Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl by Julie Kagawa || Indiana Jones Meets Rick Riordan

Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl

Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl is the first book in a globe-trotting adventure that combines high-tech wizardry, old-world legends and a little bit of magic.

Shinji Takahashi is just an ordinary kid. An ordinary homeschooled smart-alecky orphan kid being raised by his aunt Yui. But when a magical guardian decides to use him as a conduit to awaken its power, Shinji’s life takes a turn for the extraordinary. Captured by the menacing Hightower Corporation, which is bent on using the guardian’s magic for its own nefarious purposes, Shinji must team up with a brilliant young tech whiz named Lucy and her robot mouse, Tinker, to escape the Corporation’s evil clutches.

Together Shinji and Lucy turn to the venerable Society of Explorers and Adventurers and its ragtag cast of spelunkers, hackers, mapmakers, pilots, and mythology experts (among other things) to return the guardian to its rightful home and release Shinji from its magic—which seems to be draining his life force. Time is ticking, the Hightower Corporation is hot on their tail, and success or failure might depend on one small thing—Shinji finally coming around to the belief that he is anything but ordinary.

Content Tags:

Perfect for readers who want:

• Lots of action, adventure, and danger to be overcome
• A diverse cast of characters from very different backgrounds
• Indiana Jones meets Rick Riordan books
• Aztec mythology
• A super fun squad that’s good at banter
• Fun twists on common tropes

Many thanks to Disney-Hyperion and Rockstar Book Tours for an eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Quotes are taken from an unfinished product and may differ from the final version.

When I first saw this book announced, I was ridiculously excited and immediately added it to my TBR for several reasons. One, I absolutely loved Julie Kagawa’s Shadow of the Fox series, so I knew I would want to read whatever she comes up with next. Second, have you read that synopsis?! How can you read that and not want to immediately pick up this book?! I’ve also already been sort of familiar with the Coatl and myths around it, so when I saw that, it really piqued my interest!

Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl is a fast-paced adventure that is basically Indiana Jones meets Rick Riordan books, with a ridiculously fun squad, Aztec mythology, quirky banter, and unique twists on some common tropes.

I don’t even know how to write this review, guys. I loved this book so much, and I don’t have a whole lot to say other than read it and also gimme the second one already, please! This is one of those books where I sat down thinking I’d get a couple chapters in and ended up reading the entire thing before I had even realized. I didn’t want to put it down, and I definitely didn’t want it to end!

Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl is like if Indiana Jones and Nevermoor had a baby and then Rick Riordan raised it. It’s a little adventure, some mystery, a pinch of magic, a hint of horror, and utterly, without a doubt, a good time.

This book has a little bit of everything is what I’m saying. The overall story is obviously an adventure, and Kagawa plays with some very common adventure tropes (which I’ll talk more about in a minute). But it’s more than just that (as if that’s not enough). There’s also a bit of a mystery, one that isn’t entirely resolved by this book, which will pull the reader into the series. I’m very curious about the overarching plot that starts in this book and where it’s going to take young Shinji Takahashi in the future books.

There is also just a smidge of horror in this book. Not so scary that it will really spook kids, but enough to give readers a slight chill and really make them sit up and pay attention! The first sort of chilly scene I ran into gave me goosebumps, it was done so perfectly (as a nightmare Shinji was having, of course), and I just loved it so much!

Of course, this was one of those books, as I said, that I sat down to start it and ended up reading the whole thing. I was immediately swept into the story and couldn’t put it down!

Kagawa employs a lot of popular middle grade tropes that, not gonna lie, had me rolling my eyes a little assuming I knew where they were headed. I did not. At all. I really enjoyed how Kagawa ends up twisting these common tropes!

If you’re looking at tropes, Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl is a fantastic example of how common tropes can be used effectively in unexpected ways. It reminded me of the Kingsman movie in that way. Kagawa makes fun of common action tropes the way Kingsman pokes fun at spy movies.

For example, right off the bat, Shinji is an orphan, which immediately had me rolling my eyes because of course he is. It’s not quite what you think, though! Shinji isn’t really a tragic orphan, though he misses his parents (and of course he does). He lives happily with his aunt, and though he sometimes longs for his old life, his story isn’t framed as a tragic one.

Once the adventure actually gets underway, Kagawa employs a bunch of adventure tropes that will feel familiar, but at the same time pokes fun at the idea that they always appear in these sort of adventure things. It’s a semi-aware sort of narrative that is comedic and fun and I thought worked really well. Even though I sort of knew what to expect a little, I still never knew what to expect!

The squad in this book is amazing. Meet the Society of Explorers and Adventurers (a.k.a. the SEA). Once you do, you won’t want to adventure with anyone else!

From the moment the book introduces this group, I knew I would love them! Think they’d adopt me? I would absolutely love to live in this world, and I’d be fine to join this group. They’re not any more dysfunctional than my actual family, so it’s fine.

The Society of Explorers and Adventurers is exactly what it sounds like. These are people whose entire mission is to explore the world finding rare treasures and locations and artifacts . . . with a twist. Because nothing is ever quite as it seems, right? SEA is actually trying to move away from its historical position of stealing relics and artifacts from countries and, instead, preserving history for future generations. I absolutely loved this narrative. The members explore and go on adventures for the love of it and also to see history in its original environment, but with the added charge of not destroying it in the process.

I was immediately hooked in this story and absolutely could not put this dang book down! Kagawa hits on some perfect combination that just left me wanting more.

Lucky for me, there will be more, since this is book one in a new series. Score! This review has been incredibly hard to write, because I feel like most of the things I can say about it end up being spoilers in some sense, and a good part of the book is just reading it and discovering it at that time.

If everything I’ve said so far isn’t enough, though, there’s also a robot mouse called Tinker. It’s not the traditional cute fuzzy found in books, but it is pretty cute. Also, a lot cleaner than most fuzzies. Not gonna lie, I’m a little jealous.

And if all that doesn’t convince you to read this dang book, I don’t know that anything can. I’m not sure there’s any hope for you at all.

Meet Oliver

A.k.a. the part where Sammie tries to convince you to fall for her new bookish crush. Because he’s worth it.

There’s one member of the SEA that I wanted to call out here, because he deserves a little bit more attention. Mostly because I absolutely fell in love with him, as you do. Oliver is actually the reader’s first introduction to SEA, and he’s the perfect sort of introduction. He has a slight limp and walks with a cane, but he can handle his own when the need arises. He’s sarcastic, slightly flippant, and absolutely terrified of all the right things, even though he does the scary thing anyway (because adventure!).

So why should you also love Oliver? Well, I’ll tell you:

• Canes are sexy.
• Super suave, even when he kicks butt.
• Speaks his mind.
• Cowardly in a very relatable way.
• But also doesn’t let that stop him from having an adventure.
• Obviously has a good heart (though he’d vehemently deny it).
• Cares about the people around him (though he’d also attempt to deny that).

So there. Do you have a small crush on him yet yourself? No? Really? All that up there wasn’t enough? Gosh, what do you need to fall for a fictional character? Yeesh. Okay, okay, how about I wrap up with a few of my favorite Oliver quotes? Surely that’ll convince you!

About Julie Kagawa

Julie Kagawa is the New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Fey, Blood of Eden, Talon, and Shadow of the Fox series. She was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel. She worked as a professional dog trainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full time. Julie now lives in North Carolina with her husband, two obnoxious cats, and a pair of Australian Shepherds that have more Instagram followers than she does. You can follow her on Instagram or Twitter @JKagawa or check out her website at juliekagawa.com.

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1 winner will receive a finished copy of SHINJI TAKAHASHI AND THE MARK OF THE COATL, US Only.

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