On one level, Jet Black is an adventure and action tale starring a 17-year-old precocious kunoichi, or female ninja, who sets out on a mission to her ancestral home in Japan's Oe Mountains to fulfill her dying mother's last wish. Jet doesn't fully understand what she is supposed to do when she arrives in the village to meet her maternal grandfather, but she quickly learns that she is the target of a violent gang who will stop at nothing to kidnap her. The early part of the book is a fast-paced account of Jet's, her grandfather's and cousin's fight to escape the gang, and contact her uncle Soji in Tokyo. There are several stirring action sequences that display Jet's ninja fighting talents and those of her cousin, Hiro. We learn that simple coins can be turned into deadly missiles and Ninja can move with the wind and blend with their surroundings to escape detection.
The book is more than just the adventure, however. It is also a mystery couched in Japanese history, as Jet and her allies try to figure out what she knows about the Kuroi family's "treasure" that she, as the only surviving Kuroi female, is duty-bound to protect and preserve. Through her cousin, Jet learns about her tribe, the Emeshi, who lived in the north in the Oe Mountains long before the emperor's forces invaded. As Jet follows the path laid out for her by her elders and struggles to keep herself and Hiro safe, she also learns more about herself and what powers she possesses. While some may find the pacing of this part of the book trying, the glimpses into Japanese culture and myth are well-researched and informative.
Jet is a complex and compelling character. While most of the supporting characters, Hiro, Soji and J-Bird (her mother's partner), serve mainly as vehicles to further the historical narrative, the competing senses of danger and attraction that Jet feels towards Takumi, the ninja that hunts her, create a welcome complication. Overall, this is a satisfying read. Recommended.
