4.5
Prolific fantasy author Marie Brennan adds another book to the series and world of The Legend of the Five Rings. I read my first one in 2000 (by another author) when the first volume was published and was in love with the world, the clans, the characters, and the mythology/supernatural elements ever since.

Perfect for fans of anime, historical shows, and Asian mythology including yokai, horror, and elements usually part of the famous Night Parade, but the approach is very light. Good for those who don't know much about Japanese mythology.

It's appropriate for younger readers. The relationships are very respectful and there is no gore or violence. It is more humorous and cozy.

Even if you never read the series, you can still enjoy each volume as a standalone because each book is an isolated episode and we get the characters well and their relationship. In this volume, the story starts around chapter seven that's when you stop feeling like you're catching up.
The authors are careful to give us an insight into previous books or adventures and that will just make you curious enough to want to collect the rest.

In this volume, Sekken (my favorite intellectual samurai/witch gay character of this series who sometimes has a temper... ) goes to a small town with his fiancé in search of Bakeneko Sayashi who has gone missing, she is not the only one missing and they find themselves again in a magical world where humans don't rule. There are other side quests as well.

These are easy to read, light, and cozy, like the trend nowadays, you'll enjoy them if you like light novels. It's always nostalgic to return to these so I don't mind, but if you are a hardcore fan of L5R you'll end up wanting more depth.

I love these covers.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this e-ARC.

(Instagram post will be scheduled closer to pub month, blog post sooner)

I love Marie Brennan, she is a Master of her craft and when I saw her name I auto-requested xD. Turns out that this is the third of a series of tie novels, however it is testament to Brennan’s writing that I never felt like because I hadn’t read the earlier instalments of this delightfully queer samurai series I never felt lost, nor were the references back to early events some thing that bogged the narrative down, just simply part of the way the character’s reasoned through their current predicament.
Despite no familiarity with the card game that inspired the universe, I enjoyed the Feudal Japanese inspired setting and the incorporation of Japanese mythological elements as the adventure unfolded through both terrestrial and spiritual realms. I absolutely loved the relationship between the two leads who are in an established relationship and are working out the problems after happy ever after including the shared life bond that means they easily fatigue and it was nice to see two heroes going about their business adjusting to their new normal and whilst struggling with their limitations but accepting and adapting to it and more beautifully the way those around them accepted and made adjustments for accessibility. Also Cat yokai will ensure I will read your book always.
It’s such a positive cozy read even for the uninitiated, I will most definitely be going back for the other two books

The Market of 100 Fortunes is a direct sequel to the previous two Sekken + Ryotora stories, The Night Parade of a 100 Demons and The Game of 100 Candles, also written by the brilliant Marie Brennan.
The Dragon shugenja and the Phoenix scholar became my favorite characters from the new Legend of the Five Rings lore, and was very excited to read their latest adventure. On one hand, my heart bleeds to know that this is the last story of the couple, but on the other hand, I'm joyful to be able to witness the beautiful sendoff to these awesome characters.

The story starts right off where The Game of 100 Candles ended - the two main characters became a couple and started to get used to the special circumstances of their bond. In fact, they are preparing for their wedding on Dragon Lands. Everything goes well, right until the day when Sekken receives a letter from Sayashi, in which the old friend bakeneko asks for help in a very mysterious way - from Crane Lands, which is in the absolute opposite direction from the wedding location. Our heroes cannot leave their old friend in a pinch, of course, thus they head to Brittle Flower City, where the titular "market of 100 fortunes" is located at. On the way they meet new characters, of which my favorite was Bayushi Meiro, an Emerald Magistrate from the Scorpion clan. Without spoiling too much, she definitely shares both the cunning and the cool aspects of the clan she represents.

Just like the previous two books, I loved the description of the city where our heroes ended up being. Brittle Flower City is a colorful location, and that certain market is as mysterious as the title suggests it. I was also fortunate enough to read a portion of the book in Asakusa district in Tokyo, where there is a temple complex and shrine that felt quite similar to how the market of 100 fortunes could look like based on the description - definitely elevated the experience even further.

As mentioned before, our heroes get a very satisfying happy ending as a result of their last journey, with them truly becoming a family - reading the last chapter is quite heartwarming.

If you are an active Game Master of L5R, this novel is an excellent source of ideas that you can apply to your own adventures as well.

The final verdict from me is that it is the most enjoyable L5R novel released so far and it became my most favorite one. It is a must read for all L5R fans.

I enjoyed this and I'm really curious to see where it goes next. The writing is strong, the characters are compelling and pacing was great.