Sally's Reviews > Blood of the Fold

I was really disappointed with Blood of the Fold. I just don't really feel like much happened and don't feel like I learned anything new. The first book in this series, Wizard's First Rule, showed a lot of promise. Stone of Tears dragged a lot but picked up the end. Blood of the Fold never really got off the ground. In addition to this, Terry Goodkind's writing style is really beginning to grate on my nerves. All the villains seem to have the same character flaws in the sense that they are sexually perverse, and want to take over the world for seemingly no reason, or a reason poorly explained. All female characters wind up being raped or sexually assaulted at one point, which I find very disturbing. Goodkind has an extremely sadistic streak, which whilst in the case of the Mord Sith can be extremely creative and refreshing, after a while just becomes sadly predictable. I just get the sense that the author is getting a kick out of it, rather than using it to tell his story more effectively. I also notice contradictions in this whole passion vs. reason stuff. It's constantly reiterated that Richard needs to use his reason over his passions, but then has no control over his magic at the same time, and is guided by 'instinct'. These things are then discussed to death via internal monologue or dialogue between characters (which makes for tiresome, repetitive)... and I still find myself confused as to what exactly Goodkind is trying to say. What does he want us to use? Our brains? Or our feelings? And where does instinct stop and passion take over? All in all, I'm really struggling to make my way through the rest of the series. I was beginning to flag at Stone of Tears, but Blood of the Fold was even slower and less immersive than its predecessor. I am hoping that Temple of the Winds will recapture the mystery, suspense and excitement I felt in Wizard's First Rule, otherwise I may never learn the end of Richard and Kahlan's story.