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leannarapier's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I didn’t even know how to rate this book. Anything between 1-5 stars depending on what part of the book I was reading, so I gave it an average.
I have so much to say about this book—the first will be general information without spoilers and then more specifics that will include spoilers. I will divide it by asterisks, so you can safely read without spoilers until you get to them.
First, I want to say I loved Robin Hobb’s Farseer Trilogy, so my expectations for this book were already set high. The Farseer Trilogy was an emotional journey that was written in an immersive first person POV, and that is where I think the author’s talent shines. This book, the first of the Liveship trilogy is written in a multi-third person POV, and I struggled to get attached to the characters. In fact, I almost DNF the book about 10%. It really does finally start to come together, but it takes a good third into the book.
However, the world building and story weaving of this novel is fantastic. And once you get deeper into the novel, you will be emotionally attached to the characters, particularly Wintrow, who is my favorite.
Also, be aware that there are two sex scenes in the book, not super graphic, but more description than needed. It’s not a romance book, and they aren’t long, so you can skip past them and it won’t affect your understanding of the story, which begs the question of why the author felt them necessary. One takes place in a brothel, and for the love of our sacred eyes, we all know what happens there. Spare us. As the book is a massive 830 pages long, you can skip past these 2 scenes and still have plenty of great story to read.
*****
Okay, spoilers past this point. I wanted to talk about the characters.
Althea—one of the main characters. She was one of the reasons almost DNF this book. She is intolerable in the first half of this novel. She comes across as spoiled, entitled, and dramatic. Yes, she has most certainly been wronged, but she never even attempts to understand anyone else’s position. Kyle actually makes some good points, as terrible as he is. Althea won’t even have a discussion with her own mother, a reasonable person, who would have cleared up at least the reasons her family made the decision that they did. She’s proved herself not ready to captain by her own undisciplined disposition and behavior. I disliked her so much that I rejoiced every time mishap befell her. She slowly begins to improve (a little) later.
Keffria—sister of Althea. I didn’t mind her as a character. Rather, I felt that the author implied that Keffria’s desire to be a stay at home mother and leave running the business to her husband somehow made her weak. Nor is Kyle’s desire to want his wife to be able to focus on the home in itself a bad thing. As a stay at home mom myself, this felt insulting. And I am supremely thankful for the sacrifices my husband makes so I can be with my children. Plus, taking care of a household is a job in itself. That said, Keffria seemed to have neglected to influence and guide her children, particularly her daughter Malta, who was spoiled and entitled as much as Althea, although in a different way.
Brashen—I won’t say a lot about him. He is a likable character who also unfortunately lacks discipline and this deserves much of what befalls him. But I have no ill will toward him.
Kyle—husband to Keffria and antagonist to Althea. He becomes the leader of the home after Althea’s father passes away. Her father and mother agree upon this. If the author had written him as someone who was trying to do what was best for the family, but through pride had made poor judgments, and if the author had made him redeemable, then I would have found him a more interesting antagonist. Instead the author had him spiral into a villain that seemed to be a caricature of what the author perceives a “patriarchal conservative white male.” He turns the family merchant ship into a slave ship and forces his eldest son (age 13) to leave the priesthood to serve on the ship. This might have still be a fine storyline, again if the author had left some conscience and compassion in the man that he might have seen the error of his decisions. But instead he just spirals from stern father to pure evil. Beating his son, enslaving his son, and even almost killing him (although there may have been dragon influence on that last part). It was just too extreme for me to feel like he was a real person.
Wintrow—son of Kyle. This is where the story’s heart is. He is the reason I kept reading. I had to know what happened to Wintrow. He has character and courage to stick to his principles even when it causes others to misjudge or mistreat him. That’s not to say he’s without faults. He should have had patience to wait it out and submit to his father until 15 when he would have been judged an adult. Then he could’ve gone back to the monastery. But I understand why he did it. He worried that life on the ship was changing him. He tried to run away and ended up as a slave. He’s also only 13, and I don’t expect him to act perfect. If the novel had focused solely on him like the Farseer did Fitz, I think I would have enjoyed it more.
Vivacia—the Liveship. This is such a unique and interesting feature of this novel. After three family deaths aboard the ship, she becomes quickened. The Vivacia is as much a character as any in the novel. Having a ship as a POV character is a fun twist.
Kennet—pirate. An extremely well-written villain. He is absolutely reprehensible and yet his fellow pirates and the slaves he frees (not because of any goodwill on his part) all love him. He is a narcissist and devoid of empathy, and yet others around him can’t seem to see this. Even me as the reader, knowing the truth and his real motivations can’t help but silently cheer his victories. You know you should hate him and yet love him anyway. Perfect villain.
The sea dragons—I’m still not sure of their purpose in the novel. I haven’t yet determined if they are evil, neutral, or simply misunderstood.
I have so much to say about this book—the first will be general information without spoilers and then more specifics that will include spoilers. I will divide it by asterisks, so you can safely read without spoilers until you get to them.
First, I want to say I loved Robin Hobb’s Farseer Trilogy, so my expectations for this book were already set high. The Farseer Trilogy was an emotional journey that was written in an immersive first person POV, and that is where I think the author’s talent shines. This book, the first of the Liveship trilogy is written in a multi-third person POV, and I struggled to get attached to the characters. In fact, I almost DNF the book about 10%. It really does finally start to come together, but it takes a good third into the book.
However, the world building and story weaving of this novel is fantastic. And once you get deeper into the novel, you will be emotionally attached to the characters, particularly Wintrow, who is my favorite.
Also, be aware that there are two sex scenes in the book, not super graphic, but more description than needed. It’s not a romance book, and they aren’t long, so you can skip past them and it won’t affect your understanding of the story, which begs the question of why the author felt them necessary. One takes place in a brothel, and for the love of our sacred eyes, we all know what happens there. Spare us. As the book is a massive 830 pages long, you can skip past these 2 scenes and still have plenty of great story to read.
*****
Okay, spoilers past this point. I wanted to talk about the characters.
Althea—one of the main characters. She was one of the reasons almost DNF this book. She is intolerable in the first half of this novel. She comes across as spoiled, entitled, and dramatic. Yes, she has most certainly been wronged, but she never even attempts to understand anyone else’s position. Kyle actually makes some good points, as terrible as he is. Althea won’t even have a discussion with her own mother, a reasonable person, who would have cleared up at least the reasons her family made the decision that they did. She’s proved herself not ready to captain by her own undisciplined disposition and behavior. I disliked her so much that I rejoiced every time mishap befell her. She slowly begins to improve (a little) later.
Keffria—sister of Althea. I didn’t mind her as a character. Rather, I felt that the author implied that Keffria’s desire to be a stay at home mother and leave running the business to her husband somehow made her weak. Nor is Kyle’s desire to want his wife to be able to focus on the home in itself a bad thing. As a stay at home mom myself, this felt insulting. And I am supremely thankful for the sacrifices my husband makes so I can be with my children. Plus, taking care of a household is a job in itself. That said, Keffria seemed to have neglected to influence and guide her children, particularly her daughter Malta, who was spoiled and entitled as much as Althea, although in a different way.
Brashen—I won’t say a lot about him. He is a likable character who also unfortunately lacks discipline and this deserves much of what befalls him. But I have no ill will toward him.
Kyle—husband to Keffria and antagonist to Althea. He becomes the leader of the home after Althea’s father passes away. Her father and mother agree upon this. If the author had written him as someone who was trying to do what was best for the family, but through pride had made poor judgments, and if the author had made him redeemable, then I would have found him a more interesting antagonist. Instead the author had him spiral into a villain that seemed to be a caricature of what the author perceives a “patriarchal conservative white male.” He turns the family merchant ship into a slave ship and forces his eldest son (age 13) to leave the priesthood to serve on the ship. This might have still be a fine storyline, again if the author had left some conscience and compassion in the man that he might have seen the error of his decisions. But instead he just spirals from stern father to pure evil. Beating his son, enslaving his son, and even almost killing him (although there may have been dragon influence on that last part). It was just too extreme for me to feel like he was a real person.
Wintrow—son of Kyle. This is where the story’s heart is. He is the reason I kept reading. I had to know what happened to Wintrow. He has character and courage to stick to his principles even when it causes others to misjudge or mistreat him. That’s not to say he’s without faults. He should have had patience to wait it out and submit to his father until 15 when he would have been judged an adult. Then he could’ve gone back to the monastery. But I understand why he did it. He worried that life on the ship was changing him. He tried to run away and ended up as a slave. He’s also only 13, and I don’t expect him to act perfect. If the novel had focused solely on him like the Farseer did Fitz, I think I would have enjoyed it more.
Vivacia—the Liveship. This is such a unique and interesting feature of this novel. After three family deaths aboard the ship, she becomes quickened. The Vivacia is as much a character as any in the novel. Having a ship as a POV character is a fun twist.
Kennet—pirate. An extremely well-written villain. He is absolutely reprehensible and yet his fellow pirates and the slaves he frees (not because of any goodwill on his part) all love him. He is a narcissist and devoid of empathy, and yet others around him can’t seem to see this. Even me as the reader, knowing the truth and his real motivations can’t help but silently cheer his victories. You know you should hate him and yet love him anyway. Perfect villain.
The sea dragons—I’m still not sure of their purpose in the novel. I haven’t yet determined if they are evil, neutral, or simply misunderstood.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Be aware that there are two sex scenes in the book, not super graphic, but more description than needed. It’s not a romance book, and they aren’t long, so you can skip past them and it won’t affect your understanding of the story, which begs the question of why the author felt them necessary. One takes place in a brothel, and for the love of our sacred eyes, we all know what happens there. Spare us. As the book is a massive 830 pages long, you can skip past these 2 scenes and still have plenty of great story to read.thejackalman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism and Sexual content
Minor: Slavery, Violence, and Trafficking
brynalexa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Brilliant! Everyone I’ve heard say that this trilogy is the worst of the Elderling group is wrong! 😅
The character work is amazing- you hate every character at one point or another but you know why they are the way they are.
The way Hobb takes on slavery, greed, coming of age, passion, religion, and probably other themes I’m not remembering, is expertly crafted.
When I first started I thought “why is she writing about men again?!” But she isn’t 😀
The ending was wrapped up so smoothly with a lot left to ponder on for the next book.
The character work is amazing- you hate every character at one point or another but you know why they are the way they are.
The way Hobb takes on slavery, greed, coming of age, passion, religion, and probably other themes I’m not remembering, is expertly crafted.
When I first started I thought “why is she writing about men again?!” But she isn’t 😀
The ending was wrapped up so smoothly with a lot left to ponder on for the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
gooseberry420's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, and Alcohol
hisashiburi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Grief
Minor: Animal cruelty, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, and Pregnancy
lauramcc7's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
maithaalfalasi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual content, and Slavery
josiah17's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-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
4.5
I really wanted to love this, and I'm so glad I did. I was particularly excited to experience Hobb's writing in third person, and it was wonderful. Her prose remains top quality and very immersive.
This is overall just fantastic nautical fantasy with exceptional character writing, as well as complex and entertaining family dynamics. I enjoyed almost every POV for one reason or another. Hobb writes characters that you can root for here, and some that you vehemently despise. I cannot stand Kyle and Torg. Malta really annoyed me even though I understand she's still a kid, I just hope she learns and develops as a character. And I was always rooting for Brashen, Althea, and I really came to sympathize and feel attached to Wintrow. He deserves better, but unfortunately his father is beyond awful.
The additional worldbuilding for the Realm of the Elderlings with the liveships was also very interesting and unique. The idea of a sentient ship bonded through familial blood is amazing, especially because two ships have their own POV's and we get some insight into their perspectives. I'm very curious to learn more about the Rain Wild Traders as well. The relationships they have with the Bingtown traders is interesting, and I hope the sequels explore some of the actual Rain Wild territory. And I have a suspicion about the serpents, but I still don't really know what's going on with them. They're cool though.
Even though the plot was pretty non-existent for most of the book—per usual with Hobb so far—this was surprisingly just addicting to read. The blurb on the cover says "as addictive as morphine," and that's a pretty apt metaphor for my experience. Nautical fantasy just works so well for the visual movie I have running in my brain when reading, and it seems to scratch an itch. Paired with fantastic writing and captivating character dynamics, this is an amazing read. I could see myself bumping it to 5 stars depending on how the trilogy pans out.
This is overall just fantastic nautical fantasy with exceptional character writing, as well as complex and entertaining family dynamics. I enjoyed almost every POV for one reason or another. Hobb writes characters that you can root for here, and some that you vehemently despise. I cannot stand Kyle and Torg. Malta really annoyed me even though I understand she's still a kid, I just hope she learns and develops as a character. And I was always rooting for Brashen, Althea, and I really came to sympathize and feel attached to Wintrow. He deserves better, but unfortunately his father is beyond awful.
The additional worldbuilding for the Realm of the Elderlings with the liveships was also very interesting and unique. The idea of a sentient ship bonded through familial blood is amazing, especially because two ships have their own POV's and we get some insight into their perspectives. I'm very curious to learn more about the Rain Wild Traders as well. The relationships they have with the Bingtown traders is interesting, and I hope the sequels explore some of the actual Rain Wild territory. And I have a suspicion about the serpents, but I still don't really know what's going on with them. They're cool though.
Even though the plot was pretty non-existent for most of the book—per usual with Hobb so far—this was surprisingly just addicting to read. The blurb on the cover says "as addictive as morphine," and that's a pretty apt metaphor for my experience. Nautical fantasy just works so well for the visual movie I have running in my brain when reading, and it seems to scratch an itch. Paired with fantastic writing and captivating character dynamics, this is an amazing read. I could see myself bumping it to 5 stars depending on how the trilogy pans out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Slavery, Toxic relationship, and Trafficking
Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual violence
allcapspyrex's review against another edition
adventurous
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
Definitely a strong follow up from the farseer trilogy which I loved. Hobb has done a great job of expanding the world she started in her first trilogy, showing there is a lot of story left to tell. The book makes great use of multi-pov storytelling to really make the reader invested in the characters, and there aren't any I didn't have strong feelings for as their individual stories unfolded and contributed to the overall plot. It's definitely very slow paced, which is the only thing stopping it being a full 5 stars for me, but absolutely worth your time and effort to read, and I'm looking forward to the next two in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery and Medical content
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault
missgarceau's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism