This book was reviewed in November 2013 on Goodreads.
This book was hard for me. It came highly recommended from a trusted recommender. Unfortunately, I spent the whole book vacillating between "What in THEE hell?" and bored like whoa. My "what the hell" moments weren't entertaining, edge of my seat. They were, Why are you such an untrustworthy asshat, Vin? and Why are you such a gullible tool, Perry?
This book requires a level of trust I can't imagine. Readers have to trust a first person narrator who continuously lies to us and to Perry. While Vin's stream of conscious thought patterns generally amused me, I still don't understand his motivation. Perhaps it's all a huge self-less gift. Maybe we're meant to truly believe in king love and magic.
At about 60%, I understood where the book was going. At 100%, I still have no idea why. The story of the kings is very cool. I appreciate the thought and details to it. I don't think it's truly meant to be supernatural though, and that may be part of my difficulty with the book.
I think the author is gifted with words and even at story-telling. I DON'T think I'm the right audience for this particular story. It requires letting go and trusting in a way that makes me uncomfortable. I wasn't able to connect to the characters, and I like an emotional connection. I skimmed heavily at points when the narration was dragging for me.
I do understand the appeal and the unique value of this book. It just didn't work for me.
