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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-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
Read like a Dungeons and Dragons campaign with a particularly malevolent DM. Loved it.
A review copy was provided by the publisher
DNF at 50%
The Blacktongue Thief sounded like the exact type of book I would love: an interesting, yet dark fantasy world, an unusual protagonist, magical creatures, trickery... How could this go wrong? Well, turns out it could.
I've tried to finish this book two ways: reading the physical copy and listening to the audiobook. I really WAS hoping this is just a rough start, and I would eventually get into it. But I, unfortunately, struggled through almost every chapter. This is the case where I feel confident about rating a book I didn't actually finish.
First of all, let me just say that I think the world itself is by far the best thing about the novel - it's what kept me reading as long as I did. There are so many interesting elements to it: locations, creatures, witches, magic and magical tattoos... But all of this world-building deserved a better story and a more interesting lead character. Oh, the lead character, I could not stand him, his embarrassing inner monologue, and his awful "sense of humor". I put that in quotation marks because I didn't even realize this was meant to be funny right away - I just assumed he's a really awkward guy, and perhaps as the story goes on, he will grow into someone more clever and more interesting. But no, that's just... his jokes and his personality. Needless to say I couldn't care less about his quest and what happens to him.
To add to that, that pacing was way off and very inconsistent, which didn't do my experience any favors. I also have to point out the singing. Yes, there are brief songs in this book, and they show up often enough to comment on them. They just didn't work, and didn't add all that much to the novel - mostly they slowed down the pacing that already needed help. They felt like fantasy-themed filler. Also, considering that Christopher Buehlman is known for his horror novels, I really expected more tension and creepiness here. Maybe this is something that happens more in the second half of the book, but considering I made it halfway, it's fair to say I was hoping for more than what I got.
Lastly, I want to mention the audiobook specifically: it's narrated by the author, which is normally a really good thing. But in this case I think a different, more experienced narrator would have been a better choice. I've seen some people mention they struggled with the accent, but that wasn't the issue for me (I actually thought the accent added to the overall atmosphere) - the problem is that everything and everyone sounds the same. There were times I just wasn't sure which character was talking, and the narration was absolutely no help with that. I know Buehlman narrated a couple of his other novels, and maybe this isn't an issue with horror novels, but for fantasy I REALLY needed more voice acting.
Overall, I'm really disappointed and I wish I enjoyed The Blacktongue Thief a lot more. I don't see myself continuing the series, and I'm a bit surprised by the amount of praise this novel has gotten from early reviews. As someone who really enjoys dark fantasy, this just isn't a book I can recommend.
DNF at 50%
The Blacktongue Thief sounded like the exact type of book I would love: an interesting, yet dark fantasy world, an unusual protagonist, magical creatures, trickery... How could this go wrong? Well, turns out it could.
I've tried to finish this book two ways: reading the physical copy and listening to the audiobook. I really WAS hoping this is just a rough start, and I would eventually get into it. But I, unfortunately, struggled through almost every chapter. This is the case where I feel confident about rating a book I didn't actually finish.
First of all, let me just say that I think the world itself is by far the best thing about the novel - it's what kept me reading as long as I did. There are so many interesting elements to it: locations, creatures, witches, magic and magical tattoos... But all of this world-building deserved a better story and a more interesting lead character. Oh, the lead character, I could not stand him, his embarrassing inner monologue, and his awful "sense of humor". I put that in quotation marks because I didn't even realize this was meant to be funny right away - I just assumed he's a really awkward guy, and perhaps as the story goes on, he will grow into someone more clever and more interesting. But no, that's just... his jokes and his personality. Needless to say I couldn't care less about his quest and what happens to him.
To add to that, that pacing was way off and very inconsistent, which didn't do my experience any favors. I also have to point out the singing. Yes, there are brief songs in this book, and they show up often enough to comment on them. They just didn't work, and didn't add all that much to the novel - mostly they slowed down the pacing that already needed help. They felt like fantasy-themed filler. Also, considering that Christopher Buehlman is known for his horror novels, I really expected more tension and creepiness here. Maybe this is something that happens more in the second half of the book, but considering I made it halfway, it's fair to say I was hoping for more than what I got.
Lastly, I want to mention the audiobook specifically: it's narrated by the author, which is normally a really good thing. But in this case I think a different, more experienced narrator would have been a better choice. I've seen some people mention they struggled with the accent, but that wasn't the issue for me (I actually thought the accent added to the overall atmosphere) - the problem is that everything and everyone sounds the same. There were times I just wasn't sure which character was talking, and the narration was absolutely no help with that. I know Buehlman narrated a couple of his other novels, and maybe this isn't an issue with horror novels, but for fantasy I REALLY needed more voice acting.
Overall, I'm really disappointed and I wish I enjoyed The Blacktongue Thief a lot more. I don't see myself continuing the series, and I'm a bit surprised by the amount of praise this novel has gotten from early reviews. As someone who really enjoys dark fantasy, this just isn't a book I can recommend.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
fast-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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
I did not find the plot very engaging and I could not get connected with the characters
adventurous
funny
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
slow-paced
The tone of Buehlman’s writing is a great entry point for his worldbuilding, but his protagonist’s complete lack of agency (intended or not), made this a slog for me. It’s a shame because there’s so much that’s done so well here, but static story-development drowns it all.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No