Anzu and the Realm of Darkness: A Graphic Novel

5 Worlds meets Spirited Away in this tale of a girl fighting her way back home after getting trapped in the spirit world.

Anzu has just moved to a new town during Obon, a time for families to remember and celebrate their ancestors. Ever since her obaachan died, though, Obon has lost its magic. She doesn't feel much like celebrating anymore.

While avoiding holiday festivities, Anzu spots a stray dog down the street. A dog that seems to be staring right at her. But when she chases after it, she slips and falls down a ridge, losing consciousness. When she awakes, she's in the Shinto underworld known as Yomi, a place she's only heard about in Obaachan's stories. The stray dog, she finds out, is actually the Gatekeeper of Yomi, and he warns her to return to the human realm before it's too late.

Only, getting home is not as simple as she'd thought. Faced with the nefarious Queen Izanami of Yomi and a world full of creatures she'd once thought weren't real, the race against the clock is on. She must break a curse, free the spirits of other lost children, and reach the gate home before sunrise...or be stuck in Yomi forever.

Author: Mai K. Nguyen
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Published: 05/07/2024
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.30lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.90w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9780593525272

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 04/01/2024
BookPage 05/01/2024
School Library Journal 05/24/2024 pg. 1
Booklist 06/01/2024 pg. 56
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 07/01/2024

About the Author
Mai K. Nguyen is a Vietnamese and Japanese American comic creator and UX designer living in the California Bay Area. Her debut graphic novel, Pilu of the Woods, came out with Oni Press in 2019.