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Tales of the Otori #6
Sibling Assassins
A new generation, a relentless enmity. The thrilling climax of Lian Hearn's multi-million-copy bestselling OTORI series
As a boy Arai Sunaomi was known as the Miracle Child and crossed between the worlds to walk among the dead. Now he has put aside his past to follow the way of the warrior. His aunt, Kaede, is considering making him her heir, and her General, Miyoshi Kahei, hopes to betroth Sunaomi to his daughter, Kinu. But there is one girl whom Sunaomi cannot forget: Utahime, who has been dead for seven years. Will he dare bring her back to life?
Utahime's brother, Masao, is Sunaomi's oldest friend and the only surviving relative of the great warlord Saga Hideki. When Masao disappears after a fight in the city, Sunaomi is charged with finding him. With his cousins, Kiyoko and Kichizo, sibling assassins from the Tribe, Sunaomi sets out on a journey which will take him into an enthralling and dangerous world of spirits and supernatural beings, rebels, pirates and saints - the extraordinary and enchanting world of the Tales of the Otori.
300 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 28, 2020
18 people are currently reading
856 people want to read
About the author
Lian Hearn
56 books1,824 followersLian Hearn's beloved Tales of the Otori series, set in an imagined feudal Japan, has sold more than four million copies worldwide and has been translated into nearly forty languages. It is comprised of five volumes: ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR, GRASS FOR HIS PILLOW, BRILLIANCE OF THE MOON, THE HARSH CRY OF THE HERON and HEAVEN'S NET IS WIDE. The series was followed by two standalone novels, BLOSSOMS AND SHADOWS and THE STORYTELLER AND HIS THREE DAUGHTERS, also set in Japan.
Hearn's forthcoming series: The Tale of Shikanoko will be published by FSG in 4 volumes in 2016. Book 1 will be EMPEROR OF EIGHT ISLANDS out in late-April 2016, followed by book 2: AUTUMN PRINCESS, DRAGON CHILD (June), book 3: LORD OF THE DARKWOOD (August), and the final book (#4) THE TENGU'S GAME OF GO (late-Sept. 2016).
Lian has made many trips to Japan and has studied Japanese. She read Modern Languages at Oxford and worked as an editor and film critic in England before immigrating to Australia.
Hearn's forthcoming series: The Tale of Shikanoko will be published by FSG in 4 volumes in 2016. Book 1 will be EMPEROR OF EIGHT ISLANDS out in late-April 2016, followed by book 2: AUTUMN PRINCESS, DRAGON CHILD (June), book 3: LORD OF THE DARKWOOD (August), and the final book (#4) THE TENGU'S GAME OF GO (late-Sept. 2016).
Lian has made many trips to Japan and has studied Japanese. She read Modern Languages at Oxford and worked as an editor and film critic in England before immigrating to Australia.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 3, 2020
A spectacular finale to a series that I first fell in love with a long time ago! Oh my heart it was just SO SATISFYING!!! 😍 I've literally woken up earlier on the weekends just to read a few more chapters. Thank you Lian Hearn for sharing your beautiful story and writing to the world!!! ♥️♥️♥️
January 25, 2020
Perfect end to the Children of the Otari series. Truly makes one want to go right back to the start and read all the Otari books again!
January 31, 2022
Sibling Assassins plays a number of years after Orphan Warriors. Arai Sunaomi, still the main character, is now on the brink of adulthood. Having reclaimed his name and heritage, he has finally been brought up as a warrior and is expected to fulfill the expectations that come with his status. However, Sunaomi is still a very sensitive, empathetic and calm person, which is also why I really love him as a main character. The son of one of Kaede's sisters, he has inherited the extraordinary beauty of the Shirakawa, and due to the events of the former novel, he is also still strongly tied to the ghostly otherworld. All these aspects make him appear weak before other men and their standards of hegemonic masculinity, which is one of the main conflicts of the novel. Sunaomi has to stay true to himself amidst all the cruelty and conflict around him.
[mild spoiler-warning for the following parts]
This was much more fast-paced than Orphan Warriors, and very pleasant to read. I enjoyed following Sunaomi in his journey and, again, meeting some characters from older books. Another absolutely great aspect was all the dog content, Chin was just adorable and all the little descriptions of her actions were so wholesome to read. I loved her so much, she is the best. I must say that I could not bring myself to care that much about all the new characters as I would have cared about older ones. Especially Sunaomi's friendship to Masao and Taro and all the conflicts surrounding these three characters were a bit less interesting to me. And the Tribe siblings reminded me of quite a few Tribe characters we've had, I did not find them that interesting either. The new role that Terada played however was brilliantly done, and how it was problematised that many men, sadly, would not want to submit to a woman as empress.
I wish this novel would have been a bit longer. The ending felt a bit rushed, I thought it was sad that quite a number of characters did not appear again or, in general, did not play a role in the novel. There was never a word again of Ren and Rei, which is a bit weird because of the ending of Orphan Warriors where it is indicated that they would go on adventures together; and Shizuka, Makoto, Gemba and Chikara were also painfully absent. I would have also liked Kaede to have a talk with Sunaomi again in the end, as she was the one who sent him on his mission. And for the ending of the series as a whole, I would have loved to have a bit more of an outlook, and maybe also a few more looks back. Takeo's presence was barely there anymore which I found very sad. It is said though that the Otori line is probably ending, so maybe this was intentional. Nevertheless, the ending remained hopeful, which I liked. I am still happy that I saved Heaven's Net to read as the last book of the series because I think that this one has a better ending for the overall series, an ending which is at the same time a beginning, so that it kind of feels like it just goes on and on forever.
[mild spoiler-warning for the following parts]
This was much more fast-paced than Orphan Warriors, and very pleasant to read. I enjoyed following Sunaomi in his journey and, again, meeting some characters from older books. Another absolutely great aspect was all the dog content, Chin was just adorable and all the little descriptions of her actions were so wholesome to read. I loved her so much, she is the best. I must say that I could not bring myself to care that much about all the new characters as I would have cared about older ones. Especially Sunaomi's friendship to Masao and Taro and all the conflicts surrounding these three characters were a bit less interesting to me. And the Tribe siblings reminded me of quite a few Tribe characters we've had, I did not find them that interesting either. The new role that Terada played however was brilliantly done, and how it was problematised that many men, sadly, would not want to submit to a woman as empress.
I wish this novel would have been a bit longer. The ending felt a bit rushed, I thought it was sad that quite a number of characters did not appear again or, in general, did not play a role in the novel. There was never a word again of Ren and Rei, which is a bit weird because of the ending of Orphan Warriors where it is indicated that they would go on adventures together; and Shizuka, Makoto, Gemba and Chikara were also painfully absent. I would have also liked Kaede to have a talk with Sunaomi again in the end, as she was the one who sent him on his mission. And for the ending of the series as a whole, I would have loved to have a bit more of an outlook, and maybe also a few more looks back. Takeo's presence was barely there anymore which I found very sad. It is said though that the Otori line is probably ending, so maybe this was intentional. Nevertheless, the ending remained hopeful, which I liked. I am still happy that I saved Heaven's Net to read as the last book of the series because I think that this one has a better ending for the overall series, an ending which is at the same time a beginning, so that it kind of feels like it just goes on and on forever.
September 1, 2022
I really wanted to like this book. Lian Hearn writes beautifully with scenery and characters that jump off the page but I was so disappointed. The blurb states 'As a boy Arai Sunaomi was known as the Miracle Child and crossed between the worlds to walk among the dead'. Well his adult life came to nothing. He was trained as a warrier and had several artifacts to help him but he gave all his artifacts away and he did absolutely nothing when his home, horse and dog were stolen from him. He is an absolute fop who fluffed around waiting on others to help him. Where was his fighting spirit and who are the Sibling Assassins? If it is the double K cousins then that is odd. Is the book about them because they are both truly horrible people? There is nothing about his younger brother who had a significant role in the last book, and it was creepy that his intended fell in love with him only after playing the flute. I wanted to give this book 2 stars for all the above but Lian Hearn deserves 4 for the love of her writing.
August 11, 2024
It's so hard to live up to Lian Hearn's other 3 series ending books
All 3 of the others do the magical ability of closing the threads but leaving a little yarn left that can be pulled in my the cat of the next series
Knowing this was the end of her work tainted the book rather than helped it after so long so many heart breaks and heart makes knowing this would be the final book after reading them all in time line order I was nervous how is she going to leave me knowing this is the end of it and satisfied with the conclusion. This is nothing new for a series to struggle with look at mass effect 3 and how impossible it was to end that well.
With this my initial feeling was but there's more to tell but after reflecting on the book and listening to a friend go through the series for the first time currently I realised that she left enough for my mind to built my ending but she ended everything that needed to be ended and left me to decide if it was a happily ever after or for now kind of ending.
Together the books for children of the otori are wonderful but they need each other read orphan warriors then read nothing for a week to let it settle and then read this don't split it up with another book.
All 3 of the others do the magical ability of closing the threads but leaving a little yarn left that can be pulled in my the cat of the next series
Knowing this was the end of her work tainted the book rather than helped it after so long so many heart breaks and heart makes knowing this would be the final book after reading them all in time line order I was nervous how is she going to leave me knowing this is the end of it and satisfied with the conclusion. This is nothing new for a series to struggle with look at mass effect 3 and how impossible it was to end that well.
With this my initial feeling was but there's more to tell but after reflecting on the book and listening to a friend go through the series for the first time currently I realised that she left enough for my mind to built my ending but she ended everything that needed to be ended and left me to decide if it was a happily ever after or for now kind of ending.
Together the books for children of the otori are wonderful but they need each other read orphan warriors then read nothing for a week to let it settle and then read this don't split it up with another book.
June 19, 2024
Sadly, this was probably my least favourite out of the two part series but also out of the whole series altogether.
The story flow was like normal but like the second part of the shikanoko series, the ending was a letdown. I feel that Lian is such an amazing gifted writer but I felt most of her focus is on the journey whilst missing out on the importance of a good ending to balance the overall flow. I did like the incorporation of the how religion can be manipulated to meets one’s needs for war.
Overall, I will get this book 3 stars because I love Lian writing and imagination with storytelling of mythical themes crossing over with historical history.
The story flow was like normal but like the second part of the shikanoko series, the ending was a letdown. I feel that Lian is such an amazing gifted writer but I felt most of her focus is on the journey whilst missing out on the importance of a good ending to balance the overall flow. I did like the incorporation of the how religion can be manipulated to meets one’s needs for war.
Overall, I will get this book 3 stars because I love Lian writing and imagination with storytelling of mythical themes crossing over with historical history.
November 22, 2020
Loved this final book in the Children of the Otori series. The storytelling is spell binding, the author certainly conveys the thoughts and feelings of the characters which make them come alive as you read about them. Incredible world building - re Feudal Japan. Hope the author returns to the series, such a pleasure to read.
July 29, 2021
Best of the 2020 sequels but a fizzle of a series finale (always tons of loose ends). Great series overall but an uneven distribution of magnetism. It seems like the farther forward in this timeline the more confusing and less interesting it gets.
November 26, 2021
It says this is the last book, but Harsh Cry of the Heron said that too. And just like HCotH, this one ended abruptly and with too many loose ends. It may be another 10+ years before we get more books, but I don't think this is the last
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June 7, 2024This story follows the same path as Lian Hearn's previous novels bases in ancient Japan. Enjoyable, informative and it felt like a chair ypu go to if you want comfort, something to accompany you through the day and a satisfying answer to the question: Why do we do what we do?
September 30, 2020
Another book in Otori series and as enjoyable as others, i hope to the story to continue.
October 18, 2020
Not the epic blockbuster this series deserved. But all the same, a fantastic journey of books. And full of nostalgia from reading the very first Otori book as a 13 year old
March 26, 2021
I love the Otori books but really struggled with Sibling Assassins and Orphan Warriors. I found Sibling Assassins lacked a punchy story and on times I had to re-read sections of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 22, 2022
I love Otori’s universe but this book is bit disappointing. I dont like the ghost part and also the love story between Sunaomi.
I think the plot is just being forced.
I think the plot is just being forced.
June 22, 2025
Heartbroken that this is the last book in this series & world. What a fab ending though! Can’t wait to reread all these books again in a couple years
March 16, 2020
Nothing on the original series, it was missing something for me. Disappointing as the the first 3 books are some of the best writing ever in my opinion but struggled to reconcile the original series with this final series.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews