Reviews with content warning for War - The Two Towers

So I finished it yay! I love the world I really do, the characters are great. The way the story is constructed not my favourite in how we followed the fellowship and then never Frodo until the very end, but I enjoyed it. It took a while to get me into it but I do really enjoy the journey. So I will be finishing the series whether that be sooner or later

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bexi's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring tense 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? Yes

3.5

Hmm.. I'm conflicted about this one. 🤔 My overall reading experience was better for this than The Fellowship of the Ring (because I'm used to the writing style now), but I much preferred the storyline in Fellowship.

Most of this book felt like "wake up, walk, maybe fight, eat, sleep." While it didn't bother me in Fellowship, I think it bothered me in The Two Towers because it seemed like that was the whole plot of this book.

I liked the beginning of the book well enough, especially any chapter with Merry, Pippin, and/or the Ents. The middle of the book was a slog for me and part of the reason I ended up in a two-week reading slump. The end of the book was the best part, and where I think Tolkein's writing shined the most.

Cons: very slow pacing at times, often repetitive, sometimes the dialogue seemed info-dumpy, the historical references to Middle-Earth in this book were confusing, most of the villains from "the race of Men" were darker-skinned or "wild"... which I found odd and a litte off-putting.

Pros: impressive world building, many scenes that drag you into Middle-Earth with the characters, creation of tense and ominous moods, wonderful character work, beautifully written male friendships, Tolkein's sense of humor.

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offbrandclubsoda's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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? No

3.0

Honestly I struggled to get through this and found it overrated. Maybe that says more about my taste that the quality of the book but alas…

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dlrosebyh's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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

2.5

this is ur typical 2nd book in a trilogy. usually your least favorite and just a build up to the third book. i found the ending a little bit rushed as well.

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journeythroughthechapters's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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? No

3.0

Thoughts
I'm happy to say I liked this better than The Fellowship of the Ring. This book had more action and more intrigue.

The first half of the book we follow The Fellowship minus Sam and Frodo. And the second half we follow Sam and Frodo. And while there were some boring parts with Sam and Frodo it wasn't as slow paced as the first book. So I agree with people when they say if you don't like the first book because of its slow pace then you might like the second book.

The reason I don't love this series (and I say this because it might be something you love) is because of the descriptions. I'm all for world building but this is too much. I feel like J.R.R Tolkien adds stories within this book that's don't move the plot forward. They're just there and I don't particularly care. But if you love lots of descriptions then this might be for you.

But I did feel like the friendships were fleshed out more in this instalment which I enjoyed.

Content Warning
War, Violence, Mention of spiders/spider like creature

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keegan_leech's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

3.75

I think there are pacing and plotting issues which make this a less engrossing book than The Fellowship of the Ring. It's still a great book, and a must-read if you enjoyed the first in the series. The weaknesses are minor, but they made this a slower read for me.

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nebraskanwriter's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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