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A review by surdiablo
Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
âI was more ass than assassin.â ðŽ
I unfortunately struggled a bit to get through this one, which is a shame since I really liked The Broken Empire series. Jalal, the cowardly reluctant 'hero' with fits of amnesiac rage and Snorri, the righteous nordic barbarian with a heart of gold, teaming up was definitely the most interesting aspect for me. Their interactions or banter in general carried my interest and I have grown to care for them. The story flows straightforward with only a bare amount of flashbacks unlike Broken Empire series with past and present timelines. However, it felt like such a slog to get through for the first half at least, with endless travelling where nothing substantial happened ( I usually don't mind travelling in books but here it felt rather uninteresting ). I did enjoy the humor but it can be a hit or miss sometimes. I think this book will be much more enjoyable if you read the Broken Empire series first, otherwise the events that take place or world-building in general might feel lacking perhaps, which I don't consider as a good thing. The section I loved most was Jalal meeting (view spoiler) but if you take that out, I feel like I didn't really care much about the rest of the events. Your experience may vary however since a lot of people seem to mention liking this over Prince of Thorns, and this one is comparatively less dark with more humor instead. I am planning to read the second book nonetheless since I am intrigued enough to find out where the characters will go. ð
I unfortunately struggled a bit to get through this one, which is a shame since I really liked The Broken Empire series. Jalal, the cowardly reluctant 'hero' with fits of amnesiac rage and Snorri, the righteous nordic barbarian with a heart of gold, teaming up was definitely the most interesting aspect for me. Their interactions or banter in general carried my interest and I have grown to care for them. The story flows straightforward with only a bare amount of flashbacks unlike Broken Empire series with past and present timelines. However, it felt like such a slog to get through for the first half at least, with endless travelling where nothing substantial happened ( I usually don't mind travelling in books but here it felt rather uninteresting ). I did enjoy the humor but it can be a hit or miss sometimes. I think this book will be much more enjoyable if you read the Broken Empire series first, otherwise the events that take place or world-building in general might feel lacking perhaps, which I don't consider as a good thing. The section I loved most was Jalal meeting (view spoiler) but if you take that out, I feel like I didn't really care much about the rest of the events. Your experience may vary however since a lot of people seem to mention liking this over Prince of Thorns, and this one is comparatively less dark with more humor instead. I am planning to read the second book nonetheless since I am intrigued enough to find out where the characters will go. ð
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Body horror and Grief
Minor: Sexual content