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A review by fraggerbot
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb
3.0
★★★½
Ship of Magic is a wonderful character-driven plot that starts tediously slow but eventually shows it's promise and potential by the end of the book
Disclaimer: I've read this book over five months, so my experience of this book may not be what one would feel if they read it consistently. I've seen quite many reviews that sing praises and thus, this is about my experience during this read.
My biggest complaint about Ship of Magic is it's pacing. I've already finished Farseer Trilogy, so I thought I am already used to Robin Hobb's writing style (which is a delight to read, at most places). Ship of Magic started at a snail pace and by the time things started to get interesting, I lost it. Add some chaos in life to it, this had been an on and off read. All the chapters are character PoV and most of them are over 30 min long, so if cannot read a chapter in one go, you will not get the right experience (which was the case for me).
Now, all is not bad here. I loved the concept of a Liveship and the whole process involved. The book takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions (including frustration) with the characters. There are a few brilliant moments of drama and writing that will stay with you for a good time. So if you've already read any of Robin Hobb's books, and loved it, this could be a favourite of yours.
I feel that the Conflict is a strong theme in this book. You see it within and between characters all the time. This can be seen across two of the plotlines, Wintrow-Kyle and Malta-Ronica/Keffria. There is plenty of drama between characters, if you are the kind who loves that.. But unfortunately that is my least favourite thing and as a result those parts bored me.
Another tough part for me are Malta's monologues.However, considering the way this book ended, there is a lot of character development for her in the future.
Speaking of characters, I feel Wintrow is the most fleshed out character in this book in terms of development. I also loved Vivacia, Althea, Ronica amongst others. Kyle reminds me of a typical Indian father.. he has a dream/plan that he wants his kid to inherit, but when his kid has other things in his mind. As a result, the kind of conflict that ensues and the kind of things he does, I could understand.
Amber and Paragon carry a good deal of mystery that I look forward to in the future reads.
Given that how I felt about the read and how long it went, I will take a break from this series for a while. But I will definitely come back to finish the Realm of the Elderlings stories in the future.
Ship of Magic is a wonderful character-driven plot that starts tediously slow but eventually shows it's promise and potential by the end of the book
Disclaimer: I've read this book over five months, so my experience of this book may not be what one would feel if they read it consistently. I've seen quite many reviews that sing praises and thus, this is about my experience during this read.
My biggest complaint about Ship of Magic is it's pacing. I've already finished Farseer Trilogy, so I thought I am already used to Robin Hobb's writing style (which is a delight to read, at most places). Ship of Magic started at a snail pace and by the time things started to get interesting, I lost it. Add some chaos in life to it, this had been an on and off read. All the chapters are character PoV and most of them are over 30 min long, so if cannot read a chapter in one go, you will not get the right experience (which was the case for me).
Now, all is not bad here. I loved the concept of a Liveship and the whole process involved. The book takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions (including frustration) with the characters. There are a few brilliant moments of drama and writing that will stay with you for a good time. So if you've already read any of Robin Hobb's books, and loved it, this could be a favourite of yours.
I feel that the Conflict is a strong theme in this book. You see it within and between characters all the time. This can be seen across two of the plotlines, Wintrow-Kyle and Malta-Ronica/Keffria. There is plenty of drama between characters, if you are the kind who loves that.. But unfortunately that is my least favourite thing and as a result those parts bored me.
Another tough part for me are Malta's monologues.
Spoiler
I understand that a thirteen year old dreams about dresses, jewellery and boys but reading chapters of monologues just about them felt a little tiring. She is a brat and probably was my least favourite character in this book.Speaking of characters, I feel Wintrow is the most fleshed out character in this book in terms of development. I also loved Vivacia, Althea, Ronica amongst others. Kyle reminds me of a typical Indian father.. he has a dream/plan that he wants his kid to inherit, but when his kid has other things in his mind. As a result, the kind of conflict that ensues and the kind of things he does, I could understand.
Amber and Paragon carry a good deal of mystery that I look forward to in the future reads.
Given that how I felt about the read and how long it went, I will take a break from this series for a while. But I will definitely come back to finish the Realm of the Elderlings stories in the future.