Deadly Flowers: A Ninja's Tale

Kata, a female ninja in feudal Japan, finds herself on the run with new acquaintance Saiko and her younger brother Ichiro. Someone is hunting the siblings to steal Ichiro's wish-granting pearl, which also happens to attract paranormal creatures. This action-packed adventure blends historical fiction with intriguing supernatural elements drawn from Japanese folklore. An author's note adds historical and mythological context.

First-person narrator Kata-in training since childhood to be a "deadly flower," a female ninja, in feudal Japan-sneers at rich new girl Saiko. When Saiko is assigned to assist in Kata's very first assassination, Kata is dismayed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when the target is revealed to be Saiko's younger brother Ichiro, the only heir of a major noble family, and Kata instead finds herself caught up in a rescue mission. Then things go from worse to much worse: someone is hunting the siblings to steal the wish-granting pearl Ichiro has recently inherited, a token whose magical power also happens to attract paranormal creatures of all kinds. On the run, the three face not only samurai, rival ninjas, and bandits but also a kitsune (shape-shifting fox spirit), ghosts, and bakemono (demons). This action-packed adventure blends historical fiction with intriguing supernatural elements drawn from Japanese folklore, such as the terrifying double-mouthed woman, futakuchi onna. While Kata herself-determined, stoic, honor-bound-has a somewhat limited emotional range, Saiko turns out to have unexpected depth and even more surprising motivations. An author's note adds historical and mythological context. katie bircher