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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
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:
No
I’m so sorry Le Guin, but I find Arren to be an incredibly annoying young man and I do not have the patience or strength to deal with him. It’s possible I’ll come back to this book once I finish the series, but finishing Tombs (which was phenomenal) and suddenly having to deal with Arren immediately after was not the vibe I wanted. Sorry Queen 😭
I always admire the way Le Guin makes complex themes and issues understandable for a younger audience without coming across as condescending. I don't plan on having children, but if I do, I'm sure that copies of all the Earthsea books will be on their bookshelves.
I didn't enjoy this as much as A Wizard of Earthsea or Tombs of Atuan, simply because I didn't feel as attached to Arren as I did Ged or Tenar. He was okay, and I did enjoy the tension between his love and admiration for Ged and his realisation that Ged is fallible and human, but mostly he feels more one-note than I'm used to in Le Guin's writing. Ged feels more like the protagonist than Arren does. But that's okay, because I love Ged.
I loved the interactions between Ged andCob , towards the end of the book. As a child that was equally terrified and fascinated with death, I know that it would have definitely struck a chord with me if I had read it at the intended age.
I didn't enjoy this as much as A Wizard of Earthsea or Tombs of Atuan, simply because I didn't feel as attached to Arren as I did Ged or Tenar. He was okay, and I did enjoy the tension between his love and admiration for Ged and his realisation that Ged is fallible and human, but mostly he feels more one-note than I'm used to in Le Guin's writing. Ged feels more like the protagonist than Arren does. But that's okay, because I love Ged.
I loved the interactions between Ged and
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This one started out pretty slow for me. Then I felt like stopping because everyone they came across was just rambling on, and the gibberish started to get on my nerves. Not sure if it was my mood or the book. I decided to keep reading, and I'm glad I did. I loved the dragons and the ending. They redeemed the book for me.
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
Ursula K. Le Guin is brilliant in how she forms sentences expressing on paper how one believes and thinks in the deepest of their hearts. It flows so naturally, and has me constantly stopping to reread such beautiful and thoughtful sentences. Although Ged and Arren’s story is full of adventures, I couldn’t help but feel like this story dragged a little too much and was a bit repetitive throughout, to get to a conclusion with the villain that ended a bit too abruptly.
Kept hoping that this, third in the series, would be better. Nope. A few interesting ideas, but again, tedious. A certain character reminded me of one in the Harry Potter series. A little digging revealed a comment from LeGuin saying she thought Rowling's work was derivative. Well, if you take an idea and actually flesh it out, is that derivative or actually creative? Will not read this book again, and no interest in reading the further Earthsea books.