John

I don't work for DAW (the publisher) or get paid to write reviews like some people. I am simply a huge fantasy fan, but this book was extremely disappointing. I listened to all 28 hours and wished I hadn't. That's time wasted I'll never get back. The problem isn't with the narration, its with the writing.

1. There is no sense of place. Most authors usually make you enjoy their worlds and they become part of the story. But in this book, there is not a single thing interesting about the world. It's non-descript, utterly boring and inane.

2. Boring characters. Some of the characters are mildly interesting, but the protagonist and the villains are cardboard. I didn't care about them at all. I don't care what happens next either. Kvothe is a braggart with nothing interesting to say.

3. Bad use of magic. The magical schools and such is all cliche, overdone. Some of the magic sounds good right? Not even close. Everything is meagerly developed. Supposedly the bad guys are joked about in nursery rhymes, but the whole thing is smoke and mirrors.

4. Boring plot. There is no excitement, no sense of dread, no sense of wonder at all. Overall, just very stupid.

This book was a total dud compared to other books. The writing goes from average at best to mediocre to insipid, and not much else to note.

What happened here?