after reading all of the previous otori novels, i was anxious to get my hands on the last book (soon to be published in september) and thankfully one of my good friends works for the publisher! then KP snapped it up and read it before i could get my hands on it. yes, it's that good. my hubby is so picky about books and even he loves these! all i have to say about this book is that it's tragic.. so so tragic. in that japanese seppuku-like tragic way. but so appropriate to this series. how could it end all happy and fluffy? it just can't.

it's several years after takeo and kaede have married and united the three countries under their rule. they're happy. their children are growing and prospering. the people they rule over are at peace. but as with all good things, these times must come to an end. when kaede's sister, hana, and hana's husband, zenko, put forth plans to take takeo down for his past crimes against the arai family, things begin to fall apart. throw in some treachery from the tribe and the influx of foreigners from overseas and you've got trouble in the making.

this is another one of those books where i fear giving you too much information. it would just ruin all the fun! if you've read all the previous otori books (and if you haven't, you are no longer my friend) then you should definitely pre-order this baby from amazon and set aside multiple hours to just sit and read. you'll thank me for it.