Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Il custode del drago by Robin Hobb

15 reviews

magis1105's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


So if anyone decides to pick up this book without actually researching this will spoil the liveship traders trilogy heavily. If you plan on reading those after this one, well you know the big reveal, not sure if others series.  So be aware, this is the first book in a series but it takes place in the timeline of other series. 
I already completed it and the following discoveries were spoiled:
-The dragons, where they come from.
-What's the purpose of the sea serpents
-The secret of the live ships
-The mysterious people who live up the river and that have the only wood that makes liveships. They are no longer a secret and even have a place in the council, a big reveal no idea how that came to be.
-A big war, which war no idea, but now I know how they were saved and what the heroes won after saving everyone.

I will still read the Liveship traders but I already know the big reveals and probably it will lose the impact but oh well.

The story is gripping. The dragons are back in the world. But it's not as magical as they were expected. Mainly due to the fact that the right environmental and physical requirement and the wait time was completely disregarded. So the hatched dragons were deemed a complete disappointment.
The people know nothing about dragons and the beings suck at communication as well.

The love interests are awful so far. Bad communication, abusive marriages, women are treated as a property you belong to your father, then to your husband- that irks me greatly. I hate that and is very popular. Also, the only same-sex relationship is a bad bad representation, both participants are awful human beings. 

I hate several characters and some are just ok. 

Moving on from the romance and social norm for women and men- is a huge joke.
I am intrigued to find out what will happen to the dragons, will they find the city?
Will they get over their pompus ego and actually make a meaningful relationship with the humans that are trying to help them?
This is the first book in the series and it just gives you questions and it builds up the interest- that was well done. I need to continue the series.

The setback, this is personal. I need to go back and find out the correct order of the series and read the previous ones so I don't spoil them any worse than I already did.
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singalana's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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mustnotblink's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

3.0

Dragonkeeper feels very much like it’s missing half of its content. While the book does a great job introducing us to the world and its people, the plot seems to drag. The main characters have all come together by the end, but the end of the book feels arbitrarily picked - not plotted.

I normally do not have a problem reading story lines featuring abusive and manipulative men, but
I absolutely despise Hest.
He rubbed me so wrong that I was initially unsure if I wanted to read the next book. Ultimately I decided to continue the series because the setting is brilliant and I do want to see how the characters end up.
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achingallover's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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tea_tamai'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? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Edit: 
4*
On a reread, I still enjoyed the book as a continuation of the Elderling universe and a build up for this series, but I think it can't compare with the joy I got from (re)reading Fitz' stories and the liveship trader series.

4.5*
I am glad to continue in Hobbs' Realm of Elderlings Saga. I was hesitant at first due to the new cast of main characters, but I have to say I enjoyed it none the less. The small cameos of beloved characters from the older books made me really happy! Though it is sometimes slow and more of a build up to the next part of the series, I still found it really captivating.
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