Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind: List 5

by Misa Sugiura
This first book of the series introduces a twelve-year-old Californian who dreads the seventh-grade social scene, until the discovery that she is the daughter of a Shintō goddess who needs her help to fight demons on the Japanese Island of Mysteries.

This list covers "I'm Not Afraid. I'm Just Not...Not Afraid"–Epilogue.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5
40 words 13 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. assess
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    “Open your eyes, girl. Look around. You’ll need to assess your environment faster than that if you want to defeat those dim-witted demons.”
  2. fester
    decay with an offensive smell
    “What a pile of festering fish! Whoever taught you that nonsense?”
  3. bountiful
    producing in abundance
    “Those bountiful backpacks are meant to feed me, too, I believe.”
  4. speculation
    continuous contemplation on a subject of a deep nature
    “I demand that you stop this silly speculation at once,” said Niko. “It can only lead to trouble.”
    I gave him a hard look. “Are you hiding something? ’Cause it seems like this topic is stressing you out.”
  5. demoralizing
    causing a loss of self-confidence or hope
    I tried and tried and tried. But I could not get Kusanagi to cooperate.
    But don’t worry. It wasn’t demoralizing at all.
    I’m kidding. It was incredibly demoralizing.
  6. feint
    deceive by a mock action
    By the time the sun had begun to go down, I could make Kusanagi change from guitar to sword and back with ease, and I had learned to allow it to lead me through whatever motions it seemed to think were necessary: lunging, feinting, slicing, stabbing.
  7. suppress
    control and refrain from showing
    But the more I practiced, the more Kusanagi seemed to sense the untapped energy inside me. I would feel Kusanagi calling it, and I would have to work to suppress the cold, vengeful rage that surged up in response.
  8. stark
    devoid of any qualifications or disguise or adornment
    It was all gray and brown, rock and sand and bare trees that cast stark shadows in the setting sun.
  9. lush
    produced or growing in extreme abundance
    Nothing like the photo of the lush green island that Mom kept on the mantel at home.
  10. prevail
    prove superior
    “To sum up, there is still a possibility that we will prevail,” said Niko. “And therefore, we must persevere.”
  11. carouse
    celebrate or enjoy something in a noisy or wild way
    “We’ll pass through a portal to this spot here”—he pointed to a little cove on the far side of the island—“and launch our attack at daybreak, when the oni are tired from carousing all night.”
    “Carousing?” Danny said.
    “Partying. Drinking, fighting, bashing their heads into tree trunks to show how strong they are, that sort of thing.”
  12. gauntlet
    a glove of armored leather that protects the hand
    Our backpacks gave us armor, which we helped each other put on. Danny tied my gauntlets to my wrists and forearms, put both of his gloved hands on my shoulders, and looked me in the eye.
  13. barren
    providing no shelter or sustenance
    I looked up to see a barren gray hillside dotted with the black skeletons of burned-up trees.
  14. emaciated
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
    Another vision of Mom flashed in my head: lying on her bed, struggling to breathe through parched, dry lips, the outlines of her face and her emaciated body blurring—she was literally fading away.
  15. guttural
    relating to or articulated in the throat
    We were about halfway across the hillside when a guttural roar came down from the ridge, and two oni charged into view.
  16. banter
    converse in a playful or teasing way
    “Save the bickering and bantering for later. We don’t want to draw any attention to ourselves before we seal the portal!”
  17. skirmish
    a minor short-term fight
    There were a couple of individual skirmishes going on here and there, but most of the oni were passed out and snoring, as Niko had predicted.
  18. hobble
    walk unevenly due to pain, injury, or weakness
    Then an old woman with stringy hair, gray-white skin, and a tongue as long as a snake, hobbling with terrifying speed.
  19. singe
    burn superficially or lightly
    One of Niko’s eyes was swollen shut; the fur on the back of his neck was singed.
  20. billow
    rise and move, as in waves
    Shuten-dōji raised Dōjigiri high in the air and disappeared in a whirlwind of black smoke, which billowed out and engulfed me.
  21. reverberate
    ring or echo with sound
    Shuten-dōji’s voice was a low, menacing snarl, cold and dark and thick with the threat of blood and violence. It came from somewhere both high above me and all around me, echoing and reverberating before finally reaching into my brain and probing for my deepest, darkest fears.
  22. grating
    unpleasantly harsh in sound
    Shuten-dōji chuckled: a grating, rasping sound that made my skin crawl.
  23. throng
    a large gathering of people
    And now that Shuten-dōji was playing for real, he deflected my attack with such force that I went skidding into the jeering throng of oni and yōkai like a plastic Lego figure kicked across the floor.
  24. parry
    impede the movement of
    He spun around and came at me snarling, swiping Dōjigiri from side to side. I didn’t dare try to parry; I knew I wasn’t strong enough.
  25. ravenous
    extremely hungry
    I was ravenous for destruction; I didn’t care who or what got in my way.
  26. trough
    a narrow depression, as between waves
    I walked down a trough that had carved itself through the water, until I was standing between the cages that contained Danny and Niko.
  27. crest
    the top line of a hill, mountain, or wave
    A wave hung over Niko’s head, the white foam crest just about to break.
  28. emanate
    proceed or issue forth, as from a source
    I knew it had to be an illusion, but I could feel her presence as strongly as if she were actually here—she seemed to emanate damp, freezing air that clung to my skin and sank its teeth into my bones.
  29. affinity
    a close connection marked by community of interests
    Susano’o is powerful, certainly. And you have manifested evidence of his spirit, especially in your affinity for the ocean and for stormy weather.
  30. revulsion
    intense aversion
    A wave of panic and revulsion swept through me, and I felt an absurd urge to run away from myself.
  31. torrent
    an overwhelming number or amount
    The familiar torrent of rage began to stream through my body, and Kusanagi sent a buzz of electricity up my arm in response—I’d forgotten that I was holding it.
  32. taut
    pulled or drawn tight
    And just before the darkness closed in again, I saw the shimenawa, glimmering weakly and still pulled taut between my fists.
  33. falter
    be or become weak, unsteady, or uncertain
    Ebisu’s smile faltered slightly, but then brightened again.
  34. modest
    humble in spirit or manner
    “You gave up all your magic to try to save Danny’s life.”
    Niko barely managed a modest shrug before he was smushed in three giant hugs, first from Danny, then from Ebisu, then from me.
  35. soberly
    in a serious or subdued manner
    “I’m glad that Izanami decided to let the three of you go,” he said soberly. “We will have to make sure you’re extra-well-protected from now on, Momo.”
  36. backfire
    return with an undesired effect
    “I must say, I didn’t expect it to backfire in the way that it did.”
    “Backfire?”
    “Errr, yes. Ahem. That is, I thought it would bring you closer to us—to our stories. But instead...well. You pushed it all away and pretended to be something else entirely.”
  37. cajole
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
    After much apologizing and cajoling, Niko agreed to use his mirror to search for Danny’s birth parents.
  38. bluff
    a high steep bank
    We stood together on a high bluff overlooking the ocean, watching the sun go down; she’d always liked the bluffs because she could see more of the water that way.
  39. tendril
    something long, light, slender, and often curling
    Tendrils of black mist wrapped around his neck and squeezed.
  40. incandescent
    characterized by ardent emotion, intensity, or brilliance
    Her rage was incandescent.
Created on Sat May 18 10:16:32 EDT 2024 (updated Sun May 19 15:31:22 EDT 2024)

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