*** warning: very minor non-specific spoilers to follow***

It's not really that uncommon for me to put a book down and just not pick it up again. Usually it's out of boredom or sometimes disgust. Generally it's because the characters do things I disagree with, or maybe that something is too unbelievable. Far more often it's the boredom thing.

I can't remember ever having rage-quit a book before this one.

Okay, in a series as bloody and full of depravity as this one, I should hardly have been surprised when the author kills off one of my favorite characters toward the end, but in this case it caught me totally by surprise. And it was getting late. And I did have about a hundred pages left.

But boy was I pissed.

There was no question whether I'd finish it out. But for at least 50 pages, I was NOT enjoying it. The author had lost all my respect.

Then it gets redeemed. And I don't know how to feel about it. I mean, on one hand, it ended "well" (certainly a relative term here, as the death toll in this book was likely in the billions), but on the other hand, I can't help but feel like the author's emotional roller coaster was the equivalent of a dog trainer who beats the animal and then gives it treats and tells it he loves it.

(Yes, I feel like an abused dog after reading this book.)

It was well written though. From a lyrical and prose perspective especially. The plot twists (and there were many) felt a bit off to me, but I mostly couldn't see them coming, so... win?

I'd probably only recommend this with a boat-load of caveats, but I did really enjoy it. And I'll probably read the next one.