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A review by ngreads
Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn
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.