The Style

First of all, I found the writing style sometimes too cliche-ish. Comparing actions to nature, for example “his voice was low like the wind” and stuff like that doesn’t appeal at all to me.  Besides the fact that I spotted a lot of similar stuff to Harry Potter, like Ambrose/Draco Malfoy, and the University/Hogwarts.

The Romance

Then there is Denna… I think his relationship to her is nothing else but puppy-love romance. How could someone who went through such difficult experiences early in life – like Kvothe – be so naive and fall for someone like Denna? I’d expected him to be more grounded than that.

The Magic System

I was a bit let down by how a lot of the stuff pertaining to this lovely world aren’t explained too well. You kind of have to get used to how Sympathy works, for instance, which would be fine if only we saw more of it. And, I mean, Kvothe is the greatest wizard of all time (or something like that) but all throughout this book (which is the first of three) we barely see any action.

Action

I don’t mind books with very little action (if I did, I wouldn’t have read this one). But if you’re narrating a memoir in the eyes of the greatest wizard of his time, I’d expect a bit more action at least. So if you’re the type who likes action, avoid this book.

To conclude…

I still gave it a 3 star on Goodreads because I found this book enjoyable and it hooked me from the start till finish. I liked how insightful it is and the way it delves into Kvothe’s thoughts and experiences to show how the greatest wizard of his time looks at the world. But that’s maybe because I happen to be the type who likes such books. (again, if you prefer a lot of action, avoid this book). Let’s hope book 2 is as gripping with an improvement on the “flaws” of the first.

This review was also posted on Goodreads