Fourth Sister: A Retelling of The Seven Brothers - Paperback

by M. L. Farb (Author)

Whitney Award Finalist 2021

The fourth of seven sisters, Shisei has always been called cursed. Her twin died at birth. Her name shortens to shi-death. And in a world where superstition rules and myths walk among mortals, she's the only one who can see the fox spirit that shadows her.

When her eldest sister's pregnancy threatens to become another death laid at Shisei's feet, she flees before death can follow her home again. She finds purpose as an apprentice to a mask maker, learning that broken things, when mended with gold, become more beautiful than before.

But death finds her anyway.

When her youngest sister faces execution for a crime she didn't commit, she's given seven impossible tests to prove her innocence-each representing a divine attribute. Each sister possesses one gift, and Shisei holds the thread that can weave them all together: the art of illusion. Using her talents to make each sister appear as the youngest, they'll risk everything on a deception that could condemn them all.

Woven with haiku, Japanese folklore, and the delicate art of mask-making, Fourth Sister is a love story-not of romance, but of sisterhood. A tale of self-acceptance, mending broken relationships, and discovering that what we believe is our curse may be our greatest strength.

Little Women x Spirited Away

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Hearth and Bard Tales

Forgotten fairy tales retold with soul

Historical fantasy where magic is real, love is hard-won, and hope always finds a way.