Dragon Keeper

Maybe my number one pet peeve is a writer who refuses to let you put two and two together, and overexplains even the most obvious plot points. This book has an instance of that within the first like 25 pages. Instant DNF. Life's too short. My two brain cells deserve respect.

This has got to be the weakest Hobb book I've read to date.

It was fine. Nothing much happened that I would expect from a Hobb book but I'm prepared to sit and wait for the emotional damage I know she'll give me.

I am enjoying that characters especially the dragons. She manages to make something so old come across so new.

But oh Hobb can write terrible men! First there was regal then Kyle who I thought could get no worse and now HEST. Please tell me he gets what's coming to him cause my god.

This book felt more of an introduction to the characters and the dragons. It teases the implications on what could happen because of the deformed dragons and hints at certain character arcs. A slow book but one I enjoyed. O feel book 2 and onwards is where a lot of the things I love about Hobb will come forth.

3.5

Anything by Hobb is instant 5 star, she is one of the masters of character work and the sole reason for why I need therapy after reading what she does to them but suffer I will.

She is an inspiration as a writer.

She's done it again! A new cast of characters so vivid and real and flawed. So easy to get invested in. A little bit Tarzan, a little bit Lord of The Flies are some of the vibes I get. Not to mention the incredible cast of dragons! We get to see how individual they actually are. I'm completely emotionally invested, again.

I'm amazed by how Hobb manages to keep me so in thrall while very little actually happens. Her description of the cultures, lore and nature of a new region is fascinating and the characters in it as fascinating as ever. They're all fully formed humans, even the dragons. I can't wait to read what happens next. 

3.5 of 5

As always, Robin Hobb makes me care about the characters and get invested in their journey. I would say my main complain is how slow the books moves. I assumed they would get further on the their journey in Bk1, and they did not.

3/10

Absolutely nothing happens in this book. Boring and annoying characters. Tedious romantic drama. Awful sex scenes. In other words a typical non Fitz Hobb book.

I'm so happy to be back in the Rainwilds! That being said, this was my least favorite Hobb book so far. It just gets 4 stars instead of 5. Still fantastic, but I just didn't love it as much as the others. The ending made me want to dive right into the next one! As always, Robin Hobb is the queen of creating characters that I love to hate.

there is always the pirate/ sea faring person you like , the kyle 2.0, and then the character you just want to root for in the non fitz books.
Robin hobb is just great at what she does what can i say.
4.25/4.5 stars overall.

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

It's always difficult to leave Fitz behind, especially for a tetralogy that is regarded as the weak point in the Realms of the Elderlings series. I was hoping that a story devoted to several dragons would be big, bold, and thrilling; unfortunately, the dragons found in this opening tome were weak, malformed, and helpless. Obviously, this is just the beginning and things will likely change in the forthcoming books, but it was a disappointing revelation that Tintaglia and dragons like her were nowhere to be found.

That's not to say that there is nothing to like about this book. Compared to the Liveship Traders trilogy, this story is much more focused, the cast is less sprawling, and the characters convergence more quickly. The main characters are complex, likable, and varied. From Alise, the erudite Bingtown trader's daughter, to Thymara, the societal outcast seeking a place in the world, and to Leftrin, the shrewd ship captain with a heart; each character seems to have virtuous aims with realistic faults, and that makes them easy to root for.

Overall, though, this novel was mostly character introduction and set-up; it never captivated me like Hobb's other works, but I will push forward to the next book to see if the story picks up.

As per usual with Robin Hobb's start of trilogies, or in this case quadrilogy (?), this series is off to a slow start. A lot of what happens is this book is strictly setting up the characters and the situation they find themselves in, and you can clearly see that this was originally supposed to be one big book that was cut in half.

That doesn't mean that it's uninteresting or boring though. I actually really like the dragons in this one, whereas before they were just a part of the story and not one of my main interests in it. The characters are great too, but they all have much room to grow and I can't wait to see what becomes of them.

Executive Summary: This one may only be for big Robin Hobb fans, and those who didn't read/like Liveship Traders need not apply.Full ReviewI tore through the first 9 books of Ms. Hobb's Ederlings world last year. This series wasn't complete however so I wasn't in a rush to start it.After almost a year away, it's good to be back. There is some overlap with the events of Tawny man, so I'd recommend you have read those as well as Liveship before tackling this one.That said this book is slow. Any fan of Ms. Hobb will be used to this by now. She tends to meander at the start of her stories and takes her time before the main plot begins. This book might be the worst of the bunch. If that aspect of her writing bothers you, this series may not be for you.I think in any other author I might give up in frustration, but for me Ms. Hobb's writing is such that I seem to enjoy myself even if very little action is taking place. I can't really put my finger on why either. Maybe she's skilled me or something..Things do finally get going however and we're introduced several new characters along the way that we know pretty well by the time they do. For fans of Liveship there are some appearances by old friends, who make me smile and cheer when they showed up however briefly.I think this is where Ms. Hobb shines best. I've rarely love or despise characters as much as I tend to with hers. This series adds a few new ones that I may come to love, and certainly has several that I already can't stand.My only real complaint here is that the book sort of stops rather than ends. Just as things are really getting good too. I really just want to jump right into [b:Dragon Haven 7011403 Dragon Haven (Rain Wild Chronicles, #2) Robin Hobb https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1263769185s/7011403.jpg 21457174], which thankfully I can do if I want to, but if I had to wait, or if you didn't want to read the whole series at once, could be annoying.I think Ms. Hobb's done a much better with ending her other early books in a series than this. That said I'm eager to continue on and see where things go from here now that the stage has been set.3.5 Stars rounded up because I love Ms. Hobb.

Although this book was not bad, for me it lacked a certain energy. At times it seemed to move slowly from one predictable plot point or relationship to the next with little breath-taking excitement I expected. Others could really enjoy this book, but for me it is a 2/5.

Abrupt ending but then I guess after looking through some reviews and other things on the internet the book was broken into two parts and wasn't really supposed to be two books thus the uprupt ending. It is a bit slower than other books I have recently read but I really didn't mind it. I think that I would have given it a 3.5 if possible but when I think of some other books I've been reading recently I though it would merit a 4 over a 3. I wanted to read more and I'm curious about the lore of the dragons so I will be continuing the series.

I liked this book. I have only one complaint (which judging from the other books I read this weekend is a miracle). I want closure. I know this is part of a series but I want something to tell me this is the end of this book ... little teaser there is more to come but BAM something, anything, it is over. I got nothing ,BUT having said that I loved the characters. I thought they were unique and interesting. The world that is being developed and brought to life is so fascinating. I want to take a history course on the place. I am excited to read the rest of the series and I hope, at least in the end, I will have closure.