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linzirene 's review for:

The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
5.0
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

okay so I wasn’t expecting to like this at all. I saw someone on booksta raving about GGK and was like sure, I’ll try this dude out, and then I almost dnf’d in the first 20 pages. nothing about the pitch really recommends itself to me- I’m not into historical fiction particularly, I don’t like books that focus on warfare, I find focus on abrahamic religions overdone, etc etc etc

and yet….. this book is SUPERB! like truly truly excellent. it’s hard to understand, much less convey, why I enjoyed it so much. I think it was excellent writing, smart worldbuilding, and very well developed characters? but to be honest, I can’t say, and so I’m nervous to recommend it to others. but I loved this read and it made me cry multiple times over. clever, interesting, heartfelt, gripping, beautiful, tragic, loving, kind, hopeful, and cynical. just an incredible book.