by Django Wexler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
3.5 stars, rounded down to 3 because this is not a book that will age well. There are a lot of pop culture references that non-fantasy readers may not know, and that are possibly too timely and won’t age well. For a well-read fantasy reader like myself each reference was easily identified but I’m not sure even someone who knows a lot of fantasy pop-culture will get them all. It’s not that you need to know them to get the story but they are all the focus of jokes made by MC Davi.
Two more reasons why I ranked this one a bit lower..
It took me forever to read. At first I thought it was just me, but then I listened to some of the audiobook and realized it’s that my brain trips over the made up words. Especially the species names that have roots in Latin but are still made-up and difficult to pronounce. There is a fine line between creating new words for your fantasy realm and creating words that readers brains will trip over or stumble on. It may sound silly, especially if you’re a reader (like myself) who reads words but doesn’t say them in their head. However I have experienced this before and it is definitely a weird effect that happens when we read.
Finally I was not a fan of the abrupt, unresolved ending. Be forewarned it is a bit of a cliffhanger and you may not feel satisfied by the ending. I certainly did not feel like I had any sort of resolution.
What’s odd is that, all that said about what I felt didn’t work in Wexler’s fantasy comedy story. I still enjoyed it and will definitely read the next book. Not only is this very witty, sexy, and overall ridiculous; but it also quite entertaining. Although I’ll confess I did enjoy Dreadful more I would say if you like narrators that know they are narrating a story, silly or over-the-top comedic fantasy then definitely check this one out. So long as it’s read in the next 10 or so years it should date itself just yet (even if I believe it will eventually).
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
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My rating: 3 of 5 stars
3.5 stars, rounded down to 3 because this is not a book that will age well. There are a lot of pop culture references that non-fantasy readers may not know, and that are possibly too timely and won’t age well. For a well-read fantasy reader like myself each reference was easily identified but I’m not sure even someone who knows a lot of fantasy pop-culture will get them all. It’s not that you need to know them to get the story but they are all the focus of jokes made by MC Davi.
Two more reasons why I ranked this one a bit lower..
It took me forever to read. At first I thought it was just me, but then I listened to some of the audiobook and realized it’s that my brain trips over the made up words. Especially the species names that have roots in Latin but are still made-up and difficult to pronounce. There is a fine line between creating new words for your fantasy realm and creating words that readers brains will trip over or stumble on. It may sound silly, especially if you’re a reader (like myself) who reads words but doesn’t say them in their head. However I have experienced this before and it is definitely a weird effect that happens when we read.
Finally I was not a fan of the abrupt, unresolved ending. Be forewarned it is a bit of a cliffhanger and you may not feel satisfied by the ending. I certainly did not feel like I had any sort of resolution.
What’s odd is that, all that said about what I felt didn’t work in Wexler’s fantasy comedy story. I still enjoyed it and will definitely read the next book. Not only is this very witty, sexy, and overall ridiculous; but it also quite entertaining. Although I’ll confess I did enjoy Dreadful more I would say if you like narrators that know they are narrating a story, silly or over-the-top comedic fantasy then definitely check this one out. So long as it’s read in the next 10 or so years it should date itself just yet (even if I believe it will eventually).
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
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