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art_sent_mia 's review for:
The Return of the King
by J.R.R. Tolkien
(Minimal spoilers? Definitely for the ending, but not too detailed.)
I didn't write a review for the other two books because stopping in the middle of the series felt wrong for some reason. Overall, I rate this series a solid 4/5 stars (my fav being The Two Towers). If anyone likes classic fantasy with lots of lore, The Lord of the Rings is definitely something to check out.
I loved how the book explored multiple characters perspectives and various species throughout Middle-Earth. I especially appreciated how the fellowship's diverse culture was revealed as they traveled and developed friendships. Although I know a lot of people who don't like Tolkien's songs/poems, they add to the theme and add another layer of meaning. Like Sam's poem about orcs (or trolls? I forgot tbh...) was so cute! And Quickbeam's song about the Entwives was so beautiful? How is "O rowan dead, upon your head your hair is dry and grey; / Your crown in spilled, your voice is stilled for ever and a day," boring??
Now, I feel bad giving this series 4 stars instead of 5 because it's so highly praised by all of it's readers. However, my enjoyment dwindled during especially long chapters. Maybe it's just me and my preference to read at night, but it was difficult to learn endlessly about the bloodlines of elves, men, and hobbits while I was more interested in the plot (ex. in The Fellowship of the Ring, the prologue and Elrond's council are so longg).
Furthermore, I found that I loved Sam and Frodo's characters a bit too much. Sam is so kind-hearted and loyal that it's difficult not to love him. I was soo glad he got the ending I was wishing for. Naturally, I quickly took a liking to Frodo too since he's the protagonist and the book focuses on him so much. Their relationship is so sweet and made me punch the air a few times. (I may have also teared up at the whole "It's your Sam calling. Don't go where I can't follow!" scene. Can't stop thinking about how Sam will never get to call anyone his master and Frodo has no one to call Sam dear :( I'm just a teenage girl please that ending destroyed me.)
However, over the course of the series, Frodo's perspective dwindles and we hear less of him as the plot progresses (particuarly the transition into The Return of the King) Even after the ring is destroyed, he continues to fade away. This atypical character progression is refreshing and demonstrates how trauma itself doesn't make us stronger. The ending is bittersweet and will always make me sad when flipping through the last few pages. Frodo was a normal hobbit happily living ignorant within the Shire. The ring corrupts him, destroying his spirit, and exhausts his mental and physical wellbeing. Frodo's journey to Mordor did irrevirsible damage and he was unable to find peace when he returned home.
Still, I would've appreciated Frodo's perspective one last time. After the climax, the falling aciton focuses on sociopolitical matters of Gondor, Rohan, the Shire, etc. I was dissatisfied with how little Frodo's mentioned in the ending considering hobbits aren't mentioned much outside of the LOTR.
Overall, good series. I'll be reading The Silmarillion once my brain cools down. Hopefully I can reread this at some point and enjoy it again :D
I didn't write a review for the other two books because stopping in the middle of the series felt wrong for some reason. Overall, I rate this series a solid 4/5 stars (my fav being The Two Towers). If anyone likes classic fantasy with lots of lore, The Lord of the Rings is definitely something to check out.
I loved how the book explored multiple characters perspectives and various species throughout Middle-Earth. I especially appreciated how the fellowship's diverse culture was revealed as they traveled and developed friendships. Although I know a lot of people who don't like Tolkien's songs/poems, they add to the theme and add another layer of meaning. Like Sam's poem about orcs (or trolls? I forgot tbh...) was so cute! And Quickbeam's song about the Entwives was so beautiful? How is "O rowan dead, upon your head your hair is dry and grey; / Your crown in spilled, your voice is stilled for ever and a day," boring??
Now, I feel bad giving this series 4 stars instead of 5 because it's so highly praised by all of it's readers. However, my enjoyment dwindled during especially long chapters. Maybe it's just me and my preference to read at night, but it was difficult to learn endlessly about the bloodlines of elves, men, and hobbits while I was more interested in the plot (ex. in The Fellowship of the Ring, the prologue and Elrond's council are so longg).
Furthermore, I found that I loved Sam and Frodo's characters a bit too much. Sam is so kind-hearted and loyal that it's difficult not to love him. I was soo glad he got the ending I was wishing for. Naturally, I quickly took a liking to Frodo too since he's the protagonist and the book focuses on him so much. Their relationship is so sweet and made me punch the air a few times. (I may have also teared up at the whole "It's your Sam calling. Don't go where I can't follow!" scene. Can't stop thinking about how Sam will never get to call anyone his master and Frodo has no one to call Sam dear :( I'm just a teenage girl please that ending destroyed me.)
However, over the course of the series, Frodo's perspective dwindles and we hear less of him as the plot progresses (particuarly the transition into The Return of the King) Even after the ring is destroyed, he continues to fade away. This atypical character progression is refreshing and demonstrates how trauma itself doesn't make us stronger. The ending is bittersweet and will always make me sad when flipping through the last few pages. Frodo was a normal hobbit happily living ignorant within the Shire. The ring corrupts him, destroying his spirit, and exhausts his mental and physical wellbeing. Frodo's journey to Mordor did irrevirsible damage and he was unable to find peace when he returned home.
Still, I would've appreciated Frodo's perspective one last time. After the climax, the falling aciton focuses on sociopolitical matters of Gondor, Rohan, the Shire, etc. I was dissatisfied with how little Frodo's mentioned in the ending considering hobbits aren't mentioned much outside of the LOTR.
Overall, good series. I'll be reading The Silmarillion once my brain cools down. Hopefully I can reread this at some point and enjoy it again :D