Helpful Score: 1
Reviewed by Candace Cunard for TeensReadToo.com
Kimi and her sister, Hana, live a life of luxury as daughters of the Jito, a samurai lord and leader of a strong province in 13th-Century Japan. They do not lead idle lives, however; their father understands the importance of a broad education, and in addition to learning the womanly arts of embroidery and tea-pouring, they are trained in the ways of combat, leading Kimi, the narrator, to wish fervently that she could one day be a samurai, like her father and two older brothers.
Unfortunately, disaster strikes in the form of Kimi and Hana's uncle, Hidehiro. Their father's younger brother, annoyed at their father's growing power, plots to kill their father and wipe out their branch of the family so that he can rule. Kimi, Hana, their mother, and younger brother manage to escape, but their older brothers and their father are brutally slaughtered by Hidehiro.
Separated from their mother and brother, Kimi and Hana disguise themselves as boys and present themselves to a local dojo, where they are taken on as servants by the wise Sensei Goku, who promises to teach them further fighting skills if they comport themselves well. While at the dojo they meet with a boy of peasant background, Tatsuya, who is ridiculed for his low status since most of those training under Goku are nobles. Kimi and Hana's cousin, Ken-ichi, plays the role of small-scale antagonist; although he does not realize his cousins are actually alive and right under his nose, he makes their life difficult.
Kimi and Hana must maintain their disguise while learning the skills of the samurai so they can face their uncle Hidehiro in combat and revenge their father's death once and for all.
I enjoyed the characters, and got a good picture of the relationship between the sisters. The secondary characters, such as Tatsuya and Goku, were well-drawn. An obvious deal of research went into recreating Japanese life in this time period, but the author presents this detail without confusing the reader. The conclusion of the book was satisfying, but leaves room for a sequel that I, for one, would be excited to see.
Kimi and her sister, Hana, live a life of luxury as daughters of the Jito, a samurai lord and leader of a strong province in 13th-Century Japan. They do not lead idle lives, however; their father understands the importance of a broad education, and in addition to learning the womanly arts of embroidery and tea-pouring, they are trained in the ways of combat, leading Kimi, the narrator, to wish fervently that she could one day be a samurai, like her father and two older brothers.
Unfortunately, disaster strikes in the form of Kimi and Hana's uncle, Hidehiro. Their father's younger brother, annoyed at their father's growing power, plots to kill their father and wipe out their branch of the family so that he can rule. Kimi, Hana, their mother, and younger brother manage to escape, but their older brothers and their father are brutally slaughtered by Hidehiro.
Separated from their mother and brother, Kimi and Hana disguise themselves as boys and present themselves to a local dojo, where they are taken on as servants by the wise Sensei Goku, who promises to teach them further fighting skills if they comport themselves well. While at the dojo they meet with a boy of peasant background, Tatsuya, who is ridiculed for his low status since most of those training under Goku are nobles. Kimi and Hana's cousin, Ken-ichi, plays the role of small-scale antagonist; although he does not realize his cousins are actually alive and right under his nose, he makes their life difficult.
Kimi and Hana must maintain their disguise while learning the skills of the samurai so they can face their uncle Hidehiro in combat and revenge their father's death once and for all.
I enjoyed the characters, and got a good picture of the relationship between the sisters. The secondary characters, such as Tatsuya and Goku, were well-drawn. An obvious deal of research went into recreating Japanese life in this time period, but the author presents this detail without confusing the reader. The conclusion of the book was satisfying, but leaves room for a sequel that I, for one, would be excited to see.
