So I really wavered about what to rate this. I enjoyed it, I really did. The writing itself was absolutely lovely. I like the setup (story being told within a story). I liked most of the characters. I like the world. I wanted to absolutely love the book, because so many people I know loved it. And I think I could have, but I had a few issues. Firstly, Kvothe was good at everything. Pretty much everything this guy did, he was amazing at it. It's irritating and makes him unrelatable, and if he hadn't been otherwise likable, I would have wanted to punch him. And the length... it didn't bother me in and of itself, but an epically long book should tell an appropriately epic story and this just didn't. It was a bunch of smaller things, that didn't add up to a big whole, because this book is just kind of the setup for the big epic story. It wouldn't work as a standalone, and to some extent, I think books in a series should be able to do that, even if they are part of a bigger story. It's not the same thing, but it almost makes me feel the same way as when I read a book that has a cliffhanger as the ending (which I f-ing hate. I don't want to feel like I'm being forced to continue a series). 
 This doesn't mean I disliked the book - I didn't. I enjoyed it immensely (especially the writing style. Have I mentioned how much I loved the writing style?). I just wish it had been a little more than the foundation for the actual story.