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remora's reviews
88 reviews
Malice by John Gwynne
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
interesting!!!! really engaging action, though its been hard to keep track of names and alliances
Assassin's Fate by Robin Hobb
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
yeahhh. pleased with how it ended, for the most part. glad it's over! i think part of my issue with this trilogy has been the lack of skill and wit in fitz' narratives. it gave him so much more personality and depth and interest that he was just. so much more annoying and flat without them. also pissed me the fuck offfffffff that nighteyes is somehow magically able to talk to him and bee. thats straight up not how the old blood works, as hobb emphasised. throughout the whole series. also not sure what her obsession with rape is. why did fitz need to experience kennit's rape? why did it need to get mentioned every other page for three chapters? there are lots of plot holes. and inconsistencies. and characters just not existing anymore. and again THIS SERIES IS SO OBSESSED WITH RETELLING ITSELF. paragraph upon paragraph of reiteration of the events of the previous books. WE READ THEM! WE KNOW! fuck off!!!!!!!!!!! and character assassinations, but i except that. you know. GLAD ITS OVER!
i dislike a lot of the way hobb writes, and her characters are as often annoying as they arent, but the world was interesting, and this wrapped things up in a mostly satisfying way. it wouldn't surprise me if there were bee books coming but i will not be reading them!
i dislike a lot of the way hobb writes, and her characters are as often annoying as they arent, but the world was interesting, and this wrapped things up in a mostly satisfying way. it wouldn't surprise me if there were bee books coming but i will not be reading them!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Death of parent
Fool's Quest by Robin Hobb
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
better than the first, but still leagues behind the other fitz books. just hard to read, to be honest. feels like hobb just doesn't know how to write fitz in a satisfying way anymore. it's frustration upon frustration upon frustration.
some v emotional and heartwarming moments though, i did get a bit teary when fitz was announced to society, and i love riddle and nettle and kettricken very much. would've liked more bee chapters!
& most of my complaints from the first book still stand.
also: robin hobb vs adding unnecessary rape scenes to her books, and then having characters describe the rapes several times. including of a 10 year old girl. also: the introduction of incest! at least 3 separate mentions - one of which being an entire society built on interbreeding. shine & lant was wholly unnecessary, and added nothing except shock factor.
also annoying that thymara is now just... idk. Anxious Mother, when her whole character arc was about not wanting to be reduced to a child-bearer.
some v emotional and heartwarming moments though, i did get a bit teary when fitz was announced to society, and i love riddle and nettle and kettricken very much. would've liked more bee chapters!
& most of my complaints from the first book still stand.
also: robin hobb vs adding unnecessary rape scenes to her books, and then having characters describe the rapes several times. including of a 10 year old girl. also: the introduction of incest! at least 3 separate mentions - one of which being an entire society built on interbreeding. shine & lant was wholly unnecessary, and added nothing except shock factor.
also annoying that thymara is now just... idk. Anxious Mother, when her whole character arc was about not wanting to be reduced to a child-bearer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Rape, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping
Moderate: Incest
Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
i wrote a very long review about all the things i disliked in this book, but i'll save you that. here's the summary. this book could have been an email
a) the worst pacing in all of the books so far. no action and no plot progression until the last 10%, which was rushed and cheap, and the characters decisions were unrealistic and out of place
b) fitz is still one of the most frustrating characters to read. he is still acting like a 15 year old, with no excuse.
c) never in my life have i read a book series so consistently obsessed with retelling itself, in the exact same phrasing, repeatedly, as if the readers are stupid and can't remember the events of the previous books.
d) despite 90% of this book being character "development" and place setting, all the new characters felt one dimensional, and the returning cast felt as though hobb had forgotten how to write them
e) the "twists" were incredibly obvious and incredibly unsubtle; as soon as the pregnancy was mentioned i guessed that it was a white prophet, and as soon as the unexpected son was introduced i guessed it was bee. and yet none of the characters talk to each other about anything meaningful so none of them are working anything out !
that being said: bee's chapters were fun, and she is very interesting, even if hobb struggles with writing children that act like children. i hope she brings it back with the last two books here, i have a small bit of faith left. yep
a) the worst pacing in all of the books so far. no action and no plot progression until the last 10%, which was rushed and cheap, and the characters decisions were unrealistic and out of place
b) fitz is still one of the most frustrating characters to read. he is still acting like a 15 year old, with no excuse.
c) never in my life have i read a book series so consistently obsessed with retelling itself, in the exact same phrasing, repeatedly, as if the readers are stupid and can't remember the events of the previous books.
d) despite 90% of this book being character "development" and place setting, all the new characters felt one dimensional, and the returning cast felt as though hobb had forgotten how to write them
e) the "twists" were incredibly obvious and incredibly unsubtle; as soon as the pregnancy was mentioned i guessed that it was a white prophet, and as soon as the unexpected son was introduced i guessed it was bee. and yet none of the characters talk to each other about anything meaningful so none of them are working anything out !
that being said: bee's chapters were fun, and she is very interesting, even if hobb struggles with writing children that act like children. i hope she brings it back with the last two books here, i have a small bit of faith left. yep
Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb
3.75
HMMMMM. yeah. pretty good. kind of didn't like that pretty much the entire ending happened off screen (off page?) but you know. not unhappy with how it ended.
but also. another rape scene with the new female character??? what a fucking joke.
hest getting eaten was nice
but also. another rape scene with the new female character??? what a fucking joke.
hest getting eaten was nice
City of Dragons (The Rain Wild Chronicles, Book 3) by Robin Hobb
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
yeah. fine.
Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
better than the first. but much of the same. frustrating narrators!!! also confused about how this is four books rather than a trilogy but i suppose i shall see
Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lots of set up and additional worldbuilding and, as always, introspection.
lots of ableism in this book, deeply uncomfortable as a disabled person with the rampant use of cripple as an insult. also beginning to think hobb just doesn't like gay people bc why are the gay ppl in this book rapists and gaslighters and manipulators.
and what is with her insistence of adding rape scenes and that her female characters get sexually assaulted???? come the fuck on.
but for all that the setting is still very good and i do want to know where it's leading me, even if i don't care for the cast of characters
lots of ableism in this book, deeply uncomfortable as a disabled person with the rampant use of cripple as an insult. also beginning to think hobb just doesn't like gay people bc why are the gay ppl in this book rapists and gaslighters and manipulators.
and what is with her insistence of adding rape scenes and that her female characters get sexually assaulted???? come the fuck on.
but for all that the setting is still very good and i do want to know where it's leading me, even if i don't care for the cast of characters
Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb
adventurous
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
good book. kind of dragged in places. got me close to tears in others. as with the other two trilogies, this book is a lot of information repeated that we already learned in previous books, that adds nothing to the story, combined with a lot of a character speaking 6 paragraphs of introspection that didn't really add much to the narrative. the homophobia is still bothering me. im a little disappointed that fitz and molly ended up together, i think it would've spoken more to his growth and character development to learn to move on after he got his memories back from girl in a dragon. but w/e
The Golden Fool by Robin Hobb
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
yeah. made me well up in a few places. i'd have rated this higher i am just so disillusioned with fantasy series throwing in homophobia for no reason. and you expect me to believe STARLING of all people would have issue with two dudes fucking? NOT TO MENTION THE ABLEISM. i flinched every time someone described or talked about thick