I’m extremely puzzled at how this title repeatedly makes it on so many lists for must-read fantasy books. I get it that it is whimsical and skewed towards younger audience but many times the descriptions are absolute nonsense and have no meaning. Maybe that was the author’s intention for this to be an odd and outlandish story and maybe it would have worked if the story wasn’t full of mundane tasks like cleaning, cooking, and patching clothes that the main character spends what seems like half the book doing. I kept waiting for something profound or meaningful to appear in the pages so I would have some redemption in not wasting my time reading this. I plodded on determined to see this through and looking back I have regrets. This should have went into DNF (Did Not Finish) pile.
If you happen to read this and find yourself not enjoying it after a few chapters, do yourself a favor and move on to another book, it will not get better.
The setting and the premise of the book is intriguing. However, I found myself disliking every single character in the book. I wish I was joking but every single character introduced was excruciatingly irritating, bland, and vapid. The story is exaggeratingly childish, full of nonsense, and lacks any purpose.
If you’re wondering who hurt me that I can’t find joy in a “feel good” story, there are plenty of excellent “feel good” and whimsical books that I’ve read and joyed. This is just not one of them.