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danae111's review against another edition
3.0
i feel neutral about this. for one thing it’s a very well written and in depth fantasy novel. i was very interested in the world that was being built and i do want to uncover all that has been alluded to thus far. however the pacing just seemed like it took forever. i wasn’t specifically enraptured in any part of it. nothing held a grip on me and made me think i need to keep reading and see what happens next, except maybe when malta was introduced as a pov character. i hope the second book is a bit more interesting. it held my curiosity enough for me to continue the series at least.
jjcraftsandbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Very simply, this book was just too long. I don’t mean books shouldn’t be this length, I’ve read some amazing, long books, just that there needs to be a reason that it’s this long. First off the ending wasn’t really an ending, it wasn’t a climax or resolution and the book could have been ended anywhere without making it that long but more than that the reason this book is so long is because each of the characters seem to go off down memory lane a lot. They have internal monologues pondering things that are just not relevant enough to include, some backstory and exploration of character is good but not when it adds a couple of hundred pages to a long book .
I DID enjoy reading this, it’s a very vivid world and characters all had distinct voices and were from different backgrounds and you always wanted to know what happened next. The characters are not perfect, they are flawed and they got MORE flawed as the book went in rather than better. Personally there’s only so many bad decisions for a character to make and things going wrong for them until I stop being invested. If the book had ended sooner maybe I would have still cared about the characters.
I DID enjoy reading this, it’s a very vivid world and characters all had distinct voices and were from different backgrounds and you always wanted to know what happened next. The characters are not perfect, they are flawed and they got MORE flawed as the book went in rather than better. Personally there’s only so many bad decisions for a character to make and things going wrong for them until I stop being invested. If the book had ended sooner maybe I would have still cared about the characters.
mattdavenport's review against another edition
4.0
7.5/10 - Good
Hobb's character-building can't be denied. The internal reasoning for every character's actions is believable, even the characters (like Malta) that you come to hate. Althea is a really good character, as are Vivacia, Brashen, Paragon, and Kennet. You come to care about all the characters, and the writing is very well done. The downside to this book is it is so slooooooow. Very few climactic moments happen, at all, until the very end (which is pretty good, but not game-breaking). So it's 300k words of development and slow story telling, that is only made bearable and enjoyable by the character development. That's a long book to rely upon just that. Nonetheless, it does that aspect very well, so I give it a middle-7 rating.
Hobb's character-building can't be denied. The internal reasoning for every character's actions is believable, even the characters (like Malta) that you come to hate. Althea is a really good character, as are Vivacia, Brashen, Paragon, and Kennet. You come to care about all the characters, and the writing is very well done. The downside to this book is it is so slooooooow. Very few climactic moments happen, at all, until the very end (which is pretty good, but not game-breaking). So it's 300k words of development and slow story telling, that is only made bearable and enjoyable by the character development. That's a long book to rely upon just that. Nonetheless, it does that aspect very well, so I give it a middle-7 rating.
hailey_mack's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
jeanvaljean1998's review against another edition
5.0
4.75 Breathtaking. Heart wrenching. So often, there was a pit at the bottom of my stomach, growing greater than I could ever have imagined with each passing chapter of the last third of the book.
The greatest theme in this book concerns the concept of human will. Who holds influence and control? What is the difference between the two? By what authority - their personality, law, society’s rules, their pasts? How can one person’s will impose on another’s - some comply, some cooperate, others consent. Many resist. Rebel. Revolt. How can we resist and what kind of resistance is right? Why do we fight back - anger, pride, greed, righteousness, fear, hope? The theme I took is that one’s will should never be imposed on another because it erases that person’s humanity and sense of self. Another is that society builds the foundations that allow for and justify the atrocities of control - slavery being the most heart wrenching example (spoiler: the scene with Wintrow and the pregnant slave woman broke my heart).
Wintrow is my absolute favorite character - the strength and principles he lives by - and his signature self pity and naïveté - make a compelling character. Althea and Brashen’s relationship is well developed - and I am excited for more of this. So many character parallels astound me, pausing me from passing judgement on even the most heinous characters - Maltha who parallels Althea in a perverse way especially intrigued me. Her selfishness manifests as what Ronica and Keffria feared Althea had been. Yet she is cunning and manipulative, determined and steadfast in her will. Uncaring of anyone other than herself. She has room to grow. Kennit is surrounded by lovely people who adore him… but is himself a bottom feeder - I enjoy reading his character and am especially in love with the potential story line for “his woman.”
The magic system and lore are stunning - I cannot wait to learn more.
I am most curious about the Paragon and his lady (the carver.) who is she who remembers? What happens to Keffria, the character with the most potential for growth. Rache?
The greatest theme in this book concerns the concept of human will. Who holds influence and control? What is the difference between the two? By what authority - their personality, law, society’s rules, their pasts? How can one person’s will impose on another’s - some comply, some cooperate, others consent. Many resist. Rebel. Revolt. How can we resist and what kind of resistance is right? Why do we fight back - anger, pride, greed, righteousness, fear, hope? The theme I took is that one’s will should never be imposed on another because it erases that person’s humanity and sense of self. Another is that society builds the foundations that allow for and justify the atrocities of control - slavery being the most heart wrenching example (spoiler: the scene with Wintrow and the pregnant slave woman broke my heart).
Wintrow is my absolute favorite character - the strength and principles he lives by - and his signature self pity and naïveté - make a compelling character. Althea and Brashen’s relationship is well developed - and I am excited for more of this. So many character parallels astound me, pausing me from passing judgement on even the most heinous characters - Maltha who parallels Althea in a perverse way especially intrigued me. Her selfishness manifests as what Ronica and Keffria feared Althea had been. Yet she is cunning and manipulative, determined and steadfast in her will. Uncaring of anyone other than herself. She has room to grow. Kennit is surrounded by lovely people who adore him… but is himself a bottom feeder - I enjoy reading his character and am especially in love with the potential story line for “his woman.”
The magic system and lore are stunning - I cannot wait to learn more.
I am most curious about the Paragon and his lady (the carver.) who is she who remembers? What happens to Keffria, the character with the most potential for growth. Rache?
i_hunter54's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-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? Yes
4.5
kaora4's review against another edition
5.0
I was a huge fan of Robin Hobb ever since I read her story Homecoming in Epic.
And while I loved her Farseer series, this has surpassed those as my favorite books.
Vivacia is a liveship, a boat made of wizardwood, that after three deaths of family members on board comes to life. Liveships are the only ships that can make the journey up the river to the Rain Wilds in order to do trade, and are extremely valuable.
This book follows several points of view, including a pirate named Kennit, Althea the daughter of the last sailor to die aboard Vivacia, her sister Keffria, her nephew Winthrow, and various others. Some I loved, some I hated.
I also really enjoyed the addition to the world she has created in Farseer. While some of the places in the Farseer trilogy are mentioned, this takes place in a different area, and I was fascinated by the magic and depth of this world she has created.
To get some perspective, this is an almost 900 page book that I finished in about 5 days. All other books were placed on the backburner to be picked up at a later date, because I could not put this one down.
I quickly became invested in the characters, and love watching as events shape their lives and personalities in a very believable way. Even characters I hate with a passion can become favorites in the span of a few pages.
Highly recommended.
And while I loved her Farseer series, this has surpassed those as my favorite books.
Vivacia is a liveship, a boat made of wizardwood, that after three deaths of family members on board comes to life. Liveships are the only ships that can make the journey up the river to the Rain Wilds in order to do trade, and are extremely valuable.
This book follows several points of view, including a pirate named Kennit, Althea the daughter of the last sailor to die aboard Vivacia, her sister Keffria, her nephew Winthrow, and various others. Some I loved, some I hated.
I also really enjoyed the addition to the world she has created in Farseer. While some of the places in the Farseer trilogy are mentioned, this takes place in a different area, and I was fascinated by the magic and depth of this world she has created.
To get some perspective, this is an almost 900 page book that I finished in about 5 days. All other books were placed on the backburner to be picked up at a later date, because I could not put this one down.
I quickly became invested in the characters, and love watching as events shape their lives and personalities in a very believable way. Even characters I hate with a passion can become favorites in the span of a few pages.
Highly recommended.
tnews333's review against another edition
3.0
I would have given this more stars, I think, had there been one, single likable protagonist. As it is there are several story arcs. Several key characters. Some almost likable. Some despicable. Some just plain goofy and weird. But I like the fact that this story touches on the edges of the other books of Hobb that I've read so far. That is interesting in and of itself. A bit like reading another country's history of a war that you learned about from your country's point of view. It does not do well as a stand alone novel, and the glimpses I've had at reviews of the next book indicate it is very much a transition novel. I suspect that while I liked this one, I'll love the series.
Enjoy your reading!
Enjoy your reading!