Taro Blue Spruell is a mythical retelling of Japanese folklore. It's fantasy fiction that involves a lot of the actual history of Japan. It was impressive to see the level of research the author did. Before reading the book, I didn't know much about taro, and the folklore in Japanese culture, but this book made me dig into the culture.
I loved the illustrations of some scenes after every few pages. It definitely helped visualize the story better. The author also had written tiny footnotes to help understand some terms, which was really informative to read.
What I really enjoyed about Spruell's writing is his detailed world-building style. The way he describes a scene and the surrounding teleports you to historic Japan.
The book had its highs and lows. The fighting scenes and adventurous parts were high-paced, and then there were a few scenes that didn't really pique my interest. The fascination waved from high to low after every few pages.
The story contains magical elements and adventure which was of course is a *chef kiss* blend. And even though I do have mixed feelings for the book, it is definitely a good read for folklore lovers.
If historical fantasy folklore is your genre, I would recommend you to read this well-researched adventurous folklore retelling by Blue Spruell.