Dawn sequel by Elizabeth Lim) so I really wanted this to feel fresh and new, but ultimately I had a challenge connecting to the voice in this one. I love seeing more fantasy books hitting the shelves from different traditions, and I believe there will be an audience for this one. It just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book! I requested it for two reasons: 1) I love fantasy, especially fantasy with diverse inspiration and 2) I adored We Are Not Free, by the same author. While this tale is obviously very different from that one (one being historical fiction, and the other being fantasy), it had a similar vibe.

The characters were so much fun and I wouldn’t object to more stories about them (Kanayi would be an excellent candidate for another book in the same universe!) and the ending was satisfying and beautiful.

This adventure is funny from page one. I'm far more used to ya fantasy relying on angst and despair, etc., so this approach was glittering and exciting for me from the start.

Miuko is a gloriously chaotic protagonist who speaks her mind even when inconvenient (for herself as much as anyone else) and loudly enough for all to hear. When she is cursed to slowly turn into a malevolence demon, Miuko takes up with an even more chaotic magpie shapeshifter spirit, Geiki, who likes shiny things as much as he dislikes superfluous (all of them) rules. Another pleasant departure from genre norms is that this friendship never becomes romantic. Miuko thinks Geiki's handsome, so I think if you want to ship it as a future option, go for it, but during this story's timeline, her feelings are firmly platonic and no less fierce for it. There's no pining, no jealousy, no toxic possessiveness.

In their quest for information on breaking the curse, a library B&E is necessary because women aren't allowed, and their ridiculous escapades valiantly returned all the missing joy from my life. I also appreciated the footnotes, which range from helpful to snarky. My favorites were the swear words, with footnotes assuring us they were too rude to translate while also providing grammatical options for our own usage.

Sexism is a sad reality in this world, but it fuels both plot and humor as Miuko expands her horizons. There's also non-binary and trans representation. While the gender binary is pretty strongly adhered to among humans, non-binary humans can serve as priests, and demons and spirits can do whatever they want because human rules are stupid and limiting. I appreciate the author's message on gender and power. Miuko ponders that yes, she has limited power as a girl, but she also doesn't want to wield power in the way men do. I did find that the resolution of the conversation was pretty simplistic and happy-go-lucky, but it was thoughtful overall.

My only problem while reading was that the humor nearly evaporated in the latter half of the book in conjunction with a plot shift that I didn't fully dislike but was less engaging for me nonetheless. A time travel element didn't fully make sense to my small brain, and a complete changeover to a new set of supporting cast members had a lesser claim on my heart.

This is a solid ya fantasy read, all the more pleasant for the ways that it dodges the expected, tired pitfalls of the genre. It has a lovely approach to gender with a triumph over power structures that assign worth on a strict system according to gender binary. If you're looking for a ya fantasy read with laughs and colorful, snappy world-building, this would be a great read for you.

Unfortunately I have a whole lot of books to read, so I haven't gotten to this one yet. I'm really excited for it, considered it's Japanese based! I'm giving it a 4 star for now, but will update once I read it.

A wonderful fantasy with a feminist twist, A Thousand Steps into Night was a joy to read. The lore was clearly Asian-inspired, but not derivative, and the heroine, Miuko, was delightfully down to earth and matter-of-fact about every fantastic situation she faced. Chee hits a perfect mix in Miuko, who is flawed and fallible in a way that makes her human, but is still someone that you want to root for. Miuko's desire to maintain her humanity and save her village while also grappling with the fact that being cursed has empowered her in a way that women in her society could never hope to be.

The layering of an exploration of how to seek power and self-determination in a healthy way when you've never had that opportunity before atop a classic fantasy epic is at the core of this novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Although I think this book stands alone well, I would be thrilled to read either a sequel or another book by Chee!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Thousand Steps into Night follows Mioku, a girl who is cursed to transform into a demon. With the help of a magpie spirit and a demon prince, Mioku sets out on a journey to break her curse.

I'm so incredibly glad the world is getting more Asian-inspired fantasy. A Thousand Steps Into Night is a spectacular and refreshing journey, and our main characters are a joy to follow. The world itself is rich and interesting. As a whole, the novel is equal parts epic and whimsical, and is overall just a Really Fun Time (especially with what happens about halfway through! what a twist!!).

One of the things that also stood out about this book was the footnotes! From definitions and pronunciation to historical context, the footnotes enriched the story in an incredible way, and really helped me feel more involved and knowledgeable. I hope this is a sign of more books embracing footnotes in the future. Really, they were absolutely fantastic.

If you're looking for a quick fantasy adventure with a marvelously rich world (and no romance plot!), this book is definitely for you.

First off, I would like to thank NetGalley and Clarion Teen for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review! the full review is on my book blog, but a mini one is provided below:

Overall Rating: 3 ✰
Content Warnings: nonconsensual kisses (brief), attempted sexual assault, murder, misogyny

I made it about 30% of the way before losing interest. I'm not sure where exactly I fell out of the story, but there was a point where I felt unattached to what was going on.

This is NOT a reflection on the author. Traci Chee is a very talented writer who has a great impulse to scene building, and I was able to feel empathy toward Miuko during the brief time I spent reading the book.

↳ I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was such a great story! I loved the writing and the plot!!

It all begins when Miuko gets cursed by a spirit and starts to turn into a demon with a deadly touch. Ripped of everything she has ever known, Miuko goes on an adventure to break said curse. In her path, many questions are raised and answered.

It was very interesting to see the development of Miuko as a character, the way she was slowly discovering herself and the place she wanted to occupy in the world. I had so much fun while reading some scenes (Geiki, I'm looking at you) and was genuinely interested in seeing what would happen in the end.
Overall, it was a good reading!

I was immediately entranced by the concept of a YA japanese folklore inspired fantasy. The end of chapter footnotes giving context and translations were incredibly interesting and fun. I wish more authors taking inspiration from folklore would do something like this!

The book is written as if the reader were being told a story, a narrative style that definitely lends itself towards telling the reader about the characters and events instead of showing them things. For example, the first chapter begins with the MC's personal history where we are told her quirks and shortcomings rather than parsing them out for ourselves during the events of the book. I generally have a strong preference for third person POV but because of this style of narration, I really struggled to connect with and care about the characters in this story.

Overall, it is a fun story, with strong female characters and full of creatures and characters from Japanese folklore that I enjoyed getting to discover for the first time. Enjoyable, but not my favorite writing style.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Well, this was lovely! The characterization was great, the story was fun, but the worldbuilding was by far the best thing about this book: It was chock full of spirits, traditions, and ideas that were beautifully rendered. The whole thing had an air of folklore about it, and I enjoyed the footnotes present at the end of every chapter. Small points deducted because the pacing felt erratic at times, but it was super fun and enjoyable!

We love a stand-alone fantasy book! And we love reading about ladies having power and making choices! This was the first book I’ve read by Traci Chee, and I really enjoyed it. The worldbuilding was fascinating and the plot was exciting. I couldn’t stop reading.

This is the first book i have read by this author , also the first fantasy book inspired by Japanese mythology and i need to do read more of these books because this book was brilliant and i can't wait for everyone to read and love it as much as i did

Thank you Netgalley and Clarion Teen for giving me access to this incredible eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Traci Chee’s Japanese-influenced coming of age fantasy novel, A Thousand Steps Into Night tells the tale of Miuko, a girl from the servant class who always finds herself in trouble, gets caught up in the biggest misadventure of her life. While on her way home from getting a replacement for a tea set that she accidently broke, Miuko is cursed and begins to slowly transform into a demon with the ability to injure or kill with just a touch. Making friends along the way, Miuko journeys through Awara trying to find a way to stop her curse while battling a mischievous demon prince. This book truly has it all: questions about what it is to be human and what it means to be good or bad, friendships, laughter, demons a plenty, gods, feminism, monsters, curses, beautiful fantasy descriptions, and hope. Readers will devour every page as they travel with Miuko as she makes difficult choices in her quest to save her very soul.

This book is fascinating. Firstly, the feminist aspects are so important because Miuko is constantly considering not just the way that her life as a girl in the servant class has affected her, but also the way that the demographics of other characters have affected their lives too. There’s intersectionality here as Miuko learns more about the power structures of this vast world beyond her hometown. Secondly, this book answers questions about the battle between good versus evil with the possibility that everyone has the capacity for both. It’s all about choices. And Miuko makes a lot of choices throughout the book. This is essentially a coming of age book about a seventeen year old who finds herself with power and freedom to make choices for the first time and those choices have very real consequences, so it was interesting to see the way the consequences affect Miuko. She hasn’t been able to change the lives of others before and sometimes she does it for good and sometimes she does it for bad. This story has a solid plot, but it’s also very character-driven. Miuko grows a lot in the span of a few days.

Lovers of grim fantasy are sure to love this action-packed and often hilarious story. 5 out of 5 stars.

It’s been a while since I last read anything by Traci Chee, but I was eager to check out her latest young adult novel: A Thousand Steps Into Night. Books that deal with curses are sometimes my favorite thing. There are many ways to interpret what constitutes as a curse. In one of Traci Chee’s newsletters, she talked about some of the work that went into A Thousand Steps Into Night, and I was interested in seeing how that would come in to play.

As a standalone, I liked this story. There were a lot of strong aspects about it including the endearing characters—Miuko as well as some surprising allies—to the world building and the major turning points that culminated in an excellent and satisfying conclusion.

The opening chapters got the ball rolling at a fast pace, but it was an effective opener for a story that barely had time to slow down and breath. There was a lot of ground to cover though, and so traveling made up a good chunk of the story. However, those bits were good, as it showed the setting through Miuko’s eyes as she experienced it. At times, the outward factors seemed to work against the characters, and there was literally danger around every corner from the ordinary and the supernatural. There were a few comical moments, but the tension (from the race against time and the ensuing chase) was the defining tone of A Thousand Steps Into Night.

So the characters: I liked them. The secondary cast, as well as the villain, were detailed and complex. The villain in particular had a clear motive, and his actions were a foil to Miuko’s ultimate quest.

All the hallmarks of a coming of age tale were present with Miuko (the sole POV) having to figure out who she wanted to be after being cursed. Awara was a society that was restrictive to women, and that was one of the big themes of the story. Add in a curse, and you’re pretty much everything they don’t want. So with her banishment from the only places and family she’s ever known, she was left in a difficult situation. Her endurance was admirable, but I also liked when she finally got some support and built those friendships she’d craved for. In the end, I appreciated Miuko’s characterization, and her story was so satisfying to watch playout.

A Thousand Steps Into Night was an interesting and enjoyable read.

Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Clarion Books) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

I am a Traci Chee fan girl and this is easily one of my most anticipated reads of the year! I loved The Sea of Ink and Gold trilogy, a YA fantasy, and so to have an adult fantasy being released? Dreams come true. Not to mention the Japanese-influenced mythology and unapologetic feminist themes.

So, did it meet my expectations? Definitely. It took a while, because like any good fantasy, half of the story builds the characters and introduces you to the world and the monsters that lie within. The world building is excellent, and helped by footnotes that explain the language and the meaning behind it. I could see the map in my mind, with each new place we’re introduced to laid out clearly, from temples to towers to forests.

The story follows Miuko, a girl who is cursed by a demon and goes on a journey to cure herself. Along the way, she meets several other characters, spirits, demons, and girls, all a mix of good and bad. From the moment that Miuko gains companions, the story really takes off — and there are several characters I wish I had the chance to get to know better in the process. One of my favorites is Geiki, a bird spirit that has a tendency to swipe shiny things and talk a little too much.

If you like Chee’s fantasy worlds, want to find your heart flutter with love for adorable spirits, watch the patriarchy come head to head with a demon, or just want to immerse yourself in a new world, pick this up! Thanks to NetGalley for the early review copy, all opinions are my own.