Description

Samurai, assassins, warlords — and a girl who likes to climb

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 possibly have the power to change the outcome.

Or could she?

Someone — a student? a teacher? an outsider? — is playing the kitsune. The mischievous fox spirit is searching for… something. What do they want? And what will they do to find it?

Magical but historical, Risuko follows her along the first dangerous steps to discovering who she truly is.

Teen historical adventure fiction

Listen to the first chapter, “The Left-hand Path”:

What the Critics Say

“Tight, exciting, and thoughtful… The characters are nicely varied and all the pieces fit into place deftly.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Risuko is an artfully crafted novel that evokes a heavy sense of place and enchantment…. Risuko’s development and evolution are fascinating to watch in this powerful and relentless coming-of-age adventure.” — Foreword Reviews (spotlight review)

“Vividly portrayed, flush with cultural detail, and smoothly written.” — BookLife

As featured in Kirkus, Foreword, and on the cover of Publishers Weekly!

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