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lizbethandthelifeinbetween
The characters just annoyed me in this novel. The tension was irritating. I sort of enjoyed this, but not as much as the other two, and likeability is the strong point of this series.
4.5
There was something very enjoyable about this novel. Even though I have not read the others in this series, I was able to understand what was going on and was completely enthralled. It was that style of fantasy novel I used to read like mad a few years ago and it was so nice to read another one like it.
I can't seem to put my finger on what I enjoyed exactly; I know I enjoyed the plot and character and the villain the fact that there were literal ANIMAL SIDEKICKS (seriously, where have they gone?). There was something soothing and familiar about reading this book. it was kind of like I'd already read it before even though I know I have not.
In the same fashion, there was nothing in particular that I did not like about this book. It was only lacking a certain wow factor that's keeping it from being an all-time favourite. But I do not think i will be forgetting this book anytime soon as it was very well executed, very enjoyable and overall just and great fantasy read.
I recommend it 100%.
There was something very enjoyable about this novel. Even though I have not read the others in this series, I was able to understand what was going on and was completely enthralled. It was that style of fantasy novel I used to read like mad a few years ago and it was so nice to read another one like it.
I can't seem to put my finger on what I enjoyed exactly; I know I enjoyed the plot and character and the villain the fact that there were literal ANIMAL SIDEKICKS (seriously, where have they gone?). There was something soothing and familiar about reading this book. it was kind of like I'd already read it before even though I know I have not.
In the same fashion, there was nothing in particular that I did not like about this book. It was only lacking a certain wow factor that's keeping it from being an all-time favourite. But I do not think i will be forgetting this book anytime soon as it was very well executed, very enjoyable and overall just and great fantasy read.
I recommend it 100%.
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I really, really enjoyed this play. I flew through it. It was entertaining, engaging, and easy to follow. the plot was littered with simplicities and complications, it was a work of genius. The translation was easy to understand, yet it still holds a great feeling to it, like reading Shakespear. It was not dumbed down or overly simplified.
TW: Rape and gore and violence en masse.
I finally read the 1000 page book about the building of a cathedral! And I can see why there is no other way to describe it. While the driving force of the pot is the attempt to build the Kingsbridge cathedral, what makes this book truly epic is what happens because of it. This book is about grit and determination during a civil war. It is about the humble, everyday people and lords, both affected by the wars of kings and empresses. It's about political manipulation and determination. But most of all it is about all the years spent building the Kingsbridge cathedral, the lives and loves and horrors that went into it.
Like Tom and Jack's attempt to build a vast cathedral that will last until the Day of Judgement, Ken Follet as written a novel of epic proportions. This book was brilliant, complex and everything but boring. There were so many levels to it, from the building of the cathedral to monestarean (is that a word) politics to a romance so sweet and well-developed that it was impossible not to root for. There are an unparallel range and depth to them, and these subplots are brought to like the vast cast of characters. There are vile villains, cunning men of power, strong, independent women and more. The characters were fleshed out and strong and could stand independent of each other, but make the best soup when all poured together. Many of these characters earned my respect as I read, for they were cunning and unafraid, but not flawless.
Follet's writing was so compelling. It hooked me from the beginning, with its very necessary prologue (well I guess you could read the book without reading the prologue, but this is one of those rare books where the prologue becomes important to the plot later on). There was n filler content. Surprising, I know. This book is a literal brick and could be used a weapon if the paperback weren't so floppy (and thus easier to hold and read). Every sentence Follet wrote in the book carried some weight to it, advancing either the main plot or the sub-plots.
Some might argue that the sub-plots outshone the real plots, but I don't believe this. In fact, they drove the main plot forwards. There are many instances where the building of the cathedral would have halted and never been continued if there hadn't been an alternative made possible by a sub-plot. A character that stuck around, or a favour owed. Everything and everyone was important to the progression of the story. Take a minor character away and the whole thing will just fall short. It's like a card house: if you take away a supporting character, it tumbles, if you remove the top cards, it's not complete.
Sometimes I find that men aren't very good at writing from the female perspective, but Follet has that mastered too. His female lead, the Lady Aliena, is easily one of my favourite characters. William Hamleigh puts it marvellously on page 907 "He had ruined her father, raped her, taken her castle, burned her wool, and exiled her brother, but every time he thought he had crushed her she came back up again, rising from defeat to new heights of power and wealth." Aliena is a smart, logical character, unlike her childish brother. She is bound to oath the swore to her father and worked tirelessly to achieve it. She doesn't let her gender get in the way of what she is capable of. But Aliena is still flawed. She's a bit too headstrong and too selfless when it comes to the oath. She can be rash and cold, lashing out at those around her. But she acknowledges her mistakes as well, which in my mind is much more admirable than someone who never slips.
And the antagonists were just wow. Despicable and vile, yet full characters in their own rights. Some are just cunning, power-hungry folk with unyielding goals and a lot of power or plain bullies. But then there's William Hamleigh, the cause of many of Kingsbridge's problems. A man obsessed with honour and fame and has a lethal streak. He is in love with violence and war, loves to exert power over the helpless. William's perspectives were both utterly despicable and oddly interesting to read. He is filled with such hate and loathing that one could practically smell it in the air.
Prior Phillip is that last character to stand out to me amongst the masses. He was so determined and level-headed. His cunningness could almost, at some times, be taken as innocence, luck, and smarts. He so seamlessly manipulated the events to his favour that the characters did not know that they were being manipulated until it was too late. But the Prior is not the enemy here. He is the smart Prior of Kingsbridge, doing his absolute best to make something of the poor town while men like William Hamliegh oppose him at every turn. His quiet way of working events and thinking things through made him one of the most compelling characters out there, and his good nature and love of Kingsbridge and all its people made him loveable and I couldn't help but root for him.
And let's just have a moment of silence for one of the best romances ever. I can't believe the story is over. Another plus for it being so long. I got so immersed in it, in all of it. The lust, the passions, the desire. Both romantically and other. This book is one wild ride through 12th century England.
There are so many more characters and so many more aspects to this book. I can not possibly touch on them all, I'm afraid. You'll just have to take my word for it. The 1000 page book about the building of a cathedral is one of the best things you'll ever read. It appeals to the history buff, but fans of epic fantasy will find this medieval-set epic an absolute gem. Anyone who loves a good political story or a good romance will find something desirable in this brick of a novel. Just try it, you'll love it. If you couldn't tell from this review, I do.
I finally read the 1000 page book about the building of a cathedral! And I can see why there is no other way to describe it. While the driving force of the pot is the attempt to build the Kingsbridge cathedral, what makes this book truly epic is what happens because of it. This book is about grit and determination during a civil war. It is about the humble, everyday people and lords, both affected by the wars of kings and empresses. It's about political manipulation and determination. But most of all it is about all the years spent building the Kingsbridge cathedral, the lives and loves and horrors that went into it.
Like Tom and Jack's attempt to build a vast cathedral that will last until the Day of Judgement, Ken Follet as written a novel of epic proportions. This book was brilliant, complex and everything but boring. There were so many levels to it, from the building of the cathedral to monestarean (is that a word) politics to a romance so sweet and well-developed that it was impossible not to root for. There are an unparallel range and depth to them, and these subplots are brought to like the vast cast of characters. There are vile villains, cunning men of power, strong, independent women and more. The characters were fleshed out and strong and could stand independent of each other, but make the best soup when all poured together. Many of these characters earned my respect as I read, for they were cunning and unafraid, but not flawless.
Follet's writing was so compelling. It hooked me from the beginning, with its very necessary prologue (well I guess you could read the book without reading the prologue, but this is one of those rare books where the prologue becomes important to the plot later on). There was n filler content. Surprising, I know. This book is a literal brick and could be used a weapon if the paperback weren't so floppy (and thus easier to hold and read). Every sentence Follet wrote in the book carried some weight to it, advancing either the main plot or the sub-plots.
Some might argue that the sub-plots outshone the real plots, but I don't believe this. In fact, they drove the main plot forwards. There are many instances where the building of the cathedral would have halted and never been continued if there hadn't been an alternative made possible by a sub-plot. A character that stuck around, or a favour owed. Everything and everyone was important to the progression of the story. Take a minor character away and the whole thing will just fall short. It's like a card house: if you take away a supporting character, it tumbles, if you remove the top cards, it's not complete.
Sometimes I find that men aren't very good at writing from the female perspective, but Follet has that mastered too. His female lead, the Lady Aliena, is easily one of my favourite characters. William Hamleigh puts it marvellously on page 907 "He had ruined her father, raped her, taken her castle, burned her wool, and exiled her brother, but every time he thought he had crushed her she came back up again, rising from defeat to new heights of power and wealth." Aliena is a smart, logical character, unlike her childish brother. She is bound to oath the swore to her father and worked tirelessly to achieve it. She doesn't let her gender get in the way of what she is capable of. But Aliena is still flawed. She's a bit too headstrong and too selfless when it comes to the oath. She can be rash and cold, lashing out at those around her. But she acknowledges her mistakes as well, which in my mind is much more admirable than someone who never slips.
And the antagonists were just wow. Despicable and vile, yet full characters in their own rights. Some are just cunning, power-hungry folk with unyielding goals and a lot of power or plain bullies. But then there's William Hamleigh, the cause of many of Kingsbridge's problems. A man obsessed with honour and fame and has a lethal streak. He is in love with violence and war, loves to exert power over the helpless. William's perspectives were both utterly despicable and oddly interesting to read. He is filled with such hate and loathing that one could practically smell it in the air.
Prior Phillip is that last character to stand out to me amongst the masses. He was so determined and level-headed. His cunningness could almost, at some times, be taken as innocence, luck, and smarts. He so seamlessly manipulated the events to his favour that the characters did not know that they were being manipulated until it was too late. But the Prior is not the enemy here. He is the smart Prior of Kingsbridge, doing his absolute best to make something of the poor town while men like William Hamliegh oppose him at every turn. His quiet way of working events and thinking things through made him one of the most compelling characters out there, and his good nature and love of Kingsbridge and all its people made him loveable and I couldn't help but root for him.
And let's just have a moment of silence for one of the best romances ever. I can't believe the story is over. Another plus for it being so long. I got so immersed in it, in all of it. The lust, the passions, the desire. Both romantically and other. This book is one wild ride through 12th century England.
There are so many more characters and so many more aspects to this book. I can not possibly touch on them all, I'm afraid. You'll just have to take my word for it. The 1000 page book about the building of a cathedral is one of the best things you'll ever read. It appeals to the history buff, but fans of epic fantasy will find this medieval-set epic an absolute gem. Anyone who loves a good political story or a good romance will find something desirable in this brick of a novel. Just try it, you'll love it. If you couldn't tell from this review, I do.
I thought I might enjoy this going in, for Kristen Cashore blurbed this and I have loved every book of hers with a passion.
This book seriously satisfied my craving for a good fantasy, which is odd, because it really isn't that much of a fantasy. Sure it takes place in a different world with green storms, but after that, not much else is very fantasy-esque. There's no magic and sure the people have gods, but it's a belief and not proof of magic in the society.
I can see why everyone was raving about it. The Winner's Curse is a great political novel though and I loved the minor conflict of might versus whit. There were just so many little things the nerd core of me loved like the moral implications of slavery, conquering and whether or not children (who might not have even been born at the time) should be held responsible for their forefather's actions.
This took me no time at all o read. I flew through it, hanging off of every word, utterly in love. I hope I can read the next one soon because I believe I'm certified trash for this series, the romance and the cover. I love how it took the girl in dresses trope and spun it on its head (sort literally?).
This book seriously satisfied my craving for a good fantasy, which is odd, because it really isn't that much of a fantasy. Sure it takes place in a different world with green storms, but after that, not much else is very fantasy-esque. There's no magic and sure the people have gods, but it's a belief and not proof of magic in the society.
I can see why everyone was raving about it. The Winner's Curse is a great political novel though and I loved the minor conflict of might versus whit. There were just so many little things the nerd core of me loved like the moral implications of slavery, conquering and whether or not children (who might not have even been born at the time) should be held responsible for their forefather's actions.
This took me no time at all o read. I flew through it, hanging off of every word, utterly in love. I hope I can read the next one soon because I believe I'm certified trash for this series, the romance and the cover. I love how it took the girl in dresses trope and spun it on its head (sort literally?).
Unfortunately, this book was not as good as [b:Fire Study|1966969|Fire Study (Study, #3)|Maria V. Snyder|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1357064290s/1966969.jpg|1970128]. The plot was bland and boring if it was even there and I did not find anything remotely interesting. The magic system was very fuzzy, being totally unstoppable at some moments and utterly useless in others. There seem to be no defined rules for what a person can or can not do and I found this very frustrating. All the characters were like: "New abilities, cool!" and it felt very video game-ish. Kinda like when you level up and get a new ability that totally KO'senemies until your enemies level up and so forth. And just like a video game, the events in the book got very repetitive. Opal gets captured, levels up, long boring discussion, Opal get captured etc.
While this was a cute, adorable read, I found it was lacking in terms of plot. I think I'm currently craving an intense, plot0heavy book and this was much to character heavy for my current liking. And I wasn't over the top fond of any of the characters either. I have so-so opinions about them and no strong feelings at all. While the story was nice, it was rather dull and boring in some parts and I just want a bit more drama or something to make it interesting. In all, a fun read if you're looking for something simple and light.
But I would like to add that this book did an amazing job at portraying fan culture. As someone who used to write fanfics, and sometimes still dabbles, I found it very accurate. But I still found it hard to sympathize with Cath when she handed in fanfiction as a writing assignment. While I get that the story comes from her, it's still not something I'd ever put up for a school project, especially because the characters and the setting wouldn't be mine.
but other than that, I didn;t have much of a connection to the story.
But I would like to add that this book did an amazing job at portraying fan culture. As someone who used to write fanfics, and sometimes still dabbles, I found it very accurate. But I still found it hard to sympathize with Cath when she handed in fanfiction as a writing assignment. While I get that the story comes from her, it's still not something I'd ever put up for a school project, especially because the characters and the setting wouldn't be mine.
but other than that, I didn;t have much of a connection to the story.
