Quick-take: Glad this is the last.

Dan's Review

Do you ever watch a movie begging for it to just end? You won't abandon it because you've already invested X amount of time into it, and you would like to just know how it ends? Reading the plot on Wikipedia is one way to escape.

That is how I felt about this book. The story got more ridiculous as it progressed that I just could not believe anything that was happening.

Every plotline is absurd. Why must the king do everything himself?

Underling, "Hey, King! This person you care about was kidnapped." King, "Oh no! I guess I will abandon all my guards and attempt to rescue." Underling, "If you must go, I will go with you. " King, "No! Only I can do this, and I must go alone because of dubious reasons." Underling, "That is stupid. I will follow anyway." The King then proceeds to sneak out, abandoning all kingly duties...

Repeat for every plotline. I thought King suffered enough physical torture in the previous book. This one really hammers in the abuse. He personally abandons his army to get captured... I lost count.. I think 3 times? He escapes each one. His penalty is numerous epic beatings. Geez, the beatings this guy is enduring. It's lazy, really. How about truly harming a character he cares about?

Backtracking... I still don't understand why he has to go alone? Why does he have to personally attempt all the rescues? And of course, they all work out, even if not exactly according to plan.

Why doesn't the opposing side just kill him the many times he is caught? How hard is it to assign a couple guards to watch 24/7? I mean, he is the king, and he has a history of successful escapes. Post 10 guards around the clock and never let up. Why ever let him have a moment alone, particularly with his buddies?

Despite running into battles, why doesn't he personally kill anybody important? He will stab a few nameless soldiers, but when it comes to the big prize, he decides to just make threats, chat, and show mercy. It is always somebody else doing the final stabbing.

He calls his crazy ideas, "Just part of his character traits" And says, "He has made plenty of mistakes' '. However, I disagree. All his ideas are stupid, but they all work out amazingly, and it is all thanks to the author making the everything align perfectly for the nonsense to work. For how insanely lucky this person is, you'd think his advisors will stop doubting him, and his enemies would stop betting against him.

I cannot believe how often the correct person shows up at the perfect time or makes a last minute change-of-heart in the king's favor.

So much about this book annoys me. I only held on because it was the last. There was some entertainment buried in the bad plot, so Score: 2/5.