i don't know why I'm pivoting on that 0.5 when it's clear as mud that this is the second best book i've read this year. i'm always weary of fantasy, i lack the necessary imagination and i'll be honest, the fight scenes, the constant use of cardinal directions and references to landmarks put me off and did in fact vex me here too; but they were not enough to pull me from the plot, from the characters, from the story. i've done nothing for the past 3 days but read this book, something i haven't been able to do for quite some time. what the hell is this? how does one review a book? i seem to just be typing out an entry that should be in my personal journal. whatever, the book was in principle a 5/5 but subjectivity compels me to say 4.5/5 because 5/5s are for books that i find myself thinking about years after, or the books whose last pages i read, reread and reread again. so i guess watch this space for a second entry, or whatever. what even is grammar and punctuation?