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johanoern's review against another edition
I have read this book once before when I was much younger and I remember really liking it back then.
I do believe it is a book that is aimed at a bit younger audience than where I am in life.
I also realised that I still remembered a substantial amount of the story and because of that I was not as excited to keep reading because I already knew what was about to happen.
It is a fine book but for me it was enough to have read through the series once in my youth.
I do believe it is a book that is aimed at a bit younger audience than where I am in life.
I also realised that I still remembered a substantial amount of the story and because of that I was not as excited to keep reading because I already knew what was about to happen.
It is a fine book but for me it was enough to have read through the series once in my youth.
acogna's review against another edition
This was more droll than I remembered reading it as a teenager. The emotions feel inconsistently mercurial, the action scenes are difficult to follow. Shigeru and Kaede still remain my favourite characters despite it all.
ngreads's review against another edition
4.0
Actual rating is a high 3.5/5, so I rounded up.
This was my second read through, the first being about ten years ago, at some point in high school. I didn't remember much of it outside of the premise and a few scenes, so when I found the whole series at a used bookstore I picked it up to give book one a reread and see where the rest went.
I'm happy to say that I enjoyed it, but there were, as always, a few issues to talk about, too. So let's get into...
The Good:
- The premise of this book is really fun: a young man raised as a pacifist learning that he's the son of an assassin with supernatural abilities, and has inherited his father's power, leading him into a world of political intrigue and war. Takeo's story is fascinating, and watching how he becomes an assassin over the course of the story was really enjoyable.
- The world the book takes place in is an alternate-universe Feudal Japan, with a touch of magic. I quite liked the aesthetic - it's what drew me to the book back in high school, and what drew me back now.
- The characters were interesting, and had hints of backstory that helped flesh out the world's history without becoming an info-dump.
- Shigeru was a sweetie. I liked him.
- The prose itself, for the most part, was pretty good and smooth to read. It was easy on the eyes, if that makes sense. The best part of it was probably the symbolism and subtlety that was woven throughout the whole book, making it a treat for an attentive reader.
-
The Bad:
- The best way I can describe the writing is 'distant'. The book is told in two POV's - Takeo's, in first person, and Kaede's in third person limited. This would be fine, but the problem is that Takeo's story is told as though it's a memoir - there are a lot of moments where he's saying things like "I didn't know it then", or "One day I would learn". As though he's reminiscing. The problem is that instead of living through the action and emotion with him, I felt like he was just telling me what happened in a somewhat dispassionate way. There were very few points in the story where I felt like I was being pulled into the action.
The thing is, it's easy enough to say that it's because the story is told like a memoir, but so is the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb, and in Farseer I could feel everything Fitz went through, even though he was telling me the story. Similar thing with the Kingkiller Chronicles. You can have a character telling their life story without making it distant, and Lian Hearn didn't quite pull that off, here. I wanted to feel Takeo's frustrations and passions and loyalty and love - not just hear him tell me that he was frustrated, if that makes sense.
Because of this, emotional scenes felt more stunted than I had hoped. I wasn't feeling the moment with the characters - I was just being told about the emotions. And in a love story...I wanted to feel more that I did. (There were a couple really good emotional moments where I felt pulled in near the end, but I wanted it to be more throughout the book, too.)
I feel like if it had been written in a more "in the moment" style, I would have felt more engaged and drawn in by the characters themselves, but as it was I had a hard time getting into Takeo's head, on occasion. (Probably part of why I had a hard time remembering a lot of moments from my first read through. I wasn't used to reading styles like this, yet.)
- The instalove. Kaede literally sees Takeo from a distance, and immediatelty decides she's going to marry him. Same with Takeo. I know they're both horny teens, but yeesh. Calm the hormones.
- ON THE SUBJECT OF HORMONES...
- Takeo's inner monologue got very strange at some points. Namely this gem, which made me pause:
"Gradually the song dwindled to a few constant notes: the deep breathing of the sleeping, occasional snores, once the cry of a man at the moment of physical passion. These mundane human sounds touched my soul. I found myself thinking of my father, of his longing to live and ordinary human life. Had he cried out like that when I was conceived?"
...I don't know about you, but it seems a little odd to me to wonder about what sounds one's parents made while they were being conceived. So...you know. That gave me a bit of a "What the Hell, Takeo?" moment.
Overall:
This was a good read. It was nice to return to the story and remember why I had wanted to reread it. I look forward to seeing what else the series has to offer, and where Takeo's story goes next. The blurb for book two really interested me, so I'm excited to check it out. I'm glad I gave this one another look.
This was my second read through, the first being about ten years ago, at some point in high school. I didn't remember much of it outside of the premise and a few scenes, so when I found the whole series at a used bookstore I picked it up to give book one a reread and see where the rest went.
I'm happy to say that I enjoyed it, but there were, as always, a few issues to talk about, too. So let's get into...
The Good:
- The premise of this book is really fun: a young man raised as a pacifist learning that he's the son of an assassin with supernatural abilities, and has inherited his father's power, leading him into a world of political intrigue and war. Takeo's story is fascinating, and watching how he becomes an assassin over the course of the story was really enjoyable.
- The world the book takes place in is an alternate-universe Feudal Japan, with a touch of magic. I quite liked the aesthetic - it's what drew me to the book back in high school, and what drew me back now.
- The characters were interesting, and had hints of backstory that helped flesh out the world's history without becoming an info-dump.
- Shigeru was a sweetie. I liked him.
- The prose itself, for the most part, was pretty good and smooth to read. It was easy on the eyes, if that makes sense. The best part of it was probably the symbolism and subtlety that was woven throughout the whole book, making it a treat for an attentive reader.
-
Spoiler
The section of the book where Takeo is kidnapped by the Tribe was fantastic. It had the best emotional depth, and watching Takeo finally snap was delightful. Another moment I found great was Takeo mourning in the temple, after the death of Shigeru. His emotional turmoil felt real and raw, and I really enjoyed it. The end, in general, felt like the best writing in the book.The Bad:
- The best way I can describe the writing is 'distant'. The book is told in two POV's - Takeo's, in first person, and Kaede's in third person limited. This would be fine, but the problem is that Takeo's story is told as though it's a memoir - there are a lot of moments where he's saying things like "I didn't know it then", or "One day I would learn". As though he's reminiscing. The problem is that instead of living through the action and emotion with him, I felt like he was just telling me what happened in a somewhat dispassionate way. There were very few points in the story where I felt like I was being pulled into the action.
The thing is, it's easy enough to say that it's because the story is told like a memoir, but so is the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb, and in Farseer I could feel everything Fitz went through, even though he was telling me the story. Similar thing with the Kingkiller Chronicles. You can have a character telling their life story without making it distant, and Lian Hearn didn't quite pull that off, here. I wanted to feel Takeo's frustrations and passions and loyalty and love - not just hear him tell me that he was frustrated, if that makes sense.
Because of this, emotional scenes felt more stunted than I had hoped. I wasn't feeling the moment with the characters - I was just being told about the emotions. And in a love story...I wanted to feel more that I did. (There were a couple really good emotional moments where I felt pulled in near the end, but I wanted it to be more throughout the book, too.)
I feel like if it had been written in a more "in the moment" style, I would have felt more engaged and drawn in by the characters themselves, but as it was I had a hard time getting into Takeo's head, on occasion. (Probably part of why I had a hard time remembering a lot of moments from my first read through. I wasn't used to reading styles like this, yet.)
- The instalove. Kaede literally sees Takeo from a distance, and immediatelty decides she's going to marry him. Same with Takeo. I know they're both horny teens, but yeesh. Calm the hormones.
- ON THE SUBJECT OF HORMONES...
Spoiler
Takeo and Kaede literally have sex for the first time next to a corpse. So...that's something I remembered being weird the first time I read it, and it was still weird ten years later.- Takeo's inner monologue got very strange at some points. Namely this gem, which made me pause:
"Gradually the song dwindled to a few constant notes: the deep breathing of the sleeping, occasional snores, once the cry of a man at the moment of physical passion. These mundane human sounds touched my soul. I found myself thinking of my father, of his longing to live and ordinary human life. Had he cried out like that when I was conceived?"
...I don't know about you, but it seems a little odd to me to wonder about what sounds one's parents made while they were being conceived. So...you know. That gave me a bit of a "What the Hell, Takeo?" moment.
Overall:
This was a good read. It was nice to return to the story and remember why I had wanted to reread it. I look forward to seeing what else the series has to offer, and where Takeo's story goes next. The blurb for book two really interested me, so I'm excited to check it out. I'm glad I gave this one another look.
sispud's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
callmecat's review against another edition
1.0
I really couldn't buy into the love at first sight romance. That was really disappointing. :( I think there was plenty of potential there that the first meeting squandered.
And the impending murder was so disturbing that whether it ends up happening or not I just dropped it.
And the impending murder was so disturbing that whether it ends up happening or not I just dropped it.
river24's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
booked_az's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kriziny's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
3.0
Tomasu is out wandering the mountains where his village is located, as he has countless times before, but this time when he comes back, a warlord has destroyed it and apparently killed all the inhabitants. Tomasu makes his escape after embarrassing the warlord and earning his eternal enmity. A kind stranger on the trail Tomasu takes out of the village helps him get away and the fates of the pair become entwined.
Kaede is a hostage in another warlord's castle. She's been treated horribly but after a violent incident, she is finally allowed to live with the family rather than the servants. She is soon after told that she will marry a lord whom she has never met. She reluctantly sets out to meet him.
The four stars are more for promise than actual delivery. This first "episode," as it's labeled, is really just setup. Bumped down to three stars after reading the next book.
I liked Tomasu, or Takeo as he comes to be known, and Kaede. They're gathering a group of strong supporting characters around them as well. The stage is set for a lot of intrigue and action.
I love the feel of this little book. It has a great cover and it's just the right size to be easily held and hauled around. I love books that are small.
I'm interested to see where all of this goes. There's a magic system that is more hinted at than seen and I can't wait to see more of that. I want to see the woman Kaede becomes; I think she'll be formidable. Takeo is well on the way to his full power but I still can't wait to see more of him. The setting of not-quite-Japan is fascinating as well.
My biggest complaint is that the book seriously just stopped. My copy has a "preview" of the next episode, so when I turned the page fully expecting more of this book only to find that it was finished and all those lovely unread pages were for the next book, I was upset.
I reserve the right to change my mind with the next installment, but so far, so good. Be sure to have the second book ready when you finish though.
Kaede is a hostage in another warlord's castle. She's been treated horribly but after a violent incident, she is finally allowed to live with the family rather than the servants. She is soon after told that she will marry a lord whom she has never met. She reluctantly sets out to meet him.
I liked Tomasu, or Takeo as he comes to be known, and Kaede. They're gathering a group of strong supporting characters around them as well. The stage is set for a lot of intrigue and action.
I love the feel of this little book. It has a great cover and it's just the right size to be easily held and hauled around. I love books that are small.
I'm interested to see where all of this goes. There's a magic system that is more hinted at than seen and I can't wait to see more of that. I want to see the woman Kaede becomes; I think she'll be formidable. Takeo is well on the way to his full power but I still can't wait to see more of him. The setting of not-quite-Japan is fascinating as well.
My biggest complaint is that the book seriously just stopped. My copy has a "preview" of the next episode, so when I turned the page fully expecting more of this book only to find that it was finished and all those lovely unread pages were for the next book, I was upset.
I reserve the right to change my mind with the next installment, but so far, so good. Be sure to have the second book ready when you finish though.