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A review by elsecallerreads
Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
4.0
For 75% of this book i thought it was going to be my favorite Realm of the Elderlings book. After loving Fitz's story so much I was curious to see how Robin Hobb handled a full cast if characters and it was absolutely masterful. After all the characters essentially being sent off in different directions last book I loved watching the chess game come together in this book.
I thought Malta had a fantastic character arc. I didn't expect to like her by the end but she was great and her growth was such a joy to watch. Paragon was my favorite character in this book though and I loved finding out more of the mystery of him. Also the set up for dragons in later books was so good.
All of these things led me to believe this was an almost perfect book. Even most of the endings were satisfactory. Except Althea's.
SPOILERS START HERE
Though I'm not normally a proponent for on screen rape I actually thought it truly solidified Kinnit as a villain because up until then you could argue that he's an anti hero. My issue is how Althea was treated afterwards.
1. Vivacia remaining loyal to Kinnit after. Althea spends 3 books doing whatever she can to get to her. It is because of Althea's assault that she is able to help Vivacia combine with Bolt. Vivacia is in Althea'a mind with her and still when Althea begs for anyone to believe her, she acts like she doesn't.
I don't even mind that Althea doesn't end up with Vivacia in the end. I feel that is part of both of their ARCs that they have grown apart. But we get no resolution between the two and I don't even think Vivacia's treatment of Althea makes sense.
2. Althea's family holds up her rapists' legacy. Kinnet gets to be remembered as this gracious king and that is largely upheld by Wintrow who acknowledges that his aunt was raped but chooses loyalty to Kinnet anyway.
3. The way for Althea to get to spend her life on a liveship with the man she loves is to spend it with the liveship that one loves her rapist unconditionally and two has now absorbed her rapist. That is just horribly unfair to Althea who has loved both of those liveships with her whole being and yet they both choose her rapist over her.
4. Paragon just taking her pain away and her being able to have sex with Bashem again was frankly just bullshit and once again felt invalidating to Althea.
So while I loved this book up until how the assault was handled I cannot get past the horrendous treatment of Althea who was raped and then gave up her dreams for a man.
I thought Malta had a fantastic character arc. I didn't expect to like her by the end but she was great and her growth was such a joy to watch. Paragon was my favorite character in this book though and I loved finding out more of the mystery of him. Also the set up for dragons in later books was so good.
All of these things led me to believe this was an almost perfect book. Even most of the endings were satisfactory. Except Althea's.
SPOILERS START HERE
Though I'm not normally a proponent for on screen rape I actually thought it truly solidified Kinnit as a villain because up until then you could argue that he's an anti hero. My issue is how Althea was treated afterwards.
1. Vivacia remaining loyal to Kinnit after. Althea spends 3 books doing whatever she can to get to her. It is because of Althea's assault that she is able to help Vivacia combine with Bolt. Vivacia is in Althea'a mind with her and still when Althea begs for anyone to believe her, she acts like she doesn't.
I don't even mind that Althea doesn't end up with Vivacia in the end. I feel that is part of both of their ARCs that they have grown apart. But we get no resolution between the two and I don't even think Vivacia's treatment of Althea makes sense.
2. Althea's family holds up her rapists' legacy. Kinnet gets to be remembered as this gracious king and that is largely upheld by Wintrow who acknowledges that his aunt was raped but chooses loyalty to Kinnet anyway.
3. The way for Althea to get to spend her life on a liveship with the man she loves is to spend it with the liveship that one loves her rapist unconditionally and two has now absorbed her rapist. That is just horribly unfair to Althea who has loved both of those liveships with her whole being and yet they both choose her rapist over her.
4. Paragon just taking her pain away and her being able to have sex with Bashem again was frankly just bullshit and once again felt invalidating to Althea.
So while I loved this book up until how the assault was handled I cannot get past the horrendous treatment of Althea who was raped and then gave up her dreams for a man.