Ninja: Assassin by Chris Bradford (Ninja Trilogy #3)

9/10

Author of Young Samurai and Bodyguard, Chris Bradford is a trained martial arts expert with a black belt in Kyo Shin Tai Jutsu, the art of the ninja, so he is writing from experience when he penned Ninja: First Mission, Ninja: Death Touch and now the third novel in the trilogy, Ninja: Assassin.

In this thrilling finale to the previous two, Taka, Cho and Renzo are out for revenge. They are left reeling from Lord Oda's attack on the ninja clan's hideout. This has made them go to the Black Eagle Castle, but the Grandmaster had tried to persuade them that revenge will not repair the damage that he'd already been done. Taka though is feeling worse than the others and to get back at them would mean a lot. The story is told from Taka's point of view as his mother had been cruelly murdered by his enemy. For Taka it is his mission to kill the ninja who sports a red scar over his cheek. Taka thinks the Grandmaster doesn't understand him and how he feels. He has felt so much loss and sorrow so he is only doing what is instinctual to him, though the Grandmaster disagrees with Taka's revenge mission, he gives the three of them a weapon that could, in theory keep them alive.

In Ninja: First Mission the three of them went into the real world to use the skills they had learned as ninjas. In Ninja: Death Touch the Grandmaster teaches them more skills, and when they were ready enough, they learned the death touch. In this last novel, Taka might feel alive with his thirst for revenge but he has his two friends around him to keep his spirits up. What I noticed from reading this story was that though Taka has revenge in his heart, it is Cho who with her blow pipe takes out some of the harder assassins guarding Lord Oda. She has a strength unmatched by most ninja as she has learned a lot. Bradford knows how to construct a novel and completely surprising ending.