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4.4 AVERAGE
4.4 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I suspect anyone who loves fiction knows what it feels like to live a story. And knows that some authors are better at drawing you in to their worlds than others are. Robin Hobb is a master at the art. It's been a long time since I last read a series, much less a book, that held me spellbound even while I was living outside the book. And now that I've turned the last page on the last book in the series, I find myself miserable at the knowledge that I now have to walk away.
I don't want to share many hints of the story, because in some ways, not expecting anything makes it even better...like finding gold while raking the leaves. I will say that it brought to mind the Dragonbone Chair series by Tad Williams, and I'll leave it at that. :)
I don't want to share many hints of the story, because in some ways, not expecting anything makes it even better...like finding gold while raking the leaves. I will say that it brought to mind the Dragonbone Chair series by Tad Williams, and I'll leave it at that. :)
I worried that Ms. Hobb would never bring the story to a satisfactory close or even a full arc! How could she? It was HUGE in scope! And it grew more complex every page turned. But she did it. It made a painful arc. An arc that is more shaped like a logarithmic curve with a sudden drop at the end than any nice symmetrical swoop through time. How boring are those? That being said the steep climb is richly described and ornately detailed. It maintains ones interest even as it climbs to impossible heights. It is written in a style very different from most "sword and dragon" fantasy books (at least in my limited experience). Overall, it is an interesting style or mode of story-telling. Though I do not like the powerlessness that accompanies stories being told strictly from a limited narrator's point of view. It is especially difficult when the narrator is as dense as FitzChivalry! My, that young man is dim-witted most of the time! Still, I hate to see the arc finish in many ways. Even if my only experience of it is through FitzChivalry's eyes and his telling of the tale. I've grown to like that silly young man, who is endearing to almost everyone in the series when he is not being a dolt. That is not a preponderance of the time, actually. I can see an obvious, glaring even, plot opening for Ms. Hobb to bring him back and write more of his adventures. There is an obvious need for him in the world she created. I am not sure if I will test my assumption and immediately read the new book that has both FitzChivalry and the Fool in it, read the series that has the Fool in it next prior to tackling the new book, or read something else for a while. How fast you can move on from a book is a decent test of how good a book is or at least how engrossing the world it creates is. This was a good series, as I will have quite a book hangover and need to think about this a bit more prior to moving on the next book. Ya'll enjoy your cool weather books and great reading weather, k?
adventurous
dark
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Murder
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A very absorbing well thought out story. Old fashioned fantasy but not too dated. The characters are great but the story is rather slow paced.
Oh my god I'm so bored. It's so slow. Painfully slow. So much dialogue, no actual progress. Everything happens behind the scenes and then is discussed. It's so boring. This would work better for a TV series by far.