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Moribito: Guardian of the Darkness Kindle Edition

by Nahoko Uehashi (Author), Yuko Shimizu (Illustrator) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 212 ratings
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In the marvelous sequel to the novel (and Cartoon Network series) MORIBITO: GUARDIAN OF THE SPIRIT, Balsa returns to her native land to fight a corrupt ruler and face her own demons.

Balsa returns to her native Kanbal to clear the name of Jiguro, her dear mentor, who saved her life when she was six years old. But what should be a visit of truth and reconciliation becomes a fight for her life when she learns that Jiguro had been a member of King Rogsam's personal bodyguard. After Jiguro fled Kanbal with her, Rogsam sent the other bodyguards after them one by one--Jiguro's best friends, whom he had to kill to protect Balsa. Now, with the help of two Kanbalese children, Balsa must unwind the conspiracy surrounding Jiguro and the mystery of the Guardians of the Dark.
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  1. Reading age
    12 years and up
  2. Book 2 of 2
    Moribito
  3. Print length
    276 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Grade level
    7 - 9
  6. Lexile measure
    830L
  7. Publisher
    Arthur A. Levine Books
  8. Publication date
    July 29, 2014
  9. Page Flip
    Enabled
  10. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  11. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  12. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  13. ISBN-13
    978-0545102957
  14. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up—Though a sequel, Moribito II stands on its own as an engrossing story of redemption, with seasoned warrior and bodyguard Balsa back in the center of it all. Seeking to relieve the emotional burden she had been carrying since her foster father died more than 20 years earlier, she returns to her native country of Kanbal. Just a few steps into her homeland, she rescues two children and duels a cave-dwelling mountain spirit. This encounter becomes a catalyst for two worlds to eventually mingle: the human one full of political conspiracy and a reawakened mythological one. Both come alive with the wonderful attention to detail, from descriptions of the geography, food, and social structure to the ceremony where humans come face to face with their gods. Fast-paced action scenes (frenzied but not overly violent) help lessen the weightiness of this epic, where themes like a boy's coming of age, family betrayal, and the consequences of unchecked ambition are also explored. So steeped in anime sensibilities that one could almost imagine commercial breaks between chapters, this series serves as a smooth transition between manga and straight narrative.—Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Having successfully protected young Prince Chagum in 2008's Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit, Balsa, a spear-wielding warrior, ventures to her rocky homeland of Kanbal in this sequel. Once again, Uehashi immerses readers in the culture, traditions, mythology―even diet―of the populace, creating a full, captivating world. Upon her return, Balsa rescues a pair of siblings in the area's caves (home to the mysterious hyohlu, the guardians of the darkness). She is soon marked as a fugitive, but with help she still uncovers a wide-ranging plot involving her deceased mentor and a scheme to attack the underground kingdom of the Mountain King. Uehashi explores themes of family and honesty with rich prose and compelling characters. Powerful and loyal, Balsa is the core draw (“Although her hands were bound and she was held captive, Balsa's eyes were filled with a fierce light, like a fighter ready to enter the ring”), but the cast of secondary characters are well developed and intriguing in their own right. Add to that some intense spear battles and a gripping finale, and this growing series has something for everyone." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Though a sequel, Moribito II stands on its own as an engrossing story of redemption, with seasoned warrior and bodyguard Balsa back in the center of it all. . . . Both [human and mythological worlds] come alive with the wonderful attention to detail, from descriptions of the geography, food, and social structure to the ceremony where humans come face to face with their gods. . . . [T]his series serves as a smooth transition between manga and straight narrative.” -- School Library Journal



AWARDS:



An ALA Notable Book for Children, 2010

Mildred L. Batchelder Honor for Translation, 2010

USBBY Outstanding International Book, 2010

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00JWGOPUY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Arthur A. Levine Books; 1st edition (July 29, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 29, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 24317 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 276 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 212 ratings

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  1. Nahoko Uehashi

    Nahoko Uehashi

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
212 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

BookBear
5.0 out of 5 stars Starred review from Publisher's Weekly
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2009
Verified Purchase
This is worth including as this series, even in translation, is better than some YA novels out today written by native speakers of English/ American. Hope Scholastic continues to publish the other 8 volumes of this collection.

"Having successfully protected young Prince Chagum in 2008's Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit, Balsa, a spear-wielding warrior, ventures to her rocky homeland of Kanbal in this sequel. Once again, Uehashi immerses readers in the culture, traditions, mythology--even diet--of the populace, creating a full, captivating world. Upon her return, Balsa rescues a pair of siblings in the area's caves (home to the mysterious hyohlu, the guardians of the darkness). She is soon marked as a fugitive, but with help she still uncovers a wide-ranging plot involving her deceased mentor and a scheme to attack the underground kingdom of the Mountain King. Uehashi explores themes of family and honesty with rich prose and compelling characters. Powerful and loyal, Balsa is the core draw ("Although her hands were bound and she was held captive, Balsa's eyes were filled with a fierce light, like a fighter ready to enter the ring"), but the cast of secondary characters are well developed and intriguing in their own right. Add to that some intense spear battles and a gripping finale, and this growing series has something for everyone." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review
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Sunny in DC
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book - hard to believe it is a translation!
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2009
Verified Purchase
I have to give kudos to the editorial team that handled the translation of both the Moribito books. I find translated books tend to be stilted and clunky in general. Not the case here! You'd never know this wasn't an English book in the first place.

I loved the first one, but I have to admit that the second book is even better than the first. More satisfying, more sympathetic, more engrossing - and I loved the first one! Moribito satisfies with a tremendously rousing story that grips you and keeps you on the edge of your seat, and takes you to a completely different world that feels so original and fascinating. And I have to tell you, I had no clue what to expect in the grand finale. It was so original and impressive - and I tend to be the type of person who guesses everything that is going to happen. They say there is no original ideas - well, when you aren't familiar with another culture, it becomes original to you. And this book is fascinating for that reason.

Balsa is also one of the best kickass heroines I've had the pleasure of reading. She was a bit stiffer in the first one, but in this story everything becomes personal for her, and we really get to see her true personality - and she rocks! I honestly can't wait for the next in the series.
18 people found this helpful
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Annabelle Grossnickle
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent in every regard
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2024
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This book is every question left open in the previous book answered and it does so in every way I wanted. It's dripping with culture and it is an excellent study into Balsa's character and inner conflicts. If you loved the first book (or the anime) you will love this one even more. I can't praise it highly enough.
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Angie, When will those clouds all disappear?
4.0 out of 5 stars Just sad that it's over
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2012
Verified Purchase
I initially watched the anime, which covers only the first book. When I realized this second book was going to take place in Kanbal, Balsa's homeland, and not include any of the characters introduced in the first book, I was a little slow and unmotivated to get started with this. Another thing that made it hard for me to get going was knowing that the other books in this series have not been translated into english, and as far as I know, they possibly never will be.

Still, I loved the book once I got going. Balsa is intelligent and a character to admire. This book did a great job shedding light onto her past, with so many unexpected revelations about it. And the ending was so poignant. It didn't pull any punches with the complicated feelings between she and Jiguro, who sacrificed the lives of eight of his closest friends to protect Balsa as she was a child. I'm now sad again that I've finished the book. She's heading back to New Yogo, to see Tanda again, and I would very much like to go with her. I wish they would translate the other books.
6 people found this helpful
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Sonali Barua
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome story, wish there was more.
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2015
Verified Purchase
Like everyone else, I loved the book. I saw the first part as an anime and haven't read the book. I am saddened to read that scholastic has decided to discontinue translating the books. I guess I am learning Japanese then.

I really enjoyed the translation. I loved how the author detailed certain things like currency exchange, dressing differently, language differences, accents and the class system a lot of cultures have. I've read books where people just travel to different countries and no one notices them and somehow no one has difficulty buying food or the need for money.

SPOILER ALERT:

The last 2 chapters was really powerful. the fight in the end was well detailed and emotional.
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Tricky
5.0 out of 5 stars Great sequel - would love more to get translated!
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2012
Verified Purchase
I first saw the anime version of the first book and loved it. I then read the book, and was just as impressed, as the book is excellent and the creators of the anime did a really great job of adapting it to TV. This second book of the series is nice, the surroundings have changed, but there is so much more added to the story and of Balsa's character arc. I found out that really there are more books to the series, they just haven't been translated to English. I really hope the publishers of this second book of the series goes ahead and translates the others as well. It's an excellent world inhabited by well-thought out characters.
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Kerry L. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Moribito II
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2012
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I had watched the Moribito one the spirit with in on DVD and decided to read the second book. The second book was a delight to read with Balsa confronting her past. As in the first book there was the theme of two worlds existing in the same space and time but the other world was given another name probably because the legend was in another culture. The translation form Japanese to English was first class. I am thinking of purchasing more copies of the first two books to give to my grandchildren. Books one and two were both an easy one day read.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Gibrán Macías
5.0 out of 5 stars El libro es hermoso
Reviewed in Mexico on April 21, 2017
Verified Purchase
La edición está preciosa, vale mucho la pena tenerlo en su biblioteca y leerlo, su trama no defrauda a nadie.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A good read :)
Reviewed in Japan on May 22, 2017
Verified Purchase
Great book, finished I less than a week, well written, with a solid story. Must read for a fantasy lover
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Zahra Bokhari
5.0 out of 5 stars awesome book
Reviewed in Canada on February 26, 2016
Verified Purchase
I wish they had translated the next ones into English too. I really enjoyed reading the first two and hope to find something in English for the next ones.
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Antonio
5.0 out of 5 stars muy bueno
Reviewed in Spain on July 4, 2015
Verified Purchase
muy recomendable para jóvenes y no tan jóvenes, que gusten de novelas de aventuras que tengan algo más que la pura acción. Personajes entrañables.
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Anh Vu Bui
5.0 out of 5 stars Bon roman pour enfants et adultes
Reviewed in France on April 2, 2014
Verified Purchase
En termes de qualité, Guardian of the Darkness se révèle du même acabit que Guardian of the Spirit, le premier roman de la série Moribito, qui a par ailleurs fait l'objet d'une excellente adaptation animée. C'est avec beaucoup de plaisir que l'on retrouve Balsa, un personnage mature et attachant dont la suite des aventures enthousiasmera les enfants comme les adultes. L'auteure a bien mérité son prix Hans Christian Andersen en 2014 !
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