Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien

28 reviews

adventurous funny hopeful relaxing medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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challenging sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

i finally understand why it took me 2 years to finish this book: i liked the movies better.

now, before you all pull out your knives on me, let me explain. the way tolkien wrote the characters in this story was boring and not thought out. bilbo is a blustering homebody who decides to go on this quest with the dwarves without giving a reason why. tolkien both wrote disparaging things about the dwarves which truly showed his racism. the dwarves, in my mind, felt like poc that bilbo was helping because he was bored. all of it was very white savior and it was a pain to push myself through to the end. also, for a story about bilbo helping the dwarves, there is very little depth to the company. you would think as bilbo supposedly gets closer with the company as the journey progresses that he would have more insightful things to say about them, but that isn’t the case at all. the plot is promising but the characters? bland.

and so i must give this 3 stars, though i might come back and rate it like 2.5 stars instead, maybe. we’ll see.

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adventurous slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

i think this is the type of book i would’ve enjoyed when i was younger. i tried to love this book, and eventually failed. i neither loved it or hated it; it was just ok.

i have wanted to read this series since i was 8, and just picked it up now. the plot was amazing. there were few plot holes, but plot holes are pretty visible in any book. the characters, on the other hand, weren’t as lovable. if it wasn’t for bilbo, i would’ve rated this book a star. he carried the book. the slow pace was also unnecessary. i found the overly descriptive sentences unnecessary. taking almost the whole page describing an apple was not it for me.

i don’t know why there are several dwarfs— i don’t think eleven dwarves were necessary. up until now, i still don’t know their names one by one without checking them again. in addition, there were zero females in this book. i was expecting at least one, and i didn’t get any. that part really bugged me.

however, i’ll still read the next book because i’ve heard better things about it.

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adventurous emotional funny tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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adventurous challenging inspiring relaxing medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This was my first time reading any Tolkien, so without any reliance on nostalgia I can confidently tell that I enjoyed every page. 
From what I've heard of the Lord of the Rings books, the hobbit definitely seem like the lighter option. I had been warned that Tolkien has a habit of getting to into the details, no matter how insignificant. However, I did not find that to be an issue at all. Any insignificant detail was only briefly mentioned and helps make the world feel more well-rounded and interesting. I got incredibly invested in the characters and their motivations for this journey. 
It has most likely been said many times, but the one wish I have for this book is for just a few female characters in the mix. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous relaxing medium-paced
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No

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