I can’t even tell you how glad I am that I gave Robin Hobb’s books another chance. It was totally worth it just for this trilogy alone. I don’t even know if I’ve had a turnaround this notable on a fictional character before. After I finished the first Fitz trilogy, I thought I was done, that her writing was not for me, and that Fitz’s story was definitely one that just didn’t resonate with me. And then on a whim years later I decided to try the Liveship Traders series because so many people said it was great, and it followed different characters, and whoooooops I loved it. This of course resulted in me rethinking some things, and wondering if I would like the next Fitz series as much as I liked Liveship . . . and the answer is yes. And I may have even loved it more.
Here we get the culmination of the quest to find (and kill) the black dragon of Aslevjal, and also the Fool’s prophecies. The first part of the book, starting when they were on the ship, was a bit sloggy, but I get why she did it that way. In hindsight a lot of it is set up and makes the ending that much more impactful. It was a little bit trying to get through that part, though. By the time they arrive at their destination, the book really gets going and doesn’t let up until the end.
I’m not going to dwell on anything that happens, because all of it is spoilery, and I don’t feel up to it anyway. The main thing to know is that this is a good ending book to the trilogy, and given when she first wrote it she thought it was the ending to Fitz’s story, it fits that purpose as well. Can’t recommend this series enough. I’ve never read anything like Robin Hobb’s abilities to get you so deep into a character’s mind and emotions, and wrap you up so deeply in the fate of the characters on the page. It’s sort of something you just have to experience for yourself.
[4.5 stars]