Does it live up to the hype?

Based on glowing reviews all over book tok I expected to love this book. I do like it, but it came with some issues.

– With where the story leaves off and the level of complexity of the world building it feels more like a prequel or a spinoff than a standalone novel.
– Surprisingly small in scope. Outside a few flashbacks, the entire story takes place in a small village. Not quite the epic fantasy that it is often described as.
– I love a twist that changes the direction of the story, but the new direction should be more interesting than before. The story promised in the first half is more interesting than the story that we got.
– Speaking of world building, the story is often interrupted by a paragraph of context in unnecessary detail that sometimes doesn’t add anything to the story. The pacing suffers.
– I was not a fan of the narrator. His voice does not carry the epic tone that the story often requires. I think this took away some of my enjoyment.

All that said, this book is worth a read. Just expect a domestic tale with a fantasy setting.