“Terrific! An amazing, well-written mystery. A joy to read.”“An interesting and unexpected book.”“I was pleasantly surprised… I wanted the story to continue.” After a failed operation and eventual dismissal, Japan’s secret agent Kiko Ochisan withdraws into the mountains of Central Japan to seek recovery and wisdom of her spiritual master. The old man sets out an unusual task for Kiko. The … old man sets out an unusual task for Kiko. The undertaking takes her face to face with danger and leads her to uncover the secret of a long-dead woman warrior, affecting Kiko’s life in an unforeseen way.
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This book is the first book in the series and the first book I have read by this author. It was a pretty good thriller. It had some highs and lows and wasn’t what I fully expected. The author has a great eye for detail I just could keep my attention on the book. There were times I would find myself not wanting to pick it up. Also at times I felt like I was lost and had to go back and reread what I just read. I’m not sure if my head wasn’t into it or if I wasn’t really just keeping into the book. I try to read it again. I gave it 4 stars still because it was a good book with the parts that I did get into.
In the Land of the Crane: A Kiko Ochisan Adventure Thriller (Novella) (The Kiko Ochisan Adventure Series Book 1)
By Lina Vine
4 Stars
This was a very quick read and my first by this author..It looks like this is this authors first story, at least that is what it seems when I visit the amazon author page, and it’s the beginning of a series. Its was nice taking a break from the normal stories I read, and it had a smooth easy flow about it. Kiko was a secret agent in Japan and had a failed mission and was dismissed. She lived with guilt for the loss of lives because of this failed mission and went on a journey to rediscover herself and ended up face to face with her spiritual master who sends her on a journey where she learned many lessons and also learned how to live with her guilt.
The story ended with hints of what the next story will begin with and I’m curious to see where Kiko ends up next and what else her journey will teach her.
I really didn’t know what to expect when I went into this novella from Lina Vine. I have not read any of her other novels so this was a new experience with her writing style. This was also a break from my usual a-typical genera, romance and erotica, with the action-adventure, thriller-esqe feel, it was a nice change. I was pleasantly surprised that this caught my attention from beginning to end, and I am still thinking about it. I will be looking for more in the series. With that said, this was a storyline that for me was perfectly told, in the perfect time. Much more detail and I could see where I could be a bit sidetracked. That wasn’t the case here at all, but a worry for future novels since this is entitled a novella.
In The Land of The Crane we get the story of Kiko Ochisan. Kiko has been let go from her job as a secret agent for Japan. A failed operation has set her whole life in a tailspin and she must figure out how to get things back in order and going forward not backwards. The path to finding out how to get things back on track leads her to a quest she never thought she would find herself on. What will she discover about herself on the journey?
In The Land Of The Crane by Lina Vine is the first book in her Kiko Ochisan Adventure Series. This series I fast paced and full of twists and turns and it will keep you hooked all the way through.
Secret agent Kiko Ochisan has retreated from the world. With a failed mission behind her she is more than happy to seek refuge with her master and try to forget the whole incident. But her master has other plans. He sends her on a mission that leads her down a path she would never have foreseen. One that uncovers a long hidden secret about a woman warrior.
The effects this find has on Kiko and her life is much more lasting that predicted. But will Kiko be able to solve the mystery?
I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting and not quite like anything I had read before. I loved Kiko, she was such a fascinating character to me. She had so many facets to her and I loved discovering more about her with each page. A very good start to what I am hoping is a promising series.
I enjoy reading adventure books. More specifically, if it involves a strong willed / hearted women.
In the Land of the Crane by Lina Vine, we get to meet Kiko Ochisan, a secret agent for Japan. Unfortunately for her, her mission goes wrong and she literally has to take a step back and is dismissed. She decides to go on a journey to find herself. And that is where the story begins.
I loved being able to get lost in this story. I was impressed with the author’s ability to create worlds that felt so real. I loved seeing Kiko grow as a woman and individual, and even enjoyed going on that adventure with her and discovering that great secret. I loved seeing all that she did to get where she needed to. It was thrilling to see a women grow and be as strong as she needed to be. This was most definitely a 4 Star Book for me!
A great read about things turning out differently. When a mission ends badly, spy agent Kiko Orchisan sets out to find peace in martial arts once again. Whilst there in the mountains, she finds purpose and a quest that will lead her on all sorts of paths.
A great read. Well developed plot with twists and turns that I just couldn’t put down. Fast paced action and high stakes made for a captivating read .
Well developed characters like Kiko trying to find meaning whilst also standing up for herself. The combination of realism of spies and fantasy of quests and strange objects was brillaintly written and the sense of it also being a travel narrative worked perfectly as Kiko finds her way through lifem I loved the visual detail throughout the novel like the nature of the cabin in the snow and halos on trees in the forest or the mountain scenery full of wonder and awe as I’d you were actually there. Overall, a great read and I would give it five stars.
In the Land of the Crane by Lina Vine is a different book than I would normally read. In this story there is some information on the oriental culture which is another reason for choosing this story. This is a novella and it does move quickly. Kiko Ochisan used to be a secret agent in Japan. She is on a journey to find her spiritual master’s assistance and recover what she has been lacking. You will be on the hook from the first word until its’ last word. I cannot wait to see what Lina Vine has in store for Kiko Ochisan.