Melissa Wilson

The Mackenzie girls knew their father was rich and successful, but Moira discovers much more about KogaTech Consolidated when the will leaves the entire company to her. Moira, the middle sister, is closest to their dad in a lot of ways. It takes a little while for the three girls to develop as individual characters, but when they do, there are some sweet sibling moments. There are also realistic struggles with school bullying and family sorrows in this story.

This is a fun, dramatic YA story suitable for an advanced middle-grades reader too. (The vocab is a bit advanced for MG but there’s nothing inappropriate or too mature.) There’s a lot of action and warmth in this modern-day ninja adventure. It’s an exciting adventure story, but the story is propelled by sisterly love and affection.

Full review is on my book blog… (plus d'informations)

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Ninja Girl Adventures series. I got a copy of this from NetGalley to review.

Story (2/5): I read the first 25% of this book and then stopped reading it. The first chapter is a mishmash of confusing action scenes and probably should have just been left out. We then move on to what happened a year ago to get our characters to where they are at in the first book. In the next chapter we have the author accidentally swapping the sister's names. Marci is the younger and some sort of genius, Mindy is the oldest and a trouble maker. Then in a scene in a lawyer's office Marci is supposedly writing the name of some boy she's crazy over and Mindy is trying to hack into the TV....I actually went back and reread the first chapters a few times but then was completely confused by which sister is supposed to have which personality..it was weird.

Aside from that the story basically appears to be about the sister's fighting against an evil uncle over the ownership of their missing father's corporation. Yes, there are ninjas too but they were just finally introduced around the 25% in mark. It took way too long for them to be introduced and I have absolutely no interest in reading about corporate ownership struggles.

Characters (3/5): Moira is the main character and acts way way older than her age throughout. She was okay but I really wasn’t drawn to or engaged with any of the characters I met here. Also why in the world would you make all of your main characters have names that start with the same letter and are five characters long? Just to show they are sisters or something?? It’s confusing to your readers and annoying, making it very hard to keep track of who is who.

Setting (3/5): The book is set in New York City, but is a fairly generic city setting for the portion I read. It takes place mostly in their house and Moira’s father’s office building.

Writing Style (2/5): Between the plot, which held no interest for m,e and some of the weird editing errors I decided to set this aside for now. I don't really have the patience for it and was struggling to stay interested. I am giving it three stars since I only read the first quarter of the book and am it giving it the benefit of the doubt that it got better. I am curious about all the five star reviews though since at least the first part of this book is pretty unpolished.

My Summary (3/5): Overall I didn’t like this. The premise was silly, there are inconsistencies throughout the story, the characters are hard to keep track of, and it just wasn’t written well. I am giving it three stars since I read so little of the book. Not recommended.… (plus d'informations)

I picked this one up thanks to the title because...ninjas??? Yes, please! If you're looking for one of those 'usual' ninja stories, this is not it. This one is better. It incorporates a...aehm...fairly normal girl and thrusts her into a corporation war, which also centers around a ninja clan war. And it's a lovely mix.

Moira is fourteen. Her mother died in a car accident not very long ago, and now, her father has perished under very strange circumstances. She's left with her two sisters (one older, one younger) and the father's best friend, who they refer to as their uncle. While the multi-billion corporation her father built and headed should go to the brother of her mother...a man they never met but already runs a huge corporation of his own...things take an unexpected twist, and Moira finds herself in charge. But if she thinks her mother's brother is going to let things rest and be, she's wrong. He's going to rage war, and it's not the kind she'd ever dream it would be.

The blurb on this one sounded fantastic. And it is. You do have to suspend a bit of logic and realistic thinking because this tale does shoot out in several directions, which aren't to be explained in the real world. In other words, don't think too deep. Seriously. Don't. But this doesn't have to be logical because it is a fantastical, exciting and fun ride into fiction. The two sides are wealthy beyond anyone's dreams, ninja skills are inherited, and magic is less than a breath away. Plus, there's girl power and some great messages for the age group included.

Moira, although super rich, comes across as a very normal, down-to-earth girl. Readers will wish they could be in her shoes and jump into the adventure with her. Not only does she have to tackle how to lead a super massive company at the age of fourteen, but she's learning super ninja skills, saving her sisters, and unweaving very sinister plots and secrets. Simply put, it's a fun, fast paced read.

I'd even recommend this one for middle graders. Actually, I'd almost recommend this one more for middle graders than young adults. The writing isn't as deep as often found in young adult reads, and there isn't anything content wise, which steers against middle graders. But no matter the age, if you're looking for an easy read adventure, this book is one to grab up.

I received an ARC through Netgalley and loved getting lost in these pages.… (plus d'informations)