Kevin Takahashi is a refugee from the destruction of San Francisco, the result of an attack by a kaiju, or giant monster. Now living in New York, Kevin is trying to adjust to a new city, a new school, and new problems. His main problem seems to be that he’s caught the attention of Aimi Mura, a minor musical celebrity with jealous friends and an insanely protective father. But these problems are minor compared to the arrival of yet another kaiju in New York.
Raiju delivers exactly what it promises: lots of big monster action along with messages about the condition of the environment. (Which is something of a running theme in giant monster movies.) The cast of characters are quirky and unique, and the back story is delivered in a novel way that doesn’t feel like info-dumps. Fans of giant monsters shouldn’t need much more, but there’s also teen angst and a cute romantic angle as well.
I give Raiju 4 stars. It’s a fun, fast-paced monster book that doubles as a coming of age story. I’d recommend it to fans of monster movies or fans of YA fiction.
I am a bisexual transsexual with bigender tendencies, a former resident of Texas, but now live in Milan with my husband. I used to write in a variety of genres and published my work through 
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