The Worst Ronin
by Maggie Tokuda-Hall; illus. by Faith Schaffer
High School    HarperAlley/HarperCollins    336 pp.
5/24    9780358464945    $26.99
Paper ed.  9780358464938    $18.99
e-book ed.  9780358467175    $12.99

A pair of mismatched fighters embarks on a quest to vanquish a yamauba (a monster that devours children) in a graphic novel that seamlessly blends fantasy in a reimagined feudal Japan with trappings of contemporary technology. When fifteen-year-old Chihiro’s father is asked to come out of retirement to fight the yamauba, he declines due to an injured leg, prompting his daughter to leap at the chance to take his place and perhaps gain entrance to the prestigious Keisi Academy. She sets out to find a rōnin traveling companion—her idol Tatsuo Nakano, the first girl accepted into the academy—only to find that she’s now a washed-up drunkard with an attitude. Donning rōnin garb, with swords in hand along with their cellphones, they launch into their perilous journey, with malevolent monsters and threatening dangers lurking about. The backstory to Tatsuo’s unraveling is revealed through intermittent episodes, switching between dramatic dark and light grays set in the past and boldly colored panels in the present. Combat scenes unfold through action-driven panels that slash across the page in cinematic jump-shot fashion. Themes of self-determination, betrayal, revenge, feminism, and social justice are at the core of this fast-paced, twisty adventure.

From the July/August 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.