The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle #1) – Patrick Rothfuss

Title: The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle #1) by Patrick Rothfuss
Publishing Info: March 27, 2007 by Penguin
Source: Audible
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Find it on the web: Buy from Amazon // GoodreadsDate Completed: April 20, 2015
Related Posts: The Wise Man's Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle #2)

    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.

I had been meaning to read THE NAME OF THE WIND for quite some time and the stars aligned when an Audible deal presented itself at the exact time that I had finished another audiobook. I was really excited to start the book because I’ve been on a fantasy binge lately, I’ve heard such great things, and I’ve heard that the audio is quite fantastic!

So how did the read go? In a nutshell… I loved it. Alyssa had told me once that this is one of the characters she’s become heavily invested in and I can easily see why! Kvothe is an outstanding character with a bright personality and a bright mind, and Patrick Rothfuss does an amazing job at bringing the reader into his story. I tend to go into books blind so I picked this one up on the recommendation of others and really hadn’t researched too much what the book was about other than the fact that it was fantasy but I really loved how the book took shape. The series isn’t the Kingkiller Chronicles but the Kingkiller Chronicle — one story told over a series of books with THE NAME OF THE WIND starting off in what would be present day for the characters and most of the book taking place in Kvothe’s past, as narrated to Chronicler. I’m not always a fan of the flashback but I really liked how the Kvothe’s youth was the focus of  THE NAME OF THE WIND and I suspect we’ll get other portions of his life in subsequent books. I think it’s a great way to really get to know the character instead of just being filled in with bits about his past because his whole life really did shape him to be the person he is now.

That being said, THE NAME OF THE WIND still leaves quite a bit for the reader to guess. Yes, we have Kvothe’s history now… But how did he get to where he is now? How did he meet his current comrades? What happened to him to gain this outstanding reputation? We see bits and pieces in THE NAME OF THE WIND and — as agonizing as it is — I’m glad there are so many questions left open because it makes me that much more anxious to continue the series and it also gives the series a sense of continuity instead of being very separate parts. The past is tied into the future and the present hints at the past. It’s really very clever!

Really, the whole book is clever. Kvothe has a brilliant mind and sharp tongue and he constantly kept me wholly involved in the story at hand. It was so interesting learning about the magic system as well! There were so many things involved in what one could learn at the university and I’m sure that’s just a drop in the bucket compared to what future books will reveal. There are clever songs, carefully crafted plots, detailed settings, and really just an overall excellent layout to the overall story. I just really enjoyed how an idea was constantly used from start to finish and just when you forgot that it was also a main focus, it would pop back up again in the perfect place.

I’m so glad I read THE NAME OF THE WIND! I honestly didn’t want to stop reading and I didn’t want the book to end so I’m definitely planning on reading the next book soon! Since the book spans Kvothe’s youth and time in school, it’s also a really nice place for young adult fans to crossover into a little bit of adult fantasy as well!

“The View from Goodreads” is a featured section in my reviews that I decided to incorporate! I tend to update my Goodreads status a LOT when I read — reactions, feelings, notes — so I thought it would be fun to share the sort of “reading process”! All status updates are spoiler-free (no specific plot points will be revealed) but will contain reactions to certain pages and/or characters!

Kvothe // Character Obsessions: Learning, sympathy, family, friendship, Denna, music.
Kvothe was an amazing character. I absolutely love how he came to life and how much of his story the reader will get once the series is complete. It’s only the first book and a small portion of his life and I’m already in love. Kvothe is so clever and very smart and he was just all-around a very enjoyable character! I can’t wait to learn more about him in the subsequent books.
Denna // Character Obsessions: Self-sufficiency, music, holding back.
I had heard a lot of things about Denna even before I started the book… and not good things. I was pretty worried that I was going to get VERY annoyed with Kvothe’s obsession with Denna but thankfully it actually didn’t turn out that bad. I think maybe because I was prepared for it and she didn’t seem as bad as some other character obsessions I’ve read recently. I still wasn’t QUITE a fan of her though. She was okay and she had potential to be an interesting character but so far I’m not really enjoying the way she sort of strings Kvothe along (both intentionally and unintentionally) and the “most beautiful girl ever” thing and the “most complicated woman ever” thing is just blegh. She can be awesome and complex without being a total enigma. *shrug*

Kept Me Hooked On: One story broken up into several books. I REALLY like that this is like, Kvothe’s FULL LIFE STORY. From young to adult. I feel like I don’t see that a lot in series. Usually it’s a specific portion or a couple years and so far I’ve only seen Kvothe’s youth and I’m already super invested!
Left Me Wanting More: Answers! I mean, I’m glad we don’t get to know everything but GAHHH so many things I’m dying to know! It’s great that we will get answers, um, eventually? But I just can’t wait to get more of this series!

Addiction Rating
Buy it!

I just loved this book. I totally fell into this world and once I was finished, I just wanted more. I’ll have to binge the rest of the series (so far) soon!

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(Click the cover to see my review!)