The Notebook
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Spoilers: Some
TL;DR: Generally very solid, but with a few loose ends and lore that I would have liked to have some answers, or at least a little better lead going into the second book
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First, a note that this book was originally published in English as "The Written," however, I chose to read the French translation. I am not fluent in French. Good enough to read a full novel, but not quite at the level of free spirit improvising and keeping up with slang or some more difficult grammatical concepts, so it is entirely possible that some details were missed.
In the grand scheme of things, the biggest flaw is simply that the cast of characters is too small. When you're trying to weave political intrigue, but you only give one or two options for the traitor, it really deflates the Big Reveal, and the red herring was too obvious to entertain. Considering how much emphasis is put on Farden's uncle and the insanity and the scaling back of the magic, Farden himself could have been used as a red herring. Yes, he was accused and all, but the story never allowed for any doubt on the part of the reader. This could change in future books, but it feels like a missed opportunity here.
I also feel like the prestige and mystique of the Written had the rug yanked out from under it with the introduction of the Sireniens. You've got Farden who is a quadruple-tattooed Written, the most powerful living human being who is always in danger of going insane, but then you've got the Sireniens and the dragons just across the sea who eat, sleep, and breathe magic. Maybe it's different magic (again, not fluent in French), but that balloon got really deflated as well. For all that, though, the concept of the Written and magic behind them is a very cool and very balanced premise.
The overarching plot is solid enough, but it's a little dull to dismiss things as simply "old magic" or just magic from the old days when [insert magical creature] roamed the world. That's great when it's fairy tales and mythology and worldbuilding, but it felt really dry. I don't know how to describe it other than just dry. The vampire was just there. The werewolf was just there. The dark elves are just mentioned. Ancient evil spell book, summoning demons... Honestly, I was more interested in the actual murder mystery from the opener and the political intrigue. And the actual summoning of the evil creature from beyond just wasn't...interesting. Burning down the citadel was exciting and actually felt like part of the story. Summoning evil creature, side quest. And even if it was just a distraction, that makes it feel cheap. I don't know. Feels like a no-win.
It's not a bad book. For a fantasy enthusiast, it's probably great. Less so for me.
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TL;DR: Generally very solid, but with a few loose ends and lore that I would have liked to have some answers, or at least a little better lead going into the second book
