Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - Fool's Fate

Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb

15 reviews

corcoria's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

brynalexa's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I am so lucky to be reading this long after it was published because if I thought

this was going to be the end for Fitz and the fool

I would have been devastated. I’m devastated anyway but also so happy and relieved as well. This was truly a horrendous, wonderful ride. I loved every page. I don’t think I’ve ever read 900 pages so quickly.

Content Warnings

and_so_it_goes's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous emotional slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The writing was good. I enjoyed the character work as always, especially with the hints of power-struggle between Chade and Dutiful. I liked Fitz and his complex relationship with how he runs away from his problems. I also loved the parts about

destiny and how Fitz is the one who changes things. The Fool’s crisis about his role was a good route for him. As for their parting, reading it like what was implied, they have a queerplatonic-esque bond, but still Fitz cannot have both the Fool and and Molly. And he never thinks about this when getting back with Molly, that he knows there are parts of him, key parts, she’ll never accept, just like with Nighteyes.

My main criticism of this book was the plot. I didn’t like how the

Piebald situation was thrown aside for the dragon plotline. It seemed like an odd choice, especially when the Six Duchies don’t have as much to do with dragons beyond the White Prophet’s prophecies. We are told they kill each other, and that doesn’t set them back as much as it should. Piebalds were called the Cult of the Bastard, yet nothing ever came of it.

The Pale Woman was also comically evil, and her evil monologue was just mostly about how she thought the strong should rule? The cannibalism was so over the top I couldn’t take her seriously. I could see her as a representation of a sort of colonialism, compared to the Fool’s view that humans should be checked so they don’t destroy themselves, but the dungeon-filled ice palace and stone dragon backdrop detracted from it.

My main criticism is the sheer amount of plot contrivances that led to

Fitz ending up with Molly

. The interesting question of “what would become of the family, would Fitz be like Burrich was to Patience and Chivalry?”

is just…thrown aside. None of the children feel resentment at Fitz just walking into their lives and declaring that he always loved Molly. He is warned about it, yes, but the time skips just make it so easy for them. Then 3/7 of Molly’s children end up apart of some Coterie, and Fitz just accepts that his children are still being used for the throne.

There was also a painful

lack of female characters in this. Kettricken gets left behind to do all the diplomacy and everyone seems to have so many more sons than daughters (Starling believes she’ll have a son, ESPECIALLY Elliania who had an interesting conflict set up with the matriarchal inheritance of the Out Islands only to have a son) I’ve always had critiques of the gender dynamics of this series. Fitz’s acknowledgment of Chivalry as the master of the house now made me laugh, especially given how Dutiful was treated as a stupid teenager throughout the series. Almost every character, male or female, winds up having a child.

Content Warnings

foxmulders's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

— “Beside me at the table, I was aware of the Fool making some small movement but my vision was unfocused on the room and I had no warning of his intentions until his hand settled on my wrist. His fingertips unerringly found their own faded gray fingerprints, left on my flesh so many years ago. His touch was gentle, but the sensation was an arrow in my heart. I physically spasmed, a speared fish, and then froze. The Fool ran through my veins, hot as liquor, cold as ice. For a flashing instant, we shared physical awareness. The intensity of it went beyond any joining I'd ever experienced. It was more intimate than a kiss and deeper than a knife thrust, beyond a Skill-link and beyond sexual coupling, even beyond my Wit-bond with Nighteyes. It was not a sharing, it was a becoming. Neither pain nor pleasure could encompass it. Worse, I felt myself turning and opening to it, as if it were my lover's mouth upon mine, yet I did not know if I would devour of be devoured. In another heartbeat, we would be one another, know one another more perfectly than two separate beings ever should.”

— "Fitz. I've really missed you, Don't go, Sleep here tonight. Please.”

— “"Probably not. It would not be wise." He lifted my hand and tenderly kissed the sword-callused palm of it, and then held it in both of his. It was farewell, and I knew it, and knew I could do nothing to stop it. I sat still, feeling as if I grew hollow and cold, as if Nighteyes were dying all over again. I was losing him. He was withdrawing from my life and I felt as though I were bleeding to death, my life trickling out of me. I suddenly realized how close to true that was.
"Stop!" I cried, but it was too late. He released my hand before I could snatch it back. My wrist was clean and bare. His fingerprints were gone. Somehow, he had taken them back, and our Skill-thread dangled, broken. "I have to let you go," he said in a cracked whisper. "While I can. Leave me that, Fitz. That I broke the bond. That I did not take what was not mine"

aka ive never felt more insane over a the character . i love the fool so bad .

Content Warnings

dennyiii's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

first half of the book was good but it was great towards the end

Content Warnings

acoupleofapples's review against another edition

4.0

A good end to the series but not what I wanted

Content Warnings

josiah17's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

"I'd rather be forgotten for the things people think I've done. And I'd give it all if I could forget the things I failed to do."

On one hand, I want to rate this 5 stars simply because of how many emotions this book put me through. It was a full spectrum of sensations and internal reactions. Had me sitting in silence for minutes on end, huge pits in my stomach, watering eyes, all of it. Truly so so so emotional, which is immense praise for Hobb's writing and her characters. But I can't quite overlook my grievances with the ending and part of the climax, which I have often felt are Hobb's most evident weaknesses as a writer. The climax occuring in the middle of the book with its resolution felt a little rushed and disorganized to me. And I'm very conflicted about where Fitz ends up, in addition to the whole ending (last 50 pgs probably) feeling very rushed as well and almost completely glossed over near the very end. However, it may have taken another 100 pages or so of just dialogue and interactions for me to feel differently.

"Home is people. Not a place. If you go back there after the people are gone, then all you can see is what is not there any more.”

All in all, my complaints do not heavily diminish this reading experience or the trilogy as a whole. Fool's Fate is still a great final book to a spectacular trilogy. And in the meantime, I think I'm bumping The Golden Fool to 5 stars because at least one of these books deserve that, and I believe I ultimately enjoyed that one the most.

"In that last dance of chances
I shall partner you no more.
I shall watch another turn you
As you move across the floor.

In that last dance of chances
When I bid your life goodbye
I will hope she treats you kindly.
I will hope you learn to fly.

In that last dance of chances
When I know you'll not be mine
I will let you go with longing
And the hope that you'll be fine.

In that last dance of chances
We shall know each other's minds.
We shall part with our regrets
When the tie no longer binds.”