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magnus_iskander_reim 's review for:
Blood Song
by Anthony Ryan
DNF @ 55%/336p
I can't for the life of me understand the hype around this book. Each chapter is promising. Each plot turn is promising. But nothing comes out of it. The whole plot seems like a continuous improvisation and not a well-thought construction.
Except for very few exceptions, characters are shallow and don't have clear goals, intents or conflicts, including Vaelin, the main character, who never seems to want, regret, like or-god forbids-fear anything. He's forced to become a kind of fighting-monk enduring a life-threatening the the age of 10 and even after learning that is never angry/sad/conflicted about it. It's one of the main things that make Vaelin not feel like a flesh-and-bones human and more like a robot. He never fails and ONCE doesn't succeed at first at something as has to train for two weeks (omg, so long), described in one sentence, and becomes really good at it.
The world building is also vert shallow and does not attract the curiosity of the reader, which is should do !! The back story of the realm is blurry and does'n really make sense politically. Even after meeting the King, the reader can't tell what the strengths, weaknesses and interests of the kingdom are, except chasing heretics because... Reasons ??
I've heard this being compared to Patrick Rothfuss and sorry but it's nothing alike. Plot is basic. Characters are flat. Worldbuilding is-to me-lazy and doesn't make you want to discover anything about it.
Meh.
I can't for the life of me understand the hype around this book. Each chapter is promising. Each plot turn is promising. But nothing comes out of it. The whole plot seems like a continuous improvisation and not a well-thought construction.
Except for very few exceptions, characters are shallow and don't have clear goals, intents or conflicts, including Vaelin, the main character, who never seems to want, regret, like or-god forbids-fear anything. He's forced to become a kind of fighting-monk enduring a life-threatening the the age of 10 and even after learning that
Spoiler
his dad did it to reunite with his mistress, and then discovering that it was actually his deceased mother who chose this for himThe world building is also vert shallow and does not attract the curiosity of the reader, which is should do !! The back story of the realm is blurry and does'n really make sense politically. Even after meeting the King, the reader can't tell what the strengths, weaknesses and interests of the kingdom are, except chasing heretics because... Reasons ??
I've heard this being compared to Patrick Rothfuss and sorry but it's nothing alike. Plot is basic. Characters are flat. Worldbuilding is-to me-lazy and doesn't make you want to discover anything about it.
Meh.