Description:
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon and authors Hinako and Madaug Hishinuma comes the second and final installment in a spectacular middle-grade fantasy adventure duo-ology--described as "Shōgun for kids"--where demons rub shoulders with gods and one boy must learn quickly or risk losing everything.
Having barely survived the yōkai, the demons and gods determined to destroy him, Ryuichi has been banished by his master. In exile, he is forced to live with a motley newfound "family"--an unreliable big brother, an overprotective surrogate mother, a drunk uncle, a crazy aunt ... and, worst of all, a shadow twin who might actually kill him.
But Ryuichi needs the help of this unlikely crew to protect the human world from yōkai. And soon he is faced with an even bigger threat: the return of Orochi, "the World Eater." An ancient creature who nearly devoured the world eons ago, Orochi is now back for vengeance. If Ryuichi can't unite those around him to stop this new threat, everything he knows and loves will be lost forever.
Brief description:
Hinako Hishinuma was born in Japan and spent her college years volunteering to help underprivileged children in the Philippines and working to improve farming with nonchemical fertilizers in Indonesia. She studied Kendo for sixteen years and participated in national tournaments where she became the number-two champion for all of Japan. A licensed teacher for middle and high school students, she loves reading, origami, and calligraphy. She currently lives in the US with her husband and two sons, and a hound dog that doubles as her sons' pony.
Review Quotes:
"Thrilling...In the affecting adventure novel The Secret War, an abandoned boy comes of age in the midst of war, reshaping himself into a capable warrior to face the shadow lord and define his own destiny."
-- "Foreword Reviews, on The Secret War"