A Thousand Steps into Night

By: Traci Chee

Narrated by: Grace Rolek

Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Longlisted for the National Book Award

From bestselling and award-winning author Traci Chee comes a fantasy perfect for fans of Studio Ghibli. When a girl who’s never longed for adventure is hit with a curse that begins to transform her into a demon, she embarks on a quest to reverse the curse and return to her normal life, but along the way is forced to confront her true power within.

In the realm of Awara, where gods, monsters, and humans exist side by side, Miuko is an ordinary girl resigned to a safe, if uneventful, existence as an innkeeper’s daughter.

But when Miuko is cursed and begins to transform into a demon with a deadly touch, she embarks on a quest to reverse the curse and return to her normal life. Aided by a thieving magpie spirit and continuously thwarted by a demon prince, Miuko must outfox tricksters, escape demon hunters, and negotiate with feral gods if she wants to make it home again.

With her transformation comes power and freedom she never even dreamed of, and she’ll have to decide if saving her soul is worth trying to cram herself back into an ordinary life that no longer fits her… and perhaps never did.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Traci Chee (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

I loved the book

I loved the story and the style of the book would recommend to read. Amazing book with great characters story and content.

loved it!

Loved it! The author does a wonderful job of bringing her story and the world of her story to life.

Lots of fun

I really enjoyed this book. The story has more twists and turns than California’s route 101. The heroine takes a licking, makes a new friend and perseveres through wondrous adventures.

A multi-level story

The voice of this book sounds as though it was meant to be read aloud, and the story can be read as a simple adventure story, a feminist parable, or a modern take on Japanese mythology. Or all at once.

The narrator did a great job making the characters distinct and imparting their speech with their personalities. But I had a problem with some of her mispronunciations of words -- such a thing tends to draw me out of a story. The most egregious was her pronouncing "hearth" as though it rhymed with "Earth", which I found jarring.

Love the mythology

It was a fun story and I loved the mythology and the world it painted. It was pretty heavy handed on the feminist agenda. Don’t get me wrong as a mother of girls I am all for a story that teaches my girls to be strong and resilient but if you repeatedly state it in words it starts to loose its power. The narrative had plenty of examples of female oppression and the protagonist intervention in said situation without the authority having to use the words repeatedly.

Adventurous

A very enjoyable and delightfully, entertaining reading of the story. Enjoyed very much the portrayal of the characters all of them. I recommend this book to others.

Cool Japanese mythology

I loved the Japanese mythology and all the different spirits. Geiki and the monkey spirits were the best! Miuko irritated me at times with her indecision and there was way way too much commentary on gender inequality. I got the picture after the first four or five times. No need to keep bringing it up. Cut that down and it would have been a great story

For fans of Howl's moving castle

If you are like me and love fairy tales, and one of your favorite books is Howl's moving castle then look no further than this beautiful story by Traci Chee. Miuko is such a wonderful heroine, one that learns to value herself not through other people's eyes but through her own actions when presented with certain choices. I savored this lovely fairy tale and the narration was really good as well!

entirely entertaining

listened on our commute to work/school
1 hrs round trip
the story is very well written an d the narrator is over the top with voice changes and enunciation ♡

This is a feminist story and that is a GOOD thing

This was an AMAZING and epic tale filled with spirits, demons, gods, deities, and unconventional heroes.

The “feminist ideals” that other reviewers, I’m assuming bitter men, were complaining about were simply: diversity, inclusion, and a fairly accurate depiction of what it’s like to live as a woman in a patriarchal society.

Because god forbid a story be told from something other than a man’s perspective, amirite?

Overall this book takes you on an incredible and colorful journey through narrow twists and turns, both backwards and forwards, and many ups and downs.

Alls well that ends well. But is it ever truly the end? Or is there another journey just beyond the horizon?

This story might just feed your own wanderlust for travel and adventure. So enjoy, and make the best of your time!