totallyshelfaware's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Sexual assault, Gore, Ableism, and Rape
Moderate: Gaslighting and Blood
noodletheriddle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Rape and Blood
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Miscarriage
sassmistress's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Reminds me of A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan, if you're looking for more of the Bingtown/Alise story line.
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Gore, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Rape, Racism, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Abandonment
Minor: Death, Alcohol, and Slavery
Emotional abuse from a spouse and from a parent, lying (nearly to the point of gaslighting) about an affair. Three graphic sex scenes-- one an unpleasantly dutiful consummation of marriage, one martial rape, and one violent fade-to-black between the two men having the aforementioned affair. Heavy prejudice based on "birth defects" for which infants are normally abandoned to die, injuries are described in detail--pus, cutting away putrified flesh, pulling out a sick dragon's scales and impaling to siphon blood, andSpoiler
touching the blood flow and tasting it.joelcharig's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
If the next three books pick up the pace, I can forgive the above. If all four books are akin to this one, I may struggle.
But that being said, a lot of consideration was put into the writing; it's very thorough in terms of character development and description. You genuinely feel as if you're inside the characters' heads as the perspective shifts from one to another. Hobb is superb at achieving that.
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Emotional abuse and Blood
gracecrandall's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Excrement, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Ableism, Abandonment, Bullying, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Cannibalism
mariebrunelm's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Minor: Sexual assault and Alcohol
singalana's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Ableism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Rape, Abandonment, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Animal death, Blood, and Animal cruelty
kabrahams's review against another edition
4.5
Returning to the Rain Wilds was amazing as its my favorite part of the Elderlings world. We also get way more dragons in this book than in any of the previous ones. Sadly, they are very weak and sickly, thus unable to fly or be very dragonish. We follow the humans who are helping take care of them and study them as well as some humans who want to use them for their own gain. Also, we get a few scenes with Althea and Brashen on the Paragon that made me very happy! The ending seemed a bit abrupt and I'm excited to keep reading.
Graphic: Blood, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Moderate: Sexual violence and Domestic abuse
tea_tamai's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Blood, Ableism, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual violence
Minor: Slavery, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy