Strong fantasy and horror vibes 💪

Great strong characters , unique story line and strong world building 💝

Love the strong dark gritty vibes

My thanks to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for an advance copy of a horror novel set in a popular role playing universe, with witch hunters, ghost busters, bandits, samurai, liars and innocents, in a tale of dark magic, hidden machinations, and revenge.

I have never seen a ghost, but I think I have felt them. Either in passing or occupying areas they can't leave, trapped by events they either took part in, or maybe had done to them. Like when you are driving down the highway and feel the need to hit the brakes, a place where accidents have happened before. Or finding dead trees in the middle of a forest, where everything else seems ok. Actions have consequences, bad events leave a mark, a scar on the psyche, and on the world. Something that only revenge can make go away. Or set off something much worse. White Feathers, Crimson Leaves: A Legend of the Five Rings Novel by Josh Reynolds is a stand alone novel set in the popular role playing world about a ghost finder and her associates tasked to find what is haunting a small village, and finding a very complicated game of politics, family, banditry and of magical revenge.

Tucked away far from the Emerald Empire in the land of Rokugan is a small village of Red Groves, once known for its mines, and for the lumber that it produced. Red Groves has been without a lord for quite a time, and while the town is doing ok, its best days are far in the past. A new lord and his retinue have arrived and things start to go bad quite quickly. Trees begin dying, horses are dying, dogs are disappearing, and the lord's castle is slowly falling apart. And soon people close to the lord are murdered. Wardmaster Yogo Shuko, and her apprentice Kuni Tansho are secretly hired to find out what is going on, and do their best to make everything return to normal. What they find is anything but normal. A castle, moldy and decaying, a village full of secrets and a temple that seems corrupted by something stronger than anything Shuko has ever faced. And in the dark plots, and secrets soon make the spirits and demons far less dangerous than the politics that surround the Lord.

I am a big fan of Josh Reynolds and this book is no exception. Reynolds has a real gift for creating very good plots, characters that one cares about, and filling the story with action, humor, and a narrative that is both propulsive, and holds together. I must admit to reading most of the books set in this world, though I have not played the game once. And yet I had a fun time, and always have a fun time reading these books. The story is very packed with lore about demons, spirits and what makes them do what they do. The story is strong, with a few red herrings as well as a White Crane, and plays fair with the reader. I do hope this is a start of another series for I really enjoyed the characters, the magic and way the story was presented.

Fans of manga or of the long running comic by Stan Sakai Usagi Yojimbo will really enjoy this story. The mix of occult, demonology, curses and sword fighting are balanced by well-developed characters and a strong story. I look forward to more adventures in this world, and more books by Josh Reynolds.