Grass for his Pillow

Lian Hearn

Takeo has gone with the Tribe in order to fulfil what he feels is his birthright and duty. Lady Kaede has gone home, pregnant but without Takeo. They must each find their strengths and wait for the spring – where perhaps they will meet again.

Once again, I really enjoyed this series and found myself sitting in my car listening to it by choice! I guess I could have brought it inside to listen to, but the atmosphere wouldn’t have been there!

Takeo is a bit dense sometimes, but he does try to do the right thing. You can tell what his weakness is, and he knows as well. He’s haunted by the people he kills in his role for the Tribe and yearns for something more. Kaede is much more commanding and suited to being a warrior, but alas she’s born female and it’s hardly a choice for her.

The ending is decidedly unsatisfactory and reeks of being a second book in a series. Plenty of cliff-hangers and uncertainties. Bah. I’m just a bit irked because I don’t have the third book waiting for me to listen to! Instead I have the prequel to this series.

I had a moment of doubt when I heard the introduction, because it wasn’t in the same voice as the first novel – but then it turned out to be the same readers as before and I was happy. I was used to them sounding the way they did, and I didn’t want change! I think I wouldn’t have listened to it, if it didn’t have the same expressive readers.

As with the first novel, I don’t think that the title of the novel is particularly true. He doesn’t really spend all that much time free to sleep with grass for his pillow. It seems like he spends much of his time locked inside a room, or battling against the snowy elements of Autumn.