The Name of the Wind

2495567The Name of the Wind is a epic fantasy book written by Patrick Rothfuss which Kvothe the hero of many tales is the owner of the Waystone Inn who works under an assumed name and who many think is dead is found by Chronicler and is convinced to tell his life story. Each book in the series is intended to be one day of Kvothe telling his story which will take three days and will tell the reader the truth of who Kvothe is and why he is know as the King Killer.

I stopped reading The Name of the Wind at 300 pages which is roughly half of the book and I have no intention of finishing this book. Normally, I would not write a review for a book that I didn’t finish because I can’t judge the whole story but considering I feel like most people like if not love this book I feel like I should post some form of a review.

The story started out strong with Kvothe at the Waystone Inn as there was a mystery about the world and the characters the inhabit this world. The world building is good at the beginning informing the reader about the world through conversations and description that don’t involve just info dumping. However, when Kvothe starts telling his story the pacing and anything interesting grinds to a halt. We are given tons of information about his family and childhood which is good for backstory and world building but gives us no character growth or plot. When Kvothe’s family is killed I thought that the story would pick up again but it never did. As for Kvothe as a character his is far too arrogant and experiences no lasting consequences for any of his actions. Not all characters should be likable but I should want to root for them and honestly I wouldn’t care if he lived or died.

Ultimately, I stopped reading the book when I started to hate all of the characters and that the plot felt like it didn’t actually exist. I feel like around 200 of the 300 pages I read could have been removed from the book and the story would not suffer. Though this might not be true if I finished it but I don’t like forcing myself to read things that I’m not enjoying. I do think if the books are ever turned into a TV show or movie that I would like it much more as I would have visuals to connect with.

 

March 2019 Wrap Up

So March was a very busy month for me, so I didn’t read very much but I did watch some TV shows and movies.

Books:

34895950The only book I read this month was The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill. The Tea Dragon Society is a short graphic novel set in a fantasy world where tea leaves are harvested from dragons. The story follows two young girls, Greta and Minette, who are learning about tea dragons and how to take care of them. It’s a beautifully illustrated story inspired by anime and manga with very unique fantasy concepts. Many of the characters are a combination of different fantasy races and use different fantasy elements. I would like to see the story continue as this first book is so short at only 72 pages there isn’t much time to connect with and learn everything about the characters. 3.5/5 stars.

TV Shows:

clonewarsI finally finished the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV show which will be getting a continuation on Disney’s new streaming service that is supposed to come out sometime in 2019. The Clone Wars show is set in between the Clone Wars and Revenge of the Sith movie and does fix some of the problem that the prequel movies have. The big thing is it gives much more information about the Clone Wars and fleshed out most of the bigger relationship from the movies. This show made me believe that Obi-Wan did consider Anakin his brother and the relationship between Anakin and Padme is much better and is given time to grow. Anakin is given a padawan in Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka is an amazing character but also allows the audience to see Anakin as a leader and in different stories and positions from the movies. However, there are some episodes that are just not that good and can be skipped without missing any plot or story elements. I would recommend not watch most to the episodes that feature Jar Jar or primarily focus on the droids. Also the show was not originally released in chronological order so there are two ways to watch it, episode release order or chronological. I would recommend watching the show in chronological order as it gives you a better sense of the state of the Jedi during the Clone Wars but before Revenge of the Sith.

Movies:

Captain_Marvel_posterSo I saw Captain Marvel and I liked it, I do have a full review here so I won’t go completely in-depth. As the newest MCU movie and connected to Avengers: Endgame I would recommend going to see it but it’s also a good movie that can be understood without having seen any of the other Marvel movies. Connections to other MCU movies are mostly in little Easter eggs that you will understand if you’ve seen some of the other movies but they don’t detract from the story being told. I loved seeing a younger Nick Fury and how the Shield that we know from the other movies started. All of the acting is great and while the movie is funny none of the jokes become too much and make it feel like a comedy. However, many of the jokes will not connect if the 90’s references are not understood. Ultimately, it’s a movie about a woman realizing and coming into her own power.

Cloverfield_paradox_posterThis month I also finally set down and watched The Cloverfield Paradox which I liked the most out of the Cloverfield movies so far. The movie starts out with some info dumping about how the earth is running out of power sources and so the world has sent a team to a space station to work with a massive particle accelerator to attempt to find a new power source. When the experiment works all hell breaks loose on the space station has they ended up breaking the fabric of reality. Though it is a science fiction movie I would classify it more as a body horror such as Alien or the Thing than just straight sci-fi. I’ve never loved any of the Cloverfield movies and this ones no exception though I do like it better than the others. In Cloverfield I felt like the characters were very annoying and I didn’t care what happen. It doesn’t help that I have never been a fan of found footage movies either. 10 Cloverfield Lane on the other hand was a movie that I like the concept of but found the movie as a whole very boring. So, I didn’t have high expectations for Cloverfield Paradox. Though I don’t think Paradox was needed as part of the Cloverfield series I did like the concept of the movie and I wasn’t bored. If any of the Cloverfield movie got direct squeals I would want it to be Paradox as I feel like it has the most that could be done with it given how the story and ending is set up. I do plan to post a full review so for all of my thoughts check that post.

March 2019 Owl Crate

Owl Crate is a young adult book subscription box where every month you receive one new hardcover book and an assortment of bookish goodies connected to the monthly theme. Some of these items are very practical and others are better suited as decor or for a pin/builtin board. March’s theme Murder and Mayhem.IMG_0329

Given the theme of Murder and Mayhem some of the bookish goodies are from series that are definitely not classified as Young Adult but I love these series anyway. The goodies include a gorgeous ceramic travel mug inspired by the Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff. A canvas drawstring backpack with skulls on it that is not specifically inspired by any series. A wooden bookmark quoting the Stark family from Game of Thrones. A candle inspired by the monsters from This Savage Song with three possible scents. The one I got is the Sunai which smells like Green Apple. To me the candle smells exactly like sour green apple candy such as Jolly Ranchers or suckers. Finally, there was a sticker inspired by Three Dark Crowns.

 

The new hardcover book is Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte. The story follows Keralie, a thief, and Varin, a good upstanding citizen, who inadvertently become entangled in a conspiracy that leaves all of Quadara’s queens dead. This murder mystery causes them to go on the run to save themselves and try to find out who killed the queens. As all ways Owl Crate books have exclusive covers, signed, and come with a letter from the author. This box also included some extras with the book: a character art print and a pencil. The pin for this month is also inspired by this book.img_0340.jpg

April’s theme is The Dark Side and the box will include an exclusive scarf.