“Death, it was said, was unholy in the eyes of the enlightened.

To kill was to be unclean, and courtiers would never so besmirch their souls. They had outlawed executions for two hundred years in their search for purity. They would not kill. But now, where are we? A court, surrounded by killers. Hunters. Men who knew the scent of blood.”

An Empire on the cusp of civil war. Gods and demons breaking free. Two people fated to go to war in a world that won’t allow for peace. 

Sen Hoshiakari is the son of a traitor. His father, leader of the Gensei clan, attempted a rebellion against the Emperor and was slaughtered when Sen was just a child. Sen was rescued on that fateful night and taken to live in hiding, in Kitano, away from the Empire’s rule. Rui, a no’in (lowborn) was also there during the slaughter, and her family was also killed, but along with Sen she too was rescued. Now their destinies intertwine once more as a coup by the Keishi clan throws the Empire into civil war and further bloodshed is on the horizon. With Gods and Demons at their heels Sen and Rui must fight for family, for freedom but also for love. 

The Book of Fallen Leaves by A. S. Tamaki is a sublime epic fantasy debut. There’s so much depth and scope to this novel—an empire in turmoil, warring monks, samurai, demons and gods, and a deep philosophical reflection on the realities of warfare, of taking life.

I immediately loved this book right from the opening chapters as we enter this dark world where the barrier that holds back the spirit realm is thinning, monks have broken into factions against each other, and a politically tension filled Empire is present. Tamaki’s prose is almost lyrical, it’s atmospheric, you can really feel the emotion seeping through which is always my favourite kind of writing as it never fails to draw me in. Throughout Tamaki injects much Japanese mythology and also highlights the Japanese concept of two souls within us, the calm and the chaos. This was something that I felt was cleverly explored as this motif is illustrated not only in our characters but in the narrative structure as well, which you’ll see later on. This is a book with an expensive cast of characters and I do advise readers to refer to the characters list at the beginning because it really does help to clarify which characters belong to which clan. Despite this large cast I found each main PoV to be distinct, I found each key player memorable and further found that they did share a common theme; of finding their place in this world. 

Sen has never known his real family, has never seen what their glory once was, has never known their true history. Growing up in hiding, away from the Empire’s clutches, he has very little experience of politics or war. Yet he is an heir nonetheless, he is a central figure to his remaining family and Gensei clan, a prince and a key to uniting them. With this he struggles, how can Sen fight for a family he has never known? When his teachers are shaping him to strive for peace, when he too believes in peace, how can he then ride proudly into a war? Then there is Rui, a peasant woman who was always kept on the outside, always looked down upon by nobles, never fitted in, wanting love yet never truly experiencing it. Rui only wanted to protect and care for nature, for life, but instead was thrown into a violent world. Let me tell you these two characters broke my heart, Tamaki portrays their inner turmoil so well and Rui and Sen’s relationship, their longing for each other, is so achingly beautifully written. 

“Will we never move on, Yora thought, or will it color the rest of our lives?

The old ones said the past was never gone; perhaps they were right. It lives within us still, he thought: each day brings its own ghosts. Each day the wounds reopen.”

The Book of Fallen Leaves is a Samurai saga retelling, and though I’m not familiar with the original tale, I’d love to discover more. The world is set in feudal-Japan and therefore the remaining POVs serve to illustrate the Empire’s political conflicts. My beloved Yora, once Captain of the Imperial Guard and now turned a poet and adviser, was a character who was filled with deep regret and sorrow. He had seen too much bloodshed, he knew the true meaning of loss, of betrayal, but he also knew that a fight was coming and was desperately trying to keep the peace. Kai, also a Gensei heir (being Yora’s niece and Sen’s older sister) remembers her father and is determined to restore her family’s place, to take back their lands and their rights. She however, is no warrior, she’s never had experience leading her people, but when she runs out of political negotiation options, a choice to fight or kneel is all that’s left to her. Yaeko on the other hand, being close to the Keishi clan, gives insight into how the coup is being played out. Yaeko goes through much conflict as she’s forced to fight against those she once stood beside, as she leaves behind her family’s beliefs and carves her own path. This is a very political heavy book, one that explores the history of the lands and the clans which have shaped the way the world is at present. Tamaki fantastically portrays the intricacies of an Empire facing political strife because of this history. 

A true highlight of the book for me was the philosophy that Tamaki injects into this narrative—it amazed and awed me with its depth. The philosophy is oh so stunningly written with lines and imagery that really makes a reader think. For example, through the monk Jobo, who teaches Sen a lot, we are shown that Sen won’t kill a sacred serow, he does not wish to take life, but Jobo reflects that to be a warrior innocents will be killed by your hand. Tamaki begs the reader to consider what it really is to be a warrior, a samurai, even an emperor. What is the true horrific reality of war? What is it to take a life? The entire story explores the balance between peace and war and when is the right time to fight. Is there a right time? Whereas the first half of the book saw our characters pushing for peace, the second half turned into an all out battle as the clans collided. The action here was incredible, vividly detailed and the fear, the guilt, the primal urge to survive was perfectly portrayed. Tamaki is a clever writer indeed as again, he represents two sides, within the novel there is the calm and the chaos. 

This was a book that very much embodied everything I love: characters with emotional complexity, a dark war torn world with myth and monsters, a story grand in scope. Tamaki has delivered a masterfully written debut, one that every fantasy reader needs to devour. 

“If you gain power on the merit of defeating a tyrant, who will you be when you take the tyrant’s place? You want to be a better ruler: good. But you’ll still be sitting in the exact same chair. That’s what I fear.”

ARC provided by Nazia at Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review—a huge thank you for the copy! All quotes used are taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

The Book of Fallen Leaves is out 17th March 2026 but you can preorder your copy on Bookshop.org