My Opinion

[beafraidofme.livejournal.com]

 I have recently been bribed to read these book by a family friend.  In my opinion, these books are boring, and not exellently written.  The words "said" and "asked" appear entirely too often.  Gen complains often and is not what i call an exciting character.  I was bored from beginning to end.  I feel no connection to any of the characters in these books.  I have to push myself to try to finish because the bribe is something a greatly crave.

I feel that these books shouldn't be recommended. There are many other books out there that are more interesting and worth the time.

My apologies to anyone who is upset by my review, but both opinions need to be stated.

Comments

[zumie-ashlen.livejournal.com]

Well, judging by the fact that your account was just created today and you have no entries up, I'm not sure how you feel your opinion is going to be taken at all seriously. Still, you are welcome to your opinion!

[beafraidofme.livejournal.com]

i simply created this account to give you my opinion

[loquaciousquark.livejournal.com]

HAH! Sounis gets its first troll! /o/

omg we've finally made it to the big times, guys

[beafraidofme.livejournal.com]

troll?

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

I'm not offended at all... I'm just kind of wondering why you felt the need to post a negative review to a community dedicated to these books? Again, I'm not offended, just kind of confused. It seems counter-productive to tell a bunch of people who are obviously fans of the books that you would not recommend the books. I mean, we'll have to respectfully disagree. :P

[beafraidofme.livejournal.com]

i think you obsessed fans need to understand that NOT EVERYONE WILL LIKE THESE BOOKS. even though some may think other-wise

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

If you look below to the post "While She Knits" there are about a kazillion other recommendations....lol.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Hey, no one has to apologize for not liking a book, even if lots of other people like it. Reading is the darndest thing--I might hate a book I read today, or feel like it's not keeping my interest, or it just isn't striking a chord in me. And then I may reread it later and feel completely differently about it. Or not. And sometimes all my friends read something and like it and I just don't. That's how it works. There's nothing wrong with that.

Everybody brings their own experiences and expectations with them when they read a book--this huge amount of baggage that influences them so much. Thank gods there are so many books out there--something for everyone.

I hope your bribe was something really good, and that you enjoy it. :)

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

She better!

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

It's okay, guys. It's my fault. It was my recommendation. The comments are mostly directed at me and probably well deserved. I am a little rabid. And I didn't especially love a recommendation given to me from this individual, who is a sweetie. I didn't hate it, but I very odiously compared it. Sorry, all.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

No problem, tg. We're all a little *coughalotcough* rabid here.

[newbia.livejournal.com]

It was pretty brave of you to post this negative opinion here! I guess we'll just have to disagree. I wasn't crazy about the series either until the third book came out -- then I fell in love with it.

[zumie-ashlen.livejournal.com]

That's true, the first book put me off the series for a while. Viviolo had to beat me daily until I read QoA. :D

[hapaxnym.livejournal.com]

" The words "said" and "asked" appear entirely too often. "

Just out of curiosity, how do you feel about the excessive reliance on "and" and "the"?

[loquaciousquark.livejournal.com]

omg i love you

Shameless Example From the Books

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

I just now realized what this all reminds me of...remember in QoA where Gen and Eddis go to get the magus from the countryside and Eddis tells the story of Hespira and Horreon? And Gen offers to go get the Magus's history of the Invasion and they both say, "You will not?" ?

And here's the "reminds me of" part...Gen is pleased to get a rise out of them.

So let's all stop rising to the bait and get on with our lives. As in--move along people, there's nothing to see here. No need for snark or flames. Enough.

Re: Shameless Example From the Books

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Apologies again. Must go throw up now.

[mycenaeth.livejournal.com]

There really doesn't seem to be much point to this post. If you're just posting this to get back at someone for recommending the books to you, then leave the community out of it?

[crazededdisian.livejournal.com]

Of course I personally do not agree with your review, but it is perfectly alright if you think that. I do thank you for bringing a good number of we Sounisians together. Even if they're all against you. My apologies. And to my fellow Sounisians, do you guys remember the "new member test" that occasionally shows up? We could ask her to help with that!

[dannybailey.livejournal.com]

Hahaha! And from a Twilight fan. Oh this is *too* precious.

[readsintrees.livejournal.com]

Hahaha! Yes! I was waiting to see who pointed that out first. She doesn't like The Thief because there is too many "he said" lines.....so apparently she loved TWILIGHT for it's amaaaaazzzzzziiiiing writing.

"I am so in love with you because you're SOOOO gorgeous," Bella murmured, while gazing adoringly at Edward's glittery, scintillating muscles.

(That was my interpretation. The ACTUAL quote is:

"He lay perfectly still in the grass, his shirt open over his sculpted, incandescent chest, his scintillating arms bare. His glistening, pale lavender lids were shut, though of course he didn’t sleep. A perfect statue, carved in some unknown stone, smooth like marble, glittering like crystal.")

Ah, if all it took to be a good writer was access to a thesaurus and a penchant for purple prose.

[thelasteddis.livejournal.com]

Hey, looks like you've found the wrong comm - we're about Queen's Thief, the books you were talking about just now. No worries, it happens to the best of us. It looks like you're a Twilighter... I bet if you enter "twilight" into the search engine (up at the top, on the right), some good comms will show up.

[kittylevin.livejournal.com]

TLE . . . I just gots an idea. Why don't you bribe me to read the others? Hurr hurr . . . actually, I think you already have by agreeing to cosplay Poland . . . ah well . . .

[rosalui.livejournal.com]

One thing I will admit about the books is that, even though I love MWT's writing, I find her plots and characters to be better than her technical writing skill (which is still quite good, mind.)

About the constant use of "said" and "asked" - there have been several writers over the decades who have gone out of their way to use a multitude of words other than those. It often gets quite annoying, and most writing courses will warn you against falling victim to "thesaurus syndrome."

I'm not exactly sure what you would constitute as a "non boring" plot, but if adventure, angst, humor, action, Gods and Goddesses, and surprising plot twists don't do it for you, I'm not sure what will. (Twilight, apparently, judging from your icon. But if you're a fan of that series, you really shouldn't be objecting to books not being well-written. o.O)

Also, about Gen and how he complains: Yes, you would too if you spent months in prison only to be dragged out and treated like a pack animal. The boy also has more layers than an onion, so I'm interested to know why you don't find him exciting. o.O

Also, I might suggest that you're having such a bad reaction to the books simply because you're being FORCED to read them. It's a bit like hating broccoli as a kid, and then starting to like it when you're no longer having it forced upon you.

[kittylevin.livejournal.com]

I do admire the bravery it takes to post a negative opinion on a community full of fangirls. But I have to say . . . are you going to do this on the lj comm for EVERY fandom you don't personally like? What's the reason to do it here only? Is there someone specific on here who you wanted to annoy?

I'm not trying to be confrontational. I'm actually a neutral party. I joined this comm because thelasteddis is my friend, and I wanted to try to claim Sophos. (btw I claim him.)

[thelasteddis.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Note that Souji was also bribed to read the books, was also not a huge fan, and want to know what she did?

She politely said she might read the other books later, but she wasn't that into the first. Then drew me a picture of the main characters to make up for it.

/hint

[openedlocket.livejournal.com]

You are indeed welcome to voice your opinion but I just wanted to point out my own opinions to your opinions. Nothing personal, just for the sake of getting all our facts straight. And no one here can be mad at you for this, there are a few (okay so maybe a lot of) negative reviews out there and yours is the first to be actually put in this comm.

Hm, according to many of the popular fictional writers these days the words said and asked tend to become invisible since they are purposely used very often. MWT might have been trying to not disturb the reader with less used words regarding speech.

Have you just read the first book or did you read the others? In the next two books Gen matures...a lot, his complaining is actually how he hides things. He complained once when wounded in KoA just so people would stop worrying and not take him seriously.

Even if you didn't really like the books, wouldn't it be a push to say that they shouldn't be recommended? People like different kinds of books so others may actually like the series, some may not. It would be nice to have everyone give a book a try first then maybe they can decide for themselves whether or not it's a good one.

Again, I'm not taking this personally or anything. It actually makes good discussion to voice out all our opinions. I just wish you could've said something positive thing about the book...just hearing all the negative is quite depressing...this is a community of fans (who have loved the books for years) after all.

[annikah.livejournal.com]

You are certainly entitled to your opinion. To be honest, I wasn't entirely sold on the Queen's Thief books when I was first reading 'The Thief'. I enjoyed reading it, because I enjoy reading in general, but it wasn't until the end when Gen's real identity was revealed that I could say that I really liked the book. The end of 'The Thief' is just a taste of what the other two books are like. If you want intrigue, mystery, action, then definitely give the next two books a try. 'The Thief' seems to have been written for a slightly younger audience than 'Queen of Attolia' and 'King of Attolia', and they are certainly more complex (ie, 'Queen of Attolia', there are various points of view, two story lines). So, don't rule out the later books completely. Read them if you want, or don't, but do it of your own accord.

[magicsandwiches.livejournal.com]

It's nice to see some discussion! I hope you stick around, BeAfraid.

Thief took me two years to finish, but I'm really glad I stuck with it. The series is now one of my all time favorites. I'm even hosting a mini-Thiefcon today (yeah, I'm a total Thief nerd and proud of it). I guarantee that after you finish all three books (so far) you will like them much, much more. Not that you'll love them as we do, but you will feel differently than you do now.

See, these books aren't about instant gratification. That's one of my favorite things about them; you have to work for it and they really make you think. And when you're finished with them, you will think about them. Then you'll read them again. And think about them some more. If you really love them, you'll think about them a lot and say to yourself, "Dang! That Megan Whalen Turner is somethin' else!" Then you'll wish Gen was lurking in the shadows instead of that creepy Edward Cullen. HEE! Joke. I actually have no problem with Edward Cullen. I thought the first Twilight book was a lot of fun and I really liked Jacob Black.

As far as your criticisms go, Gen isn't a whiner. If he didn't enjoy it so much and if it didn't serve his purposes so well, he wouldn't do it at all. I'm glad he does, though, it's very amusing.

Also, Megan actually has quite a grip on her usage of "said" and "asked" and is very deliberate in how she places them. If you keep reading, you'll notice how she manipulates those words to make her dialogue more vivid. My personal favorite is: "Go," she said, "away." from King of Attolia. I love that line.

I guess what I'm trying to say with all of this (sorry for babbling, can you tell I'm a rabid fangirl?), is that you're not alone in the way you feel now, but if you stick with it you just might change your tune. The story is worth it and the characters are worth it. I promise.

And...I'm glad you're here. I really do hope you stay and give the whole thing a chance. More discussion would be nice, too. :)

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Thank you for being grownup and kind, magicsandwiches.

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

PLEASED WITH MYSELF IN A BITTER WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY THAT LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

*FANGIRLS RABIDLY*

oh also the rest of your post was pretty funny too XD may I metaquotes it?

[readsintrees.livejournal.com]

You know, now that I think about it, maybe she's right....maybe "The Thief" really isn't "exellently" written, as beafraidofme says. Obviously, "Twilight" is far superior.
Take, for example, the passage when Gen and the queen of Attolia meet and exchange words. She offers him a chance to save his life, by serving as her Thief. He refuses, saying that he has a sweetheart.


"You are promised to someone?" said the queen, in disbelief.
"I am, Your Majesty," I said firmly.
"And you will not break your promise?" She shook her head sadly.
"I couldn't, Your Majesty."
"Surely I am a better mistress to serve?"
"You are more beautiful, Your Majesty." The queen smiled again before I finished. "But she is more kind."
So much for discretion. The smile disappeared. You could have heard a pin drop onto the stone floor as her alabaster cheeks flushed red. No one could ever accuse the queen of Attolia of being kind.
She smiled at me again, a different, thinner smile, and inclined her head in acceptance of a point scored. I smiled back, pleased with myself in a bitter way, until she turned to the captain of her guard.
"Take him upstairs and fetch a doctor," she ordered. "We will give him opportunity to change his mind." Her red peplos swept across the back of my hand as she turned to leave, and I winced. The velvet was soft, but the embroidery scratched.



See? Look at that tripe! MWT used the word "said" twice in a row! Unbelievable! And she only used two adverbs! And there is barely enough description to get a vague grasp of what's going on. Let's rewrite this so that it's on par with Twilight:


"You are promised to someone?" inquired the majestically beautiful queen slyly, unable to believe that such a foxily handsome youth would commit himself to only one lover.
"I am, Your Majesty," I murmured, gazing up at the ravishing queen through my feathery dusky lashes.
"And you will not break your promise?" The queen shook her head sadly, her ebony hair shimmering radiantly like the wing of a raven, slithering side to side as if it were the rippling mane of a stallion sculpted from obsidian.
"I couldn't, Your Majesty."
"Surely I am a better mistress to serve?" the queen simpered coyly, her breath quickening as she imagined all the dazzlingly glorious ways that she could have this comely knave serve her. She flexed her shapely marble fingers as she envisioned sliding them over his slender shoulders, their muscles taut as a tempered steel band under his tattered tunic that was ripped perfectly to reveal the resplendently bronze skin beneath. She would willingly throw away her glorious crown and all of power that she had worked so cunningly for over the years, for a chance to lay in his scintillating arms and be his fawning damsel forever.
"You are more beautiful, Your Majesty." The queen smiled coquettishly again before I finished. "But she is more kind."
So much for discretion. The smile disappeared like a candle flame snuffed by a lover's desperately hurried breath. You could have heard a pin drop, ringing musically, onto the unwieldingly rigid stone floor as her silky alabaster cheeks flushed red as a virginal dewy rose. No one would ever accuse the magnificently splendorous queen of Attolis of being kind.
She smiled at me again, a different, thinner smile like the smile of a cunning serpent, and inclined her stately head in acceptance of a point scored. I smiled back, pleased with myself in a harshly bitter way, until she turned to the captain of her guard.
"Take him upstairs and fetch a doctor," she ordered sharply. "We will give him a chance to change his mind." Her brilliantly scarlet peplos swept gracefully across the back of my weary hand as she haughtily whirled to leave, and I winced inwardly. The velvet was marvelously soft as a newborn kittens fur, but the delicately stitched embroidery scratched like the searingly keen tips of a panthers arched claws.



See??!! See how much more fabulously beautiful "The Thief" could have been if it had been written in the gloriously awesome way that "Twilight" was written? What do you think? Maybe we should band together and rewrite the WHOLE series in such beauteous prose, and then it too can receive the same acclaim and attention as the far superior Twilight series. Hurray!

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Sounis people are the greatest, smartest people around. And clever, no doubt about that.

But let's keep comments civil, please. The young poster's comments have remained civil all along--to everyone except maybe the family friend. I don't understand her motivation to come join here and post, but let's show the same kindness we show to all members of the comm.

[magicsandwiches.livejournal.com]

I agree with checkers. Sounis people are awesome. Let's help BeAfraid to see that. :)

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

Well... You are welcome to your opinion; but like everyone else said, I really don't see your point in posting this. I've been of major fan of this books for three years, and if I believe someone I know will enjoy them, I will definitely recommned the books. I've read hundreds of books in my time and in my opinion Queen's Thief is one of the best series I've ever opened.

From the raving reviews you can read on-line and from the existents of this comm, it's obvious that a lot of other people enjoy them too. If you didn't, that's fine (I for one find Twilight too mushy for my taste), but you can't say that other people won't. So, we are still going to recommend this series to our friends and family in the hopes that they share our joy in them.

[annikah.livejournal.com]

That's the main reason my best friend waited two years before recommending the books to me. We had even lived together for a year and I had eyed the books on her shelf for their covers, but still she wouldn't say anything about them until she was certain I would like them, too. Most of us aren't so patient; we just want the whole world to love MWT as much as we do. :)

[farens.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid you really don't know what you're getting yourself into; on that note, if you want your opinion to be heard, you might try sticking to capitalization, verb agreement, and general essentials to grammatical correctness.

Thank you for your opinion, but please understand that its impact will be short-lived and futile in the end.

Cheers.

[bluestalking.livejournal.com]

Thanks, BeAfraid. You made an odd choice by posting here, but as you can see from all the newest posts to the comm, it looks like a little controversy is good for us! Some awesome conversation is coming out of your post. Hope you're holding up over there! Sounis is really very friendly, just passionate and a bit bewildered. :)