Kazuchiyo: Battle for Two Bridges

At the final, rainy battle of Shimegahara, the renowned samurai known as The Red Dragon falls to his bitter enemy, Lord Aritaka. With his clan plunged into disarray, his eldest remaining son, Kazuchiyo, is captured and forcibly adopted by the enemy. Raised in an unfamiliar land, surrounded by schemers and mystics, Kazuchiyo teaches himself the arts of politics and war, determined to one day get revenge and return to his homeland. In this, he is aided by two men who will stir his heart: Yagi-douji, a young warrior of incredible strength; and Amai, a clever and mysterious shinobi. Together they are cast again into bloody war, forcing Kazuchiyo to choose whether to side with his abductors if it means moving closer to his revenge.

Author: Melanie Schoen

Genre: Historical

SEMBER’S THOUGHTS

If you are looking for a queer poly-romance set in 1400s Japan then this is the one for you!

We’ve got history, battle, politics and betrayal! Kazuchiyo is a traitor, a liar and a schemer on a path for revenge, and I love that for him. Watching him navigate the family that murdered his own had me on the edge of my seat.

When he’s not plotting, he’s trying to sort out exactly how he feels about the two love interests. This book does an excellent job of fleshing out the world and social issues just as thoroughly it does the relationships between the main characters. Both Yagi and Amai have well developed, believable relationships with Kazuchiyo. One is of devotion, the other starts as a battle of wills and intelligence and begrudging attraction. Yagi and Amai aren’t too fond of each other…but that changes as the plot thickens. I can’t wait to see how the author brings the three of them together in the next instalments of this series!

Aside from the romance, Melanie Schoen does a great job with the setting. I got a little lost on some of her descriptions of army movements and general war strategy, but that might be because I’m dumb and she’s a genius.

There are fantastical elements to this story, but it is what I call fantasy-lite.

If you like historical settings, lots of politics and battle strategy, a backstabbing protagonist, and power plays, then this is the book for you! Also, it’s got a stupidly pretty cover.

This novel is intended for adults.

4/5 Stars

Spice Meter: 3/5

Trigger Warnings: Brief depictions of historical ritual suicide, graphic violence

Tags: Poly, historical, 1400’s Japan, POC-leads, revenge, smart protagonist, war, intrigue, enemies to lovers

I purchased a hard copy from Amazon.

You can visit the the author’s website HERE