“I found myself speaking softly as if I were telling an old tale to a young child. And giving it a happy ending, when all know that tales never end, and the happy ending is but a moment to catch one’s breath before the next disaster.”
Seriously, at this point—the middle book of a trilogy that is itself the penultimate book in a sixteen book epic saga of a series—it is virtually impossible to talk about anything in a review that won’t spoil SOMETHING, so proceed at your own peril, I guess. I am on a time-crunch, and I have no idea what I’m about to say.
You know, aside from variations of how this series is like the emotional equivalent of someone reaching into your body and flipping you inside out.
What you can definitely tell is that, while she was writing this book at least*, she was definitely coming to the end and wrapping things up. Stuff, big important stuff, that has been left unresolved since all the way back to book two in the first trilogy comes to a head. Characters who have never met before meet. Secrets are revealed to those who don’t yet know them. And of course Fitz is put through agony. That’s just standard by now.
*There has been very recent talk from Hobb that she wants to continue in this world with SPOILERS Fitz, the Fool, and Molly’s daughter (!) Bee as the new focus, which also doesn’t bode well for what happens to my babies in the next book 😭 END SPOILER.
I feel like I know how I want this series to end, and also I know that it is absolutely not going to happen. Honestly, I’m still reeling that a series I fully stopped reading out of disinterest is now one of my all-time favorites, and it’s been three years at this point since I read Ship of Magic.
I shall end this review, once again, imploring those of you who are still reading this review to also read this series. I really don’t think you will regret it.
