The Tiger's Daughter

Empress Yui of the Hokkaran Empire, O-Shizuka, is struggling to handle her royal duties when a message written in a language that few understand arrives. It is the language of Qorin, the horse traders who live on the steppes (think Mongolia), and the sender is her old friend, the Qorin warrior Barsalayaa Shefali. Born under the same omen of friendship, the two had spent summers together, learning about each other and the world. As they grew older, O-Shizuka discovered how to be an empress-in-waiting to a tyrannical uncle, while Shefali developed a deeper knowledge of demons—for she met them when she was ten. Their ordained friendship also turns into a much deeper—and taboo—love. With both foresworn to protect each other's people, the women work together to defeat the demons to defend their world. Unfortunately, this story is undermined by clumsy cultural references. The use of real Japanese terms such as naginata, along with one-syllable changes of others, will confuse those familiar with Japanese culture. And the physical descriptions and slurs spoken by some characters ("rice-eater" and "ricetongue") will disturb many readers of Asian backgrounds.