I picked it up for the cover art, started to read it and was filled with disillusionment. Based on a cursory scan I had high hopes for another well-written children's book. When I picked it back up and actually started to read, I fell in love with the simple writing. Some of the names are cheesily normal - the Tower of Destiny, for instance - but the main character is a young boy and sometimes the imagination fails to come up with anything better. It works in this context. I also love the referencing to modern Japanese culture, even though at times it can be quite dark.