I recently read The narrow road between desires and god it was so good!!
If you didn't know this about me, I read The kingkiller chronicle about three years ago and I really like these books. And even if the third book hasn't come out yet, having this novella about Bast (my second favourite character because Auri has a special place in my heart) is a really fun treat.
I've loved Bast since he first appeared in The name of the wind because I really liked his playful personality and how he cared so much about Kvothe. I also really like fae, so that was an extra cool thing about his character.
Now, this book was awesome. I really needed to read something that was still in the fantasy genre but didn't have a lot of action or a really complicated plot. And even if this book had some parts that I didn't understand that well, it was just what I needed. There's something really fun about accompanying Bast in a day in his life. It was also really cool that the specific date when the story happens is the summer solstice, the exact same day when I read it! It's really nice getting to know characters seeing their daily lives, and I think this book helped me understan Bast a little bit better.
And also, there were a lot of fun surprises! I definitely wasn't expecting to see queer characters in this story, specially because there weren't many in the other books (I actually can't think of any right now). As a queer person myself I really liked seeing that the main character plus some other background characters were part of the lgbtq+ community. It's really nice seeing an author's evolution portraying these kinds of topics.
I had a really great time reading this book. I think Bast's interactions with the children were really sweet and interesting, he seems to really care about them, including Rike, even though he was still mad at him. And I also liked his conversations with Kvothe! They also helped understand how their relationship as mentor/ studen goes beyond that, they kinda look like a family. Oh, and the illustrations were some of the most beautifull ones I've ever seen in a book, they also fit so well with the aesthetic of the story.
I'd love to read The Doors of Stone one day, because Rothfuss' narration is trully magical. The kingkiller chronicle is a really good series (even if there are some parts of the story that I don't really like as much), and it would be a shame to never see its ending. I understand that Rothfuss feels overwhelmed because the first books have left very high standards and he's scared the last one won't be as good, but I really think we'll all love it as much as the rest.
In conclusion, Bast is a bisexual icon, books with illustrations are my weaknesses and I still have a massive hyperfixation on tkkc. And more seriously, I really recommend this book to anyone who loves these books as much as I do and hasn't had the opportunity to read it yet!
