mkmcelroy's reviews
338 reviews

A strong ending to an excellent series. With the number of threads left dangling in Mad Ship, I was skeptical that Ship of Destiny would wrap up in a satisfying way. By Hobb did a masterful job bringing each thread to its own conclusion in a way that felt natural but not predictable. 

Paragon, Vivacia, and Tintaglia were all highlights of this book for me. Between the three of them, we see completely different character journeys and yet each one was fascinating to watch. Somehow Hobb manages to create curiosity and interest in such a slowly built way that I don’t realize it until I’m in the thick of it. Even then, it doesn’t feel rushed so much as just ‘coming along for the ride’. 

In my opinion, the best way to describe this book/series is along those lines. It’s a slowly building story that sweeps you up almost imperceptibly and resists being rushed through. While I’d recommend the series to anyone, I’d also caution that this is the kind of story to be savored. While those looking for a fast-paced read won’t find it here, Hobb uses that extra time to build a intricate world and characters that more than make up for it.

The biggest hurdle for me in this book was the first person omniscient perspective and the lack of access to characters’ internal monologues. I can’t remember the last time I read a novel with this perspective and I was shocked by how much distance it put between the reader and characters. And that was compounded by how much more attention was given to the plot compared to the emotional state of characters. It left me feeling uninvested in the story for about the first half until enough was revealed about the characters for me to care. Some of this is, I’m sure, personal taste and not being used to this kind of perspective. But overall I do think that balance was off, with too much focus on plot to the point were many important worldbuilding details were just told to the reader rather than revealed through specific scenes. 

Despite these things, I did enjoy a few key aspects of the book:

Some of the characters were standouts for me: Tas, Fizban, and Matafluer. I thought the handling of kender was very interesting and they did a good job demonstrating how there were still stakes for Tas despite him not necessarily feeling fear. Fizban brought a degree of levity to the story that was necessary and left me with many questions. And Matafleur just melted my heart.

I also appreciated that some problems expected to be outside of the characters’ capacity to deal with were handled in ways that didn’t automatically give them “power ups”. The team had luck on their side. But every external factor that aided them first harmed them / their plans.

The description of locations in the book, particularly how characters envisioned their relationships to those places, was compelling. While some locations were very typical fantasy, my interest in these places was enhanced by how the characters viewed them.

Overall, this book was a solid 3 stars for me. While a couple factors significantly affected my enjoyment, there were still enough pieces I liked to keep me reading.

Book returned

Audiobook returned

Once again Robin Hobb's character work shines like nothing else that I've read. Each character contains nuance, walking a line between good/bad or success/failure that is endlessly fascinating to follow. Each character's evolution is almost plot progression in itself. There are characters from the first book that I hated, who I've now grown to love despite myself. And there are character I imagined to be series favorites who have completely soured for me. In each instance, that growth/"fall from grace" felt entirely earned and natural for the character as well. 

I also appreciated that this book felt more conclusive and climactic than the first, a rare trait in a sequel (in my experience). Questions from Ship of Magic that nagged at me after its end where given satisfying (if not always complete) answers in this book. And the worldbuilding and lore expanded in a way that made everything feel more 'epic fantasy'. I loved everything we were learning about the Rain Wilds and the liveships/wizardwood. Even the serpent perspectives, which I found very tiresome in the first book, finally introduced stakes that hooked me more. 

Overall, this book exceeded my expectations. It added depth, more so than breath, to the world and characters, making each perspective and chapter more rewarding. It's made me infinitely more excited to read Ship of Destiny and much more likely to recommend the series overall.