Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Ship of Magic

Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb

32 reviews

nealveverything's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Content Warnings

smokingchagga's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I stopped reading this book after looking up what event the hard trigger warning for book 3 of the trilogy was for. I don't mind having spoiled it for myself but I had to think long and hard if I was willing to read that. Needless to say, I couldn't stop thinking about this series and had to continue.

Note: sexual violence is a major thing in this particular series. The threat of it is quite heavy and it can absolutely be a deal breaker for someone who is sensitive to it. There were also a few instances where an assault or the direct aftermath of one was explicitly shown.

Content Warnings

hoppyread's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Had to look up the ship and sailing terminology when the context wasn’t enough to figure out what things meant. Also there was so much suffering. But still a great story and there were many characters to root for. Looking forward to reading the next one.

Content Warnings

atalea's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

nostoat's review against another edition

Go to review page

DNF'd for now because the controlling abusive character got too physically abusive to children for my current tolerance.

Content Warnings

moth_mcgangis's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Going off of the blurb on the back of the book and the first few reviews, I expected this to be a lighthearted pirate romp. Oh how naïve I was.

Ship of Magic is a sadistic sad-fest of a novel, and as much as I adored Hobb's prose, character development, and vivid descriptions, I don't feel like I can justify rating this book any higher because of that. The author starts by showing you an array of likable characters, then spends the rest of the book putting them through hell again and again and again and again and again.

No good deed goes unpunished in this novel. The likeable characters are beaten and forced to submit while the worst, most hateable characters always get their way. After the first quarter of the book, this pattern is frustrating. Halfway through it is tiresome. And three-quarters of the way I was starved for any sense of justice for the characters I had grown to care for so much, but I never really got it in a justifiably satisfying way. 800 pages is a long time to go without seeing anything good happen to the characters you love, and I just came out of it feeling depressed.

But as much psychological distress as this book caused me... goddammit, I can't possibly rate it lower because all of the characters are so compelling and my desire to see things work out for them (or for some, to see them held responsible for their actions) is overwhelming. Not to mention it is the first book I've read in recent memory to make me cry (poor Paragon...) I will definitely be reading the other two at some point, but not for a while.

In summary, if you are up for a sad novel with infuriating antagonists and very little hope, you will probably love this book. But if you are expecting something cozy and fun like I was, look elsewhere, or you will get strung along on a ride of beautifully written, but seemingly endless misery.

EDIT:

I HAVE DISCOVERD THAT YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO READ THIS BEFORE READING THE FARSEER TRILOGY. DON'T DO WHAT I DID! READ FARSEER FIRST!

Content Warnings

readwithbells's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I give this a tentative four stars. I love (and hate) the characters of this book, I am incredibly invested in their lives and relationships. Hobb transitions well into the third person POV and the world she creates is expansive and devastating and real. I don’t think I have ever viciously hated a character as much as I hate Kyle. The depiction of domestic violence is difficult but well done, as is the depiction of how women slowly lose their power in an oppressive place. It reads like a punch in the gut, hard to escape into so be aware of that going into it, but it’s a good story.

That being said. A primary focus of this book is slavery, specifically the slave trade on ships. While I do think Hobb did her research and had good intentions, I also take issue with a white woman writing so extensively on slavery. It’s just a little icky?? And very hard for me to put into words. I think this book would have been just as good, if not better, without slavery as a plot device. I think it’s done tastefully, truly. But it gives me the ick and that’s a real bummer because I want to love these books and I am weirdly conflicted in my feelings for them. These are older books and I can acknowledge that Hobb was likely bringing attention to something not a lot of other authors were talking about, but at the same time it gives me an uncomfortable feeling. So.

Content Warnings