Tales of the Magatama Book I: Dragon Sword and Wind Child, by Noriko Ogiwara, translated by Cathy Hi

[othercat]

For some reason while reading this book, I kept thinking, “this reminds me of The King of Elfland’s Daughter.” Dragon Sword and Wind Child does not have a great deal in common with that novel, and by “doesn’t have a great deal in common,” I actually mean “is nothing at all like.” It did however have a very strong “feel” reminiscent of Lord Dusany. (I think the similarity might be in the narration of this novel, but I’m not sure.)

Our Heroine is a young woman named Saya who was found lost and wandering in the forest as a small child by an older couple. She has no memory of her home aside from terrible recurring nightmares. As far as she knows, she has always lived in the land of Toyoashihara, a kingdom a kingdom ruled by the children of the God of Light, which is eternally at war with the Goddess of Darkness and a nation of people known as Ground Spiders.

After a fateful encounter with a mysterious group of people who appear to recognize her, followed by an encounter with Tsukishiro, a Prince of Light, she discovers that she is the Water Maiden, and a princess of the Children of Darkness.

Dragon Sword and Wind Child