Genre: Novella, Fantasy Published: Gollancz, October 2014 My Rating: 3/5 stars
This is a strange little book. Strange as its protagonist: broken and beautiful.
The book starts off with a foreword from the author that starts with the following sentence:
"you might not want to buy this book (...) I think it's only fair to warn you that this is a bit of a strange story. It doesn't do a lot of the things a classic story is supposed to do. And if you're looking for a continuation of Kvothe's storyline, you're not going to find it here.
All of this is true. He continues:
If you'd like to learn more about Auri, this book has a lot to offer. If you love words and mysteries and secrets. If you're curious about the Underthing and alchemy. If you want to know more about the hidden turnings of my world... Well then this might be for you
All of that is even more true...
Frankly I feel it may have been a mistake to label this as "Kingkiller Chronicles 2.5", because it has little to do with the series, other than sharing a world and involving a character from it. That being said, I did enjoy the experience of reading this. What it lacks in plot, it makes up for in atmosphere, and for some reason for me it was quite filled with emotion. The first part made me very warm and fuzzy: I loved Auri as a character from the King Killer Chronicals and loved to see more of her world. However, during the book, I gradually started to feel more melancholic and sort of "homesick". I can’t quite describe it properly, so this is the best I can do. Auri as a person is utterly and irrepairably broken and this novella explores her way to try to live in a world that does not welcome her. It's difficult to recommend this book to anyone particular, as it is so different. If you enjoyed that strange little foreword and are willing to apporach this with an open mind: it's absolutely worth your time. If you just want a direct continuation of The Kingkiller Chronicals: skip this one and (painfully) wait for book 3.
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