This was heavy. I had heard Robin Hobb wrote depressing books, but I expected it to be depressing due to trauma and loss, and while the books aren’t short on those things, equally depressing is the powerlessness of Fitz. I sometimes found myself chafing at the restrictions placed upon him as someone who has both too much and too little power. As the son of a prince, he is viewed as important and maybe even a threat, but as the bastard son of a prince, he has relatively little power. This means there’s only so much he can do as situations worsen or even if someone makes an attempt on his life. It was a hard read at times.
This is not to say I didn’t like the book. Robin Hobb is a masterful storyteller, which is clear from the way she puts both her characters—well, mainly Fitz—and her readers through the emotional wringer, but I kept coming back for more. I wanted to see how things would get better or worse, I wanted to enjoy with Fitz the moments of happiness and contentment he all too infrequently got to experience. Also, while I do like Fitz, I really enjoyed being able to learn more about some of the other characters. I like Verity and the Fool, and I think Kettricken might be one of my favorite characters. She is so well-written, and her strength, compassion, and depth of feelings shine through.
Interestingly, the Wit is displayed differently in this book, and I’m curious about that. Fitz bonds with the wolf Nighteyes and they talk to each other. It seems that for the reader’s sake Fitz is translating into words what might only be sensations or images when he and Nighteyes communicate with each other. He didn’t do this in the first book, and I’m not sure if it’s because the bond is different or if it was a choice by Robin Hobb to showcase it differently for various possible reasons.
I cannot wait to see what happens next! I’m part of a book club on the Fable app that’s reading one Robin Hobb book each month, so I’ll have to wait a couple of weeks to find out. I’m expecting more depressing events but hoping for at least a somewhat satisfying ending.