After finding the second book pretty lackluster I was pleased to like this one as much as I did. The messaging and theming becomes a lot sharper and lAfter finding the second book pretty lackluster I was pleased to like this one as much as I did. The messaging and theming becomes a lot sharper and less meandering in this book and it is delivered very well (also, it's rather timely). I think the strength of this book too, is that we keep basically all the same POV characters (one gets added, but is immediately with characters we already know), so everything that was already set up just gets expanded on, instead of the somewhat of a reset we got in book 2. I was unsure exactly where the plot was going, but it kept surprising me in a good way most of the time. The nobles that I was worried about being so consequential at the end of book 2 don't end up doing too much here. The main focus/conflict is basically over the soul of library. I thought the amalgamation world of maybes was a cool concept and helped bring everyone back together in interesting ways. There were a lot of good character and narrative payoff moments throughout the second half. The ending narratively/technically was kind of messy, but the emotional beats and theming stuck the landing properly so I can pretty much forgive that entirely. Lawrence's prose continues to be a high point and is one of my favorites in the genre. Overall somewhere between a good and a great book and series overall. Which also, is s pretty typical Lawrence experience for me....more
Farmland saga was indeed, peak. Great character development, themes, and execution. It goes without saying Thorfinn's development was fantastic, but sFarmland saga was indeed, peak. Great character development, themes, and execution. It goes without saying Thorfinn's development was fantastic, but several other characters have great arcs even Olmar. The climax was a great way to deliver the overall measage of the arc and I was glad to see that Canute is going to be a interesting layered character and not just descend into villainy. This arc got better and better as it went on and it fully cements Vinland Saga as "great" for me....more
Probably the best book in the series and overall the series ended up being somewhere between decent and good. I liked all the ending spots for the chaProbably the best book in the series and overall the series ended up being somewhere between decent and good. I liked all the ending spots for the characters. They all grew into their roles well, Thymara's especially was done very well. The main theme of change in this book and this series was also executed well and multi-faceted. Change is such an interesting thing to explore, it can be both exciting and hopeful, but also terrifying and wistful (Also that theme always seems to just resonate with me whenever it's pulled of well. I think I'm just a very wistful/nostalgic person at this point). I think all these tones come across well in this book. I do like how Malta and Reyn got pulled into the narrative a little more, I wish this series could have done something with Althea and maybe Wintrow, but I'm also not really sure how well they could have been incorporated. The whole bird keepers subplot in between the chapters was a nice little addition.....I think that's all I got. I still think this series just felt "lacking" in general. It just didn't have the typical "sauce" that Hobb books usually have. Everything just felt matter of fact and a little detached? At least to me. Anyways I am both excited and a little sad to move onto the final series. I've spent a lot of time in this world for the past 6 months or so and I'll be sad to leave it....more
Another solid entry. The end of the prologue was good and Askeladd is one helluva character. The transition to Farmland saga is decent so far. I do neAnother solid entry. The end of the prologue was good and Askeladd is one helluva character. The transition to Farmland saga is decent so far. I do need it to start building to something soonish. As of now it's just offering some pretty surface level commentary on slavery in general. Also all the cool extras at the end of each volume and the notes/insight from Yukimura are a really nice add-on. It elevates the books/series a bit more with them included....more
It picks up a lot about halfway through. The story starts to get more layers and purpose, and the "main" characters really start to emerge and become It picks up a lot about halfway through. The story starts to get more layers and purpose, and the "main" characters really start to emerge and become a lot more interesting. Canute and Askeladd, in particular, are very intriguing as their development continues along. Thorofinn is still...fine for now, but I'm guessing he'll remain pretty stagnate through the rest of the prologue. Thorkell works great in his role as well. I think the love vs. discrimination angle was way more thought-provoking than I would have expected in a series like this and a good flash point moment for Canute. The story leaves off in a good rising action pace for the finale of this arc....more
3.5 stars. I'll probably go back and update this later after I finish the first arc since this essentially is reviewing the first 1/3 of a book at the3.5 stars. I'll probably go back and update this later after I finish the first arc since this essentially is reviewing the first 1/3 of a book at the moment. As far as beginnings go it's...fine. Classic revenge story with the backdrop of medieval warfare. Nothing so far is especially gripping or really stands out, but its a solid enough set up so I'll see where it goes from here....more
3 stars, I guess?? I really don't know how to feel about these books. This book is by far the shortest Robin Hobb book, which I don't have a problem w3 stars, I guess?? I really don't know how to feel about these books. This book is by far the shortest Robin Hobb book, which I don't have a problem with in principle, but it just feels incomplete. The characters feel pretty stagnate, which I've never said/felt before. We are continued to be drip fed more elderling and dragon lore, which is cool, but only to am extent. The entrie last 2 chapters are just setting up stuff to happen in the next book, there are once again no climaxes or resolutions. Everything just feels flat. I'll keep going because I'm almost done with the series and the saga as a whole, but yeah, this one really does seem like it could be skipped....more
Not good, by any means, but not as bad as I have been lead to expect. As most other reviews have stated, this and book one could have stayed combined,Not good, by any means, but not as bad as I have been lead to expect. As most other reviews have stated, this and book one could have stayed combined, and the overall content been halved. This book doesn't really build on much. It's a lot of retreads from book one with some slight charactar progression and narrative progress, but not nearly enough to justify another 500 pages. At this point I can definitely see where the story is going, but I don't think this series will justify it's existence. The attachment to the characters just isn't there so the minimal plot progression of getting dragons and elderlings to a certain place for the finale just isn't going to be worth 4 books worth of exploration. This books does have a lot of romance subplots. Everyone POV character is basically a sexually repressed person dealing with something. It's not that interesting and not what I read fantasy for, but it's not nearly as prevalent as some reviews lead me to believe. It's there, but a lot of the book is mostly just Hobb indulging on drawing stuff out. My biggest issue is that they finally find the fabled city at the end, but it's not through any problem solving or cunning. They continue to wander aimlessly for the entire book until one of the characters is just like "I found it" and then they're there and it ends. Any of the other themes or concepts that are explored are half baked and a waste of time...a Lord of the Flies scenario is kinda set up, but not really explored at all and ultimately goes nowhere. I listened to the audiobook at almost max speed and it's probably why I don't have any strong negative emotions because my time didn't feel wasted, but this book really did not accomplish much of anything....more
2.5 rounding up to 3. A huge step down from Fool's Fate. It's probably the weakest book since the first. Concensus of this one was right on the money.2.5 rounding up to 3. A huge step down from Fool's Fate. It's probably the weakest book since the first. Concensus of this one was right on the money. It is very clearly not a complete book that was split in 2 and just ends with no sense of climax or resolution of any plot threads at all. Although, I will say that out of a few choice books, most of the climaxes im the entire saga have been pretty weak. I can see where the story is going and I'm intrigued enough by it, but I think this would have been stronger if at least 1, if not 2, of the Vestrit's could have been POV characters. Asking us to care about an entire new cast of characters in book 10 is a bit much. The continuing overarching story is what's keeping me going, not so much the characters. Especially when it seems like we're starting to rehash stuff with a slightly different flavor. I didn't need another awful marriage and Kyle 2.0 with Hest and Alise. Leftrein is also just kinda, whatever. Thymara and Sintara are the interesting storyline and the only one I truly feel was "necessary" to do with new characters, but we'll see where this all goes. I have heard that while this series is pretty universally agreed to be the weakest in the saga, the pieces it sets up do pay off in the final trilogy....more
This is it. This is the Robin Hobb book that I've been waiting for. Even the rather slow and cumbersome start for the first 1/3 or so, featuring a lotThis is it. This is the Robin Hobb book that I've been waiting for. Even the rather slow and cumbersome start for the first 1/3 or so, featuring a lot of inane sea traveling and Thick not liking it could not dampen this book. The rest of it, the entire second half specifically, is THAT good.
I really enjoyed the liveship trilogy, but even that was missing a bit when it came to the climaxes. Important events kind of got glossed over, and it held that series back from being truly incredible. It was very good but not quite there. Hobb finally delivers an epic climax, tying together so many narrative and emotional strings and actually shows us an epic clash between dragons and white prophets. And then it keeps going. The amount of good and bad emotional haymakers that have built since book 1 kept coming. This book truly was a ultimate capstone of everything that was built (I guess the piebald storyline kinda fizzles out now that I think about it, but whatever). The white prophet storyline/the fool in general. The dragons and their story that started taking shape in the original trilogy and continued on into Liveship. All Fitz relationships old and new finally coming to resolutions. The fool, Patience, Nettle, Molly, Burrich. So many gut wrenching moments, so many moments where I just sat their smiling, happy that Fitz was finally making up for lost time. So much was built up and paid off. The themes of loss, acceptance, change, and the passage of time hit just right. Seeing Fitz become whole and become who he was meant to be and get what he deserved was executed and resonated so well. He gets to sorta be king for a bit, or king adjacent at least. He gets the happy ending with the girl and a family. I nearly cried at the last line of the book and nearly am again just thinking about it.
I am beyond content with this book, this series, this entire saga. This vaults into one of my favorite books of all time and elevates the entire series/saga into the upper echelon for me. Thank you, Robin Hobb, for bringing this story and these characters to life. I don't see how this ending could possibly be topped, but I am eager to continue on in this realm for 7 more books....more
I don't have a whole lot to say that I already didn't say in the last book. Fitz really can't carry an engaging story on his own. Part of this is the I don't have a whole lot to say that I already didn't say in the last book. Fitz really can't carry an engaging story on his own. Part of this is the character itself and the other part is the scope whenever he is the focus is just not as wide as it could be. Releasing the Liveship trilogy and all the characters and events that encompasses to come back to this is...just tough to readjust expectations to. I still think Fitz is a good character and his relationships are all interesting. This book does a good job at exploring all those relationships with the different people he has. How they've changed over time, how he interacts with new people, etc, but it's just not really enough to make this book anything better than "ok"....more
The ending pushed this to 4 stars, but overall I really wish I just felt more about this book and this series in general. Not sure if the problem is wThe ending pushed this to 4 stars, but overall I really wish I just felt more about this book and this series in general. Not sure if the problem is with me or with the books themselves, but the connection wasn't really there. As I already stated, the ended was fantastic, especially from a technical standpoint. It's one of the most well done time loops I've seen sheerly from a narrative perspective. It also ties in the themes of fate vs personal choice/responsibility and redemption that this book specifically, and the series overall focused on, perfectly into the narrative of the ending. Lastly it also has several good emotional tie in and capstones. That last chapter truly is a marvel.
The rest of it, however, is just....fine. I mention most of this from my book 2 review so I'll be brief, but I didn't connect with the characters as much as I would have liked to outside of Caeden. I got a little closer with Davian in this book, but still not so much of the others.
A lot of stuff that happens prior to the ending also just kind of drags on. Asha's time in the doken wasn't all that interesting, it serves as kind of a training montage for her, but that's about it. Wirr's entire politicking storyline really continues to go nowhere. The country is still split, he needs to force most people with the oath stone to do things, nothing really feels like it progresses. He has the main POV and responsibility of the final battle and it's just....meh. For what the scale of this should have felt like it just felt so underwhelming. For a world ending threat it's still focused on one country, one city really, being the only defense against a couple thousand "orcs" and some forces from another country...like that's it? It doesn't feel any bigger than the battle in book 1. Honestly the battle in book 1 did feel bigger. That part of it just never scaled. Davian's time in Zvaelar was extremely narratively and thematical important in the end and, but while I was reading those sections it felt mostly like a chore. Outside of the epilogue the ending itself was kind of matter of fact too. Gassandrid's fall, in particular, was pretty anti-climatic.
I just feel like this world has a lot of interesting things in it and not enough of it was explored. I get trying to preserve the mysticism of certain things and trying to write a tight narrative, but I dunno, the whole thing just felt lacking in a sense to me. I still rated this 4 stars because of how good the ending was, but for the most part this book and the series as a whole was a 3 star read. ...more
Nice return to Fitz and the 6 Duchies, but not nearly as strong as the Liveship trilogy. I think a lot of this comes down to preference. I prefer multNice return to Fitz and the 6 Duchies, but not nearly as strong as the Liveship trilogy. I think a lot of this comes down to preference. I prefer multiple POV stories most of the time because the scope is much more expanded with what can be tackled. Additionally, I think...not that I don't like Fitz, but he's far from my favorite. The Vestrits went through some shit, but they became stronger characters because of it and ended up having "good" endings. Fitz always just gets misery heaped on him and he usually either lashes out or shuts down. The beginning of the book was a nice slice of life and nostalgic return to the characters, but it's partly spoiled by Fitz...being Fitz. This chunk takes up the first third of the book or so and the rest of it is focused on the main narrative of finding Dutiful and the growing conflict of the piebalds and wit magic in general. This is pretty straightforward and has one interesting twist, but really nothing to write home about either way. We watch Fitz grow some more and watch him get more tragedy heaped on to him, so standard Farseer stuff. I will say I'm not sure if I like the direction they took with Nighteyes. It fits the timeline and the theme for the story, but I don't know what the direction will be moving forward, and it worries me a bit.
So, fairly average Robin Hobb book. A step down from the Liveship trilogy. I hope the sequels can return to that level quality/interest....more
3.5 stars. This series has a lot of promise. It's paced well, the themes are becoming more interesting and in depth, and the "timeline mystery" aspect3.5 stars. This series has a lot of promise. It's paced well, the themes are becoming more interesting and in depth, and the "timeline mystery" aspect of it is a really good driving force. I like how the whole venerate section of this story is essentially if the Eternals were executed better.
I think it does lack in some other world building aspects. The world itself doesn't feel very lived in at all. Neverminded that we know there are other continents, the one that the story focuses on hardly feels like anything at all. We've seen a couple of cities, know the rough culture and politics around that, but there are several other countries that really just don't factor in at all. It makes me question why everything is so focused around just Andarra. If this continent was originally just one people what was the point of splitting them off into several other countries if nothing is going to be done with it? That is more of a minor quibble, but it's still a detraction for me. The threat also doesn't feel that big. Like a few hundred, maybe a thousand or so of this worlds "orcs" got out and they're treating it like a civilization ending threat. The stakes just seem a lot lower than they should be at this point? Or that like....no one actually lives on this continent at all.
The characters all feel....a little better in this book. Wirr, Torin, and Asha all feel a little more fleshed out in this book. Torin in particular has some interesting challenges and reflections he faced. Davian and Asha still feel pretty thin, but their roles are a little more defined and different now. Cadean really is the "star" of the cast. His backstory and how it unfolds is by far the best part of the book and the series so far.
As I mentioned in the beginning the series has a lot of promise and good set up with the whole timeline jumping angle, but there hasn't been much payoff yet. So my entire opinion of this series will probably hinge on if the book 3 can stick the landing or not. I'm thinking it will based on what I've heard, but timeline stuff like this feels like it can only be really good or really bad, not really any kind of in between, so here's to hoping!...more
3.5 stars rounding up to 4, because why not. I think this book did a lot of things well. Everybody's character arc ends satisfactorily and the narrati3.5 stars rounding up to 4, because why not. I think this book did a lot of things well. Everybody's character arc ends satisfactorily and the narrative itself pays off in a rewarding way. The ending is also very positive. Like everyone just gets a happy ending, which after how Assassin's Quest ended was not at all what I was expecting. I think my main issue with the book is that after all the build up from the prior 2 books and this one itself the conflict resolution to everything is just so....matter of fact? Like Kennit's downfall is very abrupt and he gets a somber and thoughtful send off that he didn't really deserve. I get that they were trying to humanize his character for what happened to him as a child, but for all the suffering he caused he gets off off way too easily. The serpents finally getting to shore after they journeyed for 3 full books happens off screen and within like 10 pages. Tintaglia is just like "alright guys let's go" and that's it. Cosco gets sort of a redemption arc and put back into power which he also doesn't deserve. The Vestrits end up swimming in good fortune between their new position to Jamalia and the treasure that is found. Which again I'm glad the ending was happy, but so much of it felt tacked on at the end haphazardly. Malta's entire storyline is pretty unnecessary, it felt very dragged out and repetitive just to ultimately get her to the big convergence point. The payoff of that convergence point is pretty mild, I know it's a character driven story, but even Assassin's quests climax felt...big. This felt like Hobb was like, well that's it, that's the end, we finally got here let's get this over with. And now here's like 6 chapters of exposition and wrap up for all the characters, ok bye, back to Fitz! Like I said I still liked this book (I think) and overall I liked this series, quite a lot more than the Farseer trilogy, but the ending and resolutions to this just felt off to me in its execution, not it's actual ending points. Anyway, excited to keep going forward and to see how I feel about revisiting Fitz again....more
It's been awhile since I've read a fantasy with the classic set up of "dark lord is returning to destroy the world, here are some POV characters with It's been awhile since I've read a fantasy with the classic set up of "dark lord is returning to destroy the world, here are some POV characters with unique and different skills and class backgrounds that will stop him". The book definitely did a good job at scratching the itch that is a basic fantasy story and premise. And it mostly delivered the main stuff I want out of a story like this. The worldbuilding is pretty solid, there are mysteries to be unraveled, our heroes are all endearing, and the story itself is interesting enough. There are a few twists that I either didn't figure out or didn't piece together until close to the end and while the base narrative is very simple in its premise of the dark lord returning, I'm not really sure where the story is directly going from the now to the end, which helped keep me invested.
All that being said, the book did leave me wanting more from it and it's not without its warts. The prose/storytelling itself is fine, nothing jarring, but also not the type of book where you're going to be highlighting passages or stopping to reflect on what was just said. The characters, while endearing are.....let's just say after reading a lot of Robin Hobb lately, the difference in characterization and development is...VAST. Which is mostly fine, this type of story works without having deeply complex characters, but they are very thin and mostly indistinguishable from each other. I also do like the world this book is setting up, but there are essentially multiple time lines, histories, threats, and sides to everything and the book doesn't do a very good job at organizing and orienting the reader to this. Maybe that's intentional for now, but I found myself having to try to recall exactly who was who a lot of times. This was also an issue with a bunch of side characters who show up for literally half a page, and then several hundred pages later they would be referenced and I was just like "who?". Another minor annoyance I have is so many of the bad guys are essentially black/shadow type things, but there are at least 3 different ones. It would have been nice to give these things so more flavor and just differences. That situation also got confusing when I was like "which shadowy type thing was associated with what again?" A lot of this probably could have been solved with a glossary, but also I shouldn't need to be resorting to look at a glossary as much as I felt like I needed too. It's not like I read this book spread out over months, I read this within 2 weeks and was having trouble trying to recall stuff from the previous day. Lastly the ending was pretty "mid" as the kids would say. The fight was hard to picture, I don't think the city, the battle plan, or the battle itself was described well. The entire fight was essentially "the bad guys are getting in and we don't know how, but they are!" But I couldn't even tell where they were getting in and why it mattered because the layout for the city/battlefield was just kind of whatever. Also the changing of the tenants didn't feel super earned. All our characters that should have been suffering under it, outside of the beginning of the book, were essentially insulated from it since the first 10% of the book, so that being overcome just felt kind of hollow.
I know a spent a lengthy paragraph critiquing the book, but overall I still enjoyed it. It's these types of stories that are the backbone of fantasy that I'm so fond of. I think there's a lot of potential here and if a few things are polished up it has a chance to be a great series, but right now it's just a good distraction....more
This is the first Robin Hobb book I've truly enjoyed. Everything prior was decent, but there were always several drawbacks and the ceiling seemed rathThis is the first Robin Hobb book I've truly enjoyed. Everything prior was decent, but there were always several drawbacks and the ceiling seemed rather limited. I actually enjoyed reading this entire book, when I wasn't reading it I was eager to get back into it. The character growth has taken full swing in this book and I'm invested, interested, and for the first time ever, LIKE all the POV characters. It's amazing what giving them interesting things to do with certain levels of stakes and having them not be put in consistently awful situations does for ones enjoyment. Not to mention most of them are getting a long with a lot of the their friends, crew mates, and family, which also helps tremendously. Hobb's characterization before was always good, but it was almost always negated or at the very least came with a drawback of everyone being in awful situations or just bickering with everyone around them. Now we get the great characterization with a much more balanced level of misery. The overall world building is becoming more and more interesting as more layers of the elderlings, dragons, and the old civilization are coming into focus. It builds upon everything we've learned in the first trilogy and deftly adds upon it. More things are becoming intertwined and pieces are falling into place into place. I'm very excited to continue on with Ship of Destiny, I have a feeling this trilogy may end up being one of my favorite reads in awhile....well I just finished Dandelion Dynasty, so that's not true, but before those 2 series I had been stuck in a bit of a "going through the motions" rut of fantasy reading and I've certainly broken out of it at this point....more
I'm hoping this series improves, but I think its ceiling is a fun turn your brain off tropey read. The character development, lore, and world buildingI'm hoping this series improves, but I think its ceiling is a fun turn your brain off tropey read. The character development, lore, and world building are minimal. The action is very frequent, but unfortunately really not all that interesting. I'll probably finish the series just because I own it and they're quick reads, but its been very meh.
Merged review:
I'm hoping this series improves, but I think its ceiling is a fun turn your brain off tropey read. The character development, lore, and world building are minimal. The action is very frequent, but unfortunately really not all that interesting. I'll probably finish the series just because I own it and they're quick reads, but its been very meh....more
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