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errie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Trafficking, Confinement, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Bullying, Kidnapping, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Child abuse, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Police brutality
Moderate: Miscarriage, Infertility, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Classism, Drug use, Excrement, Alcohol, Abortion, Abandonment, Torture, and Sexual violence
josiah17's review
- 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
4.5
This is overall just fantastic nautical fantasy with exceptional character writing, as well as complex and entertaining family dynamics. I enjoyed almost every POV for one reason or another. Hobb writes characters that you can root for here, and some that you vehemently despise. I cannot stand Kyle and Torg. Malta really annoyed me even though I understand she's still a kid, I just hope she learns and develops as a character. And I was always rooting for Brashen, Althea, and I really came to sympathize and feel attached to Wintrow. He deserves better, but unfortunately his father is beyond awful.
The additional worldbuilding for the Realm of the Elderlings with the liveships was also very interesting and unique. The idea of a sentient ship bonded through familial blood is amazing, especially because two ships have their own POV's and we get some insight into their perspectives. I'm very curious to learn more about the Rain Wild Traders as well. The relationships they have with the Bingtown traders is interesting, and I hope the sequels explore some of the actual Rain Wild territory. And I have a suspicion about the serpents, but I still don't really know what's going on with them. They're cool though.
Even though the plot was pretty non-existent for most of the book—per usual with Hobb so far—this was surprisingly just addicting to read. The blurb on the cover says "as addictive as morphine," and that's a pretty apt metaphor for my experience. Nautical fantasy just works so well for the visual movie I have running in my brain when reading, and it seems to scratch an itch. Paired with fantastic writing and captivating character dynamics, this is an amazing read. I could see myself bumping it to 5 stars depending on how the trilogy pans out.
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Slavery, Physical abuse, and Trafficking
Moderate: Sexual violence and Sexual content
combativeroboguy's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Slavery, Classism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, and Violence
missgarceau's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Vomit, War, Excrement, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Slavery, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Bullying, Cursing, Drug use, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Blood, Kidnapping, Racism, Trafficking, Violence, Abandonment, Body horror, Misogyny, Classism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Toxic friendship
atalea's review
- 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
Graphic: Violence, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Sexism, and Slavery
Moderate: Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Abandonment, Confinement, Sexual assault, Blood, Rape, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Bullying, Excrement, Pregnancy, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Miscarriage, and Vomit
kaziaroo's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Gore, Slavery, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Trafficking, Violence, Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Murder, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Excrement, Confinement, Vomit, Sexual content, and Rape
Multiple graphic limb amputationsliteraturesciencealliance's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Spoiler filled reaction Vlog: https://youtu.be/nxMMYkK-g5I
The first 150 pages of this was painful for me to read but by the end I read 230 pages in a day and was completely invested in the story. Hobb always pulls from relatable injustices and that's what makes her works even more heart wrenching to me than others. In this one themes of patriarchy, greed and corruption are very prevalent and even in this far off world on the sea the problems these characters face feel like something that could happen to you or someone you love. I am very excited to pick up the next book in the series and see how this story pans out.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Slavery
Moderate: Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence
achingallover's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Grief, Homophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Terminal illness, Violence, and Vomit