The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss (3 stars)

This is a side story to the Kingkiller chronicles, that Rothfuss actually says you may not want to read. Talk about an intriguing hook to get people to read it :)

It is in fact, one of the most unusual books I've ever read. It's pure character development for Auri, and it's amazing that it got published at all. Not because it's bad, but because most people picking it up probably won't like it. In fact, Rothfuss' account of how it came to be published is quite an interesting insight into the publishing process itself.

If you don't read it, you're not really missing out in terms of the broader series. But if you were always curious about Auri and are prepared for a down-the-rabbit-hole kind of story with lyrical 3rd-person prose, then go for it, but don't expect it to be an easy read.

Better still, the slow regard of silent things had wafted off the moisture in the air.

Auri is an obsessive compulsive vigilante repair-girl, sewer beachcomber, and monk rolled into one:

And if you were careful, if you were a proper part of things, then you could help. You mended what was cracked. You tended to the things you found askew. And you trusted that the world in turn would brush you up against the chance to eat. It was the only graceful way to move. All else was vanity and pride.

3 stars