Reviews

I know people have claimed this is one of the weaker books but I absolutely loved it! Robin Hobb creates such unique and wonderful characters and worlds.

akemichan's review against another edition

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3.0

E' il primo libro della Hobb che mi delude.
Ovviamente, delusione non è la parola giusta perché questo non è un brutto libro; ho soprattutto apprezzato l'idea di mettere assieme questo gruppo di persone disomogenee e dimostrare i contrasti che si formano.
E' solo che, rispetto agli altri libri della Hobb, mi sono sentita meno presa, non ho avuto lo stesso entusiasmo verso i personaggi, non li ho amati tanto come nelle saghe dell'Assassino né sono così interessata al loro sviluppo come nella saga di Borgomago.
In più, non è nemmeno un libro concluso, mi è apparso più come un lungo prologo.

dylanblok's review against another edition

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The pacing in this book is an improvement compared to the rest of the Realm of the Elderlings so far, but outside of that nothing else is really operating at the same level. I've enjoyed returning to the world & concerns of the story of the Liveship Traders, but the excitement of the story and the depth of the characters from those books is largely missing here. Still, Hobb does not need to be working at the height of her powers to make a good book, and that's what this is.

cortneyl1985's review against another edition

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adventurous sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

emmabussolotta's review against another edition

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5.0

This book feels objectively bad. In comparison to the lushness of the NINE prior books in this series, Dragon Keeper feels…flat? Unmotivated? Kind of weird? It is hard to describe. There is no action in this book. I mean NONE. Not one fight sequence, just a few tense moments.

Similarly, this book feels a little YA? I know some people classify the Farseer Trilogy as YA butttt I don’t. Dragon Keeper feels like it was aimed at a younger audience, with a fast and formulaic plot. There’s not even an objective antagonist. I think Hest is as close at it gets and he’s not very relevant! It was also heavy heavy romance which I love, but I understand that most fantasy readers are not here for that.

ALSO: EREK AND DETOZI??? WHAT WAS GOING ON? I thought their letters were so funny. So gay. So irrelevant. Robin Hobb you are so funny.

This book ended SOO abruptly. I flipped the page and was SHOCKED to see that it just?? Was over?? It was like when a person stopped speaking mid sentence?

BUTTTT. I enjoyed this! Honestly. I ate it up in like 3 sittings ~~over the course of a week and a half haha I hate college~~

AND: Rapskal. Neurodivergent-coded characters…..I love you. AND Alise/Leftrin…LOVE LOVE LOVE!

kolymaarasto's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

bookpenguin's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced

4.0

jenndaniells's review against another edition

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4.0

I relished this book. This book has the right amount of dragons, misfits, romance, character development, lore, and action. I freaking looooooooved this novel. I knew I would finish the book by the end of the night, so I promptly took a visit to the nearest bookstore to grab the next two novels (the fourth will come by mail). I liked her Farseer series, but I found the main character to be quite annoying - and I also found it to be a little awful by the second book. I was skeptical about this novel after I had these feelings, but it proved worthy of my reading only a few pages in. I think it's because I really wanted to read about dragons / lore, and this book gave me it.

I loved the characters. She did a great job at villains, and the character development was phenomenal. I think that I prefer her writing when she has a plethora of different views to work with. It enhances/ enriches the plot. The plot was amazing! No spoilers - but I did not see some of it coming! I was so awestruck by certain things (she's great at subtle hints - too good? Hm...), and for me to be shocked - lets just say it takes a lot. I was quite impressed. Reading reviews, I'm kinda shocked as to why this is deemed the "lesser" of the other novels. I think it is one of her stronger novels, but I do not have too much to go by. The comedy was also something that I enjoyed as well. It's just so perfect. She is such an amazing writer.

I gave this book 5 stars, and I would recommend it to any avid fantasy reader :) especially to those people who are looking for a good, solid dragon read (and by solid, I mean fantastic).

*Edit (2021) - after reading it again, I found it good - just not as good as my original review. I found the dialogue to be too long, and she repeats a lot of things throughout the novel which can get tiresome. I love the dragons, love the characters, but I feel like I didn’t like the writing as much this time around.

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