rootedinreading's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
mels_karsh's review against another edition
2.0
I almost dnf’ed this book so many times.
Pros:
Interesting magic system. Very imaginative and compelling. Gavin is very well written and family dynamics and politics are explored thoroughly in the book. In that sense, very interesting.
Cons.
It is incredibly, incredibly long. It should have been trimmed down much further in editing.
The main character is a 15 year old boy and constantly acts like it (in that respect, I guess its good writing?). He is also such a Mary Sue. He is written as fat and oh my god, it is in almost every sentence about him. It felt incredibly fat phobic and also like very lazy writing?
The book also comes off as incredibly sexist, which was very disappointing. I truly wondered if the author had ever spoken to a woman. It was exhausting to read through any of their chapters. Let us constantly remind you how hot and cool we are. But also as soon as a woman is older than 30 she is an ancient crone/drug addled old lady. So tiring.
Will not continue the series.
Pros:
Interesting magic system. Very imaginative and compelling. Gavin is very well written and family dynamics and politics are explored thoroughly in the book. In that sense, very interesting.
Cons.
It is incredibly, incredibly long. It should have been trimmed down much further in editing.
The main character is a 15 year old boy and constantly acts like it (in that respect, I guess its good writing?). He is also such a Mary Sue. He is written as fat and oh my god, it is in almost every sentence about him. It felt incredibly fat phobic and also like very lazy writing?
The book also comes off as incredibly sexist, which was very disappointing. I truly wondered if the author had ever spoken to a woman. It was exhausting to read through any of their chapters. Let us constantly remind you how hot and cool we are. But also as soon as a woman is older than 30 she is an ancient crone/drug addled old lady. So tiring.
Will not continue the series.
houseoflusos's review against another edition
5.0
This book is an easy 5 stars for me, it has great characters and the protagonist, Kip, has potential to be among my favourite fantasy characters of all time depending on the choices he makes.
The magic system is interesting and I assume it will be developed further in the following books.
The pacing is also perfect, you get the right amount of exposition, with the right amount of action, there's mystery, there's tension, there are a couple of twists that caught me off guard, and the book ends on a few cliffhangers that make you want to pick book 2 right after.
An incredible read, I'm glad I picked it up! Can't wait to see where the series goes.
The magic system is interesting and I assume it will be developed further in the following books.
The pacing is also perfect, you get the right amount of exposition, with the right amount of action, there's mystery, there's tension, there are a couple of twists that caught me off guard, and the book ends on a few cliffhangers that make you want to pick book 2 right after.
An incredible read, I'm glad I picked it up! Can't wait to see where the series goes.
big_tuna's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bgil789's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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
4.25
joedratnol's review against another edition
4.0
Brent weeks is a talented writer newer than most to the world of fantasy writing. I recommend any of his books to anyone.
gracemessi's review against another edition
5.0
Hooooly crap. 4.5 stars. I love the characters, the plot, and the writing. And the ending was fantastic. I'm docking .5 of a star because it took me a while to get into, whether because of reading slumps or slow world building I don't know.
{EDIT 11/24/16: Rounded up to 5 stars}
{EDIT 11/24/16: Rounded up to 5 stars}