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Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death
Moderate: Violence, Abandonment
Minor: Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, War
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Excrement, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury
three stars because it’s very much a set up book, but the promise of the story it teased throughout is very exciting + intriguing! will be reading on when time (my library hold) permits 🫡
the exposition dragged, yes, but I do believe it’s worthwhile world-building that has already, and will continue to, pay off in future installments. also (?) surprisingly heartfelt!! shocked + upset to find myself crying over characters I didn’t think I’d connected to (silly me).
and YES im reading queer subtext into it <333
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, Gaslighting
Not everything was a problem to be resolved in this story, which leaves a lot of scope for the future. Clearly, some things are left as origin story and will be threads that can be woven into upcoming chapters. I think the only thing that could seriously turn someone off a story like this is if you hate magic and dogs. I did find it hard to invest energy in the relationships that Fitz has with his dogs, because I could see them being used against me (he reader) to twist some kind of John Wick narrative. I do like that things were internally consistent, and that each character had their own knowledge and motivations.
I LOVE it when I am presented with a simple puzzle, with hints along the way. There are many little revelations that unfold through this story as it is one of espionage, power plays, and secrets.. but also of arcane knowledge, misunderstandings and true affection between people. The relationships carry the story and make it feel less clunky; less a war game and more like a conversation.
I'm looking forward to exploring the world building and the people we meet along the way.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity, Pregnancy
Minor: Animal cruelty, Excrement, Vomit, War
I'm not sure yet if I'll be continuing my read as I did struggle a bit with the book. The first person narration and the audiobook performance were obstacles to my enjoyment of the book, which is wholly a personal thing and not on Hobb. Given the nature of Hobb's writing, it was at times difficult to keep track of characters and motivations. I found that characters would reach conclusions that would go unexplained, so this is a book that rewards full attention. I just found that mine wasn't always there.
The high points of this book, however, were incredibly exciting. While I think I'll take a break before commiting to more of the series, I hope to chase those same highs again.
Graphic: Animal death, Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Abandonment
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Abandonment, Alcohol
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Violence, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death of parent, Abandonment, War, Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation
Minor: Biphobia, Body shaming, Child death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Slavery, Vomit, Kidnapping, Stalking
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Violence
Moderate: Violence