Beasts of a Little Land

I can't understand the reviews that describe this book as “beautifully written.” The writing is clunky, with awkward attempts at eloquence, hackneyed descriptions, and clichéd “wisdom” - here's a sample chosen at random: “The window was not so high, and he could see the tiled roofs and bare-branched trees shimmering in the orange light, and the birds singing and gliding across the sky. This, the everlasting stillness of morning, brought him unbearable joy and sorrow. Tears flowed down his cheeks raked by time. Death was such a small price to pay for life.”

Besides this uninspiring prose, the POV switched so often and so rapidly between so many different characters that I had a hard time caring much about any of them. The tragic central love triangle left me completely cold, and there were long stretches where not much of anything happened. The exciting tiger hunt at the beginning was by far the best part. Oh, and the cover is gorgeous.