Set in the twilight years of imperial Japan, Black Willow House weaves together the elegant world of the geisha with the dark folklore of ancient spirits, creating a haunting tale where beauty masks horror and friendship proves stronger than supernatural evil. *** In the shadow-laced streets of Gion, Naoko was once a celebrated geisha, beloved by patrons and raised like a daughter by the okasan who found her abandoned as a child. But when fire consumes her okiya and destroys everything she holds dear, her world crumbles in a single night. Her jealous house-sister wastes no time spreading poison through Kyoto's most exclusive district-whispers that Naoko is unstable, cursed, the daughter of a witch who called upon dark spirits for revenge. As the rumors take root, Naoko finds herself cast out from the only life she's ever known, reduced to working as a servant while the geisha community tears itself apart choosing sides. Just when despair threatens to consume her, the mysterious Kurosaki okiya offers sanctuary. But something is wrong with this too-perfect refuge. The okasan speaks of other geisha who never appear, and Naoko's dreams are haunted by a figure in a Noh mask whose presence grows stronger every night. As the truth unravels, Naoko discovers that her new benefactor made a terrible bargain long ago-trading her firstborn daughter to a demon for success, and now seeks a new vessel for the creature her child has become. With only her loyal friend Tomomi, a kimono dresser whose strength goes far beyond the physical, Naoko must confront an enemy that feeds on desperation and preys on the desperate. In a battle that will determine not just her fate but her very soul, she'll learn that the old stories her mother told her weren't just folklore-and that sometimes the most dangerous demons are born from a mother's love twisted into something monstrous.
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