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A review by truthlessofcanada
Forest Mage by Robin Hobb
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
4.75
Well that was really really good.
So I totally got why the goodreads rating for book 1 was low, it was way to long, but this kicked ass, and is one of the best books I have read this year.
I guess it does still live and die by whether you like Nevare, but in this novel I thought he was a great character. Often when characters are stuck between 2 cultures the obvious conclusion is to just take from both, they can co exist. Robin Hobb takes that and shows how difficult that can be.
This may be the single best plotted Robin Hobb novel. It is very eventful, the set up and payoff is top notch, and the way everything comes together is incredibly brilliant. It is very complicated without being at all convoluted. Not complex in the way of a puppet master, but complex in the way life and humanity is complex, with everyone acting according to their own beliefs, wishes, and needs.
Speaking of all those people, you should all be used to this by now if you know me but the character work for the supporting cast is just on another level. Hobb characterization just hits different man. They are so real, so human, and just so....alive. Nobody else does it the same.
Really the things I could see holding people back from liking this are twofold.
1 is that Nevare is still Nevare, although personality wise he has evolved, and is much much less self righteous, typical annoying lawful good, and I really really loved his character in this novel. But he is still incredibly indecisive, but that didn't stop me from loving the guy.
The second is that there is a lot of fatshaming in this novel. Now, I don't think you could read this novel and reasonably come to the conclusion that Robin Hobb is being mean to fat people, but a character dealing with how society and people treats them because of their weight is a major aspect of this novel, and it can be very uncomfortable and difficult to read. I think it was done very very well, and I don't think a book making you uncomfortable is necessarily a bad thing depending on the reasons, but it is there, you have been warned.
And then oh my the ending, the way it all came together was fantastic, even if it does make me even more annoyed with the pacing Shaman's Crossing in hindsight, because I felt like a lot of it wasn't relevant, because this novel was eventful, and impactful, and was one of the best novels I have read all year. This is not in contention for my favorite Robin Hobb book, but if it is yours, I get it.
9.4/10
So I totally got why the goodreads rating for book 1 was low, it was way to long, but this kicked ass, and is one of the best books I have read this year.
I guess it does still live and die by whether you like Nevare, but in this novel I thought he was a great character. Often when characters are stuck between 2 cultures the obvious conclusion is to just take from both, they can co exist. Robin Hobb takes that and shows how difficult that can be.
This may be the single best plotted Robin Hobb novel. It is very eventful, the set up and payoff is top notch, and the way everything comes together is incredibly brilliant. It is very complicated without being at all convoluted. Not complex in the way of a puppet master, but complex in the way life and humanity is complex, with everyone acting according to their own beliefs, wishes, and needs.
Speaking of all those people, you should all be used to this by now if you know me but the character work for the supporting cast is just on another level. Hobb characterization just hits different man. They are so real, so human, and just so....alive. Nobody else does it the same.
Really the things I could see holding people back from liking this are twofold.
1 is that Nevare is still Nevare, although personality wise he has evolved, and is much much less self righteous, typical annoying lawful good, and I really really loved his character in this novel. But he is still incredibly indecisive, but that didn't stop me from loving the guy.
The second is that there is a lot of fatshaming in this novel. Now, I don't think you could read this novel and reasonably come to the conclusion that Robin Hobb is being mean to fat people, but a character dealing with how society and people treats them because of their weight is a major aspect of this novel, and it can be very uncomfortable and difficult to read. I think it was done very very well, and I don't think a book making you uncomfortable is necessarily a bad thing depending on the reasons, but it is there, you have been warned.
And then oh my the ending, the way it all came together was fantastic, even if it does make me even more annoyed with the pacing Shaman's Crossing in hindsight, because I felt like a lot of it wasn't relevant, because this novel was eventful, and impactful, and was one of the best novels I have read all year. This is not in contention for my favorite Robin Hobb book, but if it is yours, I get it.
9.4/10