Everybody is extremely dramatic in this book. Very YA. But it stood up to a re-read surprisingly well: Young boy in faux-Japan gets his family murdered, is adopted into a clan and things escalate from there. Oh, and it turns out he’s not only adopted by the rightful leader of the clan, he’s also born to a long line of secret assassins and has lots of magical gifts. And everybody wants a piece of them.
It’s brutal and bloody, and the story is predictable and sometimes makes characters stupid for a minute to further its aims. But it’s still fun to read.