Book: The Last Ronin
Author: Erik Burnham
Thank you, NetGalley and , for an advanced audio copy.
One of the best books I have read this year and I did not see that coming.
I grew up loving the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles so when I heard there was a darker, adult take on the story I was immediately intrigued. What I was not prepared for was just how emotional and beautifully crafted this would turn out to be.
The premise is dark. This is not the light hearted Turtles you grew up with. The story follows the last surviving turtle on a mission of vengeance in a dystopian future New York, and from the very beginning you are trying to figure out which turtle made it out. That mystery is one of the best parts of the whole experience. I kept changing my guess right up until the reveal and I am so glad I went in not knowing. If you can avoid finding out before you read it, please do.
What I was absolutely not expecting was to be holding back tears reading a Ninja Turtles story. But here we are. Burnham takes characters that most of us have loved since childhood and does something incredibly meaningful with them. The heart of what made these brothers special is still completely intact even in the darkest moments.
This is so well done and it deserves every bit of praise it gets.
Final Score: 5/5
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