Patricia

This is such a frustrating book. I loved the world building, but I hated all the characters. The protagonist's character development was just bizarre. Dialogues were terrible. Everything that happened was just so disgustingly... convenient and unbelievable. And for a non-YA book it was damned YA-ish. I hear this writer has other books that are more about the world building and less character-centric. I might try one of those.

Props for the Judd/Poldark reference though.

Sorry to say I don't know how this book got its high score. The setting was promising, but the writing is wooden. A pity; I really wanted this to be great.

Bill is still funny at times, but the whole ‘everything used to be better' and ‘I wish nothing would change' spiel is really starting to grate.

This book was so thoroughly weird. Beautiful language, though. I feel like it's hanging between 3 and 4 stars for me, but it's mainly my own lack of understanding holding it back. So a preliminary 4 stars + a reread it is.

I don't get the fantastic ratings for this book... I thought it was all tell, no show, and the sweeping, bird's eye way of writing meant there was nothing to connect me to any of the characters. I couldn't make it through this book, but the high score here on Goodreads does give me the feeling I've missed something.

Ham-fisted humour and mostly cardboard characters, but very well-written fights. I enjoyed the last two chapters more than the rest of the book put together. Props to the author for trying to give the protagonists distinctive voices. Didn't turn out so well, but I appreciated the effort. (This sounds terribly patronising, I know...)

I must admit I gave up on it. I just couldn't face more of the endless, endless blabbering about Life and Truth and Self Discovery and omg dude please. There are some great bits about India in this book, but you have to wade through SO much inane drivel to get to them it's just not worth it.

This was a very uncomfortable read. I did not particularly enjoy reading the book, but I cannot deny that it was a very well written, very loving and very unflinching way of looking back at a younger self (whether fictional or not). At times, I have to admit, it hit a bit too close to home, which is probably why I didn't always enjoy the experience.

Raoul heeft het hart op de juiste plek en ik deel zijn interesses en verwondering, maar dit boek gaat alle kanten op. Jammer.

Reasonably interesting characters, pretty good world building, engaging plot, although there are some major plot holes, and the author just seems to conveniently forget about them whenever he wants to concentrate on other things (e.g. the crew just casually strolling around the city when the inquisitors are apparently raiding every lair they can find and having lookouts everywhere). Didn't mind though - I like Sanderson's writing style and I love that he just drops whatever concept he wants in the book and gives you time to figure things out for yourself instead of explaining everything. I was also rather charmed by the omniscient narrator - haven't read a book with an omniscient narrator in a long time. :)

Very tempted to give this book one star for making me feel so sad but I won't, because, of course, it is superbly written and heartbreaking and beautiful. This is a reread so I knew what I was getting myself into. Not looking forward to the experience of reading the next two books in this trilogy. Robin Hobb really puts her characters through hell...

One of my favourite books as a kid.