“Hah! Well, that’s life, isn’t it? You don’t ask for a lot of the stuff it throws at you, but you either look at it like a gift or a curse, and then figure out the rest from there.”
- Release date : September 28th 2021
- Series : Mortal Techniques
- Publishing house : self-published
- Pages : 648
Spoilers ahead
Spirits of Vengeance has colourful characters! All of them had a compelling story and past.
Haruto was a seasonned warrior who fell from grace after losing a battle with another contestant. The contestant set fire to his house and killed Haruto’s wife who was inside. Haruto struck a deal with a shinigami to help him find his wife who had become a yokai and free her from her condition. Guang and Yanmei were bandits or were part of a bandit group. Disguted by what they have done or what they saw, they decided to leave this life behing.
Kira is one of Yanmei’s students and is a yokai. Having been imprisonned in a mirror for a long time, she has trouble adjusting to life and doesn’t know if she should live as a yokai or as a human. That’s why, Yanmei acts like her moral compass. She was part of the Heiwa academy, a school for people with special techniques but she was rejected by the other students. She can manipulate glass, mirrors and use illusions.
“We live in a world of people passing their pain to others. It shouldn’t be that way.”
Vengeance is obviously a leading theme but parenthood, family, redemption and a few other sub-themes are also developed through the characters. Guang and Yanmei have both been looking for a way to do good and to redeem their past actions. And what better way than to save people and help a « young » girl stay on the right path? Yanmei’s death was sad even if Rob J. Hayes had prepared us for it. Kira’s reaction was heartbreaking as she was the closest thing to a mother she had.
“Yokai aren’t evil,” Haruto continued. “Evil isn’t something a person is, it’s a choice a person makes. Yokai are creatures of instinct. It is their nature to seek vengeance. It is why they exist. They are not evil, anyone who chooses to use them to commit atrocities is evil. Because that is the choice they have made.”
This quote really exemplifies Hayes’ choice not to only portray yokai as monsters. Sure, some are fundamentally evil and take pleasure in killing and tormenting innocent people. But some of them are just playful while others have been looking for a way to coexist and to live in peace.
I loved the way Guang’s stories were used. It was a great way to add depth to the story and to let us learn more about some of the characters.
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