The first book in the Tales of the Otori offers solid entertainment. The setting is feudal Japanese-flavored. Our protagonist Takeo is 15 years old when his whole village is slaughtered by the villain of the novel, warlord Iida Sadamu who is seeking to eliminate The Hidden, the peace cult Takeo's family belonged to. As only survivor he is rescued by Lord Shigeru Otori, a popular lord of the Otori clan who have recently lost a war against Iida's clan Tohan. He adopts Takeo, and is delighted, when it turns out that Takeo has the mysterious skills of The Tribe, supernatural abilities that allow him to become an assassin. They plot revenge against Iida and the Tohan...

The book was a very fast read. Takeo is maybe a bit precocious for a 15 year old boy, but I usually enjoy books that include schools and training in some form.

If I have complaints, it's that it's very black and white. Iida is a villain without much depth. You do not really get any insights about him. He's a cardboard villain. However, there's hope. The Tribe is very mysterious, and they seem to be very grey. I'm looking forward to see how that turns out. I also hope that we get to know Kaede a bit better, as the female protagonist of the series.

It was a very fast read for me, and despite the listed flaws I enjoyed it a lot.