Sisters of the Sword

Also known as House of Kato, Sisters of the Sword is a series by Maya Snow composed of four books (The Warrior's Path, Chasing the Secret, Journey Through Fire and The Battle Dawns) published between 2008 and 2010. It covers the adventures of the two sisters Kimi and Hana (Kimi being the first-person narrator.) After the sisters' father and older brother had been killed and her mother and younger brother kidnapped, they set off alone to find their remaining family and save Japan from being overtaken by the cruel new ruler, the sisters' uncle and the man who killed her father and older brother. Kimi's driving motive is to seek revenge and kill her uncle; Hana doesn't seem to show as much interest in this motive.


 * Action Girl: Both Kimi and Hana, though Kimi flaunts her fighting ability with wild abandon and Hana tends to reserve hers for more difficult circumstances.
 * Badass Family: Kimi and Hana's entire family.
 * Badass Princess: The sisters.
 * Cool Old Guy: Master Goku, though he tends also to be the Old Master type.
 * Real Women Never Wear Dresses: Subverted. Although Kimi, the main character, tends to be the rather unfeminine, hates-dressing-up counterpart to the rather girlier Hana, Hana, who enjoys traditional Japanese feminine activities and dresses, can be just as capable in a fight as Kimi.
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: Kimi and Hana. Subverted because Hana, although delighting in traditional Japanese feminine activities (flower arranging, etc.) is definitely not the stereotypical Girly Girl.