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A review by myjourneywithbooks
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb
5.0
I initially found it a bit difficult to get into Ship of Magic because the writing style was different from the Farseer trilogy, but now that I'm done with the book, I know I'm going to love this trilogy as much as (if not more than 😱) the previous one.
Set in the same world as the Farseer books, this story centers around the southern trading port of Bingtown. Unlike in the Farseer trilogy where the story is narrated through a single PoV, in Ship of Magic we are treated to a view of the world through the eyes of multiple characters, which lends to a much more complex and multi-layered story. The concept of the Liveships, where the figurehead made of wizardwood comes to life when three generations of the family have died on board the ship, is something really unique. The characters are all well fleshed out and entirely realistic. And here's the thing I loved - no one is a perfect hero or an utter villain; they all have their flaws and their strengths. At no point did I feel like the story was getting predictable and even better, at no point did I feel inclined to exclaim, aha there's an overdone trope!
Even though the book is 800+ pages long, I don't think a single one of those pages was unnecessary. There is simply so much going on. It's not just a tale of a ship come to life; there are a lot of issues explored here like piracy, slavery, trade politics, culture, teenage rebellion, family dynamics and of course there's magic.
This book, and the way it ended, has left me simultaneously wanting to immediately get through the rest of the trilogy and at the same time drag it on for as long as possible.
Set in the same world as the Farseer books, this story centers around the southern trading port of Bingtown. Unlike in the Farseer trilogy where the story is narrated through a single PoV, in Ship of Magic we are treated to a view of the world through the eyes of multiple characters, which lends to a much more complex and multi-layered story. The concept of the Liveships, where the figurehead made of wizardwood comes to life when three generations of the family have died on board the ship, is something really unique. The characters are all well fleshed out and entirely realistic. And here's the thing I loved - no one is a perfect hero or an utter villain; they all have their flaws and their strengths. At no point did I feel like the story was getting predictable and even better, at no point did I feel inclined to exclaim, aha there's an overdone trope!
Even though the book is 800+ pages long, I don't think a single one of those pages was unnecessary. There is simply so much going on. It's not just a tale of a ship come to life; there are a lot of issues explored here like piracy, slavery, trade politics, culture, teenage rebellion, family dynamics and of course there's magic.
This book, and the way it ended, has left me simultaneously wanting to immediately get through the rest of the trilogy and at the same time drag it on for as long as possible.