Book Review The Two Towers

There is no other way for me to say this, so I am just going to be blunt and to the point – I was not impressed with The Two Towers. Maybe it’s because I am still coming down off that high that is Kingdom of Ash, but I had almost no interest in even finishing this book let alone the series.

Let me start by saying I absolutely loved The Fellowship of the Ring, it was a 5 star review for me! It felt so magical and in depth and full of character, which all felt missing in this sequel. There were no songs that made me so emotional in the first book that tears actually escaped me. There were no scenes that drew me so far into Middle Earth I didn’t know when I would emerge.

I think one of the issues I had with this book is how it was laid out. The first 51% (I listened to this book on Audible) revolved solely around Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. No mention of where or how Frodo and Sam were doing. At one point I started to question if they would even be present in this book. (Yes, I realize there is technically “two” books in this book but that is strange to me to think of it as anything but a single book). But alas the last 49% of the book suddenly shifted gears and was ALL about Frodo, Sam, and Gollum. I think the way this book was setup had me so rattled because suddenly the battle for Helm’s Deep was taking place less than halfway through the book and obviously since I am reading these books well after even the movies that is what I am comparing it to. I know I shouldn’t, but I do what I want.

Speaking of the battle for Helm’s Deep I was incredibly disappointed because it was very anti-climactic for me. Again, I am comparing this to the movie which, I feel this battle was a substantial portion of the movie and contained most of the action. In the book the battle seemed to be over almost as soon as it began, and I felt incredibly cheated by that.

Continuing with a lack of action, the second half of this book was DULLLLL. Most of the storyline was Frodo and Sam just wandering the mountains and I grew tired of it very quickly. I don’t remember it being quite so boring during the movie but that was also probably because that storyline was interspersed with the Helm’s Deep battle.

The best part of this book was the chapter about Shelob.

I am still giving The Two Towers a 3 star review because it is beautifully written, and I love the world that has been created here. This one was just a little lack luster for me, but I definitely plan on reading The Return of the King soon. Maybe someday I will reread this with the physical book and it will hold my interest more than the audio book did.