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A review by booksbythewindow
Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
(Full review to come)
Summary: Ship of Destiny brings the many characters, perspectives, and narratives of the Liveship Traders trilogy together as they find themselves on an unavoidable collision course where all their differing worldviews and motivations will clash. In the Rain Wilds, the events at the end of The Mad Ship have left Malta in grave danger and Reyn determined to rescue her, setting them both on journeys that will force them into dangerous alliances. Down the river in Bingtown, Ronica is throwing herself into the now violent politics and conspiracies that have ripped the Trader families, and the entire town, apart. On Paragon, Althea, Brashen, and Amber are determined to find Kennit and rescue Vivacia, but are unsettled to realise that their ship is even more determined than they to track down the pirate. Meanwhile, on Vivacia, Wintrow and Kennit’s battle for the ship’s soul leads them to allow a long-buried secret about the true nature of the liveships to be revealed.
Overall Thoughts: Going into this final instalment of the Liveship Traders, I had been wondering whether I would keep going with the Realm of the Elderlings series, having struggled a little with darker elements of the Liveship Traders. However, I ended finding Ship of Destiny to be my favourite instalment in the Liveship Traders trilogy, and it made renewed my interest in the series as a whole. One of the real feats Hobb manages to achieve in Ship of Destiny is bringing so many characters with wildly different motivations and experiences into conflict with each other, with the reader still able to be sympathetic towards many (but definitely not all!) of them. I also particularly enjoyed seeing a certain character's plans completely unravel over the course of this book, something I have been wanting to see since Ship of Magic since I have always hated having to read his perspective. Overall, I felt that Ship of Destiny brought the Liveship Traders trilogy to a dramatic and satisfying conclusion and I do think I would recommend it, albeit alongside a list of content warnings.
Summary: Ship of Destiny brings the many characters, perspectives, and narratives of the Liveship Traders trilogy together as they find themselves on an unavoidable collision course where all their differing worldviews and motivations will clash.
Overall Thoughts: Going into this final instalment of the Liveship Traders, I had been wondering whether I would keep going with the Realm of the Elderlings series, having struggled a little with darker elements of the Liveship Traders. However, I ended finding Ship of Destiny to be my favourite instalment in the Liveship Traders trilogy, and it made renewed my interest in the series as a whole. One of the real feats Hobb manages to achieve in Ship of Destiny is bringing so many characters with wildly different motivations and experiences into conflict with each other, with the reader still able to be sympathetic towards many (but definitely not all!) of them.