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A review by bookishchef
Het zwaard van de waarheid by Terry Goodkind
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
This was so bad.
The writing was bad.
The plot was bad.
The characters are bad.
The worldbuilding was bad.
The dialogue was bad.
Every aspect of this book was bad (or maybe mediocre at best)
But you know what?
Up until like 75% I was actually enjoying it in a "so bad it's good" way.
But then the BDSM torture/smut happened.
And then multiple SA scenes and a graphic r*pe scene happened.
And then I was completely over it. It went from so bad it's good to just fucking terrible.
This book is incredibly sexist, homophobic, and racist (towards Indigenous people in particular). Yet, somehow that doesn't even cover all of its issues. SOMEHOW that's just the tip of the ice berg.
The story, even if you somehow manage to ignore how awful and problematic it is, is also super cliche and filled with characters and plotlines stolen from better stories (Lord of the Rings and The Wheel of Time to name a few). There's literally a sad creature that leads Richard and Kahlan through a forest and into a trap, and it's named SAMUEL. Like Jesus Christ, the author wasn't even creative enough to pick a name that didn't sound like Smeagol.
(Also for some reason the author hates vegetarians???? What the fuck was that about?)
The writing was bad.
The plot was bad.
The characters are bad.
The worldbuilding was bad.
The dialogue was bad.
Every aspect of this book was bad (or maybe mediocre at best)
But you know what?
Up until like 75% I was actually enjoying it in a "so bad it's good" way.
But then the BDSM torture/smut happened.
And then multiple SA scenes and a graphic r*pe scene happened.
And then I was completely over it. It went from so bad it's good to just fucking terrible.
This book is incredibly sexist, homophobic, and racist (towards Indigenous people in particular). Yet, somehow that doesn't even cover all of its issues. SOMEHOW that's just the tip of the ice berg.
The story, even if you somehow manage to ignore how awful and problematic it is, is also super cliche and filled with characters and plotlines stolen from better stories (Lord of the Rings and The Wheel of Time to name a few). There's literally a sad creature that leads Richard and Kahlan through a forest and into a trap, and it's named SAMUEL. Like Jesus Christ, the author wasn't even creative enough to pick a name that didn't sound like Smeagol.
(Also for some reason the author hates vegetarians???? What the fuck was that about?)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Child abuse
Minor: War, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, and Infertility