Seasons of the Sword Risuko: A Kunoichi Tale, Book 1, (Hardcover)

<strong><em>Can One Girl Win A War? </em></strong>Tenth Anniversary Edition - with new author essays on the history behind the series <p>In the chaos of Japan's century-long civil war, young Risuko is sold to the legendary Lady Chiyome and taken to a remote mountain school. There she's trained alongside other girls in skills no one will explain - cooking, dancing, spying - for a purpose she's not meant to understand. But Risuko is a climber. She goes where she's not supposed to go. And what she discovers will thrust her into the heart of a conflict that could reshape a nation. </p><p></p>Book 1 of Seasons of the Sword - a complete four-book series: <ol><li>Risuko (Winter)</li><li>Bright Eyes (Spring)</li><li>Kano (Summer)</li><li>Murasaki (Autumn) </li></ol><p></p>Samurai, assassins, warlords - and a girl who likes to climb<p>It's 1570. Kano Murasaki - called Risuko ("Squirrel") - is a fatherless girl living in a ruined village, more comfortable in the treetops than on the ground. When the enigmatic Lady Chiyome purchases her from her desperate mother, Risuko is carried across a war-ravaged landscape to a mountain compound called the Full Moon. </p><p>There, she and two other recruits are trained by kunoichi - spies, bodyguards, assassins - in an education disguised as domestic service. Kitchen work becomes blade training. Dance becomes combat. And the women around her are far more dangerous than they appear. </p><p>But someone at the Full Moon is hiding a secret. When betrayal strikes at the heart of the compound, Risuko must decide what she's willing to become - and what she's willing to do - to protect the people she's come to love. </p><p></p><p>Risuko is the first book in Seasons of the Sword, a complete, award-winning, four-book series set during Japan's turbulent Sengoku period. Rich in historical detail, sharp with political intrigue, and driven by a heroine who keeps climbing higher than anyone expects. </p><p></p>What the Critics Say: <p>"Tight, exciting, and thoughtful... The characters are nicely varied and all the pieces fit into place deftly." - Kirkus Reviews</p><p>"A powerful and relentless coming-of-age adventure... Risuko's development and evolution are fascinating to watch." - Foreword Reviews (spotlight review)</p><p>"Vividly portrayed, flush with cultural detail, and smoothly written." - BookLife</p><p></p><p><strong>BAIPA Book Award Winner</strong> </p>

• Seasons of the Sword Risuko: A Kunoichi Tale, Book 1, (Hardcover)
• Author: David Kudler
• ISBN: 9781938808760
• Format: Hardcover
• Publication Date: 2016-06-15
• Page Count: 238