Prince of Fools

Hmm! I feel like an outlier here as everyone seems to adore the book. I found it only so so. Maybe Its because I have a hard time not giggling over a hero who is named “Jalan”, which means road in Malay. But maybe because I found the plot very simple and wanted more of a challenge. I didn't really like Jalan. A charming rogue, yes, but insufferably immature and obstinate in his ways. Again, I am spoiled by my usual hardened, bitter and gloomy fantasy heroes. Also, the world seemed vague and the magical system even more so.

And some plot points seemed rushed aside. Like, why was Jalan chosen to bear the magic? Why did he agree to be dragged to the north? Why can he see the silent sister?

Still, Lawrence kept me turning the pages - which surprised me since I had these negatives about the tale. I suppose, in the end, I was a tad charmed by Jalan and the Viking Snorrin. But how I wished the story had more depth...

4.5 stars. Jal is one of my favorite characters in fantasy because he's just different. It's refreshing having a main character who's a coward, rather than the de facto courageous hero.

I knew when I began reading to expect nothing of Jorg's traits in Jalan. In fact I found that he was close to being the polar opposite of Jorg. It's amazing to see Jal's acts of cowardice being mistaken for bravery. You can see him starting to change though, in subtle ways, whether it's by his attention to certain details or reactions to scenarios. I thrive on character development and I can't wait to see just how Jal grows. It was nice to see characters from the previous trilogy pop up. We even see Jorg briefly : ) and Snorri's encounter with Rike was priceless.