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Kokun: Book 1: The Girl from the West
The first volume of a sweeping fantasy by one of Japan’s most beloved storytellers, and the bestselling author of the Moribito series.
The vast Umal Empire has flourished for centuries thanks to the miraculous ohaleh rice, a sacred grain brought from a distant land by the first empress Kokun. Resistant to all parasites, the rice has sustained the empire, ensuring peace and prosperity for centuries—until now. When a mysterious infestation strikes, famine spreads and the empire begins to crumble.
Fifteen-year-old Aisha, granddaughter of the deposed lord of West Kantal, flees to the imperial capital with her younger brother after a violent coup. There she meets the reigning Kokun, Olie—an enigmatic girl worshipped for her supposed gift of scent, yet secretly powerless. As Aisha uncovers her own latent ability to perceive the natural world through smell, she and Olie form an unlikely alliance.
Together, Aisha and Olie must uncover a hidden history and the truth behind the ohaleh rice, all the while battling forces that threaten not just the empire’s survival, but the very balance of nature.
The vast Umal Empire has flourished for centuries thanks to the miraculous ohaleh rice, a sacred grain brought from a distant land by the first empress Kokun. Resistant to all parasites, the rice has sustained the empire, ensuring peace and prosperity for centuries—until now. When a mysterious infestation strikes, famine spreads and the empire begins to crumble.
Fifteen-year-old Aisha, granddaughter of the deposed lord of West Kantal, flees to the imperial capital with her younger brother after a violent coup. There she meets the reigning Kokun, Olie—an enigmatic girl worshipped for her supposed gift of scent, yet secretly powerless. As Aisha uncovers her own latent ability to perceive the natural world through smell, she and Olie form an unlikely alliance.
Together, Aisha and Olie must uncover a hidden history and the truth behind the ohaleh rice, all the while battling forces that threaten not just the empire’s survival, but the very balance of nature.
- GenresFantasy
304 pages, Hardcover
Published February 2, 2026
8 people are currently reading
181 people want to read
About the author
Nahoko Uehashi
91 books361 followersNahoko Uehashi is the author of ten books in the Moribito series, which have sold more than a million copies and won many major literary awards in her native Japan. An associate professor at a Japanese university, she has a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology and studies indigenous peoples in Australia. She lives near Tokyo, Japan.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 26, 2026
What an interesting fantasy book ! I loved the world building, the characters, the scent "magic", it was so imaginative !
This was a really easy and pleasant read, the descriptions were beautiful, I would recommend this one.
This was a really easy and pleasant read, the descriptions were beautiful, I would recommend this one.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
[ARC REVIEW 📖]
Kokun Volume One, The Girl From The West
Author : Nahoko Uehashi
Translator : Cathy Hirano
Wow, this book definitely impressed me with strong Studio Ghibli vibes (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind) through its imperial & ecological sweeps & I hardly even read YA fantasy!
The story begins with siblings 15-year-old Aisha & the heir & 9-year-old Milucha Keluahn, children of the deposed king of the West Kantar domain, who were taking flight after the violent coup & were supposedly headed to the imperial capital, but were eventually captured by Lord Jookuchi's forces.
Through Imperial inspector Masyu Kashuga's assistance, Aisha was able to meet Olie, the reincarnation of the late deity Lady Kokun, who aspires to stop an agricultural catastrophe from happening as a result of a parasitic infestation from insects known as giant yomas.
As the story progresses, Aisha discovers her true power, which is the ability to perceive the world through her heightened sense of smell, leading to her alliance with Olie, as they fight together the forces who threaten the empire, as well as the balance of nature.
This four-chapter novel is a coming-of-age tale of female heroes who attempt to solve the true history of the Umal Empire, uncover the truth behind the miraculous sacred grain named Ohaleh Rice, & put the puzzle pieces together to find the true location of "the land of the gods".
The CLIFFHANGER ending though, ugh, I mean knew there would be more volumes for their continuing journey, but I wanted to know what happens next! 😫
Overall it is an unconventional fantasy, brimming with excitement, packed with tales of rebellion, inheritance, & an epic quest to save the world from completely disintegrating.
Thank you Netgalley & Europa Editions for this opportunity! 🥹🫶
4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
P.S. Follow me for more book reviews on:
❥ Instagram @bookwormdenz
❥ Threads @denz.kaye
❥ Meta @bookworm.denz
❥ Goodreads @bookwormdenz
Kokun Volume One, The Girl From The West
Author : Nahoko Uehashi
Translator : Cathy Hirano
Wow, this book definitely impressed me with strong Studio Ghibli vibes (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind) through its imperial & ecological sweeps & I hardly even read YA fantasy!
The story begins with siblings 15-year-old Aisha & the heir & 9-year-old Milucha Keluahn, children of the deposed king of the West Kantar domain, who were taking flight after the violent coup & were supposedly headed to the imperial capital, but were eventually captured by Lord Jookuchi's forces.
Through Imperial inspector Masyu Kashuga's assistance, Aisha was able to meet Olie, the reincarnation of the late deity Lady Kokun, who aspires to stop an agricultural catastrophe from happening as a result of a parasitic infestation from insects known as giant yomas.
As the story progresses, Aisha discovers her true power, which is the ability to perceive the world through her heightened sense of smell, leading to her alliance with Olie, as they fight together the forces who threaten the empire, as well as the balance of nature.
This four-chapter novel is a coming-of-age tale of female heroes who attempt to solve the true history of the Umal Empire, uncover the truth behind the miraculous sacred grain named Ohaleh Rice, & put the puzzle pieces together to find the true location of "the land of the gods".
The CLIFFHANGER ending though, ugh, I mean knew there would be more volumes for their continuing journey, but I wanted to know what happens next! 😫
Overall it is an unconventional fantasy, brimming with excitement, packed with tales of rebellion, inheritance, & an epic quest to save the world from completely disintegrating.
Thank you Netgalley & Europa Editions for this opportunity! 🥹🫶
4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
P.S. Follow me for more book reviews on:
❥ Instagram @bookwormdenz
❥ Threads @denz.kaye
❥ Meta @bookworm.denz
❥ Goodreads @bookwormdenz
March 9, 2026
Humans are sight-dominant as animals go, with relatively weak noses. To demonstrate the point, try to think of adjectives related to scents as opposed to sights. We make and use words to describe our experience, and since our experience is so biased toward sight, we speak little of our noses. That carries into fiction, which does not commonly involve anything to with noses. Our MC's super power might read as uninteresting to a bomb sniffer dog, but gains significance in a human. The unusual premise thus grabs my attention. But really the book is not about that. It is instead a cautionary tale about monoculture, resource traps and sophisticated imperialism. Interpreted from an American perspective, corn bad.
The author is apparently an anthropologist, which shows in the detailed attention to the various ways that agriculture can make and break civilizations. You don't have a society if everyone starves, which is what is on the line for this first book in what is to be a longer series, though as I understand it only the first has been translated.
I am finding it very hard to say anything without spoiling. I will just write very vaguely and generally. There are for the biggest points: memorable characters, much detail about plants, political intrigue. Notably, romance is excluded. Imagine: a female MC who does not swoon over every male entity. The most we get of that is an entirely 0ff-page thing between side characters. The book is about the concepts covered, not anything mushy. I enjoy a book drowning in minor details, so it works well for me.
My primary complaint is time skips that can be hard to make sense of at first, coming suddenly without even a ~ two years later ~ SpongeBob bit. Not a huge deal. Of course I could gripe about smaller things, but that would be pointless.
Last thing I can say is that it is a fairly quick read for its length. I zoomed through in half a day.
The author is apparently an anthropologist, which shows in the detailed attention to the various ways that agriculture can make and break civilizations. You don't have a society if everyone starves, which is what is on the line for this first book in what is to be a longer series, though as I understand it only the first has been translated.
I am finding it very hard to say anything without spoiling. I will just write very vaguely and generally. There are for the biggest points: memorable characters, much detail about plants, political intrigue. Notably, romance is excluded. Imagine: a female MC who does not swoon over every male entity. The most we get of that is an entirely 0ff-page thing between side characters. The book is about the concepts covered, not anything mushy. I enjoy a book drowning in minor details, so it works well for me.
My primary complaint is time skips that can be hard to make sense of at first, coming suddenly without even a ~ two years later ~ SpongeBob bit. Not a huge deal. Of course I could gripe about smaller things, but that would be pointless.
Last thing I can say is that it is a fairly quick read for its length. I zoomed through in half a day.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
pure, unfiltered YA magic from start to finish 💫
i went in with high expectations and somehow still had them exceeded, coming from one of japan’s most gifted storytellers (the deer king, helloooo). not flashy or rushed, just deeply assured storytelling that knows exactly what it’s doing.
it opens subtly, taking its time to paint the world without ever feeling slow. the fantasy is epic in scope but intimate in execution (weaving together politics/family/responsibility/the quest) and has a unique magic system that is super organic. everything unfolds with such clarity and care that you barely notice how much ground is being covered until you’re fully immersed. i ATE this up 🍚
this reaches back to the heart of what has long made fantasy feel special to me, all the way back to being little. there’s a warmth and quiet wisdom here, and a distinctly cozy touch.
🌸 gentle but confident world building that draws you straight in
🧭 politics and family dynamics handled with depth and care
✨ a magic system that feels natural and quietly wondrous
a truly magical read in every sense. comforting, expansive, and deeply satisfying. one for anyone who wants to fall back in love with unadulterated fantasy. cannot wait for the next vol!! 💗
thank you so much to the publisher and author for for the ARC.
i went in with high expectations and somehow still had them exceeded, coming from one of japan’s most gifted storytellers (the deer king, helloooo). not flashy or rushed, just deeply assured storytelling that knows exactly what it’s doing.
it opens subtly, taking its time to paint the world without ever feeling slow. the fantasy is epic in scope but intimate in execution (weaving together politics/family/responsibility/the quest) and has a unique magic system that is super organic. everything unfolds with such clarity and care that you barely notice how much ground is being covered until you’re fully immersed. i ATE this up 🍚
this reaches back to the heart of what has long made fantasy feel special to me, all the way back to being little. there’s a warmth and quiet wisdom here, and a distinctly cozy touch.
🌸 gentle but confident world building that draws you straight in
🧭 politics and family dynamics handled with depth and care
✨ a magic system that feels natural and quietly wondrous
a truly magical read in every sense. comforting, expansive, and deeply satisfying. one for anyone who wants to fall back in love with unadulterated fantasy. cannot wait for the next vol!! 💗
thank you so much to the publisher and author for for the ARC.
February 12, 2026
This is a very good start of a series. Unfortunately, my library does yet have the next 3 in the series.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews