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thomgeg's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
It took me over a month to read this and I probably would have DNF'd it if the book weren't so highly regarded. There's a couple of major problems I had with it:
- It's told almost entirely from the perspective of a single character. That means you're not weaving A, B, and C threads like most novels do w/ a big climax that has them all collide. I can see why this was done, as the novel is effectively the retelling of a fable (hah, get it?) from the party's bard, but it didn't do my reading experience any favours. A large part of the beginning is spent moving from town to town fighting monsters again and again, so it got rather tedious being spoonfed the tiniest morsels of world building and character development as that happened. It then also creates some problems toward the end of the book where the antagonists don't feel as developed as they otherwise would be if they got their own chapters throughout.
- There were constant themes of classism/racism, but they weren't resolved. The book does the same thing a lot of fantasy does - 'monsters' as an allegory for modern day classism/racism. It beats you over the head with this comparison throughout the book and really wants you to be aware of the theme... however it then does nothing with it. Most of the major characters comment on how monsters get unfairly treated right from the start of the book, however they continue to partake in the system oppressing them up until the final chapters (literally as their executioners too). The messaging gets further mixed by one of the main characters, who themself is a monster, saying that some monsters are just monsters and they're irredeemable. The closest you get to a conclusion to that theme is
the prologue describing how two of the main characters are going on further adventures to address some of the mistreatment of 'monsters' . - I didn't laugh that much. It's supposed to be a comedic thing, but I barely found myself laughing at it. The only particularly comedic moments I remember are the odd one-liner or simple 'comedic' situations, e.g.
one character confusingly fighting a creature before realizing it's a house cat or the characters being asked tostrip naked before entering a room .
Overall if you're looking for an adventure fantasy book that balances comedy and more serious themes well, then I'd just look at The Dark Profit Saga (Orconomics) instead. It has similar themes of classism/racism, but they're a much more central part of the story and have many payoffs throughout the books. It's also very comedic and plays with fantasy tropes very well to achieve some great moments.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Abandonment, and War
Minor: Self harm and Abortion
nerdkitten's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Racism, and Grief
Minor: Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Suicide, Abortion, and Suicide attempt
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