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[Following is a volunteer review of "The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy Book 1" by Claire Youmans.]

The Toki-Girl Sparrow-Boy Book 1: Coming Home by Claire Youmans, the first in the Toki-Girl and Sparrow-Boy series centered around the titular characters Azuki and Shota, a pair mystical bird children who came from supernatural origins. Their lives began with an act of kindness and jealousy respectively to the protective spirits of their hometown, the Jizo. A couple who longed for a child and a ‘warlord’ who only wished to impress a foreigner over his own culture; the situation exploded from that singular point. The family was torn to sunder and children forced to flee to find refuge relying on their wits and protection from the gods yet the warlord’s men search for them as the world changes. Their home country, slowly influenced by another power called America as ancient traditions and rules are broken, yet a greater danger appears before them as they must return home before the equinox or be declared dead by the warlord making them unable to live among humans any longer. Without that, the two bird-children will lose themselves and return from whence they came

I rate this novel 3 out of 4 stars. I would recommend it to those who enjoy more typical Japanese folklore and mythology especially with stories involving characters such as Princess Kaguya and Momotaro. Though I believe that young teenagers might enjoy the book for the simplicity of the story and illustrations that are within, young adults might find it a bit boring. The reason why I did not give it four stars is due to the long-winded sentences which cause the focus to fade and the lack of making the character feel truly real. The reason for why it was not given two stars is due to several actions taken by the characters themselves, such as the children going the journey on their own and their mother caring enough to free them from the warlord.

What I liked most about this novel has to be the details and worldbuilding, though a bit mediocre and long-winded, it does plant you in the Meiji-era of Japan's history. And it does harken, in some respects, to the stories of Princess Kaguya and Momotaro as it seems to hold aspects similar to those stories. Another aspect is the illustrations, though childish, they would certainly draw in younger readers and remind those who are reading what happened in the previous chapter. What I disliked most was the long-winded nature of the story, though I do love the details, it can distract from the main story and could confuse readers. Another would be the magical aspect which can be charming at times, such as the children turning into birds as well, it can be a bit infuriating especially that scene with all the animals suddenly talking due to the mother's love for the children and comes off as a trope seen in other books but done better. There are also a few tonal problems when it comes to the characters themselves, they seem almost exaggerated in the emotional sense and do not even come off as real in some chapters.

In conclusion, while this book has been an interesting read, I do believe it might benefit from additional looking over when it comes to editing. There are several run-on sentences throughout especially when it comes to details and I hope that the characters themselves further develop to become more real in other additions. Even still, the base narrative works but this is only the first part in the story; I hope to get the chance to read the other portions and see how the story progresses throughout the books.

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The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy Book 1
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As a Historical fiction, this books is interesting especially the Japanese folklore and mythology. I love Japanese history. Great review.