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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
I liked it, better than what I expected and don't really have any major complaints. The prose is very accessible ( perhaps a bit too accessible for my taste ). The characters are alright, world-building is good and most of the story is wrapped up quite nicely, considering it's part of a duology and there's more to come. There's a lot of 'tell, don't show' which seemed rather glaring at times and distracted me but besides that, I can't really think of something that truly bothered me. The story itself is interesting and there's several moments, especially politicking in the background that made this one feel more than just a generic quest. However, I can't say I <i>really liked</i> this book. Don't get me wrong, I was never bored at any point and it was a fun read for the most part, but nothing really wowed or left a lasting impression on me. Everything was just.. fine. Will read the sequel anyway as I am intrigued enough to see what the future holds for Kell and Willow . I would recommend this book to anyone who just wants a fun adventure read as palette cleanser.
P.S. That First Law reference outta nowhere made me chuckle.
P.S. That First Law reference outta nowhere made me chuckle.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse
Minor: Pedophilia, Death of parent
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Blood, Medical trauma
Minor: Sexual harassment
adventurous
dark
emotional
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:
No
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I very much enjoyed this book. There was a great amount of adventure and some interesting characters. There was at least some mention of trauma responses which i liked because a lot of fantasy doesn't address that side of adventuring. That being said, there were things that came up that never seemed to resolve or where outright unnecessary. It appears some will be addressed in the next book but others I felt like have no bearing on the continuing plot. There seemed like the promise of greater character development than actual ended up happening. Also, the sudden changes of pov are jarring at first but they become a great narrative tool later in the book.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Coward was an enjoyable enough read, but the end veered off in a direction I really wasn't interested in continuing to read about. I liked that Kell was mostly just an average guy who got roped into something much bigger than him, and I liked the exploration of the trauma that would realistically affect someone who's seen so much blood and death, but the other characters were just ok for me.
I really didn't care about Britak's plan to turn the Five Kingdoms into a theocracy, and at times she felt cartoonishly evil. Another pet peeve of mine was that every now and again there would be a physical description of a random side character that just felt really...unnecessarily mean. No, I do not care that the woman assigned to draw Kell's bath looks like the back end of an ox. Why would you tell me that? There were also some really bizarre descriptions of a character who was pretending to be dumb in order to act as a spy. So over-the-top and unbelievable! She didn't just act a little air-headed and naive; she acted like a literal five-year-old, to the point I'm shocked anybody bought the act. I found that, and occasional other things like it, weird and jarring.
The sequel looks like it continues to go in a direction that I'm really not enthused about, so this is going to be the end of my journey with this series.
I really didn't care about Britak's plan to turn the Five Kingdoms into a theocracy, and at times she felt cartoonishly evil. Another pet peeve of mine was that every now and again there would be a physical description of a random side character that just felt really...unnecessarily mean. No, I do not care that the woman assigned to draw Kell's bath looks like the back end of an ox. Why would you tell me that? There were also some really bizarre descriptions of a character who was pretending to be dumb in order to act as a spy. So over-the-top and unbelievable! She didn't just act a little air-headed and naive; she acted like a literal five-year-old, to the point I'm shocked anybody bought the act. I found that, and occasional other things like it, weird and jarring.
The sequel looks like it continues to go in a direction that I'm really not enthused about, so this is going to be the end of my journey with this series.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
(4.5) I love the detail of the world and social systems this book goes into without being too overwhelming, a common occurrence that repels me from most fantasy books, despite my interest in the genre. Enough is left to the imagination to keep the novel casual and not over bearing. The story itself is captivating, suspenseful, and successful in a compelling mystery that drives in the back of your mind as much as the primary protagonist Kell. Has the Ice Litch returned? Is Kell truly worthy for a second pilgrimage to the frozen north to repeat his first triumph? You truly feel involved in the journey as you find out more about Kell as he does so himself as well along with a side cast of adventurers you can easily care for or question the motives of.