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Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl by Julie KagawaSociety of Explorers and Adventurers #1
Published by Disney-Hyperion on April 26, 2022
Age Group & Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade
Representation: Japanese American protagonist
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher
Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl is the first book in a globe-trotting adventure that combines high-tech wizardry, old-world legends and a little bit of magic.
Shinji Takahashi is just an ordinary kid. An ordinary homeschooled smart-alecky orphan kid being raised by his aunt Yui. But when a magical guardian decides to use him as a conduit to awaken its power, Shinji’s life takes a turn for the extraordinary. Captured by the menacing Hightower Corporation, which is bent on using the guardian’s magic for its own nefarious purposes, Shinji must team up with a brilliant young tech whiz named Lucy and her robot mouse, Tinker, to escape the Corporation’s evil clutches.
Together Shinji and Lucy turn to the venerable Society of Explorers and Adventurers and its ragtag cast of spelunkers, hackers, mapmakers, pilots, and mythology experts (among other things) to return the guardian to its rightful home and release Shinji from its magic—which seems to be draining his life force. Time is ticking, the Hightower Corporation is hot on their tail, and success or failure might depend on one small thing—Shinji finally coming around to the belief that he is anything but ordinary.
Based on the Society of Explorers and Adventurers lore that exist across the Walt Disney
Parks, Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl is the first book in an all-new action-
adventure series that brings S.E.A. into the twenty-first century through a blend of science
and magic, and a focus on two young characters on an epic journey through time and place.
A copy of the book was provided for review purposes - thank you! Receiving a copy does not guarantee a positive review and therefore does not affect the opinion or content of the review.
Julie Kagawa takes us onto one hell of an adventure in Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl, the first novel in the Society of Explorers and Adventurers series. As an avid fan of her other works, I was absolutely excited to dive right into her debut middle-grade novel.
Kagawa’s latest novel follows Shinji, who was taken under his aunt Yui’s wing in early childhood after his parents died and have been homeschooled by her while he tags along on her globe-trotting adventures. It’s in one of these adventures while searching for something in a market that he stumbles across an ancient idol that bonds to him by choosing him as a guardian. What once seemed like something Shinji would find in one of his video game quests all of a sudden has become reality as he gets kidnapped by Hightower Corporation so they can use him to access the power.
The series is based on the Society of Explorers and Adventurers (S.E.A.) lore at Disney Parks, a secret organization dedicated to exploring oceans and lands while acquiring knowledge. I’ve personally never gone to any of the Disney Parks, so I felt a disconnect with the novel early on — mostly because I didn’t already have the background knowledge and lore. Kagawa touches on this briefly, though, as Shinji meets Lucy (a tech wiz under Hightower), and the two escape with the help of her robot mouse, Tinker, so if you’ve never been to a Disney park, you won’t be getting shoved right in expected to swim.
That being said, while I did feel a disconnect, I was definitely curious enough to go on a little crash course on the internet, even if it means browsing the Fandom Wiki page. (And perhaps one day I will get that chance.)
Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl is very much a journey novel, focusing on the group traveling to Mexico as they try to restore the idol to its rightful place (and thus lift the magic from Shinji) before Hightower catches up to them. While I normally struggle with these types of novels, there are plenty of high risks for the characters and lore pulled from various mythology interwoven among the pages that made for an engaging story.
Personally, I did expect more of the high-tech wizardry that’s being marketed for the book, but this likely just comes down to my overthinking tendencies and disconnect mentioned earlier. This is also the first novel based on the lore, and while this does read as a stand-alone, there’s definitely promise for further expansion and exploration in future novels.
Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl has all the charm, humor, and adventure traditionally found in middle-grade novels while blending technology and magic together. While it’s certainly not my favorite of her works (that’s currently taken up by the Shadow of the Fox trilogy), the novel will be perfect for those who already have the background knowledge of the S.E.A. and wish for more and those who have previously enjoyed reading Kagawa’s other novels.
About Julie Kagawa
Julie Kagawa is the New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Fey, Blood of Eden, Talon, and Shadow of the Fox series. She was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel. She worked as a professional dog trainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full time. Julie now lives in North Carolina with her husband, two obnoxious cats, and a pair of Australian Shepherds that have more Instagram followers than she does. You can follow her on Instagram or Twitter @JKagawa or check out her website at juliekagawa.com.
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Sophia started blogging in February 2012 for the hell of it and is surprisingly still around. She has a GIF for nearly everything, probably listens to too much K-Pop and is generally in an existential crisis of sorts (she's trying her best). More of her bookish reviews and K-Pop Roundups can be found at The Arts STL.
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Great review and I’m glad as the resident Julie Kagawa stan that you mostly enjoyed the book, barring the disconnect.