Reviews with content warning for Adult/minor relationship - Mad Ship

The last time I picked this series up was about ten years ago, and I can't even remember if I finished this one. I found the middle chunk of it so slow paced it was insurmountable.

This time, I deliberately relaxed through it and took it chapter by chapter, relishing the thoughtful characterisation and trying to pick up on those hints at the great mystery of this series that Hobb is so good at threading through her books. It was so much easier, and reading this with the eyes of an adult certainly tinted many parts with different colours- particularly parts to do with Malta.

As usual, no matter how the pace dawdles through 85% of the book, Hobb sure does body slam you right at the end. I'm hoping the final Liveship Traders novel is complete chaos, because I have only the tiniest clue where this is going.

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cossty's review

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adventurous tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Overall, I found “Mad Ship” to be an engaging and well-written. However, there are two aspects of the storytelling that gave me pause - specifically, the way pedophilia is portrayed and a harmful trope surrounding sexual assault.

Firstly, the romantic relationship between a young teenage girl (13) and a much older man (22ish) felt uncomfortable and left a bad taste in my mouth. While the author intended to make the male character relatable or likeable, his interest in such a significantly younger partner raises red flags. Furthermore, the possibility of marriage between these two individuals only serves to further normalize this behavior. It's essential to acknowledge that this type of dynamic can be particularly damaging and unsafe for the minor involved.

Regarding the second issue, the book employs the troublesome trope where a female protagonist must suffer from sexual violence to undergo some form of transformation. This arc suggests that trauma is necessary for women to find their inner strength or discover themselves. Not only is this narrative dangerous and misguided; it also perpetuates harmful myths about the impact of sexual assault on survivors. The idea that trauma has any redeeming qualities should be carefully examined and avoided in fiction.

Despite these concerns, the rest of the book is impressive and enjoyable to read. The plot structure, character development, and world building all showcase exceptional skill on behalf of the author. Had these problematic elements been addressed or handled differently, I might have given the book a full five-star rating. Nevertheless, it's crucial to critically evaluate our entertainment choices and encourage creators to prioritize responsible storytelling that avoids normalizing harmful behaviors or tropes. In short, while “Mad Ship” has its flaws, it still offers thought-provoking content worth exploring – just be prepared to critically examine these questionable aspects alongside the more praiseworthy features.

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mvanhaas's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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genny's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense 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

5.0

Guhhh.This was just excellent. The full truth about the dragons was slowly unveiled throughout the story; I already understood some of the links from the last book but everything came to light here (The Ringsgold chapter was masterful!). A+ character development, as expected...

Malta. Never have I felt the urge to slap a child as strongly as when I read her POV - but that somehow changed and now all I want is to protect her. I actually feel bad for wishing she would learn a lesson. What?! 😆 I suspect I'll grow infinitely more fond of her in the next book.
Out of all the "people" to be mad at, I found myself annoyed at Vivacia. And then eventually at Wintrow as well, because I hate that they're
siding with Kennit. I understand why, but I still hate it.
Props to Hobb for making me accept a character's motivations even though I disagree with them.
I love all of the Vestrits, but I especially love Keffria and Ronica's brand of quiet yet unwavering resolve. This, after being so irritated by Keffria's naivety in Ship of Magic. Haha.

There's more but I don't want to turn this into an essay on every character. Suffice to say that I love reading about them all (though I can't get over the ickiness of Reyn and Malta's age gap). I'm already sad that there's just one book left - these characters have imprinted themselves onto my heart. And they're not the only good thing about the book! There's worldbuilding, atmosphere, plot threads sewn together flawlessly. 🥰 It's a long read, but not one page was wasted IMO!

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podanotherjessi's review against another edition

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adventurous dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I literally wrote an essay about this book to send to the friends I read it with, so let me parse that down to a spoiler-free review...

The pacing drags in the middle of this book, but the ending makes up for it some.
The characters are fantasic. They're all comples, and they go through such amazing growth. I've seen some of the best character arcs in this series, and there's still one more book to go.
There are wonderful themes in this book that are fun to explore and think about. Slavery is handeled from many angles in a complex way. Identity is a constant struggle, and there's a lot of elements about control in different ways.
I really loved this book, and if it hadn't been so slow, it would be rated higher. Can't wait to finish the trilogy!

Characters: 10
Plot: 7
Setting: 9
General appeal: 8
Writing style: 9
Originality: 9
Ending: 8

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aseaoftomes's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense 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? Yes

May 2021 reread

For those of you who don't know me, the Realm of the Elderlings (RotE) is a series that means everything to me. It's impossible to review something I love and adore as much as I do. Anything I say about this book won't encapsulate the overall feeling and story, so I'm not going to do my normal routine (fully).

This is the second book in the Liveship Traders trilogy and the fifth book in the overall RotE series and we continue to follow several characters, mostly from the same family (the Vestrits) with a few exceptions. This takes place in another part of the world - primarily Bingtown and we also get an added Rain Wild portion. As with the first book, it's full of feminism, pirates, dysfunctional families, political intrigue of a different kind than we had with Fitz and complex relationships of all kinds.

Every element I normally do in my breakdowns (writing, plot, characters and world building) is just phenomenal. Hobb's characters and world building in particular are some of the best I've read. It's not a simple act of reading these books, you live them.

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