First: If you enjoy a clever, well-written fantasy with awesome characters & about 14 different layers to it and have not already done so, you must go back & read The Name of the Wind & The Wise Man's Fear (though Book 3 is not yet out & there is no word yet on when it will arrive). This book takes one of the lesser characters from that series, Auri, & gives us a deeper look at her life & world in a typical week. I suppose you could read it if you haven't read the first two Kingkiller books; there are just parts that won't make a lot of sense.
At ~150 pages & fairly large type, it's not a very long book, but the language is surprisingly dense and not surprisingly poetic; between that & the subtlety of the story (if you can call it a story?), you do have to read carefully and with intention & I found myself more than once going word-by-word over certain paragraphs again because I was not 100% convinced I'd picked it all up on the first read.
As Pat explains in the forward, this story doesn't have most of the features that stories are typically "supposed" to have (plot, conflict, dialogue, etc.), but it is a lovely little character study cut from beautiful language, and if you're enjoying the Kingkiller books so far, you will probably find it to be a nice read & refreshingly different.
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