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aghostinthelibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
platipuce's review against another edition
5.0
I can't express how much I love these books. I'm a die hard King fan and am not disappointed. The complexity of the story and the depth of the characters are compelling.
A mist-read for all King fans!
A mist-read for all King fans!
boesgesicht's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jonbongeorge's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
3.25
Another fantastic entry in this series, if slightly middling, and another reason why star ratings just don't work!
It was a brave move going back to Roland's younger years at this stage in the series. Considering the thrill ride that The Waste Lands was, suddenly entering a full blown flashback for almost 75% of the novel was bold. I will admit that the adjustment was tough but once I got into the meat of it, once the love story began to blossom, this became a new take on a series that I thought I had gotten fairly accustomed to.
But the tower still looms, and so must the journey continue.
It was a brave move going back to Roland's younger years at this stage in the series. Considering the thrill ride that The Waste Lands was, suddenly entering a full blown flashback for almost 75% of the novel was bold. I will admit that the adjustment was tough but once I got into the meat of it, once the love story began to blossom, this became a new take on a series that I thought I had gotten fairly accustomed to.
But the tower still looms, and so must the journey continue.
jeseshat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
ristretto_and_romance's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
4.75
imstephtacular's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Cursing, Gore, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and War
lizziesz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
sarahlk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
branomir's review against another edition
3.0
Part four. I’ve never been the greatest fan of this series, though it was good enough to keep me reading, and this book hasn’t changed my opinion. It is not that King isn’t a great writer, I doubt you’ll find any credible person who will claim that, but it takes more than good writing for me to be passionate about a series. And this series has many passionate followers. But somehow I just can’t really get into it.
This time around we get something which, as a reader, we have been dying for, for three books now: answers. The overall grand part of this book is a flashback and we finally get to hear what exactly happened to Roland and why he is who he is. It definitely brought me closer to him as a character though it is a bit late in the series for that. If you’re a fan of the series than this big chunk of back story is most certainly a treat, the flipside of it is of course that the main story itself doesn’t progress much in this part. But I wasn’t much bothered with this.
The problem I had with this book, and the series in general, is that there were many times when I wasn’t quite so keen on picking it up. The world of Roland of Gilead is a strange, sad and depressing one. The inhabitants are quite possibly even worse and are quite clearly spawn from the mind of a celebrated horror author. I find quite a few of them very disturbing to say the least. The flashback that you’re reading is a story which you know will end tragically and that does somewhat affect your reading experience, or at least it did mine. Part of me is happy to have it over with.
The dark tower is a very peculiar series, and it just isn’t for everyone. I recognise the skill and talent behind it but it’ll never be “my” series, therefore: Three stars.
This time around we get something which, as a reader, we have been dying for, for three books now: answers. The overall grand part of this book is a flashback and we finally get to hear what exactly happened to Roland and why he is who he is. It definitely brought me closer to him as a character though it is a bit late in the series for that. If you’re a fan of the series than this big chunk of back story is most certainly a treat, the flipside of it is of course that the main story itself doesn’t progress much in this part. But I wasn’t much bothered with this.
The problem I had with this book, and the series in general, is that there were many times when I wasn’t quite so keen on picking it up. The world of Roland of Gilead is a strange, sad and depressing one. The inhabitants are quite possibly even worse and are quite clearly spawn from the mind of a celebrated horror author. I find quite a few of them very disturbing to say the least. The flashback that you’re reading is a story which you know will end tragically and that does somewhat affect your reading experience, or at least it did mine. Part of me is happy to have it over with.
The dark tower is a very peculiar series, and it just isn’t for everyone. I recognise the skill and talent behind it but it’ll never be “my” series, therefore: Three stars.