Synopsis:
The fates of gods and samurai converge in this Japanese-myth inspired epic fantasy masterpiece from debut author A. S. Tamaki.
Sen Hoshiakari, the exiled son of a traitor, is determined to restore his decimated clan to their former power at any cost. But when his path collides with that of Rui, a lowborn woman who once saved his life, he discovers his family ambitions may have paid a darker price than he ever knew. And as Onryō—vengeful demons—rise throughout the land again, demanding retribution for their slaughtered souls, he’s torn between loyalty to the family he’s searched for his entire life and the love of his closest friend.
Only now, his reunited family and their allied forces will stop at nothing in a blossoming civil war against the empire they once served, and the more they kill, the worse the demons will become. To save their world, Sen and Rui must join this conflict and find a way to forge peace—even if it means being cursed by the very gods who once protected them.
Review:
There’s a lot to like about A.S. Tamaki’s The Book of Fallen Leaves, but at least for me, it took a little bit to get to it. I heard some promising things, so that pushed me to keep at it even in the slow-going early chapters. I found some things I liked and some interesting aspects of Tamaki’s story, but it wasn’t until nearly halfway through that something happened that made me lean forward and say, “Oh, now that was interesting.”
Thankfully I kept at it, because the second half of the book pays off wonderfully, especially the final quarter when all the chess pieces come together for an epic sprawling battle leaving the board scattered and shattered for whenever the second book in Tamaki’s series releases.
This is what you might label “Historical Fantasy,” with a Japanese-influenced focus, but for a good chunk of the book, the “fantasy” is a little elusive. But there are hints here and there before it really comes in with a bang. I found myself jonesing for the fantasy a little more than the history, but Tamaki does both well.
If you just read the synopsis, you’ll think this book only has two POVs, and that definitely is NOT the case. I would dare say there are at least three main protagonists in this novel with multiple different POV characters throughout. We’re told about Sen and Rui in the synopsis, characters who grow up near each other but have different backgrounds. Fate brings them together at different points and it really forms the backbone of the book in many ways. The one character left out of the synopsis is Sen’s long-lost sister, Kai. Raised near the imperial court, she has different expectations for her life than Sen does, raised in isolation away from the drama of the throne.
For me, Rui was the breakout star of the novel. Kai and Sen both have great scenes and their arcs as characters are fantastic, but seeing Rui, who is not noble-born, ascend as a character throughout the book, was one of the best parts of the book for me.
By the time I finished, I was a little breathless thanks to the unrelenting nature of the final few chapters and what Tamaki puts his characters through, but I couldn’t forget that it took some plodding along in the first half to get there. But I’ll definitely sign up for more from Tamaki and will be very interested in what he gives us next now that he doesn’t have as much character set-up and world-building to do. If you don’t mind a bit of a slow-start, I will highly recommend The Book of Fallen Leaves from A.S. Tamaki.
Thank you to Orbit for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
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