From Far Away: Vol. 9

by Kyoko Hikawa

Synopsis
Transported into a fantastical world of high adventure, a confused and frightened teenager discovers she holds a prophetic power that will awaken a new epoch of staggering uncertainty.

In the past, Noriko has relied on the help of a small cadre of sympathizers to protect her from the constant danger swirling around her. But now she finds herself in a most unusual position. Suddenly, she must rescue a member of her inner circle.

To do this, she enlists the help of the Spirit of the Trees. Together, the young girl and the woodland spectre form an opportune alliance. But alliances made in haste often prove disastrous... especially when secret agendas are finally revealed!

Review
This is another excellent volume. At first, we think the enemy has won, and then something that no one expected happened, except we don't even really know what that is. It's when Izark realizes that Noriko likes him for who he is, something no one has ever done before. He realizes there's more to him than just being the sky demon. We'll have to wait until later to find out exactly what that means, though. It also explains how Noriko is the awakening. She doesn't awaken him to be the sky demon, she awakened him to the "truth." We don't quite know what that is yet, though. But this is good for our characters; it seems like they finally have some hope of changing their future.

So the escape from the enemy, and have their friend, Irk, the forest spirit help keep them hidden from their enemies. One little thing bothered me: later on, while Izark is resting, he can't quite remember exactly what happened, or how he found that part of himself that he didn't know existed. But I trust this author, as she doesn't seem to draw things out unnecessarily, and I'm not really worried, because things will happen when they're supposed to.

The rest of the volume is lighthearted fluff, but it's still good. Noriko also comes to the realization that even though she thinks she's weak and can't help people out, she actually is, just by being herself. It's good to see her develop and be a stronger character.

Final thought: Five books left, must read them all!