Short Book Reviews: The Kingkiller Chronicle Books 1 and 2 by Patrick Rothfuss

The Kingkiller Chronicle is a planned trilogy by an American author Patrick Rothfuss whose independent work The Slow Regard of Silent Things is one of my favourite fantasy books. As the third book is still pending, I suppose I should review the two existing ones individually but as it's also likely the trilogy will never be completed, and I don't really have that much to say about The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear, I decided to bundle them together.

The Kingkiller Chronicle is about Kvothe, a famous musician and adventurer who has retired to a desolate village where no one knows him to work as an innkeeper. The perspective shifts between the third and the first person. The "present-day" parts are told in the third person whereas Kvothe's legend which he rehearses to the Chronicler, is in the first person.

I listened to The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear as audiobooks, and a good thing that I did for I don't think I could've finished even the first book had I chosen to read it. I'm not saying TNOTW and TWMF are bad books -well, The Wise Man's Fear is partially, if not bad, at least highly frustrating- but they are slow-paced to the point of tediousness. Also, the MC has too many similarities with Harry Potter (loses his family, enters a school of magic, makes an enemy of a well-off fellow student and so on) to make me take him seriously.

Yet, I kind of enjoyed The Name of the Wind. It hooked me with its deep insight into humanity. I might've loved it if the set-up was different and the story-telling a little faster-paced. The Wise Man's Fear, however... I still can't figure out why I finished listening to it. Mainly because I had paid for it and didn't have anything more intriguing on my TBR list at the moment, I suppose. 

In the second book, Kvothe becomes even more burdensome a character than he is in TNOTW, making me suspect his fame is largely a soap bubble. His stubborn devotion to his flimsy school-time sweetheart Denna made me want to hit something, and the elongated description of his visit to the fairyland would work better an an independent publication. In the end, Bast, Kvothe's non-human servant/friend became my favourite character of whom I would've loved to learn more.

The Kingkiller Chronicle is one of the fantasy series whose popularity and high overall rating remain a mystery to me. I would give The Name of the Wind three stars out of five, and The Wise Man's Fear not even that many. However, you don't need to take my word for it. Read or listen to the books for yourself and form your opinion based on them.

(Also, I am willing to admit that my opinion might change if the third book was published. It could yet salvage the series.)

A Free Reviewer Copy Available

My posts are short, irregular, and jump from one subject to another like drunken grasshoppers, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that instead of a review or a character presentation, I'm advertising my book today. Not sure whether this could be called an ad, though, for I'm not asking anyone to buy The Heirs of Duty; I'm offering it for free. Alas, there's a catch. It's only available through Indie Story Geek.

So, if you are a verified book blogger on ISG and would like to read and maybe review my debut, it's possible now. The Heirs of Duty, the first book of Braenduir Chronicles, is a character-based, multi-POV,  epic adventure fantasy story for adults. 

At this point, I should add that it's a magnificent book you must read, but because I am so honest it's comparable to idiocy, I state that it divides opinions. The book has both five and one-star reviews on LibraryThing and Goodreads. Though in its defence, I must point out that the person who gave it one star isn't offering any explanation for their verdict. As an author, I find that quite frustrating. A bad rating doesn't bother me, I am well aware that my book isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I yearn for constructive feedback because I can't become better if I don't know what I'm doing wrong. So, as a humble request to anyone who reads The Heirs of Duty; if you decide on rating it, please, include a few words of explanation. If you have time to read a book of around 150,000 words, you can spare a couple of minutes to give a reason why you liked/disliked it.

In case fellow authors happen to read this post, I'd like to point out that for a writer like myself who doesn't have a vast social network in which to find reviewers, LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program is the surest way to get your book read and reviewed for free. I regret I can't make my book available there anymore as I already offered it as a giveaway twice under the original title (and I don't want to cheat by offering it again under the new name). 

Have I rambled enough for what was intended as a short announcement? I suppose, so without further ado, have a lovely rest of the week and thank you to everyone who so much as puts The Heirs of Duty on their TBR-list.

Short Book Reviews: Among the Pines by Matt Anderson

If the last book I reviewed wasn't my pint of mead, this one definitely is. I read Among the Pines as an E-book and loved it from the first word to the last. Among the Pines is a collection of horror fantasy short stories by Matt Anderson, a US indie author, and it's hands down one of the best books I've read. 

This might well become the shortest of my Short Book Reviews because I really don't have anything but praise to say about this work. The language is in its own league, bringing the stories to life with haunting precision and captivating richness. One rarely finds a match for it even among traditionally published books, let alone popular ones.

The author finds his inspiration in folklore, mythology, nature, and science and weaves them into a tapestry that captures you from the first thread and haunts you long after you turn your gaze away. The stories are like pictures painted with the brightest, yet darkest colours, paintings that morph from seemingly innocent scenes to nightmarish visions of chilling peculiarity. Among the Pines is one of those books that make picking up your next read insanely difficult because nothing seems good enough in comparison. 

If this isn't enough to convince you that you should give this one a chance, feel free to check the review I left on Goodreads just after I finished it.

If one must name a weakness in this work, it's the cover. Even if I didn't choose a book by its cover, many others do, and those people are likely to skip Among the Pines -to their own loss. Don't be one of them and get the book to see for yourself whether my verdict is fair or not.

Giving a Much-Hyped Book a Go

Everyone was rambling about ACOTAR, so I decided to determine whether it's worth the fuss.  Turned out, it isn't. Had I chosen to read the book instead of listening to it, I would've given up on it after the first couple of chapters. Even listening to it until the end was a challenge.

Why? Because the plot is tedious and predictable. And that's all I've got to say about it.

The development of the main character made me want to tear my hair off. In the first chapters, she seems like my type of female character, strong, independent... All in all a girl who goes her own way. Soon enough she shrinks into a typical female lead of a romantic story, becoming but a groupie for the male lead. The book doesn't offer an explanation for why she loses herself like that. Is it because of sheer love, or does Tamlin put her under a spell? If it's the latter, her trajectory would be acceptable.

I could rant on and on about how disappointed I was in this book, but I believe, I've made my point already. It's not for me, and wasting time reading the sequels hasn't even crossed my mind. However, this is only my personal opinion, and I do encourage everyone to form their own by reading the book themselves, instead of taking my word for that one could figure out many a less frustrating way to spend their time.

Short Book Reviews: The Slow Regard of Silent Things

I listened to this little book by Patrick Rothfuss as an audiobook (read by the author) a couple of years ago and was blown away by its loveliness. Even though the book has no plot in the traditional sense of the word, it's definitely worth your time.

The Slow Regard of Silent Things is about Auri, one of the characters in The Kingkiller Chronicle. She lives below the University, in a world no one else knows about, dedicating her time to taking care of abandoned things.

The book is sort of sad, yet I smiled all the while listening to it. It is beautifully written, heartfelt, an all-around comforting story. A perfect book to read/listen to in bed before going to sleep.

A word of warning is required here though: if you've read The Kingkiller Chronicle and expect The Slow Regard of Silent Things to be something similar, you'll be disappointed. This book is as different from the series as a nightingale from an oriole. However, if you're looking for something simply sweet and undemanding, The Slow Regard of Silent Things should be your next read.

Short Book Review: Deepwater Trilogy by Claire McKenna

 I listened to this trilogy as audiobooks. 

I loved the first book, Monstrous Heart. It is a touching, all-around enjoyable book. The language is rich and inspiring, and the world is intriguing. If there's a negative to this work, it is its inability to move me. Still, I was more than eager to listen to the second part, Deepwater King.

I went through almost the whole spectrum of emotions listening to the second book. Almost. Had it made me cry besides all else - the disgust, vicarious embarrassment, hatred... - it would be a five-star book for me. However, just like Monstrous Heart, Deepwater King failed to affect me deeply enough to make me shed tears. The story left me rather battered, nonetheless, and I consider that a good thing. 

Deepwater King is as beautifully written as Monstrous Heart, and the world McKenna has created, grows even gloomier in it than it is in the first book. I had high hopes for the last book in the trilogy once I'd finished this one.

Perhaps because I was expecting so much, Firetide Coast turned out a disappointment. Language-wise it's amazing, but what her deepwater husband says to Arden "Everything feels like a duty with you." perfectly encapsulates how I felt about the story. This book felt to me as if it had been written largely because the trilogy had to be finished. The plot thunders forth like a steam engine, with the emotionality and relatability of a machine, dropping the reader/listener off at the terminus with nothing except hollow puzzlement: "Was that it?".

Regardless of the nose-dive at the end, I can recommend the trilogy to everyone who enjoys dark, romantic, steampunk fantasy stories. Also, I cannot emphasize enough the exceptional beauty of McKenna's language. That alone would be a fair reason to read the Deepwater Trilogy.

A Short Book Review: The Unwilling by Kelly Braffet

This book has haunted me since I listened to it as an audiobook a couple of years ago. The Unwilling (The Barrier Lands #1) is a disturbing and awesome description of desperation and powerlessness.

The story gripped me from the first words and held me captive until the end which I both waited for and feared the more the further the story progressed. The characters are masterly written, even a tad frightening in their realness. The impossible situation of the main characters, their pain, their fears, and their hopes that get crushed as soon as they've sprouted made me wish I could enter the book's world and do something to help the poor guys. I don't remember having felt quite so strongly about any other book I've read/listened to. I went through a range of emotions from powerless fury to heartrending desperation while listening to The Unwilling. It is one of those books that are so good that starting another book straight after finishing them is impossible because any other book feels lame compared to them.

A ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ book without question, and I recommend it to everyone who enjoys well-written, character-based fantasy that gives the reader something to chew on and leaves a (permanent) mark. 

I regret that I haven't yet found time to read/listen to the second book in the series, The Broken Tower, but it is on top of my TBR list.