''Sisters of the Sword'' is a

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

series written under the pseudonym Maya Snow. The first two books were written by Helen Hart. ''Sisters of the Sword 1: The Warrior’s Path'' was the first book in the series published in June 2008. ''Sisters of the Sword 2: Blade’s Edge'' (also released as ''Chasing the Secret'') was published in 2009. ''Sisters of the Sword 3: Walking Through Fire'' (also released as ''Journey Through Fire'') was published June 2009. A fourth installment, ''Crushing the Stone'' was released in June 2012. ''Sisters of the Sword'' tells the tale of two sisters in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

during the feudal era who are from an aristocratic family, namely, the daughters of the local " jitō" or lord. Their world is ripped apart when treachery strikes and they must flee for their lives. They disguise themselves as boys and enter a

dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...

as servants until the time they can exact their revenge. Kimi is the narrator and main character of the story. She tells her story of her escape with her sister, Hana, and how they come to realize how hard commoner life is.

Plot

Kimi's uncle, Hidehira, comes over for what seems to be a normal visit. It appears as if Kimi's father was leaving and her uncle was taking his place as jitō. As Kimi and Hana watch the sacred ceremony in secrecy, they witness their uncle plunge a knife into their father and then proceed to do away with their older brothers. After witnessing the struggle, they flee and hide in a family

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...

. There they find a note from their mother saying that she and Moriyasu, the youngest brother had escaped and that they would some day meet when Moriyasu was old enough to take their house back from Hidehira. This was all in the disguise of a

poem Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...

. Kimi and Hana make a plan to disguise themselves as boys and make their way to a prestigious

that had taught all of the men in their family. They are not allowed in at first and are confronted by their cousin, the son of Hidehira, Ken-ichi. Luckily he does not recognize the girls and simply looks down upon them as two poor farm boys. It appears he is not even aware of his father's doings. He challenges Kimi to a sword fight after an accidental clash of swords (a sign of disrespect) and, though she loses, her potential catches the attention of the master of the dojo, Master Goku. He lets the girls in as servants and allows them to attend classes when they are not working. During their time there they begin to realize their cousin's ignorance and ill behavior. Along the way; they befriend a boy named Tatsuya whom they aid through the book. Slowly their skill increases, and to the point Kimi can knock down a tree. During this time; Tatsuya figures out they are the daughters of the deceased jitō. As time goes by, they realize that Goku has known from the start who they were. In time, there is a

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

held at the school that takes place every year in which anyone, in or outside of the school, may compete. Kimi and Hana decide to participate in a way to get revenge and to challenge her uncle. But Tatsuya in the process takes Hana out of the tournament. Kimi blows through the tournament; making her way into the top six students participating. During a competition, Ken-ichi injures Tatsuya on purpose as a trick. Then his father disowns him and leaves. Ken-ichi then challenges Master Goku in anger and

poison Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

s him before hand. Then he kills Goku and leaves after Kimi defeats him in combat. The book then ends with Kimi and Hana finding a note from their mother.

Blurb

Kimi and Hana are daughters of the jitō, a powerful

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

lord, but their privileged lives are shattered when their father is

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

ed. Hunted by his killer, it is up to the sisters to salvage what is left of their broken family-and avenge their father's death. The story continues in the second book, ''Sisters of the Sword 2: Chasing the Secret''.

References

{{Reflist

External links

* http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061243875/Sisters_of_the_Sword/index.aspx 2008 novels Historical novels Novels set in Japan Japan in non-Japanese culture