The Ninja’s Blade by Tori Eldridge (Review by Madhura Mukhopadhyay)

Rating: 5/5

Lily Wong is in a host of trouble. Following her past run-in with the mafia, not only is she having trouble focusing but she also accidentally accosted members of a notorious street gang, who are now hunting for her. To make matters worse, her Chinese grandparents, notorious for their old-fashioned ways, are on their way to Los Angeles. Then, when she stumbles upon a sex trafficking ring preying on young girls, Lily must get into Ninja mode and infiltrate the ring to help free the victims.

This is book 2 of author Tori Eldridge’s series featuring the modern day kunoichi or ninja Lily Wong. Following a stunning debut last year, the author does not disappoint in the second book. Ever a champion of women, Lily takes on the shadowy and dangerous world of sex traffickers. This is such a serious and painful topic and the author approaches it with all the heart and sensitivity that it deserves.

While this book could be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading the books in order to better appreciate what makes Lily tick and understand the undercurrents of her relationships with her family. Fearless and unapologetic, with this book Lily continues to be one of my favorite adventuresses. I especially enjoyed how Lily seems to be growing along with the series and how connections forged in the first book have matured over time.

The author does such a great job of using her platform to highlight issues we would rather forget like domestic abuse in book 1 and now child sex trafficking. I love the idea of a modern-day Ninja who takes on the world to stand up for vulnerable and often overlooked people. The Ninja’s Blade is a compelling adventure story with a pace that never slackens. I cannot wait to see what Lily gets up to next and I am already impatient for book 3.