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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9579634-prince-of-thorns#
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
OK! so I really tried liking this book more than I did. I really did. But the protagonist just hugely kinda turned me off. I don't know if it was mainly coming from the fact that he was just a thirteen year old kid doing all this troubling non childlike behavior (leaves home, joins a bloodthirsty mercenary band, rapes, pillages, burns) but I certainly wasn't rooting for him very much. There was a passage where he sets a Latin dictionary in the cleft of a prostitutes butt cheeks and it talks about his lust and I was just like "This is certainly not what I wanted to hear about at all."
I can understand where Lawrence is coming from as Jorg constantly iterates it is best to cut away things that can be used against you. Cut bonds with people so you do not feel the sting of loss. But he's such an unlikeable little tool because of it and he has no qualms about sacrificing or attempting to sacrifice his loyal knight captain Makin among others.
Lawrence also used a lot of quasi-Roman language and made reference to Greek or Roman scholars and used scientific terminology but it was never really explained where... exactly... or even when the setting of the book is?? Dystopian European medieval future?? what was I supposed to be pulling from this. Like I would not even remember the name of his kingdom if it wasn't listed on the back cover.
Sure Lawrence has a nice artful way of describing things but the cast of characters was largely unlikable. which I guess was the point. but only a handful really stood out to me and the protagonist was not one of the ones I was rooting for.
I can understand where Lawrence is coming from as Jorg constantly iterates it is best to cut away things that can be used against you. Cut bonds with people so you do not feel the sting of loss. But he's such an unlikeable little tool because of it and he has no qualms about sacrificing or attempting to sacrifice his loyal knight captain Makin among others.
Lawrence also used a lot of quasi-Roman language and made reference to Greek or Roman scholars and used scientific terminology but it was never really explained where... exactly... or even when the setting of the book is?? Dystopian European medieval future?? what was I supposed to be pulling from this. Like I would not even remember the name of his kingdom if it wasn't listed on the back cover.
Sure Lawrence has a nice artful way of describing things but the cast of characters was largely unlikable. which I guess was the point. but only a handful really stood out to me and the protagonist was not one of the ones I was rooting for.
challenging
dark
funny
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:
Yes
The prose was great. I liked (more a liked to hate) the main character but all the other characters and the world felt very shallow to me
After the on/off tedium of the last two ASOIAF books I was wondering if I was going off dark fantasy, at least until I read this. Keeps a great pace with memorable characters and settings and a fantastic antihero. The writing is witty, fun and detailed without becoming convoluted. Will definitely look into getting the sequels at some point.
i really wanted to love this because the premise is interesting and i love grimdark fantasy but it was just... boring? like jorg was fine but it was just a bit lacking in everything. the worldbuilding was underdeveloped imo and i was confused occasionally, it lost me at the point where Nietzsche was mentioned bc like...why?
all in all not terrible but there are better books
all in all not terrible but there are better books
Memories are dangerous things. You turn them over and over, until you know every touch and corner, but still you'll find an edge to cut you.
And it is the memories that make Prince Jorg dangerous.
...I could tell his men had heard their fill of Norwood stories. They'd heard of the Mad Prince and his road hounds. They'd heard how ragged warriors burst from the ruins, stood their ground, and broke a force ten times their number.
I (mostly) understand why I should hate Prince Jorg. He's ruthless. He kills innocent people - men, women, children - he's not choosy. He cares little about anyone and not enough about anyone to really care about their life. Honestly, he's an a-hole.
HOWEVER, I couldn't fault him for long when I found out what a supreme a-hole his dad is. Honestly, I was actually rooting for the little jerk sometimes because he's also really smart and (stupid) brave and strategic and drew the short straw when it came to nice fathers.
I couldn't put it down. The writing was really good. The world building was cool. The characters were also cool but could have been flushed out a bit more.
4 Stars
And it is the memories that make Prince Jorg dangerous.
...I could tell his men had heard their fill of Norwood stories. They'd heard of the Mad Prince and his road hounds. They'd heard how ragged warriors burst from the ruins, stood their ground, and broke a force ten times their number.
I (mostly) understand why I should hate Prince Jorg. He's ruthless. He kills innocent people - men, women, children - he's not choosy. He cares little about anyone and not enough about anyone to really care about their life. Honestly, he's an a-hole.
HOWEVER, I couldn't fault him for long when I found out what a supreme a-hole his dad is. Honestly, I was actually rooting for the little jerk sometimes because he's also really smart and (stupid) brave and strategic and drew the short straw when it came to nice fathers.
I couldn't put it down. The writing was really good. The world building was cool. The characters were also cool but could have been flushed out a bit more.
4 Stars
I didn't like the characters in this one - not one bit... but I don't think we're supposed to. The MCs style of telling his tale is cool, and I'm intrigued by the dystopian references. And I was bored. It didn't keep me up late wanting to find out what's next, like Lawrence's other books, and I'm not continuing on in the series.
I don't know very well why - but I simply didn't get sucked into this story.
I do love almost all kinds of fantasy - be it dark and gritty (Weeks, Martin), epic (Tolkien,Sanderson and the like), heroic or mixtures of different genres. I have 4 bookshelves filled with only fantasy novels.
So I can't say it wasn't too "dark" for me or some simple reason as that.
The whole story just didn't really seem believable to me. This young boy simply managing whatever he sets his mind to - besting whomever gets in his way. It was simply all TOO easy. And even if life WAS that easy - then it takes all of the suspense out of the story, since you think - whatever might come - it will be no problem for him again.
I absolutely hate the main character - I wish I could have strangled him 1/3 through the book and be done with it.
The second part I disliked was that in my eyes the story jumped around at some places. You just get thrown from one scene into another, without any warning or transition. That completely threw me out of my reading "flow". And the big worldbuilding twist at the end completely ruined it for me. Do t want to spoil it - so suffice it to say I HATE such mixups.
All in all, I can just say that I didn't enjoy this book. It's one of the very few I actually didn't keep, but swapped with another audiobook as soon as I closed it.
I do love almost all kinds of fantasy - be it dark and gritty (Weeks, Martin), epic (Tolkien,Sanderson and the like), heroic or mixtures of different genres. I have 4 bookshelves filled with only fantasy novels.
So I can't say it wasn't too "dark" for me or some simple reason as that.
The whole story just didn't really seem believable to me. This young boy simply managing whatever he sets his mind to - besting whomever gets in his way. It was simply all TOO easy. And even if life WAS that easy - then it takes all of the suspense out of the story, since you think - whatever might come - it will be no problem for him again.
I absolutely hate the main character - I wish I could have strangled him 1/3 through the book and be done with it.
The second part I disliked was that in my eyes the story jumped around at some places. You just get thrown from one scene into another, without any warning or transition. That completely threw me out of my reading "flow". And the big worldbuilding twist at the end completely ruined it for me. Do t want to spoil it - so suffice it to say I HATE such mixups.
All in all, I can just say that I didn't enjoy this book. It's one of the very few I actually didn't keep, but swapped with another audiobook as soon as I closed it.