A review by josiah17
The Mad Ship by Robin Hobb

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

5.0

Hobb's writing is finally really clicking with me in this trilogy and I'm very glad. I love how atmospheric her writing is and how it conveys such wonder and magic. Especially when our characters are on liveships. 

Speaking of characters, I enjoyed more of the cast this time around in comparison to book one. I loved Althea and Wintrow again, but I started to find Kennit's development really compelling and enjoyable, as well as Etta. Malta was continuously annoying initially, but she might be coming around too based on the last 15% of this book.

Ultimately I think I'm enjoying this series immensely mostly due to the character interactions and seafaring, and how it's all tied together and grounded by such fabulous prose. I love me some good nautical fantasy, and family drama has never been so addicting. 

(I also liked this book more than the first thanks to the limited page time for Kyle)

"Half the evil in this world occurs while decent people stand by and do nothing wrong. It's not enough to refrain from evil, Trell. People have to attempt to do right, even if they believe they cannot succeed."
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