School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-8-Princess Kazunomiya, 12, meets and falls in love with Prince Arisugawa, to whom she has been promised for the past eight years. Suddenly everything changes and she must marry someone else to increase the political power of the family. The plot is basic and timeless, with a mixed-up love triangle and an arranged marriage, but it is both complicated and enhanced by the numerous details and descriptions of a royal life in Japan in 1858. While accurate and informative, the story gets too bogged down with the details of historical events. Fans of the series will welcome this addition, but it is unlikely to attract new readers.-Nancy A. Gifford, Schenectady County Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Amidst 1858 Japan's political and cultural turmoil, Princess Kazunomiya discovers she is betrothed to two men: true-love Prince Arisugawa and imminent shogun Yoshitomi. Fictitious diary entries of the real-life princess vividly describe Japanese traditions while dramatizing Kazunomiya's girlish palace escapades and conventional heroism. An endnote includes a family tree, historical note, and period photographs. Glos. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
