The final installment of the Tales of the Otori picks up right where the third left off: a secret marriage and preparations for war. Saying too much about the plot would spoil the suspense, so this review will focus more on my overall impressions. Since the major character development happens in the second book, this book didn't impress me quite as much as its predecessor...at least, not at first. Part one of the book is a quick and reasonably entertaining read, but a bit too predictable. This predictability could have been a serious flaw, but it may have been exactly what the author intended. With readers lulled into a false sense of security, the second half of the book is all the more gripping. I am not an emotional reader, but at times, my favorite character's suffering made me so angry I could not continue reading. Later, even though I never cheat and read ahead, suspense compelled me to peek at the final lines of each chapter. By the time I reached the climatic battle, my heart was literally pounding. This isn't a flawless book, but it's hard for me to remember my complaints after spending an afternoon so totally engrossed with the plot and characters. I do, however, feel deeply sorry that Kaede played such a minor role in this book. Her dwindling influence accurately portrays women's limited power in this time period, but I still felt the author could have done more than shunt her to the side. I was also a bit surprised at the abrupt ending. It was a plausible outcome, but it left me wondering if the author had simply run out of steam. These are minor issues though, and even hours after I finished the book, the characters are still tugging on my heart. ( )

See Across the Nightingale Floor. ( )

The end of this trilogy was very well executed. The way the prophesy was fulfilled and how Takeo achieved his goals was nothing short of a great climax to a great saga. Huge props to Hearn for pulling this off. ( )

This is the end of the main part of the trilogy, and it picks up largely where the last one left off. Here, we have the culmination of the prophecy, all of the battles that were foretold, and the two lead characters' winding course around each other. In this book, we also get a couple of chapters told with Kaede's maid and confidant as the POV, but these were probably necessary to get across a couple of plot points that would have seemed fairly contrived otherwise. It does bring the majority of threads in the series to a close, although there are a couple left at the end for the sequel set significantly later, which I will not be reading right now.

On the whole, the plot is pretty solid; there are still some good twists, and the characterization, particularly of the two leads but also of the main supporting cast, is sharp, with some nice touches. Even particular passages take on a style that depends on the circumstances of the character, not an easy feat. The only problem I really had with it is that the battle scenes, which are some of the most pivotal parts of the book, aren't really well served by Hearn's style; she's better at one-on-one fight description than a battle between armies, and I think that she knows that, which is why some of the battle descriptions are quite short. Still, if you just count the power of what happens in the battles as the main part, it's fine.

Bottom line, this trilogy worked quite well, and stayed pretty tight from end to end. I'm looking forward to reading the last one (and then the prequel about Takeo's adoptive father, whose influence in the books are great, once it's in paperback, but not until then), but it can wait a bit. I need a break with something else. ( )

The end of the story about Takeo, and his move to become the leader of a peaceful Japan.

Although it's been a while since I read the earlier two books this one moves, uncomfortably to my mind, into demesne level politics and away from people and magic, at least in quite big parts. The politics was always there, but this is more about establishing himself as a lord and so forth.

Still, a nice easy read, and it wraps the story up neatly and with a nice happy ending, with just twists of sadness. I know there's a later book too, but I'm just not sure I care enough now to go and read it, which is a shame because I remember being enraptured by the first book. ( )