Prince of Thorns

Executive Summary: This wasn't quite as dark as I expected it to be, but it's still pretty dark. I'm much more interested in the world building than the main character however. 3.5 stars.Audiobook: James Clamp does a fine job narrating, but nothing special. He doesn't really do voices or anything, but reads at a good pace and volume. This books works well enough in audio that I'll continue on that way. It's not a must listen though.Full ReviewI've owned this book for nearly 3.5 years from a daily deal or something, but I've been avoiding it. I'm kind of done with grimdark fantasy. All the reviews for this book, even from those who like it talked about how unlikeable Jorg is. I just haven't been in the mood to give it a shot.This book would probably still be sitting on my unread pile if not for [b:Red Sister 25895524 Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #1) Mark Lawrence https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481038440s/25895524.jpg 45777900]. I LOVED that book. While I'm waiting for the second one I figured I'd finally give this a shot.It turned out it wasn't as dark as I was expecting. I also didn't find Jorg as unlikeable as I expected to. I'm not sure if that says more about this book, or about me. Jorg is certainly far less likeable than most anti-heroes tend to be. He doesn't really seem to have any redeeming qualities. I'm not sure he's really an anti-hero rather than a straight up villain. The only thing that really leaves me uncertain is the people he's doing horrible things really aren't any better for the most part. So really this is a book full of awful people. There was maybe one supporting character that seems alright. Maybe 2. One doesn't even get a name, his just referred to by his nationality.Typically I prefer character driven stories, which requiring liking characters. I was pretty indifferent towards them. What I enjoyed most was the world building. As the book unfolds some details about the setting became more and more apparent, and I'm really hoping that aspect is explored further in the later books.The magic system isn't well defined at all, another thing I don't typically enjoy. I hope we get some sort of details about where the sources of power comes from. I'm hoping it ends up tied back to some of the world building aspects that really excited me.Overall, I thought this book was fine, but very dark. I'll need to be in the right mood to pick up the second book, but I do plan on picking it up eventually. If you haven't read any Mark Lawrence however, I'd still recommend starting with [b:Red Sister 25895524 Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #1) Mark Lawrence https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481038440s/25895524.jpg 45777900] rather than this book.