This was a lucky find in an antique bookshop that intrigued me enough to buy and binge read it. I loved the mystery and all the twisting plots in the book. That it was set in 17th century Japan only made it all the better! I enjoyed all the characters (except for Akiko, you’d think the girl’s been tortured by her mother from the way she acts, but I digress). The only pitying thing was the vocabulary used by certain character at times, which was a bit too modern and took away from the fantastic atmosphere Rowland created. Definitely a big recommendation for anyone who stumbles upon a book in the series!