Japan, 1877. She fought for her identity. She won her dream. Now she's not sure she wants it.
Author Claire Youmans has announced the release of her new historical fantasy novel, The Shadows of War. This is the eighth book in The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy Series.
Japan, 1877. She fought for her identity. She won her dream. Now she's not sure she wants it.
How can Toki-girl Azuki abandon what she's worked so hard to achieve when rebellion threatens to shatter the Japanese Empire's fragile internal peace and fracture its relations with the outside world?
Her uncle fears she's causing mysterious events sabotaging her family. Azuki's dual human-toki nature means something far more ancient and elemental could be at work, if only she can figure out what it is.
Birds teach dragons to dance. Eastern and Western dragons unite even as humans splinter in conflict. A princess wants to help the people she thinks she's failed. Her small brother can't keep a dangerous secret. Troops are on the move and tragedy looms as old ways clash with new hopes in Japan and the world.
Can Azuki stop the disruptions plaguing her family and help her nation prosper while trying to survive the rebellion shaking her country's very soul?
The Shadows of War is the eighth book in the gripping Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy series, where magical realism collides with historical fantasy in Claire Youmans' enthralling Tales of the Meiji Era.
Claire Youmans first went to Japan in 1992 and was immediately captivated. After years of travel and study, she continues to be charmed and amazed by a fascinating history and a culture that's both endearingly quirky and entirely unique.
In 2014, she started Tales of the Meiji Era with The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy's unparalleled blend of historical fantasy and magical realism in Coming Home. She continues exploring the combination of history and folklore to share her love and fascination with a very different country and culture.
Exciting adventures continue to unfold in this delightful fantastical yet historical world as social and political changes expand, technology explodes, and two very unusual children grow up.
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