Ten years have passed since the events of The Beast Player. Elin and Ialu are married, with a young son, living a quiet, peaceful life when one day Elin is called upon to investigate a matter of great urgency: the fearsome Toda are dying and nobody knows why. As Elin investigates, she uncovers a deadly plot and a brewing invasion. Can she protect her homeland without allowing her beloved beasts to be used as weapons of war, or will she have to compromise her principles to save her family?

"More than a perfect sequel to The Beast Player... A victorious fantasy epic" - Books and Bao

"Praise for The Beast Player" - _

"A spine-tingling fantasy that should delight boys as well as girls" - New Statesman

"It's everything a book should serve up to a child at this age - life, death, survival, love, dragons (or todas, in this case, serpents of Japanese folklore that carry men in battle), and, above all, perfect prose" - iNews

"Beautiful... this epic fantasy is a must for any reader interested in complex imaginary worlds. Uehashi creates worlds on a par with Tolkein's in terms of attention to the most minuscule of details" - Children's Books Ireland

"Imaginative, immersive... A richly detailed coming-of-age fantasy epic" - Kirkus Reviews

"Gripping... a sophisticated, subtle tale... it all culminates in a climax that will have you turning the pages so fast your fingers will hardly be able to keep up... this is a book to treasure" - BookTrust

"Enthralling, epic storytelling at its best" - The Alligator's Mouth

"This is a 5 star for me, I just thought it was phenomenal... It's such an amazing story, a story of politics and history and relationships and its got this beautiful animal human relationship" - Elena Reads Books

"This is storytelling at its best... The kind of book which defies age boundaries. It deserves a place on every bookshelf" - Book Murmuration (blog)

"Huge fun" - Amanda Craig

"Uehashi allows the reader insights into Elin's consciousness throughout the novel so that her grief, friendships, moral dilemmas and empathy with the royal beast cub she rears make this both a captivating and contemplative fantasy novel" - The School Librarian

"A thrilling way to begin a voyage of discovery into the extraordinary realms of this master storyteller... Will satisfy even the most demanding fantasy lovers" - South China Morning Post

"Hirano is a gifted stylist... [and brings us] moments of lyrical beauty... The Beast Player, like its titular character, make[s] an unexpected music of its own" - SCBWI Japan Translation Group

"A colourful and nuanced fantasy. Nahoko Uehashi does an incredible job of fleshing out the world and the characters. Nothing is black and white, nor as simple as it may first appear. Heart-warming and gut wrenching" - The Bookaneers

"Can a book ever be as beautiful as it's cover, when it's cover looks like this one does? Yes. Yes it bloody can. Nahoko Uehashi has created an incredible world, with fascinating creatures & heart-stopping politics; as well as characters you can't help but love & others you can't help but hate. This book took me into another world & when I finished it I felt like I had forgotten about the real world; I was mesmerised by this story every time I picked it up & I'm aching for the rest of the series" - Writing Wolves (blog)

"IT'S AMAZING. Truly, wonderfully amazing" - Books Femme (blog)

"An extraordinary and unique tale of intrigue, danger and adventure. Something different for the Summer" - Sue & Pakka's (blog)

"[Nahoko Uehashi] has an extraordinary ability to create different fantasy worlds" - Hans Christian Andersen Prize jury

"The best Japanese fantasy tale in years" - Kochi Shimbun newspaper

"The world feels real, the character construction is exceptional, and the plot development is complex-all these make The Beast Player an excellent read" - Nikkan Gendai

"Beautifully written, thought-provoking and utterly immersive" - Japan Times