Fool's Fate

4.5 out of 5 stars – see this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.

Fool's Fate sets out at a sluggish pace, with the characters sailing to various territories in the Outislands. While this fleshed out the culture of the Outislanders in a compelling way, it mostly felt plodding and overlong. I was worried that this story would follow the same trajectory as the third book in the Farseer Trilogy, with Assassin's Quest feeling much more meandering and unfocused than the preceding two books. Luckily, the story takes off at the halfway mark, and all my qualms were washed away.

Dragons, deaths, betrayals, family reunions — it's jam-packed and Robin Hobb's talents are on full display. The writing is imbued with so much care and emotion that it's impossible not to care tremendously for each of our main characters. This was a beautiful conclusion to an excellent trilogy. I'm sad to leave Fitz behind to journey into the Rain Wilds, but it's a comfort to know that there are three more Fitz books waiting for me on the other side.