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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
I really wanted to love this book. I truly did.
I spent seven years learning Mandarin and learning about Chinese culture - so when I won the giveaway for this book I was stoked. I immediately began reading this book, and for the first two chapters or so, it was amazing. I loved every moment. Yet, after that, the story seemed to slow down and everything was described in insane amounts of detail to the point that I found myself skipping through chapters and pages just to try and find some interesting parts - but I couldn't find it.
I trudged on to the end of the book because I hate DNFing books, but I came very close to DNFing this book several times and it felt more like a chore to pick up towards the end instead of something I was looking forward to.
That being said, I know that there will be people who love this book - and I am insanely jealous of them, but it was ultimately not for me.
ARC graciously provided by the publisher via a Goodreads giveaway.
I spent seven years learning Mandarin and learning about Chinese culture - so when I won the giveaway for this book I was stoked. I immediately began reading this book, and for the first two chapters or so, it was amazing. I loved every moment. Yet, after that, the story seemed to slow down and everything was described in insane amounts of detail to the point that I found myself skipping through chapters and pages just to try and find some interesting parts - but I couldn't find it.
I trudged on to the end of the book because I hate DNFing books, but I came very close to DNFing this book several times and it felt more like a chore to pick up towards the end instead of something I was looking forward to.
That being said, I know that there will be people who love this book - and I am insanely jealous of them, but it was ultimately not for me.
ARC graciously provided by the publisher via a Goodreads giveaway.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
I'm not sure if I read an old edition but it seemed choppy and slow to get going. The middle was an extended training montage and the end was mostly cartoonish fight scenes. It finished abruptly, but I think it's a serialized story so... okay?
So engaging, easy to get lost in the book. Can't wait to read the next in the series.
3.75 Great story, terrible translation smh.
Also, can we stop comparing brilliant writers already? "Chinese Tolkien", really? Jin Yong and Tolkien are both gifted in writing and both left a massive literary footprint behind - but each created their own genre and ambience, which imo, are not to be put within and examined from one and the same framework.
I mean I guess LotR and LotCH are both epic-like, but come one now. Get real. Come on.
Anyway -2768 stars for the English translation :( but please don't let this stop you from reading this gem!!!
Also, can we stop comparing brilliant writers already? "Chinese Tolkien", really? Jin Yong and Tolkien are both gifted in writing and both left a massive literary footprint behind - but each created their own genre and ambience, which imo, are not to be put within and examined from one and the same framework.
I mean I guess LotR and LotCH are both epic-like, but come one now. Get real. Come on.
Anyway -2768 stars for the English translation :( but please don't let this stop you from reading this gem!!!
adventurous
slow-paced
With a following compared to Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and Harry Potter COMBINED, it’s hard to believe that Jin Yong’s Legends of the Condor Heroes is just now being published in English in the US. Not one for battle scenes, I’ve never been interested in kung fu fiction (wuxia) but with all the hype, I had to give this a shot and I’m so glad I did. A Hero Born is just so much FUN. The fights are thrilling, the writing riveting and historical and at times ridiculous, and the characters complex and engaging. With an ending that made me desperate for the next one, I can’t wait for the rest of the series, blessedly coming out in a quick procession over the next two years. Wuxia has without a doubt won this reader over! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for this advance reading copy!
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No