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laurenmarietta's review against another edition
4.0
just as irresistible of a read as its prequel, as evidenced by the fact that I somehow just read 1,000 pages in under 72 hours. it still suffers from pacing problems and aimlessness, and somehow manages to fail the Bechdel test even more spectacularly. But still, I loved the exceptionally creative worldbuilding and Rothfuss' delicious prose.
libraryam's review against another edition
5.0
*Audio edition*
Can. Not. Wait for third installment.
So well written. Such attention to plot details. Such well formed characters. I actually stopped several times to bask in it all.
Can. Not. Wait for third installment.
So well written. Such attention to plot details. Such well formed characters. I actually stopped several times to bask in it all.
delawarebookgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Beautiful fantasy storytelling and characters. It's a hefty book at nearly 1000 pages, but I enjoyed it just as much, if not more, than The Name of the Wind. I hope the story gets a conclusion, but I love and recommend the first and second books on their own merits. This book is quite long in audiobook format (spend up, it's still 45+ hours long), but the narrator is excellent. This isn't a book to rush through anyway.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
lorenzm's review against another edition
4.0
Much like its predecessor, I have a love-hate-relationship with this book. It has given me great joy, yet frustrated me all the same.
First things first, I’d still recommend it overall, but its numerous little flaws prevent it from being among my favorites. Like the main character. I don’t like Kvothe. I don’t know how to phrase it, but he feels made-up, like he couldn’t be a real human being. Which is ironic, considering that the difference between the legend and the person is a major theme of this book and the reader is supposed to get the latter. What’s more, Kvothe the innkeeper is so much more compelling than his young counterpart, but instead of letting him take center stage, he is forced to narrate the exploits of his vastly less interesting self. The self that never fails, always has a quip ready and is dashingly handsome to boot. Add to this that these exploits themselves are excruciatingly slow-paced and 90% meaningless tomfoolery/10% actual story and I hope you can understand why I can’t give this book 5 stars
That being said, I adored the writing. Humor, structure and language elevate this book beyond its mediocre protagonist and make what would otherwise be an unremarkable book actually enjoyable, resulting in a much more favorable rating from me.
In conclusion, if you’re looking for a slice-of-life novel about a student at a marginally magical university, interspersed with occasional approaches to actual fantasy, then this is the book for you. I’d rather the fantasy be the focus.
First things first, I’d still recommend it overall, but its numerous little flaws prevent it from being among my favorites. Like the main character. I don’t like Kvothe. I don’t know how to phrase it, but he feels made-up, like he couldn’t be a real human being. Which is ironic, considering that the difference between the legend and the person is a major theme of this book and the reader is supposed to get the latter. What’s more, Kvothe the innkeeper is so much more compelling than his young counterpart, but instead of letting him take center stage, he is forced to narrate the exploits of his vastly less interesting self. The self that never fails, always has a quip ready and is dashingly handsome to boot. Add to this that these exploits themselves are excruciatingly slow-paced and 90% meaningless tomfoolery/10% actual story and I hope you can understand why I can’t give this book 5 stars
That being said, I adored the writing. Humor, structure and language elevate this book beyond its mediocre protagonist and make what would otherwise be an unremarkable book actually enjoyable, resulting in a much more favorable rating from me.
In conclusion, if you’re looking for a slice-of-life novel about a student at a marginally magical university, interspersed with occasional approaches to actual fantasy, then this is the book for you. I’d rather the fantasy be the focus.
strombolibones's review against another edition
3.75
Every Silence Magic Trick consists of three parts, or acts.
The first part is called The Pledge. The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object - perhaps he asks you to inspect it - to see that it is indeed real.... unaltered.... normal. But of course, it probably isn't...
The second act is called The Turn. The magician takes the ordinary something, and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret. But you won't find it, because of course, you're not really looking... you don't really want to know....
Rupert Degas sounds so uncannily similar to Steven Pacey that I had a lot of fun pretending that Kingkiller was some alternate timeline of First Law where old-man-Brogan Shinefingers owns a tavern and tells his story. That fantasy alone gave me a pretty decent amount of enjoyment out both books, and while I enjoyed NotW a fair bit (4.25), but WMF unfortunately felt more like the middle 1/3 of one giant book, rather than the middle book in a "Trilogy." That enjoyment did actually continue for the first 40-50% of WMF, but by the time the ending finally came, I had mostly checked out. And then the ending itself came, which felt like the end of any other random chapter in the book, and then.... that was it. And that will continue to be it for....forever, probably.
I knew that going in, of course, so when I decided to try this "trilogy," I was hoping to find that special... something buried in here that "everyone" else seemed to find that made reading these first 2 books worth the stonewalling, and I tried man, I really did. Silence just wasn't quite enough for me.
But you couldn't clap yet. Because making something disappear isn't enough... you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act. The hardest part. The part we call...
The Prestige.
I guess just wanted to be.....
Fooled.
Maybe I was.
The first part is called The Pledge. The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object - perhaps he asks you to inspect it - to see that it is indeed real.... unaltered.... normal. But of course, it probably isn't...
The second act is called The Turn. The magician takes the ordinary something, and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret. But you won't find it, because of course, you're not really looking... you don't really want to know....
Rupert Degas sounds so uncannily similar to Steven Pacey that I had a lot of fun pretending that Kingkiller was some alternate timeline of First Law where old-man-Brogan Shinefingers owns a tavern and tells his story. That fantasy alone gave me a pretty decent amount of enjoyment out both books, and while I enjoyed NotW a fair bit (4.25), but WMF unfortunately felt more like the middle 1/3 of one giant book, rather than the middle book in a "Trilogy." That enjoyment did actually continue for the first 40-50% of WMF, but by the time the ending finally came, I had mostly checked out. And then the ending itself came, which felt like the end of any other random chapter in the book, and then.... that was it. And that will continue to be it for....forever, probably.
I knew that going in, of course, so when I decided to try this "trilogy," I was hoping to find that special... something buried in here that "everyone" else seemed to find that made reading these first 2 books worth the stonewalling, and I tried man, I really did. Silence just wasn't quite enough for me.
But you couldn't clap yet. Because making something disappear isn't enough... you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act. The hardest part. The part we call...
The Prestige.
I guess just wanted to be.....
Fooled.
Maybe I was.
courtney_dawn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.5
bookofawriter's review against another edition
5.0
“It was the patient, cut-flower sound of a man who is waiting to die.”
That is the feeling this sequel leaves me…patient, silent, and waiting for something that will never (possibly) come…
Wish with all my heart that there was an end to this series, some answers or resolution to the story.
Guess all I have left is the love and admiration for this series.
That is the feeling this sequel leaves me…patient, silent, and waiting for something that will never (possibly) come…
Wish with all my heart that there was an end to this series, some answers or resolution to the story.
Guess all I have left is the love and admiration for this series.