Little Sister — Kara Dalkey

Her family has been destroyed.
It is her task to restore their honor.

LIke other noble girls in the Japanese imperial court, Mitsuko lives behind screens of modesty, hiding her face behind her kimono sleeves.

But when her village is attacked, her brother-in-law murdered, and her family taken away by a warlord, Mitsuko finds the courage to venture into the netherworld. With the help of Coranu, a shape-shifter, she fights for her family -- even if it means her own death.