Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Wächter der Drachen

This book was mostly setup for these chronicles and was slow paced but still very enjoyable. Hobbs character work is of top quality as always and the slow build of this journey type story led to a bit of a thrilling cliffhanger. The only qualm I had with this first book of the series is the focus on the romantic relationships throughout. Two of the protagonists flits between attraction for one character to the other which I just did not care about. I wanted to experience more world building and plot rather than romantic interests. Having said that, with one of the protagonists written this way (a teenager), Hobb created a realistic, fickle teen which I could also appreciate.
There were a couple of scenes that were difficult to read at times (see trigger warnings)

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sassmistress's review against another edition

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emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

It's a very slow-paced book, but the writing is really enticing. Definitely gets a little more exciting towards the end and ends on a cliffhanger. Most of the slowness seems to come from weaving the backstories needed for the various characters. I like the subtle pro-life themes, Austen-style society, and expert emotional manipulation by the author. Would rate higher but for the graphic sexual content.

Reminds me of A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan, if you're looking for more of the Bingtown/Alise story line.

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theaceofpages's review against another edition

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challenging 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

3.0

Dragons are a dying breed. Alise has spent her whole life studying them from afar and can't wait to finally see them in person one day. Stuck in a loveless marriage of convenience, she can't wait t escape and join the dragons in their long journey to a hopefully better future of safety and no prosecution.

Okay. So I wanted to love this book. I love dragons and I've heard great things about Hobb. This however... Well. I usually don't mid slow paced books but I don't think very much happened? Looking at other reviews, this doesn't seem to be her best book and mainly just sets things up for later on. Although it could also just be because I stopped to read other thins in between as I wanted something a bit more exciting at times.

That being said, I loved the dragons and the concept of the dragon keepers. I would love to be one of them and just be able to study dragons. Although there are definitely some rather shady members amongst them. Although that's always to be expected when there's money to be made. I loved reading from their perspectives as well as what the dragon keepers viewed them as. I enjoyed the more scientific minded ones the most. The biologist in me could definitely relate to the desire to understand them and learn everything they could about them. I also loved the world building. Learning about other worlds has always been one of my favourite parts of fantasy novels.

I'm not sure if I'll go and read the next book. I'd love to see more of this world, but I would like something with a little more plot. Will I give the author another chance? Yes. But I think I'll go read some other books first.

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gracecrandall's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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ofthebrownajah's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced

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

4.0

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mariebrunelm's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Despite reading a lot of fantasy, I haven't been that attracted to dragon stories because the creatures have always felt a little too perfect and fantastical for my taste. But that's not the cause with Robin Hobb's dragons. These are sick, pitiful creatures who, yes, may gulp down a human in a heartbeat, but also need their help to survive. Yet the humans don't see kindly to them. When the dragons don't fill the roles they'd been ascribed by legends and folk tales, when they keep to the ground and only consume precious resources, the Rain Wild Traders decide to drive them away. A group of misfits is hired to accompany them, just as undesirable as the dragons.
Dragon Keeper opens the Rain Wild Chronicles and shows another facet of Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings. Where Fitz's books are about identity and Liveships about freedom, I find this series to be about ableism & free will. Dragon Keeper is more like Liveships than Farseer because of the wide array of narrators we get, but here they're all traveling together and so I find it easier, upon first reading it, to get one's bearings and dive in the story. While it's not my favourite of Robin Hobb's stories, I love how her characters interact and how she makes us love some of them and absolutely hate others. My favourite may be the quiet dragon scholar lady...
Rep: one of the MCs is gay, but the atmosphere of the book feels quite queer in general.

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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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ilereads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging 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

3.5

3.5 stelline. Ormai qualsiasi cosa che scriva Robin Hobb è arte per me ma questo è stato sicuramente il libro che ho preferito meno tra i suoi, nonostante mi sia piaciuto comunque molto. Il principale difetto è che si tratta di un libro molto introduttivo in cui non succede molto, anzi si interrompe proprio quando la trama inizia a prendere forma. Robin Hobb si conferma comunque imbattibile nella creazione dei personaggi sia buoni che cattivi. Per quanto Hest sia una persona orribile e il ritratto perfetto del narcisista manipolatore, è un personaggio molto interessante e costruito alla perfezione, così come Alise, con cui si riesce ad empatizzare fin da subito. Ho apprezzato anche come sta gestendo la questione dei draghi e i loro custodi, anche se ho la sensazione che finirà tutto in tragedia. Tornare a Borgomago e rivedere i vecchi personaggi poi è stato molto emozionante.
P.S. Fitz spero ti stia godendo la tua vita di campagna ma manchi.

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