A review by gladiolus17
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb

adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I listened to this on audiobook so sorry for any misspellings!

Writing style
I could’ve done without the overt dialog tags, but other than that, no problems here.

Plot 
Plot feels almost like a drama, each with their own character arc. I think the book blurb did the book a disservice, because the only arc that was completed was Kennet’s and Wintrow’s, which makes me feel like they are the main characters. The other characters’ arcs ended with a section foreshadowing the future with them. Because of this, I felt like Althea was overshadowed by Kennet and Wintrow.

Kyle was such an asshole and a believable villain. They say everyone is the hero of their own story, and I Kyle believed he was doing the right thing.

As well, I wasn’t sure why Althea and Brashen started having sex, maybe it was just animalistic passion? I didn’t feel any love or chemistry between them, so I felt this was a weak part of the story.

Characters
Captain Kennet. 
My first impression was that he’s very toxically masculine, and has an interesting way of handling his crew by showing no weakness. I like his wrist charm, especially since he doesn’t ward magic, but just alerts Kennet to any danger. It’s also quite entertaining the way it makes jabs at Kennet.

After I read the scene with Etta and the sex workers, I thought he is such an asshole! And it’s because he’s depressed and needs to fill the void with his ambition! 

Deep inside I feel like there’s a chance for him to be good, but it’s overshadowed by his depression and assholery.

Wintrow 
My first impression was that he is a kinda passive character, but compelling in a quiet way. He does stand up for himself, which I like.

In the end he stole my heart. He finally became a man and figured out who he was.

Althea
I admire her ambition for becoming a sailor and was gripped by the way she stood up to Kyle. I was rooting for her to get back the Vivacia the whole time. I did feel like her arc paled against Wintrow’s, but I was happy to see her turn into the sailor she’s always dreamed of.

Molta 
Although I understand her reasoning, I hate this little girl with a passion. Rotten to the core. I hoped she’d get better. 

Liveships
I love each and every liveship, and, just like the other characters, was fascinated and fearful of them. I felt so sorry for the horrible things done to Vivacia and Paragon, and I was tickled with Ophelia and her personality.

Not sure if we needed the sea serpents’ POV, I would’ve rather it been explored in a successive novel.

Setting
I liked how the mention of the slave trade affected the locals with morals. They just can’t compete with free labor, and that’s why they’re having financial troubles. I never considered how hard it would be to be morally good in a capitalistic society when if you don’t accept slavery, your family will die.

Bingtown itself was such a mysterious place, along with their neighbors the Rainwilds.

Dialog

Wintrow’s dialog seems too old for him, but maybe that’s on purpose.

I adored all the liveships’ dialog. They’re all a little off-kilter and mysterious.

Intellectual value

I never read a book that explored slavery and the effects it had on people in this way, so my mind felt broadened and I enjoyed the ride this story gave me.

Personal enjoyment

I personally enjoy more compact books and I needed a little more tie up in the end to feel satisfied. I’d be okay with a few loose threads, but I feel there were too many with Amber, Paragon, Althea’s egg necklace, the sea serpents, and Brashen’s arc.

Overall, I was entertained because each character had a goal and reasoning behind what they wanted and were ambitious to get it.  As well, the world in the story nearly never gave them what they wanted. 
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