by Fumi Yoshinaga, 216 pages After much agonizing over the succession, controversial Tsunayoshi's rule comes to an end and the torch is passed to the benevolent, capable Ienobu. But with her frail health, and the three constitutionally weak children she has already brought into the world only to lose, the future of the shogunate is anything but stable.
Oh, so many tears (including mine!) shed this volume! So many losses to mourn: parents, children, friends, lovers. At least there are moments of healing, as well, to temper the melancholy; and with the knowledge that Yoshimune's time is drawing ever closer, we maintain hope for the future even as we regret having to say farewell to so many characters we've come to know and care for from the past. Bittersweet and lovely.
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