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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
Not the most amazing book, but a decent book. That is my final impression.
The Coward gives off a very Odyssey-like quality to it, with almost the entirety of the book being committed to the journey. Ride on horses, arrive at another town, drink at the inn, and repeat the next day. Every day, fight a new enemy relentlessly.
Other chapter POVs were mixed in, giving the impression of a greater story line culminating, but the culmination will definitely happen in later books in the series. Due to the jumping around, it was hard to feel attached to the other "main" characters, since not a large amount of time could be fully given to create a sense of empathy for these characters. However, I was indeed convinced by their motivations.
Unfortunately, I felt that many of the characters were one or possibly two dimensional. What was clearly supposed to be a twist for some characters was expected. Other characters remained completely unchanged. The child protagonist was irritating at times, since he played in the child-like role so well. Kell, the main protagonist, does undergo character development, and he is the most important person who requires the development, so that is a good thing.
The world-building has been clearly planned out, but sometimes it was hard to follow along with all the names of the Kings, kingdoms, and other civilizations. But the world itself is intriguing.
Lastly, this is another book that ruins itself for me by placing a lot of exposition at the end. The main character gets told a lot of information that would have felt more rewarding had it been delivered a different way. Again, it felt like this was setting up the next book.
I did love the premise, of a hero who would rather be anything but. And Kell was a nice character to have narrate.
Overall, this book is a decent setup for the rest of the story to unfold in subsequent novels.
The Coward gives off a very Odyssey-like quality to it, with almost the entirety of the book being committed to the journey. Ride on horses, arrive at another town, drink at the inn, and repeat the next day. Every day, fight a new enemy relentlessly.
Other chapter POVs were mixed in, giving the impression of a greater story line culminating, but the culmination will definitely happen in later books in the series. Due to the jumping around, it was hard to feel attached to the other "main" characters, since not a large amount of time could be fully given to create a sense of empathy for these characters. However, I was indeed convinced by their motivations.
Unfortunately, I felt that many of the characters were one or possibly two dimensional. What was clearly supposed to be a twist for some characters was expected. Other characters remained completely unchanged. The child protagonist was irritating at times, since he played in the child-like role so well. Kell, the main protagonist, does undergo character development, and he is the most important person who requires the development, so that is a good thing.
The world-building has been clearly planned out, but sometimes it was hard to follow along with all the names of the Kings, kingdoms, and other civilizations. But the world itself is intriguing.
Lastly, this is another book that ruins itself for me by placing a lot of exposition at the end. The main character gets told a lot of information that would have felt more rewarding had it been delivered a different way. Again, it felt like this was setting up the next book.
I did love the premise, of a hero who would rather be anything but. And Kell was a nice character to have narrate.
Overall, this book is a decent setup for the rest of the story to unfold in subsequent novels.
The Coward was a thrilling fantasy tale full of unqiue characteristics and compelling messages
An old man randomly approached me in the library and told me I had to read this book. Here's to you, good sir!
Flip-flopped between a 3 and a 4 for a while. I could actually see myself picking up the sequel a few months down the line once my TBR thins out a bit, despite being somewhat mixed on this one. Whenever it is commenting on the deification of "heores" (a not-so-subtle allegory for veterans), it's good. Very good, actually. I thought the characters were interesting, and played off each other well. However, long stretches of this book took me a while to get through. Some of the pacing drags, and the world-building didn't do it for me. While I cared about the characters, I found it hard to get invested in their quest: If I'm reading a book about people trying to save the world, I'll be more invested if I care more about the world. There was also a really (and I mean REALLY) fascinating political subplot that I couldn't wait to see more of. Unfortunately, it only mounted to distracting cutaway scenes that ultimately served to set up a sequel rather than offer any legitimate payoff.
Didn't love this, but there were some great elements that I'd be willing to read the second book in order to get more of.
Flip-flopped between a 3 and a 4 for a while. I could actually see myself picking up the sequel a few months down the line once my TBR thins out a bit, despite being somewhat mixed on this one. Whenever it is commenting on the deification of "heores" (a not-so-subtle allegory for veterans), it's good. Very good, actually. I thought the characters were interesting, and played off each other well. However, long stretches of this book took me a while to get through. Some of the pacing drags, and the world-building didn't do it for me. While I cared about the characters, I found it hard to get invested in their quest: If I'm reading a book about people trying to save the world, I'll be more invested if I care more about the world. There was also a really (and I mean REALLY) fascinating political subplot that I couldn't wait to see more of. Unfortunately, it only mounted to distracting cutaway scenes that ultimately served to set up a sequel rather than offer any legitimate payoff.
Didn't love this, but there were some great elements that I'd be willing to read the second book in order to get more of.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
"Kell Kressia is a legend, a celebrity, a hero. Aged just seventeen he set out on an epic quest with a band of grizzled fighters to slay the Ice Lich and save the world, but only he returned victorious. The Lich was dead, the ice receded and the Five Kingdoms were safe."
The promise of the book sounded really interesting, but as I started reading it and got to know the MC more, I found it him to be a bit bland, and I couldn't get into his motivations nor root for him.
Not an enjoyable time for me, unfortunately.
Thanks to publisher and Netgalley for sending me an e-arc of this book!!
The promise of the book sounded really interesting, but as I started reading it and got to know the MC more, I found it him to be a bit bland, and I couldn't get into his motivations nor root for him.
Not an enjoyable time for me, unfortunately.
Thanks to publisher and Netgalley for sending me an e-arc of this book!!
A hero’s quest done well. I look forward to reading more in the series.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The ending almost saved it, but I won’t be reading the second book.
I have more questions than answers after finishing this.
A lot of fight scenes that didn’t seem to further the plot at all and gore was used for shock value as opposed to make a point. I also feel like I found lot of typos which is not something I usually catch so that stood out negatively for me.
The ending had some interesting revelations and twists but only maybe one this truly shocked me which is definitely not exciting.
I have more questions than answers after finishing this.
A lot of fight scenes that didn’t seem to further the plot at all and gore was used for shock value as opposed to make a point. I also feel like I found lot of typos which is not something I usually catch so that stood out negatively for me.
The ending had some interesting revelations and twists but only maybe one this truly shocked me which is definitely not exciting.
If I could give this 3.5 I would. It was very good. I don't think it's worth 4 stars but definitely worth more than 3!?
This book started really strong and had good characters. Good world building as well. The plot started to drag in the middle though and while the story was great fun to read, it all felt familiar to me. I am glad I stuck with it but I felt like there wasn't really anything groundbreaking. Good, escapist fantasy.
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
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:
Complicated