Loyalty, family and martial arts take center stage in The Ninja's Oath, a smashing thriller that climaxes with a death-filled battle royale that would make Quentin Tarantino blush. Tori Eldridge kills it with this tale, interchanging tender family moments with explosive, slashing fisticuffs.
Modern day ninja Lily Wong finds herself in Shanghai and Japan helping family friend and former triad enforcer Lee Chang track down and rescue his young neice. A task that is further complicated when it comes to light another one of Chang's relatives has gone missing. And it gets even messier when Lily's Los Angeles based Sensei gets pulled into the mix by an old adversary hellbent on revenge. With danger lurking around every corner, they are joined by assassin J Tran, who infuriates, exites and confuses Lily. But together, the group must maintain complete focus on the mission to rescue the captives and escape with their lives.
The dichotomy of family and violence makes for an exceedingly absorbing read. On the family front, Chang puts past drama and hurt feelings to the side to help family members in need. Then Witnessing Lily's internal struggle between her desire to help Chang while simultaneously feeling guilty for not being home with her ailing father makes her relatable. While she possesses a skill set most people will never be able to duplicate, her concern over her parents well being makes her human and empathetic. Which then makes her ass-kicking ability even more impressive and fun to watch.
Then there's the violence. Gory, vicious, explosive violence with guns, knives, swords and more. Pure eruptive brutality and bloodshed that results in a mountain of dead bodies. Oh shit moments that you will want to read twice. It's glorious!
This might have been my first Tori Eldridge book but it won't be my last. The writing is fantastic, the story telling is propulsive and the characters are well developed. Also, don't worry if you haven't read the prior books, because The Ninja's Oath is a great entry point into this compelling series. And once you pick up this book, you'll definitely want to go back and read the others to see how Lily came to be a ninja and do what she does best. Which is good news if you're looking to grow your TBR pile.
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