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deluciate's review against another edition
5.0
I read this on the train in one sweet hour contemplating the unfamiliar. As the author's note says, this book is strange, but I'm one of the people it works for.
timinbc's review against another edition
2.0
One of the stars is because Auri was an interesting character in the other books.
One is for the sometimes-elegant prose, even including a couple of unusual words and a few that were spinoffs from real words.
I don't have a problem with the existence of the book. It's not a standalone. It's an amuse-bouche, something given to us because the main course is going to be late. It's an interesting exercise, really.
I am not going to say Auri is mentally ill as so many others have. I'd say that if she was a normal human once she is far from it now, like the character in Richard Thompson's song "Beeswing," not so much mentally ill as just operating in a different version of the world. She may have shifted most of the way into Faerie, and perhaps should be considered as such.
But I can't improve on Dan 2.0's "an OCD girl mired in Feng Shui issues."
As Auri moved from room to room to room to room, I was constantly thinking, "You have entered the Bedquilt room. Passages from here go north and east, and a staircase leads down" or "A hollow voice says 'Plugh' " or "drop birdcage. pick up key. go east. open door with key. drop key. go west. take birdcage ..."
We're told several times about a bashful door, but nothing comes of it. We're told maybe ten times that the butter has knives in it, but that's never explained and she never gets rid of the butter. Patrick: go look up Chekhov and gun.
Dozens of beta readers? And not one of them has the faintest idea how to use lay/lie/laid/lain? When you use a word as often as Rothfuss has here, you ought to know how to use it. I didn't keep track, but it is possible that he got it wrong every single time.
The interesting takeway here for the third book, if it is ever released, if it actually exists, is this: (1) Auri is as crazy as John Belushi on crack & meth (2) She is capable of channeling great power at times, and (3) she clearly see things that Need To Be Done, things that to us would be in the "she did WHAT?" category. Rothfuss has given himself an out from any plot problems that may arise. He can use Auri to kill a king, to transmogrify a person, probably to blow up a castle or absorb a huge explosion or teleport or suck the power out of a magic sword. Prediction: she WILL be a big, big deal in volume 3, and when it happens most of us will go, "Really? Seriously? We waited years for this?" And yes, I did see the hint that she's a Namer.
I got this from the library, and as such it was worth the time it took to read. Glad I didn't pay for it, though. I prefer to use my money on things I'll read again, like Neil Gaiman.
One is for the sometimes-elegant prose, even including a couple of unusual words and a few that were spinoffs from real words.
I don't have a problem with the existence of the book. It's not a standalone. It's an amuse-bouche, something given to us because the main course is going to be late. It's an interesting exercise, really.
I am not going to say Auri is mentally ill as so many others have. I'd say that if she was a normal human once she is far from it now, like the character in Richard Thompson's song "Beeswing," not so much mentally ill as just operating in a different version of the world. She may have shifted most of the way into Faerie, and perhaps should be considered as such.
But I can't improve on Dan 2.0's "an OCD girl mired in Feng Shui issues."
As Auri moved from room to room to room to room, I was constantly thinking, "You have entered the Bedquilt room. Passages from here go north and east, and a staircase leads down" or "A hollow voice says 'Plugh' " or "drop birdcage. pick up key. go east. open door with key. drop key. go west. take birdcage ..."
We're told several times about a bashful door, but nothing comes of it. We're told maybe ten times that the butter has knives in it, but that's never explained and she never gets rid of the butter. Patrick: go look up Chekhov and gun.
Dozens of beta readers? And not one of them has the faintest idea how to use lay/lie/laid/lain? When you use a word as often as Rothfuss has here, you ought to know how to use it. I didn't keep track, but it is possible that he got it wrong every single time.
The interesting takeway here for the third book, if it is ever released, if it actually exists, is this: (1) Auri is as crazy as John Belushi on crack & meth (2) She is capable of channeling great power at times, and (3) she clearly see things that Need To Be Done, things that to us would be in the "she did WHAT?" category. Rothfuss has given himself an out from any plot problems that may arise. He can use Auri to kill a king, to transmogrify a person, probably to blow up a castle or absorb a huge explosion or teleport or suck the power out of a magic sword. Prediction: she WILL be a big, big deal in volume 3, and when it happens most of us will go, "Really? Seriously? We waited years for this?" And yes, I did see the hint that she's a Namer.
I got this from the library, and as such it was worth the time it took to read. Glad I didn't pay for it, though. I prefer to use my money on things I'll read again, like Neil Gaiman.
jorgealfredorf's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
oldcrow1111's review against another edition
4.0
As disappointed as I am to not have a continuation of Kvothe’s story, this was lovely and insightful and had a gorgeous prose.
meegsy's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cgmcintosh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
gradi017's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was good. I enjoyed the view into Auri’s world. I wish Patrick Rothfuss weren’t the antagonist of his world.
basbleu_dans_labiblioteque's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
It’s true that this is just around 147 pages of a girl moving objects around in her underground home. However, it is written so well that the complete and utter lack of plot is easy to overlook. A bit like Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere but sort of more lonely and high fantasy-esque
morelli89's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The illustrations lifted it to a 2* for me. It’s probably a 1.5. Nothing happens in the book.