Helpful Score: 2
I had really high expectations for this book. I'm not exactly sure they were met, but I grew to like this book quite a bit on its own merits.
At first I was disappointed by the style of the book. The writing was very simplistic but also really confusing at times. Now there were a lot of editing errors in my copy, so I'm not sure if some of the confusing language was a result of typos, grammatical errors, and the wrong name being used, or the author's style.
I also expected a different story. I'm a fan of the calculating hero playing the buffoon and so I was anxiously awaiting more scenes in which Ward acts dumber than he is while secretly laughing behind everyone's backs. I also couldn't wait for the grand reveal in which he surprises everyone with his actual cleverness. However, this book starts with the end of Ward's deception and a lot of the scenes in which he reveals his smarts are met with almost a cavalier, "huh, well that makes sense" kind of attitude. I guess I really wanted to get into the meat of his deception and how everyone would act upon it's reveal. But, though this book is primarily a sort of coming of age venture for Ward, it is also a political novel and a lot of characterization is--I won't say sacrificed--but abbreviated for the sake of making the story pass along quicker and more epically.
So I didn't get what I thought I'd get, nor what I wanted, but I'm fine with the outcome. It takes a lot of talent to say so much in so few words that I'm not bothered anymore by what I initially thought was lacking in this novel. I highly recommend it now, but I'd say go into it with no preconceived ideas of how these fantasy books usually go. Also, this book has more in common with a young adult novel than a dragon-themed epic like those written by Anne McCaffrey.
At first I was disappointed by the style of the book. The writing was very simplistic but also really confusing at times. Now there were a lot of editing errors in my copy, so I'm not sure if some of the confusing language was a result of typos, grammatical errors, and the wrong name being used, or the author's style.
I also expected a different story. I'm a fan of the calculating hero playing the buffoon and so I was anxiously awaiting more scenes in which Ward acts dumber than he is while secretly laughing behind everyone's backs. I also couldn't wait for the grand reveal in which he surprises everyone with his actual cleverness. However, this book starts with the end of Ward's deception and a lot of the scenes in which he reveals his smarts are met with almost a cavalier, "huh, well that makes sense" kind of attitude. I guess I really wanted to get into the meat of his deception and how everyone would act upon it's reveal. But, though this book is primarily a sort of coming of age venture for Ward, it is also a political novel and a lot of characterization is--I won't say sacrificed--but abbreviated for the sake of making the story pass along quicker and more epically.
So I didn't get what I thought I'd get, nor what I wanted, but I'm fine with the outcome. It takes a lot of talent to say so much in so few words that I'm not bothered anymore by what I initially thought was lacking in this novel. I highly recommend it now, but I'd say go into it with no preconceived ideas of how these fantasy books usually go. Also, this book has more in common with a young adult novel than a dragon-themed epic like those written by Anne McCaffrey.
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