I lied. It's actually a 4/5.

When a good novel lands in the hands of an immature writer, it often devolves into disappointing junk that you just can't seem to put down. This novel has the exact opposite problem—something you can't pick up but will stick with you.

I can feel a soul in this. The author is mature enough to understand how the human heart works and how to craft perfectly understandable and loveable characters. But the moment he turns it into ink on paper, it all falls apart.

I'm not going... more>> to sit on a high horse and pretend like there's a correct way to write, but if the average non-dialogue paragraph you write is a 5-line long exposition, something's definitely incorrect.

It also doesn't help that the language used also sounds like it's from an overly complicated children's book.

The author understands where to add details and when to add details, but definitely not how to. Reading this is a constant struggle not to go "this could have been so much better" every other line.

But, for all its flaws, as I dredged through the chapters, I did feel that the world was alive and its characters had gentle thoughtful care put into them.

Would I recommend this? No. It's a good story marred by an abhorrent reading experience. And that's not something I think most people would be able to enjoy.

But if you think you're up to the task, do give it a try. It might surprise you.

Oh, but as a sidenote, the current translators' website isn't just bad or atrocious—it's actively detrimental. Prepare yourself a good adblocker. <<less