Name of the Wind: Proof Adult Fantasy is the Best

Name of the Wind is a massive fantasy novel that has come HIGHLY recommended by you folk. I actually first heard of it when I was shopping for my bookstagram Secret Santa this past Christmas. She wanted the novel, so I looked into it a bit more and found that it was highly regarded. The real driving push I needed to read it was ALL OF YOU telling me that it was the best thing ever. Wellll I have officially read it and I can officially say I 100% agree that it was worth my time.

alternate covers here and here

Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen.

The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature.

A high-action story written with a poet's hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard.

an abnormally smart boy, a magical school, and a mysterious and dangerous people

Why you should read Name of the Wind:

1. Good adult fantasy is like the best, nearly free vacation you can take. It’s completely immersive and takes you on a good, long trip. This novel is like that. I felt like I was completely transported to our main character’s world and I wanted to STAY IN IT.

2. Because the novel is so long, you get wonderful, three-dimensional characters that you really know. I adored our MC (Kvothe), and since he narrates the story, I also loved his clever commentary. The peripheral characters are equally charming (or unlikeable) and really well hashed out.

3. There is a magic school that feels like its own thing. A lot of magic schools/universities/whatever nowadays have a sort of generic feeling, but this one absolutely feels special. The magic itself is quite unique, and the way they learn it and practice it is interesting and believable in the fantasy world Rothfuss created.

4. The love story is so, so sweet and chaste I absolutely adored it! It is a good reminder that to have love you don’t necessarily to have anything physical at all.

Why I did not give Name of the Wind 5 stars:

UGH. Guys, it ends on a massive cliffhanger. Actually, cliffhanger is the wrong word. It just seems to end?! Like the author decided, yeah this book is long enough. I’ll continue the story in another book. This is disappointing, because the series isn’t completed yet, and apparently its been ~6 years since the second book came out. This makes me think we’re NEVER getting a third one. So I just don’t know if I can commit myself to the next book in the series?

If you like fantasy, you simply need to read this novel. BUT if you can’t deal with incomplete series, then just say no. 

What’s the last good, adult fantasy novel you read? Besides this one, mine was probably A Discovery of Witches.

A.S. Thornton

A.S. Thornton has evolved from book blogger to author with a particular fondness for writing forbidden love in ancient deserts. When not writing, she’s caring for dogs and cats as a veterinarian. You’ll never find animals at the center of her writing, though, because those fictional worlds don’t have veterinarians and her literal brain can’t accept that the poor critters would be without parasite prevention. Thornton’s debut, DAUGHTER OF THE SALT KING is available wherever books are sold.