Virginia McClain

Betrayal of mind. Betrayal of power. Betrayal of heart. For centuries the Rōjū council silenced all who opposed them, spreading lies and killing innocents, ensuring female Kisōshi were little more than a myth. Now, with the corrupt council deposed, the land of Gensokai reels, taking its first steps towards recovery. The New Council attempts to corral renegade allies, and Taka takes charge of a frontline infirmary, placing her in the heart of the battle. But to survive, she will have to rely on a person she cannot possibly trust. Meanwhile, Mishi sets out to lure a vicious band of mountain raiders into the open. Many have tried to subdue them, and so far all have failed. Yet she battles more than bandits. Her mind betrays her, and she fears it is only a matter of time before her kisō and katana turn against her too. Surrounded by enemies and thwarted at every turn, can Mishi and Taka survive long enough to bring peace to their fractured homeland?

Traitor's Hope

Kerry Gibbons

Another excellent novel from Virginia McClain. 

Although I sometimes struggled with some of the names being so similar (fun fact: most people don’t read the entirety of proper nouns but rather parse the length, first couple letters and maybe last couple letters - the general shape of it - when they read), this was an excellent follow-up to Blade’s Edge. I liked where the story went. The new characters were great additions but I liked that we continued to focus on key characters from the first book instead of getting overly entangled in the needs of characters we didn’t already have a relationship with. 

My only other criticism here is that the glossary is a bit anemic. There are plenty of words (eg “hifu”) that aren’t in the glossary but are used frequently throughout the book. I know the author is fluent in Japanese so these might not be very noticeable to her but I’d like to see this expanded OR contracted. Either the glossary should include EVERYTHING (things any anime/manga fan would know, too, like “ne?”) OR it should almost not be there, trusting the reader to pick up meanings from contextual clues or else look them up. I’m inclined to make the glossary bulkier rather than slimmer, but I find the current state of the glossary a bit perplexing. 

But yes, this is a book I would absolutely recommend. 

It’s striking to me that, with the exception of manga and anime, I have not encountered a great deal of science fiction or fantasy focusing on Asian cultural touchstones. It seems that this should be prevalent! A sub-genre! Especially for East Asian-obsessed young adults!

Traitor's Hope

Reviews