Review: The Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien

So I'm going to do something a bit different with this review. I suppose technically these will be more bite-sized than full on regular reviews, but it's been so long since I read them that I forget a lot of the particulars. I listened to the audiobooks as well, so that doesn't help my memory either. I do remember really enjoying all three books though! And I remember all the FEELS I had once I finished. Bear with me as I try to put words around my love for this wonderful trilogy...okay? :)

{Check out Jamie's discussion posts of this series (here, here, and here), as well as Hamlette's read-along. Because these two ladies single-handedly convinced me that I needed to read this series ASAP!}

The Fellowship of the Ring
The friendships are my absolute favorite part of this series! I knew coming into book one, having already seen the movies, that I was going to love Sam. But I did not realize all the other hobbits were going to make me love them too! As well as Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn, and Gandalf. Even Boromir! I wasn't so sure about him, but he grew on me. I love this whole world that Tolkien has created, but his characters are what kept me reading. The epic scale of this adventure for Frodo, which begins so quietly, builds and builds as the book progresses. What you think of as a pretty simple task (although you realize it is anything but simple) soon becomes life threatening and perilous. And each character's reasons for making their choices is so fascinating. I admit I was surprised at how long it took for the fellowship to actually come together, but I didn't mind it. Tolkien clearly loves his descriptions and we get complete visuals of each place that gets visited, as well as the myriad of characters (both good and bad) that we meet. I loved that each main character gets described slowly and lingeringly, and my impressions of them changed a lot because it takes time to truly get to know each one and their motivations. Definitely an excellent read and I was very glad to be able to dive into book two pretty quick after finishing this one! :)

The Two Towers

Okay first off? Shelob = just NO. I will absolutely admit to skimming that part really, really quickly! And as always, Sam continues to show his awesomeness. All the hobbits do actually! There was so much I'd forgotten from the movies (probably things that were even changed as well), so I kept being surprised with how things happened, when, and with who. I didn't like Frodo and Sam going off on their own, even though I understood it. I'm glad Sam convinced Frodo to let him come! Frodo can make some really dumb decisions sometimes, just sayin', so it's a good thing Sam was there! And I was sad that Pippen and Merry got separated as well. But the Ents? The Ents are awesome! And I loved how Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli determined to go rescue Pippen and Merry. The friendship between those three is so wonderful, especially Legolas and Gimli, who have the biggest prejudices against each other to get over. They added so many funny moments, which just made me love them more! :) The hobbits continue to prove how phenomenal they are, and how everybody keeps underestimating them, which they should totally not do! And once again, I am in awe of how Tolkien manages to create all these separate stories going on for the One Big Cause and bring them all together, even while the characters themselves may be separated. Seriously! The epicness of this series continues to amaze me! But that cliffhanger? So not nice! At all.

The Return of the King
So many things happen in this one! Well, I suppose that's true for all three books, but still. There's so much going on and I don't see how Tolkien keeps track of everything and never lets the reader get confused! He's a master storyteller for sure. Once again, the characters are all such a mix of good and bad (or at least they sometimes make wrong choices, even if they're not inherently bad) and they each make me love them for differing reasons. I mean, Eowyn! And Sam! And Pippen! And Merry! And Aragorn! And Legolas! And Gimli! And Faramir! And everybody! My list could go on, but suffice it to say I love these characters. But my absolute favorites? Are the hobbits. Their loyalty in friendship, their fierceness in battle, their courage no matter the odds stacked against them, I ended this series with a heart that belonged to the hobbits. I feel like this is one giant of a story all about teaching the people of Middle Earth just how amazing the hobbits are. And how everybody needs to seriously stop underestimating them! Because they are awesome, okay?! :) I was not expecting the final battle at the end of the book, but it made sense once I thought about it. And I loved that once again, the hobbits proved how smart they are. I will admit that Frodo frustrated me several times during this series, but I still like him overall. He was just really blessed with an incredible friend in Sam and I surely wish he'd figured that out a whole lot sooner than he did. I could try and express how epic and awesome this book (and entire series) is, but I could never do it justice, so I'll stop here. But trust me, if you haven't read this, then please do. Because these characters and their journey of heroism and friendship is so worth reading. It inspired me and I aim to revisit this adventure again someday. Maybe several times as it's definitely worth a reread or ten! :)