Mirror Sword and Shadow Prince

by Noriko Ogiwara, Miho Satake (Artist)

Overview

Oguna is an orphan with a secret even he doesn’t know—he’s a prince and heir to a terrible power. His best friend Toko is a member of the Tachibana clan and a potential high priestess able to tame that power...or destroy it. Four magatama can bring death, and five rebirth—but how many can Toko recover from the mists of time and history before it is too late?

When the heir to the empire comes to Mino, the lives of young Oguna and Toko are changed forever. Oguna is drafted to become a shadow prince, a double trained to take the place of the hunted royal. But soon Oguna is given the Mirror Sword, and his power to wield it threatens the entire nation. Only Toko can stop him, but to do so she needs to gather four magatama, beads with magical powers that can be strung together to form the Misumaru of Death. Toko's journey is one of both adventure and self-discovery, and also brings her face to face with the tragic truth behind Oguna's transformation. A story of two parallel quests, of a pure love tried by the power of fate, the second volume of Tales of the Magatama is as thrilling as Dragon Sword and Wind Child.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781421537252
Publisher:	Haikasoru
Publication date:	05/17/2011
Series:	Mirror Sword and Shadow Prince , #2
Pages:	448
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.60(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Noriko Ogiwara was inspired to write by the classic Western children's books she read as she was growing up. Dragon Sword and Wind Child is her first book, part of the award winning Magatama Trilogy. Her other books include The Good Witch of the West and Fuujin Hisho. Ms. Ogiwara makes her home in Japan.

Editorial Reviews

Second in the Tales of Magatama, set centuries after the first book, Mirror Sword centers on Toko, the beloved only daughter of the Tachibana clan's chief and her foster bother Oguna. Consigned by his foundling status to a secondary role, the weak-willed Oguna seems reconciled to his fate; drawn by unsuspected parentage into the twisted politics of the Imperial family, Oguna finds himself burdened with the godlike power of the Dragon Sword and thrust into a central role in the Emperor's schemes. Alarmed at the transformation of her childhood friend and at the carnage that follows Oguna, the iron-willed Toko begins a quest that will take her across the empire in search of the pieces of Misumaru neckace, itself the manifestation of godly power. Ogiwara avoids the temptation to write a simple quest story; the representations of divine power are more burdens than gifts, weighing possessors down with obligation and terrible temptations and while Oguna does not entirely lack agency, Toko's determination is sometimes misapplied. The result is a morality tale where faith in external struggle can be misplaced; in the words of the Buddha, peace comes from within. (May)

Publishers Weekly