Published: August 26th, 2002
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 287
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Synopsis:
Every now and then a novel appears, completely unlike anything that has appeared before. Across the Nightingale Floor is such a work-a magical creation of a world beyond time.
Set in an imaginary, ancient Japanese society dominated by warring clans, Across the Nightingale Floor is a story of a boy who is suddenly plucked from his life in a remote and peaceful village to find himself a pawn in a political scheme, filled with treacherous warlords, rivalry - and the intensity of first love. In a culture ruled by codes of honor and formal rituals, Takeo must look inside himself to discover the powers that will enable him to fulfill his destiny.
A work of transcendent storytelling with an appeal that crosses genres, genders, and generations, Across the Nightingale Floor is a rich and brilliantly constructed tale, mythic in its themes and epic in its vision. It is poised to become the most captivating novel of the year.
Review:
Going into Across the Nightingale Floor, I expected some pretty great things. I expected a fully realized, well developed Japanese-inspired fantasy world, great writing, compelling characters, a compelling story, and emotions so pure I could feel myself beginning to want to go into the book to avenge the injustice done against Takeo.
While I did get my fully realized fantasy world and pretty great writing, I didn't find emotions so palpable that I was compelled by either the story or the characters, and those three things were probably the most important things for me.
The pacing is quite sluggish at points, and while I did expect that since I find that to occur quite often in fantasy novels, there wasn't any intensity at any point. You're just reading a very slow, very uninspired novel with pretty scenery. There wasn't any sense of excitement or danger that I should've been feeling considering the assassination attempts, constant backstabbing and as death seemed to be closing in on our protagonists.
Takeo's rage and fury felt very lackluster and one-dimensional. He didn't even seem to be mad that his entire family that he knew and loved had been slaughtered brutally and mercilessly, but more mad that somebody threatened the life of Shigeru, his adopted father that he'd only known for about a year. Yes, I get the whole thing about honor and loyalty, but what about honor and loyalty to the family that raised and loved you for sixteen years?
Kaede, the main female protagonist, didn't do anything for me. Her story was rather sad, yes, and showed how misogynistic, sexist, and unfair life was like for woman in a more medieval age similar to this. It didn't make me really feel though, other than the sympathy that these terrible things happened to her. Just don't feel like she moved me in any signifigant way, nor had me mentally cheering her on.
The "intensity of first love" that Takeo has going on with Kaede (trust me, that isn't a spoiler - you should know they were going to be attracted to each other as soon as Kaede was introduced) was nothing more than insta-love/lust (take your pick). Seriously, I kid you absolutely, 100% not, the word "love" was used to describe this "connection" Takeo and Kaede have the first time they meet. They've never spoken to one another in their entire lives, and have never even seen each other before, yet they're automatically in love.
Because they makes total sense.
I'm serious. The word love was used. If you don't believe me, read the book and you will see the world love used. Perhaps 30-40 pages after meeting each other and talking perhaps two or three times, Takeo and Kaede are thinking about marriage because they're so in love. Mind you, these two or three conversations are only a few words in passing.
I also didn't care for the side characters either, even when some of them came to a rather brutal death, so you know then that I couldn't have been too enraptued in this.
Found the entire ending rather anticlimatic, with so much build-up that when the scene we've been waiting for during the last 250-260 pages is done without any intensity. The whole resolution to the conflict seemed almost effortless, when it was made out to be seemingly impossible when they're all preparing for it. There's more I want to discuss about it, but I'll save it for the end of the review so as to not spoil it for anyone else.
Still, these book isn't all bad, like I said. I thoroughly enjoyed it actually for the first 175-200 pages. Wasn't a book I loved or anything, but I liked it, and I still do actually. Like I mentioned before, the world presented within this is fairly plausible and well-thought out, and there truly is some magical imagery to be found within. The fantasy elements incorporated into this are great as well.
I have every intention of reading at least the next installment, which is always something nice to feel when I finish the first novel in a series. So, do with that what you will.
*The remainder of this review will have spoilers for the ending of the novel. Read on at your own risk.*
Was I the only person that found the sex scene between Takeo and Kaede disturbing? I mean, they're having sexytimes in the same room as a dead body and Takeo was on some sort of time-sensitive mission or whatever for honor?
I don't have a problem with Kaede having killed Iida, but it felt so damn easy! I mean, why did the Tribe even bother kidnapping Takeo in the first place if some fifteen year old without any fighting experience could take this guy out?
Overall, good but definitely a bit of a dissapointment considering all the positive reviews I'd seen of this.
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