Risuko: A Kunoichi Tale
Ratings5
Average rating3.2
**Can One Girl Win A War?**
*My name is Kano Murasaki, but everyone calls me* Risuko. *Squirrel.*
*I am from Serenity Province, though I was not born there.*
*My nation has been at war for a hundred years, Serenity is under attack and the Kano family is in disgrace, but some people think that I can bring victory. That I can be a very special kind of woman.*
*All I want to do is climb.*
*My name is Kano Murasaki, but everyone calls me Squirrel.*
Risuko.
—
Though Japan has been devastated by a century of civil war, Risuko just wants to climb trees. Growing up far from the battlefields and court intrigues, the fatherless girl finds herself pulled into a plot that may reunite Japan — or may destroy it. She is torn from her home and what is left of her family, but finds new friends at a school that may not be what it seems.
Magical but historical, Risuko follows her along the first dangerous steps to discovering who she truly is.
Kano Murasaki, called Risuko (Squirrel) is a young, fatherless girl, more comfortable climbing trees than down on the ground. Yet she finds herself enmeshed in a game where the board is the whole nation of Japan, where the pieces are armies, moved by scheming lords, and a single girl couldn’t possible have the power to change the outcome. Or could she?
Historical adventure fiction appropriate for young adult and middle-grade readers
[COMING JUNE, 2016!][1]
[1]: http://risuko.net
Series
Featured Series
2 primary books#1 in Seasons of the Sword
Seasons of the Sword is a 2-book series with 2 released primary works first released in 2016 with contributions by David Kudler.
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I received this book through netgalley in exchange for an honest review
This book was very interesting.
I usually stay away from novels about Japan and specifically ones written by non-Japanese. As a Japanese major, I can see the irony in this but, at the same time, as a Japanese major it annoys me when authors use words of the native language here and there when everyone in the book is speaking the language.
And this is probably my biggest complaint. The main character, Risuko, refers to her mother as Oka-san (Okaa-san is the way I've been taught to write it). So, I don't know why he did this. Why not just say mother? For English speakers it is easily to differentiate levels of respect with Mother & Mom than throwing in a Japanese word. Also, this wasn't done often with father and never done with little sister so.... I don't get it.
I think for a final edition it would be helpful to explain the differences with -san, -sama, -senpai, -sensei, which the characters use but, the reasoning is not always explained.
My second complaint is how slow it was going... until I realized this was a series! Then, it made sense and I liked the pace.
Honestly, the flow was done really well and I flew through this book.
The characters were great and really pulled out. I really loved Risuko and Emi.
I really fell into this book and the characters.
I think in the next book, since this is taking place during the era Oda Nobunaga was shogun (OMG!! What an era!! If you don't know Japanese History, go look this guy up!!), I'm hoping for more history background and information.
So, all in all I really liked this book.
Totally going to recommend it to some of my friends.
