Ship of Destiny

It is hard to rate and review this book. You just can not enjoy this book if you have not read the first two. The series does not break up well. As it is, with three books, the many stories that are being told in parallel are not all finished. So much more could be done with these characters and part of the world. There is a bit of the world from Realm of the Elderlings that connects this series to the Assassin series' but it could be separated.

Robin creates characters that have interesting and strong beliefs and behaviors but sometimes does not get to tell enough of their story, enough of their background, enough little arcs, to make this series stand strong. I think it is because there is so much going on. Too many unique characters and communities with their own mythologies. It just can't be tied with a bow after three books.

I really hated Assasin's Apprentice and I was fully prepared to write Robin Hobb off forever but I have to concede that this trilogy was good . I felt so emotionally invested in most of our characters and I was gratified by their growth at the end.

I just find that there are still some aspects of the book that I find troubling and that's why despite enjoying it I couldn't rate it five stars. I'm going to try more Hobb now that I know they are not all like Assasin's Apprentice.

Wow. I'm glad that's finished. There were too many characters to follow toward the end. She does a good job of making some of them seem unsympathetic at first then you root for them in the end. I might take a break before I start the next series. Like I said, too many characters and threads in the story.

Executive Summary: In the third and final book of the Liveship Traders trilogy, Ms. Hobb expertly brings everything that built up for 3 books to an exciting and satisfying conclusion. Many people seem to skip this trilogy and jump right into The Tawny Man Trilogy. I think this is a mistake. While there is very little overlap with Farseer (and maybe Tawny man, can't say for sure since I haven't read it yet), it's quite well written with many diverse and interesting characters.Full ReviewI got sidetracked reading [b:Cloud Atlas 49628 Cloud Atlas David Mitchell http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344305390s/49628.jpg 1871423] between this book and [b:The Mad Ship 45101 The Mad Ship (Liveship Traders, #2) Robin Hobb http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328628210s/45101.jpg 2571145]. It seemed to slow my momentum down. That coupled with the slow burn style of Ms. Hobb's writing. It took me 12 days to read the first 300 pages, but only 4 days to read the last 500 or so.This book even more than the previous two, switches perspectives a lot. At some times it's only a paragraph or two to swap, especially near the end. It makes for a fast paced ending as all the subplots begin to converge.For me the most impressive part of this trilogy was the character development. She took a character like Malta Versit and through character growth changed her from someone I want to reach into the book and strangle for being a spoiled little twit to someone of great strength and cunningI could go on to cite more examples, but you should just read for yourself. Where the characters are at the beginning of the trilogy and where they end up by the end seems miles apart. Ms. Hobb does an expert job in getting them there. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes Ms. Hobb's writing and especially to anyone whose already read the Farseer trilogy.

I have a full review here on my YouTube channel.

Robin Hobb does it again. Guys, I know I've become a broken record player extolling Robin Hobb's virtues, but I can't help myself. These books are masterpieces.

This series finale was spectacular. There were so many satisfying conclusions, whether it be for a character arc or a plot point that we've been following from the beginning. Hobb's characters stay at the top of my list of best characters in fiction. Everyone is so well fleshed out and they each have their own thorough, well thought out character arcs. The plots never wandered or became boring. I was constantly enthralled by every single second of this series. I love series endings, and Robin Hobb nailed this one. There were no weird wrap ups or out of character decisions made. The word that I feel like best sums up this series is satisfying. I felt so, so satisfied finishing this book. Everyone, please read Robin Hobb's books.

TW: alcohol, animal death, assault, attempted murder, attempted rape, blood, child abuse, death, drugs, emesis, fire, hostages, kidnapping, misogyny, murder, pedophilia, physical abuse, poisoning, pregnancy, PTSD, rape, sexism, sexual abuse, sexual assault, slavery, slut shaming, violence

There's a lot to unpack here. This finale was emotionally charged, and I appreciate how all the characters' paths intertwined. Malta's character development was exceptional, and Paragon's storyline exceeded my expectations. It's becoming clear who Amber is, and I'm thrilled to continue with the series.