It is 1880 in Japan. Seventeen-year-old Daigo is extremely adept with a sword. Many people try to beat him in a duel, but no one can successfully win. The dojo head, Kashiwabara, is very proud of Daigo, and he asks if Daigo would like to marry his daughter Chizuru. Daigo refuses, and he starts to walk home. On the way back, he meets with his friend Saigo, Chizuru, and her little sister Akane. The girls drag the boys to an old mansion with an old painting of Millet's. Once inside the creepy house, Count Dracula shows up. Ever since then, Daigo has to try to find a way to get rid of Count Dracula and the horrible monster he is. Daigo is the only one who can save Japan from the bloodlust of the count's. Chizuru and the other people closest to Daigo are the ones affected most. Will he be able to defeat the strongest opponent he's ever battled?
Dark Wars: The Tale of Meiji Dracula was a very unique book. It contained a wide variety of Japanese cultural information that taught me random facts. Another interesting characteristic was that fantasy was worked into it. This mix of genres was very different from what I have read before. The vocabulary is extremely well-written for young adults. One problem I encountered was that the names were so authentic to Japanese that I couldn't really remember which name belonged to which character. Some words were also in Japanese so I would either have to ignore the word and keep reading or look in the small glossary in the back. Overall though, it was a great read with lots of irony and foreshadowing. The imagery was spectacular in every part as well. I recommend this book to fantasy or Japanese culture fans.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 6
Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, Pennsylvania United States of America
