I can't believe I didn't read this years ago.

I've heard so many differing opinions on this series. "Brilliant, but really slow." "It's really really really really slow." "So beautiful and wonderful and the perfect fantasy series." I came into this with the expectation that The Lord of the Rings might be something I'd have to force my way through and that it might be an arduous journey. I was so wrong.

This is, by far, one of the more perfect fantasy stories I've ever read. As I read, my first inclination was to think "This is a very fun and interesting and somewhat typical fantasy story." It took me a moment to realize that fantasy as we know it today was not a genre until Tolkien and that this story is what all fantasy since has been built on. Once I started thinking that, it wasn't difficult to see how the tone of the book, the setup of the story, and the fantastic world-building have influenced and built on fantasy books written since LOTR. I'm in awe. And I had so much fun reading.

This is one of the best stories I've read in ages and I'm so excited to continue this series.