inkyspells

RECENT READS|#1-5

26/02/2019

STRANGE THE DREAMER BY LAINI TAYLOR

Laini Taylor’s writing is so unique and wonderful and somehow I manage to forget just how much I love it until I read one of her books again. Strange the Dreamer is hard to summarise because it takes you on such a journey and the main character, Lazlo, develops so much over the course of the book. Lazlo has easily made his way onto my list of favourite protagonists, primarily because he’s an absolute sweetheart and I’m convinced that it’s literally impossible not to love him. I adored all of the characters in this book, and all the complicated ways they interact with each other. Strange the Dreamer, much like Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, deals with gods and monsters, and I love this about her work. My one criticism is that I wasn’t really invested in the romance that develops in this book, as it does manifest incredibly quickly. Much of this book and its sequel depend on your investment in the relationship between these two characters, so the books suffered for me a little because of this. I didn’t dislike the romance, and as I’ve said I loved all the characters individually, it’s just that I personally prefer a slow burn.

RATING: ★★★★

MUSE OF NIGHTMARES BY LAINI TAYLOR

Obviously I can’t really mention much about this book without completely spoiling the first one, but suffice to say that this is one of the best sequels I’ve read. Strange the Dreamer could have worked completely fine as a standalone book, which puts the pressure on Muse of Nightmares to be just as good, if not better. Which, really, it was. This developed the world and the characters brilliantly, and it wove in the story of two new characters — Kora and Nova — perfectly. It never felt rushed or underdeveloped, and I was more than happy to spend more time in this world. This is a sadder, more serious book when compared to the wonder of the first, but it ends in a way that I hope brings us more stories from this world, even if it’s not in novel format.

RATING: ★★★★

YOU BY CAROLINE KEPNES

How late am I for this hype train? Late enough that it took my friend watching and gushing over the Netflix adaptation for me to actually read it. By now, I think, we all know the premise: the book is told entirely in second person narration from the perspective of a stalker as he begins a relationship with the woman he’s stalking. This book was dark, and it definitely left me feeling uncomfortable more than once. Every character in this book was just a different kind of awful person, which made it really interesting to read, as it’s not often that you read a book where every single character is deeply and obviously flawed. I read it over the course of a day, and it’s definitely hard to put down. I do, however, think I went in with my expectations a little too high as I’d only ever heard positive things about it, but it’s by no means a bad book, and one that I’d definitely recommend. Even after reading this, I’m still going to check out the adaptation, as from what I’ve heard it’s even better than the book!

RATING: ★★★

FIRE & HEIST BY SARAH BETH DURST

One of the things I’ve noticed after not reading for so long is that my standards are much, much higher than they used to be. I’m still too stubborn to actually give up on a book I’m not enjoying (which is probably a habit I should break) but I’m a little less forgiving when a book isn’t meeting my expectations. The premise of this book was so cool. I received it in a Fairy Loot box, but with the promise of weredragons, I was likely going to be drawn to this book anyway. However, I wasn’t expecting this book to be an urban fantasy, which threw me off immediately, as dragons usually go hand-in-hand with high fantasy. The book being urban fantasy isn’t a problem by any means, however the more exciting elements of the story, i.e. the dragons and the heist, fell to the wayside in favour of high school drama that would have felt more at home in a YA contemporary. The book just felt underdeveloped to me, the worldbuilding wasn’t great, and I wasn’t invested in the characters as much as I should have been. It’s not a bad book by any means, it was just underwhelming given the premise.

RATING: ★★

ASSASSIN’S APPRENTICE BY ROBIN HOBB.

If you’ve been following this blog for some time, you’ll know that I’ve been promising myself that I’m going to read this book since TIME IMMEMORIAL. And it FINALLY happened! I did it! I read a Robin Hobb book! And it was okay!

The thing about this book and this series is that all I ever seem to read about it is that you have to “get through it” to get to Hobb’s better works featuring these characters. Which, you know, isn’t exactly a glowing recommendation. But it did hold up. I do love Fitz, and there were elements of this book that I really loved and would like to see more of. I did find myself getting a little lost at times, and I’m not entirely sure I fully understand the magic system. There were a lot of characters in this book, and it did get a little confusing at times. But then, I did read the majority of this book on a train back from Nottingham with a slight hangover, so that might not be the book’s fault.

RATING: ★★★

So those are the five books I’ve read so far this year! I said in my 2019 reading goals post that I was going to set myself a monthly TBR, but so far I haven’t done this. I’m a little behind in terms of my Goodreads goal, but I’m making a marked improvement on my reading compared to last year.

If you’ve read any of these books, let me know in the comments! I’d also love to hear if you’ve read and can recommend any more of Robin Hobb’s work 🙂

2019 Reading Goals

30/12/2018

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Hey! Hi! It’s me! Who? That’s fair, since it’s been over a year since my last post.

I can’t really say why I didn’t blog this last year, except that I didn’t. I tried, but never actually posted anything. 2018 was the worst reading year I’ve had maybe ever? I still managed to read 25 books, which is still good, it’s just that for the last few years I’ve managed to read at least 40, so from a personal standpoint it wasn’t the best.

The good news is that I’m finally shaking off the reading slump I’ve apparently been in, and I figured another good way to get around my apathy toward reading lately would be to set some actual goals for 2019. These are, perhaps, the most basic goals, but basic is what I need right now.

1. READ 50 BOOKS

50 books is pretty much the standard Goodreads goal, but if I actually manage to read 50 books I’ll have doubled what I read this year. I know that there’s controversy? Maybe? Over the whole Goodreads “look how many books I can read!” thing, but I personally like setting these kinds of goals for myself. It’s nice knowing how much I read in a year, and if you read 5 books or 50 books, it doesn’t really matter. I just have one big, specific goal to accomplish this year that I’ll talk about next that means I really need to read at least 50 books.

My optimistic goal is that I’ll increase this TBR as the year goes by, but um, for now we’ll keep it at a nice, safe 50 books. That’s optimistic enough.

2. REDUCE MY PHYSICAL TBR BY AT LEAST 40 BOOKS

So. You know how we all make jokes about how we all keep buying books and then never reading them? What I’ve been doing is beyond a joke and my physical TBR currently sits at ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-TWO unread books. 132! 132 books sitting on my shelves that I own and have not read.

I recently went through my shelves and got rid of books that I hadn’t read and was no longer interested in reading. Some of these books had been sitting there for four or five years, and I figured that if I haven’t read them yet, I probably wasn’t going to. And since I can’t actually remember what books I got rid of, it seems I was right.

I’d like to get my physical TBR to below a hundred books if at all possible, and for once I’m not saying that I actually have to read those books. Like I said, I’ve been holding onto books for years and have never read them, so my tentative plan is to go through my shelves again in a few months and get rid of anything that doesn’t interest me anymore. It kind of sucks in a way? Because I spent money on those books and all, but I’d rather that than have my anxiety over my TBR constantly looming over me.

I know that perhaps it seems silly that I’ve not said I’m putting myself on a book buying ban, but despite all evidence to the contrary I don’t think I buy that many books. I have a FairyLoot subscription which I really love, and don’t want to give it up for the sake of my TBR. Honestly the thing I’m most guilty of is buying books on my Kindle when they’re reduced to 99p, and even then my Kindle TBR only sits at 30 books.

Which, yes, if you’re uh, good at maths, means my total TBR is 162 unread books that I own. But I’m not too bothered about how big my Kindle TBR gets, it’s the physical books that are taking over my room/life.

3. ATTEMPT TO SET A MONTHLY TBR

This is linked to the above, but I’m not too sure if it’s something I’ll actually stick to. I’m a mood reader, so I tend to just pick up books depending on how I feel at the time. The problem with this is that for the last 12 months “how I feel at the time” has been “I don’t ~feel~ like reading”, which is fine, except that I love and miss reading.

If any of you set monthly TBRs, do you find that they work? Do you give yourself some wiggle room for if your mood changes? I’ve never tried setting myself an actual TBR before, so I’d appreciate any advice/thoughts you have 🙂

So those are my goals! Ideally I’d like to be able to say that I’ll read more diversely, and I do have diverse books on my shelves that I’d like to get to. This year, however, my focus is getting my shit together and cutting back this ridiculous TBR.

Let me know what your goals are for 2019! Also, please console me and tell me you also have insane TBRs. Please.

#TheReadingQuest TBR

09/08/2017

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Hello! Hi! It’s me again! Work is stressful! I stopped reading! I watched a lot of Ru Paul’s Drag Race! How have you been?

I’m back today with my TBR for #TheReadingQuest! This amazing readathon is hosted by Aentee @ Read at Midnight, and the lovely artwork was created by CW @ Read Think Ponder. This readathon is based on video games, in that you choose a character class and do challenges based along their path, gaining points as you do so. The readathon runs from Sunday 13th August to Sunday 10th September. You can find out more information at the sign up post!

The Reading Quest Character Card Creator MAGE

As you can see, I’ll be doing the Mage path. I picked this both because mage is pretty much my go-to character choice in any fantasy RPG, but also because I have a lot of books that match the prompts!

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TBR

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A BOOK WITH A ONE WORD TITLE: Temeraire by Naomi Novik

Naomi Novik’s Uprooted is probably one of my favourite books (though I know that’s not a sentiment everyone shares). Temeraire is the first book in a nine-part fantasy/alternate history series, and is a reimagining of the Napoleonic wars but with dragons. I was completely sold on this, and I already know that I love the author’s writing, so I’m super excited to get to this.

A BOOK THAT CONTAINS MAGIC: Stalking Darkness by Lynn Fllewelling

This is actually the second book in a series, I read the first book, Luck in the Shadows, a couple of days ago and really, really liked it. So much so that I had to work the next two books in the series into this readathon somehow. This series, in a nutshell, is about two bisexual thieves, set mostly in a country run by a warrior queen. And if you aren’t immediately sold by that, I don’t know what to tell you.

A BOOK BASED ON MYTHOLOGY: The Gospel of Loki by Joanne M. Harris

I picked this up mostly on a whim, uh, years ago now. This is a retelling of Norse mythology, told in first person from Loki’s perspective. Loki is such a fascinating character in almost every iteration of him in popular culture, so I’m glad this readathon is giving me the opportunity to finally get around to reading this.

A BOOK SET IN A DIFFERENT WORLD: Traitor’s Moon by Lynn Fllewelling

This is book three in the Nightrunner series, and as such I don’t really know too much about it. Suffice to say I’m very attached to Seregil and Alec and their developing relationship. I was so desperate to pick up book two after finishing the first book, I figured it was probably best to factor in book three!

THE FIRST BOOK IN A SERIES: Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

I will read a Robin Hobb book this year even if it kills me.

SIDE QUESTS

I’m not sure how many of the below I’ll actually get to, since I ended up picking a lot of dense fantasy novels for this challenge (though, admittedly, they aren’t as long as they could be). However, a few books immediately came to mind when I saw the side quests, so I figured I’d include them anyway!

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EXPANSION: Rogues by George R.R. Martin & Gardner Dozois (eds.)

I was chipping away at this quite a bit at the beginning of the year, and I figured that I might dip in and out of it during this readathon. I’ve read a few stories from it, but now that I’m all caught up with the Kingkiller Chronicles, I’m really looking forward to reading Patrick Rothfuss’ story in this collection.

ANIMAL COMPANION: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Can you believe I haven’t read Six of Crows yet? Me neither! I really want to see what all the hype is about. I have read the Grisha trilogy, and loved the universe even if I wasn’t completely sold on the series. Six of Crows seems to get a lot more love, so I’m hoping I get time to read this.

GRIND: Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Okay, so this is barely over 500 pages, but I really wanted to include it! I was going to pick this for one of the main quest prompts, but I’m too attached to the Nightrunner series. Regardless, if I don’t read this during the readathon, I’m sure I’ll read it not long thereafter because I’ve been putting it off way too long!

So that’s my overambitious TBR! Hopefully I can get to at least half of these books?? I’m super excited to read all of them, and seeing everyone else’s TBRs is making me so excited!

Good luck if you’re also participating in the readathon! 🙂

Also, I promise I’m mostly back now. Maybe? Kind of? We’ll see.

RECENT READS | #12-16

07/06/2017

Update & Currently Reading

10/04/2017

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Hello! You may or may not have noticed that I’ve been decidedly absent these past few weeks. There are a number of reasons for this, some of them, admittedly, to do with how much time I’ve spent playing video games, some of them to do with stuff that’s happening in my life right now. So, I thought I’d just give you guys a quick update, mostly just to get myself back into the habit of blogging again!

So the first thing, and the biggest thing, is that I have a new job! This is the main reason for my absence, as the journey to me actually getting this job is uh, insane. Two weeks ago I found out that my hours in my current job were being massively reduced, and I had absolutely no say in the matter. On a whim, I put my CV on a job website the following evening, and literally the next morning I was contacted by an agency telling me about a job, and wondering if I’d be interested. I said yes, because I really couldn’t stay in my current job much longer. Last Monday I signed up with the agency, I interviewed for the position on Tuesday, and was offered the job on Wednesday. I started there today. So, y’know, it’s a lot.

For the next two weeks I’ll be working two days at my new job, and four days at my old job. Initially I was having to give four weeks notice, so they asked if I’d be willing to work part-time. Fortunately, I’ve managed to negotiate down to two weeks. My new job is just admin stuff at a local hospital, and since it’s with an agency it’s just temp work, but it’s full time! It’s office experience! I don’t have to work weekends!!

As you can imagine, my schedule’s been pretty crammed, especially since I’ve been having to put in overtime at my old job. It’s likely not going to calm down for the next couple of weeks, but I really miss blogging, and I’m actually hoping that the schedule of having a full-time job will actually help me, even though technically I’ll have less free time.

This, also, has cut into my reading. I finished The Wise Man’s Fear last month, completely loved it, and I think I’ve just had a very long book hangover since finishing it. I’ve been in such a mood for fantasy books lately, but they’re a huge time commitment since they’re usually well over 500 pages long, so I’ve been getting my fix through video games. Namely Dragon Age: Inquisition. I bought all three Dragon Age games in the Origin sale just before Christmas, and have spent most of my free time playing them. I’ve put many, many hours into Inquisition these last few weeks. Plus, since I’ve been feeling pretty low, I started a new character in Skyrim because I find Skyrim comforting? In a weird way? So, yes, my time is being spent very productively.

Speaking of being productive, a few weeks ago I decided to watch Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency on Netflix, watched the whole thing in basically a day, and then, when I was feeling ill later in the week, I watched it again in the hopes of cheering myself up. Then I binge-watched the entire second season of Jane the Virgin as soon as it became available, because I am an Adult Woman who makes Good Choices.

Still, I am actually attempting to read. In fact, I’m currently reading 3 books. One of these is Rogues, an anthology that I mentioned in my last wrap-up, and honestly I haven’t really picked this up lately. The trouble with anthologies is that some of the stories you’re going to love, and some of them won’t be to your taste in the slightest, and I hit kind of a bad streak where I wasn’t enjoying the ones I was reading, or they were companion stories to well-established series that I wasn’t familiar with, so I just wasn’t getting it. Because of this, I haven’t been inclined to pick it up, but I will soon, if only to read Patrick Rothfuss’ short story (especially since it’s about Bast!).

I’m also reading A Conjuring of Light, the last book in V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic series. Amazingly, I’ve completely managed to avoid spoilers so far! I’m really enjoying it, and the only reason I haven’t finished it yet is because it’s so intense!! I keep reading when I’m on public transport and then having to stop because it’s Too Much. I’m really hoping to finish this one soon, and it’s likely that it’ll be the next book that I finish because I can’t put it off forever.

Finally, I’m reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. After peer-pressuring my friend Hannah into buying the lovely Penguin Threads edition of it, after I bought the Puffin in Bloom edition, we decided we’d read it for the first time together. We do have a schedule for how many pages to read, but I’ve been terrible at keeping on top of my reading so I’ve fallen behind! I’m enjoying this, too, and it’s been such a long time since I read a classic that I’d kind of forgotten how much I enjoyed them.

Once I finish reading Little Women and A Conjuring of Light, I have very grand ambitions for what I’ll read next. I’m so desperate to continue on with Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastard series, but also I have Laini Taylor’s Strange the Dreamer sitting in my room, begging to be read. Though really I’m kind of tempted to read a couple of YA books just to kind of get my reading back on pace again. I’ve barely looked at Goodreads for weeks because I’m unwilling to feel the inevitable shame that comes with being behind on your reading challenge.

Finally, I recently hit 300 followers on my blog! Somehow I managed to completely miss this milestone, but regardless, thank you to everyone for following me! I promise I’ll be a better blogger soon.

BOOK REVIEW | Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo

21/03/2017

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Read: February 2017

UK Release: 2^nd March 2017

Rating: ★★★★★

Genre: Literary fiction

Synopsis: Yejide is hoping for a miracle, for a child. It is all her husband wants, all her mother-in-law wants, and she has tried everything – arduous pilgrimages, medical consultations, dances with prophets, appeals to God. But when her in-laws insist upon a new wife, it is too much for Yejide to bear. It will lead to jealousy, betrayal and despair.

Unravelling against the social and political turbulence of 80s Nigeria, Stay With Me sings with the voices, colours, joys and fears of its surroundings. Ayobami Adebayo weaves a devastating story of the fragility of married love, the undoing of family, the wretchedness of grief, and the all-consuming bonds of motherhood. It is a tale about our desperate attempts to save ourselves and those we love from heartbreak. Goodreads.

I was provided with a copy of this book by Canongate via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Stay With Me tells the story of Yejide and Akin’s marriage, and its eventual disintegration. The novel is told from both their perspectives, beginning in 2008, at the funeral of Akin’s father, where it is revealed that Yejide and Akin have not seen each other in 14 years. The bulk of the novel, however, takes place in Nigeria in the 1980’s, following Yejide and Akin’s struggles to have a child. This novel is absolutely heartbreaking, and throughout, it feels heavy with grief.

Yejide and Akin are under great pressure to conceive, and much of this burden falls on Yejide herself, as it is perceived to be some kind of ‘failure’ on her part. Yejide longs for motherhood, and it’s gut-wrenching what she goes through in order to become a mother. However, Akin, as a firstborn son, faces a pressure of a different kind. At the start of the novel, Akin’s mother introduces Yejide to the second wife she has arranged for him. Akin’s mother believes that Yejide is unable to have children, and that this is the only solution to their perceived problem. It is clear, in their reflections of the past, that Yejide and Akin loved each other deeply, and these outside influences who claim to ‘help’ their marriage, ultimately poison it.

One of the things I liked the most about this novel was Ayobami Adebayo’s characters. She manages to create realistically flawed, sometimes unlikeable characters, that I nonetheless felt so much sympathy for. Yejide, in particular, I found it impossible not to like. I’d expected to prefer Yejide’s narration over Akin’s, but this was not the case. I really liked the dual perspective, and felt that it really contributed to the narrative as a whole. As you might expect, Yejide and Akin keep plenty of secrets from each other, and many of these are revealed to the reader before the other party ever hears of them, meaning that while their chapters were often discussing the same period of time, you’re always getting new information. I also found that Yejide and Akin’s narrative voices were incredibly distinct; it was always clear whose chapter I was reading. This allowed for an intimate portrayal of both their characters and their relationship, and even when I didn’t agree with their actions, I could always understand why they were making the decisions they did.

Another aspect of the book that I liked was how the political situation in Nigeria was woven through it. It was something that I didn’t know too much about, but this didn’t hinder my reading in any way. I felt that this was as its most effective toward the end of the novel, as the political unrest and the catastrophe that Yejide and Akin’s relationship has become, come to a head at the exact same time.

Given that this book deals with societal expectations surrounding the family, it naturally discusses the impact this has on women. Some points in Yejide’s narration felt claustrophobic due to the intense pressure she was feeling, most particularly when she is forced to accept the presence of Akin’s second wife. As the novel progresses, Yejide’s situation only gets worse, and I found myself marvelling that she was able to get through it. Her grief in this book is almost palpable, and I honestly felt like I spent most of this book on the verge of tears. Akin, by contrast, feels distant, and it isn’t until later in the novel that its revealed how he struggles to cope with the expectations in terms of his masculinity. Akin hides plenty from Yejide, but he also hides things from the reader, and I really liked this. This book took turns I wasn’t expecting, particularly in regard to Akin’s character, and it kept me hooked throughout.

I know it’s only March, but so far this is definitely one of my favourite books of the year. Ayobami Adebayo’s writing is beautiful, I was highlighting so many passages as I was reading. It’s hard to go into this book too much without spoiling it, but I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys intricate, character-focused novels. This is an astonishing debut, and I’m really looking forward to whatever Ayobami Adebayo writes in the future!

Books for International Women’s Day!

08/03/2017

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Happy International Women’s Day! In honor of today, I thought I’d share with you some great books written by women, all with a feminist theme. Feminism is a pretty nebulous term, so I’m by no means saying that these books entirely encompass it. In fact, they probably barely scratch the surface. There are a few here that I’ve read and highly recommend, and a few that are on my radar and I hope to get to soon. So let’s get into it!

Just as a warning, some of the books featured mention rape and sexual assault.

Continue reading “Books for International Women’s Day!”

RECENT READS | #6-10

27/02/2017

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Hello! This is a new feature on my blog where I’ll be briefly talking about the books I’ve read this year. I did quarterly wrap up posts last year, but I decided that I wanted to do these wrap up posts with a little more frequency. Really, I’d just like to get into the habit of saying something about every book that I read, and I don’t always have enough to say about a book to warrant a full length review.

I’ve read 11 books so far this year — if you’re wondering why this post is starting at #6, it’s because I talked about the first four books I read this year in my #DAReadathon Wrap Up post back in January, and I’ve also written a full length review of Heartless by Marissa Meyer. I’ve had a great reading year so far, I honestly don’t know that I’ve ever read over ten books before the end of February before. Plus, I’ve given every book I’ve read a pretty good rating, so let’s get into it!

Covers = Goodreads.

Continue reading “RECENT READS | #6-10”

BOOK REVIEW | Heartless by Marissa Meyer

09/02/2017

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Read: January 2017

UK Release: 9^th February 2017

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling.

Synopsis: Long before she was the terror of Wonderland, she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love. Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.

Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans. Goodreads.

I was provided with a copy of this book by Pan Macmillan Children’s Books UK via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’d been anticipating the release of this book for quite some time, as I’m already a fan of Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles. I really enjoy how she interprets and adapts popular fairy tales in that series, so I was excited to see her take on Carroll’s Wonderland. This, and the fact that I really enjoyed her last foray into a villain backstory—Fairest—meant that I was intrigued to see how she’d go about the villain origin story for the notorious Queen of Hearts. Overall, I did enjoy this book, but I found it lacking on certain points, so I gave it 3 stars. This review is spoiler free, for the most part. Really the only “spoilers” are things you already know are going to happen if you’ve ever seen or read Alice in Wonderland.

Continue reading “BOOK REVIEW | Heartless by Marissa Meyer”

BOOK REVIEW | The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

02/02/2017

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Read: October 2016

Rating: ★★★★★

Genre: Fantasy

Synopsis: Told in Kvothe’s own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen. The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature. A high-action story written with a poet’s hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard. Goodreads.

It’s always intimidating to read a book that’s so widely well-loved and admired. This is likely why The Name of the Wind sat in my room unread for so many years. I bought it in about 2014 after seeing so many positive reviews. I hadn’t read much—if any—fantasy since marathoning the entire A Song of Ice and Fire series in 2012. Which was probably because I was feeling more than a little burnt out on fantasy novels after completing that particular task. I’d hoped that The Name of the Wind would inspire/motivate me to pick up fantasy books again.

Which it did, if a few years later than I’d originally intended. I loved this book, really all I’m doing here is contributing to its already considerable hype, but still.

Continue reading “BOOK REVIEW | The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss”