I read the first book in this series, Risuko, and have been desperately looking forward to reading the sequel. And it has more than lived up to the wait.
The series follows Kano Murasaki, known as Risuko, as she is purchased away from her mother and brought to a mysterious school in the Japanese Alps to train to become a shrine maiden, but also a kunoichi — in this take, not a ninja-like shadow warrior, but a spy/assassin. Risuko's challenge is that her father, a disgraced samurai who disappeared mysteriously, made her promise to "do no harm." She doesn't want to hurt or kill, but that's what she's being trained to do.
As this book begins, two warlords, Lord Matsudaira and Lord Takeda, bring their troops to the school, the Full Moon, to plan an attack on their supposed ally, Lord Oda.
There is tension between the two armies, and the women of the Full Moon struggle both to keep the peace and their cover. The struggle becomes even more difficult when a samurai is found dead in the compound. It is up to Risuko and her friends to solve the mystery and prevent further bloodshed.
I loved Bright Eyes on many levels. It is full of cultural and historical detail that immersed me in this fascinating period. It also works as a wonderful murder mystery, with fun twists and turns, red herrings, a tense courtroom sequence, and a surprising, satisfying conclusion — I wasn't able to spot the solution to the mystery (unusual for me) but the final reveal(s) landed perfectly.
And, of course, it is also a coming-of-age story, following Risuko as she grows more mature and assured — as she begins to who she is, at where she truly comes from, and where she wants to go.
The cast of characters is much larger than the first book, but I had no problem following who was who (the character list at the beginning helped). There's a mix of very different characters — male and female, young and old, high-born and low — that add to the intrigue and the excitement. And of course, my favorite characters from the first book (Lady Chiyome, Kee Sun, Mieko, Sachi) were back, like old friends
Bright Eyes is a compelling, fast-moving young adult historical adventure. I can't wait to read book #3!

Can one girl stop a killer?
The future of Japan hangs in the balance, and it's up to a girl who likes to climb to save the day
Two armies have descended on the Full Moon, and the war that has torn Japan apart for over a century threatens to destroy Lady Chiyome's school for young shrine maidens (and assassins).

In this thrilling sequel to Risuko: A Kunoichi Tale, Risuko must face warlords, samurai, angry cooks, a monster in the hills, the truth about her father, a spy among the kunoichi...

And a murderer.

Someone kills a Takeda lieutenant, staging it to look like suicide. Can Risuko figure out who would do such thing?

And can she keep it from happening again?