Jonas
Great book but it clearly felt like an introduction to the story. Occasionally some things happen but mainly it's building up for things to come. I had a bit of a break while reading so I also lost track of some people. The writing style is very unique but I love it! Ciri blowing away the shack was so hilarious. The writer could have written "The shack was blown away" but instead he wrote it all in dialog. "Oh oh Ciri, that's too much. Don't worry about it, nobody liked it, it'll be great for firewood" (Written from memory so don't judge :p). The fighting is written clear and quick. Even a battle between experienced fighters can be ended in mere seconds which is pretty realistic. The ending was not like a big cliffhanger or anything but it clearly builds up for what's to come. Excited to start the next one.
Heads up: I did not finish the entire book, only read 20 pages of Raleigh's Prep but alas I really cannot seem to like vampires or werewolf. So this review will be for the short stories.
As I expected, I liked Prey the most. I felt the suspense from the start, knowing there was something seriously wrong. The way the old man is so casual about it, is perfect! Under the rocks, Salvation, Unholy Triumvirate and Beta I really liked too. The writing styles were all very different and they fitted the story very nice.
Neighborhood going to the dead and City of salt were not really my thing or I just couldn't follow it and yeah Raleigh's prep I liked at the beginning (the setting and characters) but the whole vampire and werewolf thing lost me.
Awesome: These stories are not about happy endings but they do cast a different light on the whole good/evil concept. It's a grim world filled with all kinds of monsters and magic. The main character is imo not really a hero. He is treated like the scum of the earth until people need him for his skills. He helps out but of course they need to pay up. He doesn't like the killing and searches for other solutions which makes him a very interesting protagonist.
I had trouble with visualising the monsters and the magic used in the book. Maybe because it's the first Witcher book I read (haven't played the games either) but I had to google some monster name to get some kind of image of them.
I liked the short story approach, many different themes could be handled and the stories themselves were light to read so a nice introduction to the world of Witchers.
Definitely worth the read.
Slow but strong: It took me a while to read this one. The starting of the story was really slow. Elantris a grime, slimy place filled with ‘outcasts'. The main characters were a bit stale (in the beginning). Typical: Good guy, mystery searcher and confliced bad guy but over time the characters changed. The last 100 pages were pretty surprising, ofcourse some parts are predictable but others really got to me.
The magic system is again something completely different and this is the fist time a Brandon Sanderson magic system (Inc.) felt like the magic we know from movies and other stories. Although a layer of complexity has been added to just give it the needed spark to not feel casual.
Witty: The cons in this book are hilarious. You would almost go out and try some of them! The story is set in a beautifull setting, hard to explain (just read, you'll know what I mean). I like the pace of the storytelling. Two forward moving story arcs, one now and one in the past, giving a background to all the characters where needed or even motivate actions. It was all a bit more brutal then I first anticipated but it fits in the story very well. Many things get wrapped up in the end which is pretty nice for a 7-part series, no dragging on of story lines, no forgetting specific lines from a few books ago and definitely no endlessly ongoing Hobbit style battles.
Awesome: A worthy finale for the reckoners series. I liked this one very much but it doesn't leave me completely satisfied. There are still some questions unanswered and some things are just like ‘What?'. The environment is again one of the strong suits. A whole different setting that is described in such detail that even when it isn't described, you can see it clear as day. If you liked the previous books, don't wait to read this one!
Incredible: Make sure you finish all the mistborn books before you start this one (1-6). You can thank me later. A story where you expected none. A beloved original mistborn character makes his return in this one, showing pieces of the story from a very different angle. Questions get answered but more arise.
Second read 2023 - 3.5 stars: It read better than the first round. The story and world-building feel basic, but the characters are memorable. Even after all the years between, characters like Glokta and Logen stuck in my head and are exceptional to follow. They aren't on a Tyrion level (yet) but this time I'll continue the series and I'm curious where they go.
First read 2016 - 3 stars: Good: A nice story but it didn't pull me in completely. It follows some very different characters as they go around and seems to build up during the entire story. Three different kind of factions, how I see them: the barbarians, the humans and the dark mages (aberrations and slavery). The ending was a bit of a let down for me. I was expecting something huge mind blowing but what happened was just what I expected to happen (which is cool sometimes but not this time). I will give the rest of the series a try but I'm going to let it sit for a while first.
Nice: A totally different story from the epic fantasy we are used to from Brandon Sanderson. A conflicted main character in some kind of modern detective. The story read really quick, though the different characters/aspects are a bit hard to seperate at first. Some common names are being used and somehow I got stuck with the same character in my head, which is confusing because their personalities were really different. I didn't really like the overarcing story, there were not many details released and at some point I thought I missed a piece of the book. It's a bit too much of a ‘you have to read the next parts to get your answers' imo. But the idea behind the story was really nice and got me thinking.
I liked it less the second time around. I'd say a 3/5 for a Sanderson book.
In comparison with Alloy of Law, this is just different. Alloy was great fun, this is mild fun. The nostalgic effect has worn off for me. The Kandra give it a mysterious boost, but it still feels lacking. Something new, like introducing another metal, a new cool combination,... would have gone a long way for me. The spikes feel under-used. And using Trell as the same ending note as Alloy felt a bit cheap.
Still, it's not a bad read. Continuing on now to finally get to the Lost Metal!
2nd read:
I listened to the Graphic Audio audiobook for my reread and I have to say this makes just everything better. While Sanderson explains everything in very detail, the extra sound effects make it really come alive.
It's weird how fresh the book felt after having already read it. It's been 5 years since my first read but so many details got lost since then. And it's clear again what a masterpiece this series is in the world of fantasy. I just cannot name another series with the same epic feeling. If you do, please share!
WTF: This book gave me so many mixed feelings. Although it left me broken, this ending stays the best story ending I know to date. So many stories fuck up the ending, this ending only fucked me up. Not every question gets an answer but the big ones do. The battles are amazing and the magic system is again being upped a notch. The world gets a lot bigger in this one. A lot of different locations, which is a nice change. This series made me read all the other books from Brandon Sanderson so if you're a fan: start reading. Not a fan: start reading you dumbass.
Auri is one of the most special characters I've ever read about. Everything she does in her own world, her own way is so frial, yet she is able to do incredible things. Really eager to see more from her. I remember I preordered the book (hardcover). It would arrive the next day but I already came across a very legal version online. I just wanted to read the intro but finished it that evening. The next day the book arrived and I read it again. Writing this review makes me want to read it again now.
I like his other books, but this format doesn't work for his writing.
Some days are teases for the next, others autobiography, others straight copies from his other books, some even felt like a show-off. I usually don't mind this kind of writing, yet in a book meant to be taken in at a slow daily pace, this gets bothersome. I tried a faster pace since the weeks felt coherent at first, but none aside from the first week felt satisfying (I made it to week 11).
Also no space for writing and no bookmark present. Which are not a necessity, but for a book this size, it makes it feel rather empty.
Aside from the well-drawn images (hence the extra star), this felt like a rip-off, especially if you read or own his other books.
Had to stop reading at about page 450. After forcing myself to 5x 1 chapter sessions as a last resort. The promise is missing for me, the resets only made this worse for me. Also had a big dislike for using Scribe in the name. I thought this was a joke (fitting there) in the mines, but him taking the name to himself just feels weird.
Loved the cover though.
Insane: Everything changes in this one. The characters all have their big moments in the spotlights and the tide really turns for some teams.
Why read this if you can watch the TV series:
1. Diversion: This is where the stories of the books and series really start to go their own way. Some events happen, some don't and others are just completely different.
2. Your favorites are a lot stronger: Some parts of the series went by really quick, without showing what some of the characters were truely capable of.
3. Logic: There is a lot more logic behind the actions happening in the books. Characters don't just pop into the story. They are introduced in a normal way and slowly enter the story arc. You get to know why some characters do actions that are ‘not right'. What motivates then into doing them nonetheless.
4. No extra's: A lot of characters and stuff are introduced in the series, just because it's a series. The book does not add random stories to make someone more likeable or hateable. It tells the story from a different perspective. Much clearer in my opinion.
Waw: where to start on this book.. The story follows Kvothe through his life, starting at the very beginning. It's a brute dark world filled with a lot of different and funny characters. There is a logic magic system that's really a refreshing spin on the whole magic world. It gets introduced slowly and after a while you really start to understand the effects some actions will take. I read the book once and listened once on audiobook. The audiobook is a real recommandation, the voices and accents are top notch and really give something extra to the story. It has been a long time on my top 10 favorites and it will stay there for a longer time.