sohva's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
magglett's review against another edition
emotional
medium-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
3.0
hatsworth's review against another edition
3.0
A gorgeous little story about two generations of Farseer rulers. The narrator did have a penchant for repeatedly writing down what other's said or what might have been said then reassuring us she was writing truthfully. I think this was too repetitive for the short-length of the story.
However, the writing is beautiful and the little slice of the Farseer story was interesting enough for me to finish the story in two sittings.
However, the writing is beautiful and the little slice of the Farseer story was interesting enough for me to finish the story in two sittings.
jess_eats_books's review against another edition
5.0
A heartbreaking and gorgeous Elderlings novella, absolutely a delight to read.
mvanhaas's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
sebastiansbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars out of 5
This is my first review on Goodreads, wow! Anyways, I'm slowly going through Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings, and I've read both The Farseer Trilogy and The Liveship Traders Trilogy, and loved both of them. However, before moving to The Tawny Man Trilogy, I read the prequel novella, The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince. And how did it go?
Ehh...I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either.
I'm somewhat in the middle of the road in terms of my opinion of this novella. I feel that this would've been a neat prequel novel, but it feels kinda rushed because it isn't. I really liked the storyline, but I felt it would've benefited from 100-200 more pages. If you like Robin Hobb, you might like this novella, but I'd recommend reading The Farseer Trilogy instead as an introduction to her works.
-- Sebastian C
This is my first review on Goodreads, wow! Anyways, I'm slowly going through Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings, and I've read both The Farseer Trilogy and The Liveship Traders Trilogy, and loved both of them. However, before moving to The Tawny Man Trilogy, I read the prequel novella, The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince. And how did it go?
Ehh...I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either.
I'm somewhat in the middle of the road in terms of my opinion of this novella. I feel that this would've been a neat prequel novel, but it feels kinda rushed because it isn't. I really liked the storyline, but I felt it would've benefited from 100-200 more pages. If you like Robin Hobb, you might like this novella, but I'd recommend reading The Farseer Trilogy instead as an introduction to her works.
-- Sebastian C
greenstrider's review against another edition
5.0
An amazing novella by Robin Hobb that showcases what makes her writing really special: the characterisation. The characters really shine in this book, and even ones that don't have that much page time have realistic motivations and characterisations, and don't even get me started on the main characters whose unique personalities shone from the pages. In just over 150 pages Robin Hobb made me adore the narrator of the story, and in just over 50 made me sympathise and deeply root for other main characters.
Not only the characterisation, but as a long term fan of the Realm of the Elderlings, this gave a fascinating look into the history of the Six Duchies, especially in relation to
Overall, this novella has a quiet and unpretentious beauty to it that marks it, not only as one of my favourite Robin Hobb works, but also in most of the fantasy that I have read.
Not only the characterisation, but as a long term fan of the Realm of the Elderlings, this gave a fascinating look into the history of the Six Duchies, especially in relation to
Spoiler
the wit blood in the Farseer line and Motley in the latest seriesOverall, this novella has a quiet and unpretentious beauty to it that marks it, not only as one of my favourite Robin Hobb works, but also in most of the fantasy that I have read.
georgia_brown's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
fox_books's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
yak_attak's review against another edition
4.0
A great little story filling in some gaps in the Realm of the Elderlings lore - brilliantly told as always by Hobb, she has just a fantastic sense of character that comes across so well in her first person style. The only thing to wake away here is just... I could really stand for this to be longer. Much longer.