A review by yellowbinge
Murtagh by Christopher Paolini

adventurous dark emotional 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

5.0


The book as a meal: Tasteful jerky, but I am worried it might be poisoned as I chew ...
The book left me: Wanting more!!! Paolini, please continue writing!!!

Why did this call out me? 
Stunning cover. I have read all the other books in the series and just HAD to continue. I couldn't resist diving back into the world of Alagaësia. Preordered the moment it was available.

Pick-Up-able? Put-down-able?  
Thefirst 20-30% was slow and a little hard to properly get into and vibe with. At part 2 it picked up. From that point on I was looking froward to reading it at all times I wans't reading it (work, driving, socializing). I devoured the final 300 pages in a single day, and even conquered my car-sickness with my disgustingly high interest in the plot.

How is it paced? 
Ups and downsfor each part. The first few go smooth and then it all goes to shit. Repeat. Part three is more intense and the shit lasts for a while. By shit I mean dismay for the characters, but absolute bliss for me. I would say medium pacing, but it slows a little becasue of how Paolini writes scenery in detail. Skim if you find this kind of writing boring

What about progression? 
Starts slow, and picks up later. Most parts in the book follows the same format. It improves vastly as it goes on and you get sucked into the chaos and intruige. 

Issues:
Too vivid and detailed desciption of scenery and places, drags the plot and happenings down
Wish it was just a little more dragon and less assholes
Is our main character stupid or just stubborn?

Good things: 
The dragon feels, speaks, and reacts like an individual, almost person like. But still dragon enough to actualy feel like a dragon. 
Stakes go sky-high and the tension has me in a chokehold
The vibes and atmosphere feels just like the first books. I feel right at home here

What makes this different? 
The way Paolini writes dragons is just that different from other authors. The talk and think like individuals. They feel like relevant characters and not just a trope or another thing to ride. The world feels vast and every area has its own vibe. Our main character is very much a rogue, but not at all. It is simply circumstance that has brought us here. And of course, consequences do feel heavy. There is a lot of regret, remorse, and longing for a different outcome for our main characters. 

How did it feel to read? 
It felt like I was on a quest and my companion is telling me to slow down or else I get killed

What mood would i read this in? 
The book is fitting right now where I live as it is still quite cold, and the landscape here feels like what it was in the book. Read in early spring / later winter

Better or worse than expected? 
Much much better than expected. Paolini's wiriting has gotten so much better compared to the first four books in the series. I enjoyed this very much. 

Where does this fall in my tier list ranking? 
S tier all the way!!!!!!!!

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