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Rain Wild Chronicles #2
Dragon Haven
Return to the world of the Liveships Traders and journey along the Rain Wild River in the second instalment of high adventure from the author of the internationally acclaimed Farseer trilogy. The dragon keepers and the fledgling dragons are forging a passage up the treacherous Rain Wild River. They are in search of the mythical Elderling city of Kelsingra, and are accompanied by the liveship Tarman, its captain, Leftrin, and a group of hunters who must search the forests for game with which to keep the dragons fed. With them are Alise, who has escaped her cold marriage to the cruel libertine Hest Finbok in order to continue her study of dragons, and Hest's amanuensis, Bingtown dandy, Sedric. Rivalries and romances are already threatening to disrupt the band of explorers: but external forces may prove to be even more dangerous. Chalcedean merchants are keen to lay hands on dragon blood and organs to turn them to medicines and profit. Their traitor has infiltrated the expeditionand will stop at nothing to obtain the coveted body parts. And then there are the Rain Wilds themselves: mysterious, unstable and ever perilous, its mighty river running with acid, its jungle impenetrable and its waterways uncharted. Will the expedition reach their destination unscathed? Does the city of Kelsingra even exist? Only one thing is certain: the journey will leave none of the dragons nor their human companions unchanged by the experience.
428 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 26, 2010
1269 people are currently reading
22354 people want to read
About the author
Robin Hobb
323 books113k followers** I am shocked to find that some people think a 2 star 'I liked it' rating is a bad rating. What? I liked it. I LIKED it! That means I read the whole thing, to the last page, in spite of my life raining comets on me. It's a good book that survives the reading process with me. If a book is so-so, it ends up under the bed somewhere, or maybe under a stinky judo bag in the back of the van. So a 2 star from me means,yes, I liked the book, and I'd loan it to a friend and it went everywhere in my jacket pocket or purse until I finished it. A 3 star means that I've ignored friends to finish it and my sink is full of dirty dishes. A 4 star means I'm probably in trouble with my editor for missing a deadline because I was reading this book. But I want you to know . . . I don't finish books I don't like. There's too many good ones out there waiting to be found.
Robin Hobb is the author of three well-received fantasy trilogies: The Farseer Trilogy (Assassin’s Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin’s Quest), The Liveship Traders Trilogy (Ship of Magic, Mad Ship and Ship of Destiny) and the Tawny Man Trilogy (Fool’s Errand, Golden Fool, and Fool’s Fate) Her current work in progress is entitled Shaman’s Crossing. Robin Hobb lives and works in Tacoma, Washington, and has been a professional writer for over 30 years.
In addition to writing, her interests include gardening, mushrooming, and beachcombing. She and her husband Fred have three grown children and one teenager, and three grand-children.
She also writes as Megan Lindholm, and works under that name have been finalists for the Hugo award, the Nebula Award, and the Endeavor award. She has twice won an Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Readers’ Award.
Robin Hobb is the author of three well-received fantasy trilogies: The Farseer Trilogy (Assassin’s Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin’s Quest), The Liveship Traders Trilogy (Ship of Magic, Mad Ship and Ship of Destiny) and the Tawny Man Trilogy (Fool’s Errand, Golden Fool, and Fool’s Fate) Her current work in progress is entitled Shaman’s Crossing. Robin Hobb lives and works in Tacoma, Washington, and has been a professional writer for over 30 years.
In addition to writing, her interests include gardening, mushrooming, and beachcombing. She and her husband Fred have three grown children and one teenager, and three grand-children.
She also writes as Megan Lindholm, and works under that name have been finalists for the Hugo award, the Nebula Award, and the Endeavor award. She has twice won an Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Readers’ Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,500 reviews
March 17, 2018
This is one of the worst book and sequel I’ve ever read in my entire life.
I’m sorry, Robin Hobb. I loved and enjoyed reading almost all of your books but this one is an absolute no. I would rather read a smut—which I never do—than read this book again, a book which in my opinion should’ve been titled Romance Haven, Teenage Hormone Haven or Soap Opera Haven. I’ll even rank this worse than Assassin’s Quest.
The story began immediately after the end of the first book, then it welcome you to 500 pages of people looking for a person to get laid with. Each POV shifts consecutively and repeatedly to angsty characters brooding on who they should fuck. Let me get this straight, I don’t mind reading romance and angst in small doses, but they’re absolutely not the kind of thing I’m looking forward to in my read. There is a limit to how much I can tolerate reading romance in my SFF read. If I want to read a book full of them, I’ll pick up Nicholas Spark’s work or a random smut book with a six stone abs dude holding a breathless girl in the cover.
Hobb usually excelled at characterizations but here all the characters acted like a bunch of teenagers who just found this thing called hormones and their libidos are on godlike rampage. I don’t give a fuck who get to fuck who, heck at this point I don’t even care who will die or live. The previous book and this one could’ve been easily condensed into one 500 pages book. It freaking took 750 pages of traveling on a damn boat already in total. I’m not joking, the last half of the first book and the entirety of this book were spent on a boat with the characters just brooding trying so damn hard to satisfy their libido while they're waiting to arrive on their destination; Seriously, it’s absolutely unnecessary.
The worst part is that the romance aren’t even well written, here’s a few example. A character spying on people having sex, then wanting someone to do the same thing to her, and then proceed to playing hard to get when someone do want to do it with her out of love. Another character got punched in the FACE and the first thing he recalled was the time he was “dominated” in bed for six paragraphs (REALLY!?) before going back into the next scene of being punched again and then show his thoughts of getting dominated again. Dear lord, just enough, and these are just two out of almost infinite scenes in the book.
The only redeeming factors of the book were the last two paragraphs because the plot finally continues and the book finally ended. Also, there are more details on the Elderlings but they could’ve easily be done in a single paragraph so again, I don’t know what the point of this book is.
This is the end my review because these are all the book has to offer. If the next two books follow the storytelling pattern of this book I will DNF the series and just read some detailed summaries because this one was just atrocious. At this point, I’m just reading this quartet as a chore and for completion sake only so I can get to Fitz and the Fool with having read all her books in the series. Yes, you heard that right, I will continue. I have come this far and I will not let a bunch of characters’ libidos stop me from completing this series. Recommended only for people who loved reading angst with the plot not moving, at all.
You can find this and the rest of my Adult Epic/High Fantasy & Sci-Fi reviews at BookNest
I’m sorry, Robin Hobb. I loved and enjoyed reading almost all of your books but this one is an absolute no. I would rather read a smut—which I never do—than read this book again, a book which in my opinion should’ve been titled Romance Haven, Teenage Hormone Haven or Soap Opera Haven. I’ll even rank this worse than Assassin’s Quest.
The story began immediately after the end of the first book, then it welcome you to 500 pages of people looking for a person to get laid with. Each POV shifts consecutively and repeatedly to angsty characters brooding on who they should fuck. Let me get this straight, I don’t mind reading romance and angst in small doses, but they’re absolutely not the kind of thing I’m looking forward to in my read. There is a limit to how much I can tolerate reading romance in my SFF read. If I want to read a book full of them, I’ll pick up Nicholas Spark’s work or a random smut book with a six stone abs dude holding a breathless girl in the cover.
Hobb usually excelled at characterizations but here all the characters acted like a bunch of teenagers who just found this thing called hormones and their libidos are on godlike rampage. I don’t give a fuck who get to fuck who, heck at this point I don’t even care who will die or live. The previous book and this one could’ve been easily condensed into one 500 pages book. It freaking took 750 pages of traveling on a damn boat already in total. I’m not joking, the last half of the first book and the entirety of this book were spent on a boat with the characters just brooding trying so damn hard to satisfy their libido while they're waiting to arrive on their destination; Seriously, it’s absolutely unnecessary.
The worst part is that the romance aren’t even well written, here’s a few example. A character spying on people having sex, then wanting someone to do the same thing to her, and then proceed to playing hard to get when someone do want to do it with her out of love. Another character got punched in the FACE and the first thing he recalled was the time he was “dominated” in bed for six paragraphs (REALLY!?) before going back into the next scene of being punched again and then show his thoughts of getting dominated again. Dear lord, just enough, and these are just two out of almost infinite scenes in the book.
The only redeeming factors of the book were the last two paragraphs because the plot finally continues and the book finally ended. Also, there are more details on the Elderlings but they could’ve easily be done in a single paragraph so again, I don’t know what the point of this book is.
This is the end my review because these are all the book has to offer. If the next two books follow the storytelling pattern of this book I will DNF the series and just read some detailed summaries because this one was just atrocious. At this point, I’m just reading this quartet as a chore and for completion sake only so I can get to Fitz and the Fool with having read all her books in the series. Yes, you heard that right, I will continue. I have come this far and I will not let a bunch of characters’ libidos stop me from completing this series. Recommended only for people who loved reading angst with the plot not moving, at all.
You can find this and the rest of my Adult Epic/High Fantasy & Sci-Fi reviews at BookNest
October 18, 2022
Gotta say, a lot of the reviews on this book do NOT pass the vibe check. The idea that this is "just relationships" when we get that scene towards the end that shows the impact of these relationships on Jerd and the other women on the trip... it just shows how women's stories or themes that are seen as being traditionally feminine are still often not valued in the wider fantasy readership. Totally get if the book's pacing was not for people - it very clearly was just spliced from a bigger book, and do agree some of the conversations got repetitive. But for me, I was all in on the relational journeys our characters were going on and can't wait to see what happens now that they are where they are by the end of the book
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April 8, 20221.5 stars. A shockingly bad book from an otherwise wonderful author
Check out my new youtube channel where I show my instant reactions to reading fantasy books seconds after I finish the book.
I went into this book with very low expectations after reading the first in this series and it being by far my least favorite Realm of the Elderings book, but apparently my expectations were not low enough. This book is very hard to get through, and legitimately shocks me with how poor of a quality it is. If it were pretty much any other author I would have not finished the book, but I have so much positive investment with this series that I had to push through it. Unfortunately, I really should have saved the time and just read a synopsis on wikipedia and saved myself the hassle.
Virtually nothing happens in this book that is of any value. The main plot of the book just continues from the last book and doesn't progress the story until the last 25 pages. The book heavily follows relationship subplots, but it comes off like it was written for teenagers. It's not believable at all, and makes you eye roll consistently throughout the book. One of the subplots is a boring spin on lord of the flies, but without any interesting characters. And to top it off, there isn't even any discernable antagonists in the story to help build tension.
In these first two books in this series, there have been ~1000 pages written, but it would have been a far more enjoyable experience if they both combined to be ~500 pages.
I'll read the third book in this series because this book ended up in an interesting place, but if it's of anywhere near a similar quality to this one, I'll just read a synopsis of the last one and move onto the last Realm of the Elderings trilogy.
Check out my new youtube channel where I show my instant reactions to reading fantasy books seconds after I finish the book.
I went into this book with very low expectations after reading the first in this series and it being by far my least favorite Realm of the Elderings book, but apparently my expectations were not low enough. This book is very hard to get through, and legitimately shocks me with how poor of a quality it is. If it were pretty much any other author I would have not finished the book, but I have so much positive investment with this series that I had to push through it. Unfortunately, I really should have saved the time and just read a synopsis on wikipedia and saved myself the hassle.
Virtually nothing happens in this book that is of any value. The main plot of the book just continues from the last book and doesn't progress the story until the last 25 pages. The book heavily follows relationship subplots, but it comes off like it was written for teenagers. It's not believable at all, and makes you eye roll consistently throughout the book. One of the subplots is a boring spin on lord of the flies, but without any interesting characters. And to top it off, there isn't even any discernable antagonists in the story to help build tension.
In these first two books in this series, there have been ~1000 pages written, but it would have been a far more enjoyable experience if they both combined to be ~500 pages.
I'll read the third book in this series because this book ended up in an interesting place, but if it's of anywhere near a similar quality to this one, I'll just read a synopsis of the last one and move onto the last Realm of the Elderings trilogy.
January 14, 2022
The first half of this was a bit of a slog, which is kind of understandable, the majority of the first 2 books are spent travelling somas of the story is focussing on the politics and dynamics of the relatively small group of characters making the trip, but my one main criticism of this is that I truly don't care who Thymara is sleeping with, if she sleeps with anyone, if she doesn't, I literally could not care less.
One thing you can guarantee in a Hobb book, is excellent character development that makes the slow pacing worth it, I even nearly shed a tear at the end because it left the book on an uplifting note as opposed to the usual doom and gloom. I kind of wish this was the last book in the series because I feel like the characters are really gonna be put through it in the final 2 books.
I've come to realise that I definitely prefer the multi-perspective books in the Rain Wilds part of the world in the Realm of The Elderlings as opposed to the Fitz books, as generally there's more scope, they focus on the magic and origins of magic in the world a little bit more, and they give us more answers.
Overall, not my favourite Hobb ever (still probably Ship of Magic) but definitely solid! Hobb's writing is now very comforting to me, so I will always be glad to return to the Realm of The Elderlings just for the comfort and familiarity the books provide.
Content warnings in spoilers
One thing you can guarantee in a Hobb book, is excellent character development that makes the slow pacing worth it, I even nearly shed a tear at the end because it left the book on an uplifting note as opposed to the usual doom and gloom. I kind of wish this was the last book in the series because I feel like the characters are really gonna be put through it in the final 2 books.
I've come to realise that I definitely prefer the multi-perspective books in the Rain Wilds part of the world in the Realm of The Elderlings as opposed to the Fitz books, as generally there's more scope, they focus on the magic and origins of magic in the world a little bit more, and they give us more answers.
Overall, not my favourite Hobb ever (still probably Ship of Magic) but definitely solid! Hobb's writing is now very comforting to me, so I will always be glad to return to the Realm of The Elderlings just for the comfort and familiarity the books provide.
Content warnings in spoilers
June 6, 2017
Only Robin Hobb could write a prologue from the point of view of a dragon, and make it equal parts terrifying and hilarious.
It's all about the dragons!
Her dragons remind me of cats; they are vain, greedy and dangerous when roused. They have a selfish sense of entitlement that often leaves others running after them, but they’re also capable of great kindness and love. Well, sometimes. How much of it is genuine and how much of it a ploy is difficult to say. They are not mere beasts that reign fire on the enemy: they have personality and character too.
They’re trying to find a home and a place to grow. Their ancient memories are driving them to salvation. It is the only place they can go and discover exactly what it means to be a dragon, which, depending on which dragon you ask, means very different things. Some just wish to hunt and mate, some wish to live and thrive beside humans. And one of them wishes to gather up all the lost knowledge of his kind. The wisest though know understand that humans are their servants, but this does not mean they have to be subservient to the dragons. They can cooperate and develop a mutual respect.
The Elderlings have returned?
Each dragon has a human who reflects their own temperament. The more time they spend with each other the more they begin to resemble each other, as the dragon magic begins to shape the human’s forms to reflect their own. They will become something else entirely, something that has not been around for a very long time and something we have heard much of in the Fitz and Fool trilogies. I much prefer the characters, and the plot, in this series than those of The Liveship Traders. They are more varied, less rigid, and have much more room for character development in the future.
Alise Finbrook is a particular favourite of mine. She reminds me somewhat of a morally strict, somewhat rigid, Victorian middle class woman has had her first taste of freedom and realised how trapped she has been in her own life. Her character arc promises much more in the future. Hopefully, she will leave her stupid husband and enjoy her own life for a change. Sedric has come a long way too. He is arrogant and self-involved, but he is beginning to see that there is much more to life than his own vanity. Indeed, the vanity of the dragons comes first! He is in a very stressful situation, and dealing with it will test the limits of his character. Somehow, I think he’ll pull through and do what he must.
So this was very strong second instalment in the series, all the loose ends were tied up from the The Dragon Keeper and the future is looking even more uncertain. No doubt there’s much more yet to come in this series.
It's all about the dragons!
Her dragons remind me of cats; they are vain, greedy and dangerous when roused. They have a selfish sense of entitlement that often leaves others running after them, but they’re also capable of great kindness and love. Well, sometimes. How much of it is genuine and how much of it a ploy is difficult to say. They are not mere beasts that reign fire on the enemy: they have personality and character too.
They’re trying to find a home and a place to grow. Their ancient memories are driving them to salvation. It is the only place they can go and discover exactly what it means to be a dragon, which, depending on which dragon you ask, means very different things. Some just wish to hunt and mate, some wish to live and thrive beside humans. And one of them wishes to gather up all the lost knowledge of his kind. The wisest though know understand that humans are their servants, but this does not mean they have to be subservient to the dragons. They can cooperate and develop a mutual respect.
The Elderlings have returned?
Each dragon has a human who reflects their own temperament. The more time they spend with each other the more they begin to resemble each other, as the dragon magic begins to shape the human’s forms to reflect their own. They will become something else entirely, something that has not been around for a very long time and something we have heard much of in the Fitz and Fool trilogies. I much prefer the characters, and the plot, in this series than those of The Liveship Traders. They are more varied, less rigid, and have much more room for character development in the future.
Alise Finbrook is a particular favourite of mine. She reminds me somewhat of a morally strict, somewhat rigid, Victorian middle class woman has had her first taste of freedom and realised how trapped she has been in her own life. Her character arc promises much more in the future. Hopefully, she will leave her stupid husband and enjoy her own life for a change. Sedric has come a long way too. He is arrogant and self-involved, but he is beginning to see that there is much more to life than his own vanity. Indeed, the vanity of the dragons comes first! He is in a very stressful situation, and dealing with it will test the limits of his character. Somehow, I think he’ll pull through and do what he must.
So this was very strong second instalment in the series, all the loose ends were tied up from the The Dragon Keeper and the future is looking even more uncertain. No doubt there’s much more yet to come in this series.
January 27, 2022
I’m so sad I’m just not enjoying this series :(((
Extended review:
Something about this series so far has failed to strike a chord with me. I have a strong suspicion it's due to my general disinterest towards the characters, as I've always praised Robin Hobb's ability to have me invested in characters and the outcomes of their stories whether I love or hate them. But sadly I'm just finding these characters quite forgettable, and if I leave it too long between reading almost have to remind myself who's who all over again.
The story itself too is feeling really repetitive to me. I thought I'd love reading about the dragons, but this honestly just feels like a really tedious river trip in which we have to reiterate countless times how the water is acidic and the dragons are grumpy. This is only enhanced by how each of the main characters seems to have one point they keep repeating, almost as if that's their personality trait of the book - one of them constantly blames herself for the woes of another, another character is oh-so rule abiding, so on and so forth. I have faith that these things will start to develop in the next book, as I've known Hobb to pull some seemingly miraculous character developments out of thin air and win me over entirely. But for now I'm just bored.
Extended review:
Something about this series so far has failed to strike a chord with me. I have a strong suspicion it's due to my general disinterest towards the characters, as I've always praised Robin Hobb's ability to have me invested in characters and the outcomes of their stories whether I love or hate them. But sadly I'm just finding these characters quite forgettable, and if I leave it too long between reading almost have to remind myself who's who all over again.
The story itself too is feeling really repetitive to me. I thought I'd love reading about the dragons, but this honestly just feels like a really tedious river trip in which we have to reiterate countless times how the water is acidic and the dragons are grumpy. This is only enhanced by how each of the main characters seems to have one point they keep repeating, almost as if that's their personality trait of the book - one of them constantly blames herself for the woes of another, another character is oh-so rule abiding, so on and so forth. I have faith that these things will start to develop in the next book, as I've known Hobb to pull some seemingly miraculous character developments out of thin air and win me over entirely. But for now I'm just bored.
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November 5, 2023
I did not expect to love the Rain Wild Chronicles as much as I have – even if it’s the weakest series in the Realm of the Elderlings so far. (Fitz will always be my number 1.) Keep in mind this book is basically the second half of the story begun in book 1; the story being split into two books is also the reason for this lone tetralogy among the other trilogies.
Narratively, this series is different from the previous ones. Fitz’s books (the Farseer/Tawny Man trilogies) feature only one viewpoint character (Fitz) while we are given brief glimpses into other characters via the Skilling magic, which makes for a very straightforward, linear narrative. The Liveship Traders trilogy, meanwhile, has a plethora of viewpoint characters who have separate plot lines, resulting in frequent changes of the setting. The Rain Wild Chronicles is a combination of the two: we have a number of viewpoint characters but once they converge, they embark on the same journey (literally), letting you experience events through different eyes. I can’t say I have a preference either way; all three narrative techniques worked really well for me.
What really works well for me as well is just the right combination of character development, the quest for the mythical city of Kelsingra, more romance than we are used to (including some wonderful MM romance), and more action than the first book has seen. All in all, these made for an enjoyable page-turner.
But let’s talk more about the extra dose of romance/sex, which we haven’t yet seen to this degree. Apart from some adult love making, a lot seems to be teenage drama at first glance – who will shag who and the like. I can see why some people feel this is overdone; however, for me, it feels right within the framework of the Rain Wilds and the pragmatic, yet cruel rules it imposes on its people. Sex here serves a purpose: to paint a rather harsh picture of procreation, resulting in deformed, “monstrous,” and often nonviable offspring. Even the sometimes graphic descriptions of sexy times are often neither sexy nor gratuitous – they always serve to illustrate character traits of the persons involved.
Another thing that Hobb does incredibly well is the resolution of conflict. They don’t involve drama for drama’s sake and are usually promptly and satisfactorily resolved. When Sedric, my favorite character in this series, gives Alise, another MC, false information that could lead to painful complications, we don’t have to wait and worry what may come of it: a sensible person like Alise deals with it and acts true to her character.
Apart from Sedric, whose arc I especially love, and unhappily married Bingtown trader and self-proclaimed dragon scholar Alise, we also travel alongside 16-year-old Thymara, who was born especially “changed from pure human” and therefore should have been “given to the night” based on the harsh rules of the Rain Wilds. What will her future of a dragon keeper hold? Then there’s Leftrin, captain of the Tarman, a liveship barge without a simulacrum (which, unlike the other liveships, therefore can’t talk), who falls in love with married Alise – but will they have a future?
Another viewpoint character I should mention is the dragon Sintara, through whom we learn more about the newly rediscovered dragons – and about the so-called Elderlings and how to become one of that blend of human and dragon. We also get answers as to why the Rain Wilds leave humans irrevocably changed and that this must not be the death sentence it is often believed to be.
All in all, I was left very happy after finishing Dragon Haven. Most importantly, our characters are left in a good place (both literally and figuratively) and I can’t wait to find out what’s next for them.
Onward!
Narratively, this series is different from the previous ones. Fitz’s books (the Farseer/Tawny Man trilogies) feature only one viewpoint character (Fitz) while we are given brief glimpses into other characters via the Skilling magic, which makes for a very straightforward, linear narrative. The Liveship Traders trilogy, meanwhile, has a plethora of viewpoint characters who have separate plot lines, resulting in frequent changes of the setting. The Rain Wild Chronicles is a combination of the two: we have a number of viewpoint characters but once they converge, they embark on the same journey (literally), letting you experience events through different eyes. I can’t say I have a preference either way; all three narrative techniques worked really well for me.
What really works well for me as well is just the right combination of character development, the quest for the mythical city of Kelsingra, more romance than we are used to (including some wonderful MM romance), and more action than the first book has seen. All in all, these made for an enjoyable page-turner.
But let’s talk more about the extra dose of romance/sex, which we haven’t yet seen to this degree. Apart from some adult love making, a lot seems to be teenage drama at first glance – who will shag who and the like. I can see why some people feel this is overdone; however, for me, it feels right within the framework of the Rain Wilds and the pragmatic, yet cruel rules it imposes on its people. Sex here serves a purpose: to paint a rather harsh picture of procreation, resulting in deformed, “monstrous,” and often nonviable offspring. Even the sometimes graphic descriptions of sexy times are often neither sexy nor gratuitous – they always serve to illustrate character traits of the persons involved.
Another thing that Hobb does incredibly well is the resolution of conflict. They don’t involve drama for drama’s sake and are usually promptly and satisfactorily resolved. When Sedric, my favorite character in this series, gives Alise, another MC, false information that could lead to painful complications, we don’t have to wait and worry what may come of it: a sensible person like Alise deals with it and acts true to her character.
Apart from Sedric, whose arc I especially love, and unhappily married Bingtown trader and self-proclaimed dragon scholar Alise, we also travel alongside 16-year-old Thymara, who was born especially “changed from pure human” and therefore should have been “given to the night” based on the harsh rules of the Rain Wilds. What will her future of a dragon keeper hold? Then there’s Leftrin, captain of the Tarman, a liveship barge without a simulacrum (which, unlike the other liveships, therefore can’t talk), who falls in love with married Alise – but will they have a future?
Another viewpoint character I should mention is the dragon Sintara, through whom we learn more about the newly rediscovered dragons – and about the so-called Elderlings and how to become one of that blend of human and dragon. We also get answers as to why the Rain Wilds leave humans irrevocably changed and that this must not be the death sentence it is often believed to be.
All in all, I was left very happy after finishing Dragon Haven. Most importantly, our characters are left in a good place (both literally and figuratively) and I can’t wait to find out what’s next for them.
Onward!
November 14, 2018
500 pages where nothing of significance happened. All these pages contains was lusting after the guy or the girl in front of you, bickering teenagers, sexual liaisons from past and present, narcissist and arrogant dragons, a very tiring and dull voyage. I thought my days of boring books from Hobb were over with Assassin's Quest but gosh this was worst than that.
August 30, 2019
Book two complete. I am satisfied, but hungry for more. I had heard, at some point during this current venture of mine into the Rain Wilds Chronicles, that this series was originally meant to be a trilogy (three books, not the four that it is). If so, it does make sense, seeing that the other 4 series comprising the Realm of Elderlings are grouped in threes. These first two books (Dragon Keeper/Dragon Haven) do feel like one long book split into two parts, with Dragon Keeper leaving off in the midst of our journey by way of a mini-cliffhanger. If the first book had to end there, only part way up this river we're traveling, then that last scene was a near pitch perfect way to fade out. So, does three books vs. four even matter? I think most Hobb + Fantasy fans would say yes it does – meaning give us more. If the story is good, then I personally am more than willing to spend the extra time within it.
Now that book 2 has ended, there's a crossroads to the plot. No cliffhanger to end this one, just something new which also leaves me asking, “will I enjoy what comes next as much as I enjoyed what came before?” Almost anything I say feels like a spoiler (for this series in particular with its directional plot). Thinking in hindsight, I wouldn't have thought this long journey up a caustic river would continuously offer what it did. Turns out, it's the small things that make an adventure engrossing: learning about a character as they learn about themselves – which amazingly includes the dragons. Most important has been the dramatic change in certain characters. This is something Hobb has done before, which at first seems like a small thing, but becomes what expands the plot, driving it forward to even better places. So, as for looking ahead to book 3, I don't think I'll have anything to worry about.
Now that book 2 has ended, there's a crossroads to the plot. No cliffhanger to end this one, just something new which also leaves me asking, “will I enjoy what comes next as much as I enjoyed what came before?” Almost anything I say feels like a spoiler (for this series in particular with its directional plot). Thinking in hindsight, I wouldn't have thought this long journey up a caustic river would continuously offer what it did. Turns out, it's the small things that make an adventure engrossing: learning about a character as they learn about themselves – which amazingly includes the dragons. Most important has been the dramatic change in certain characters. This is something Hobb has done before, which at first seems like a small thing, but becomes what expands the plot, driving it forward to even better places. So, as for looking ahead to book 3, I don't think I'll have anything to worry about.
May 13, 2022
Dragon Keeper and Dragon Haven were written as one book, and it shows. The character arcs from the start of the one to the end of the other are magnificent. If taking just one book at a time, they’re comparatively muted. I chose to read this book as the second half and it brought me all the Hobbsian joy I needed from a first book in an Elderling subseries. Coming to it from the Liveship Traders to this, it’s a whole new world. But from the end of Tawny Man it’s a come-down after that particular epic trilogy topper.
Look, Harper Collins: if Robin Hobb gives you a huge book, you print it. You don’t chop it in half, you numbnuts.
I’m aghast at some of the negative reviews for this book, with their complaints about romance and thinking about sexing and not enough massive plot events. To those reviewers I must ask, do you even Robin Hobb? The story is thoroughly character-driven, and from any character’s perspective it’s a huge journey from start to finish. I hate reading romance, and there was no romance in this book, only authentic feelings and reactions wholly appropriate to each character’s age, situation, and life experience. Hobb writes with subtlety and trusts the reader where others wave flags over shocking developments.
Hest is going to be pissed.
Look, Harper Collins: if Robin Hobb gives you a huge book, you print it. You don’t chop it in half, you numbnuts.
I’m aghast at some of the negative reviews for this book, with their complaints about romance and thinking about sexing and not enough massive plot events. To those reviewers I must ask, do you even Robin Hobb? The story is thoroughly character-driven, and from any character’s perspective it’s a huge journey from start to finish. I hate reading romance, and there was no romance in this book, only authentic feelings and reactions wholly appropriate to each character’s age, situation, and life experience. Hobb writes with subtlety and trusts the reader where others wave flags over shocking developments.
Hest is going to be pissed.
December 29, 2013
In the past 12 months or so, I finished more than 10 books by Robin Hobb. She’s brilliant, but writing so many raving reviews gets pretty boring and repetitive, so I got a little creative again:
My blacked out review poem:
This review was inspired by what Austin Kleon does in his book ‘Newspaper Blackout'. Only he spends more time on it than I did so (unlike me) he manages to get grammatically correct sentences. Sorry about that :)
EDIT: For those worry, no books were tortured during the making of this review. It happened on a copy of that page.
My blacked out review poem:
It is lovely, like the light [shining] through.
It just got brighter and [more] beautiful.
Don't worry,
you'll fly.
This review was inspired by what Austin Kleon does in his book ‘Newspaper Blackout'. Only he spends more time on it than I did so (unlike me) he manages to get grammatically correct sentences. Sorry about that :)
EDIT: For those worry, no books were tortured during the making of this review. It happened on a copy of that page.
December 24, 2024
RATING BREAKDOWN
Characters: 4⭐️
Setting: 5⭐️
Plot: 5⭐️
Themes: 4⭐️
Emotional Impact: 4⭐️
Personal Enjoyment: 5⭐️
Total Rounded Average: 4.5⭐️
This felt like the satisfying conclusion to a duology, and yet the developments at the climax are so juicy, I cannot wait to read on and discover more about the Elderlings, and their ancient culture!
Robin Hobb is at her best yet again, with stories of personal struggle and healing, moving beyond oppression and self-delusion into truth and healing. The characters are so much fun, and the weaving of dragon drama into the human web of chaos is so entertaining.
Hobb is playing with identity yet again in the Rain Wild Chronicles, but she's doing it in a new way. So much of what these characters have to overcome is their own limiting beliefs about themselves. It's the theme of the dragons' journey as well. There is so much promise for me in the truth of these creatures' history. The more we find out about dragons, elderlings, and the world as it was before, the more these characters will understand their purpose and inclinations, the less alone and wrong they will feel in a world that simply forgot them. I cannot wait to see where this story ends. The Realm of the Elderlings is so phenomenal!
Characters: 4⭐️
Setting: 5⭐️
Plot: 5⭐️
Themes: 4⭐️
Emotional Impact: 4⭐️
Personal Enjoyment: 5⭐️
Total Rounded Average: 4.5⭐️
This felt like the satisfying conclusion to a duology, and yet the developments at the climax are so juicy, I cannot wait to read on and discover more about the Elderlings, and their ancient culture!
Robin Hobb is at her best yet again, with stories of personal struggle and healing, moving beyond oppression and self-delusion into truth and healing. The characters are so much fun, and the weaving of dragon drama into the human web of chaos is so entertaining.
Hobb is playing with identity yet again in the Rain Wild Chronicles, but she's doing it in a new way. So much of what these characters have to overcome is their own limiting beliefs about themselves. It's the theme of the dragons' journey as well. There is so much promise for me in the truth of these creatures' history. The more we find out about dragons, elderlings, and the world as it was before, the more these characters will understand their purpose and inclinations, the less alone and wrong they will feel in a world that simply forgot them. I cannot wait to see where this story ends. The Realm of the Elderlings is so phenomenal!
November 8, 2020
This book is slightly better than Assassin's Quest, slightly by just a pinch, that is only because this one was fun to read but after reading it you'll realise that almost nothing of import happened in the 500+ pages. The whole book could be compressed into a hundred pages, the remaining 400+ was spent on ridiculous thought about the love life of the characters, the romance was so cheesy it's cringy. Sometimes I'm like, did Robin Hobb actually write this?
The only two things of importance that happened in this book are
1. A flood that was fun to read, I was at the edge of my seat when I read that, I wish the whole book was that fun.
2. They now know Kelsingra exist.
The writing is amazing, definitely why I finished it, the world building is definitely above average, I love the depiction of the rain wild.
The characters are mostly one dimensional, only Sedric and Alise had good character development in this, the rest especially Thymara was so terrible, she was naive and ignorant, I hope that changes. Leftrin didn't change, don't know what I feel about that yet.
The only two things of importance that happened in this book are
1. A flood that was fun to read, I was at the edge of my seat when I read that, I wish the whole book was that fun.
2. They now know Kelsingra exist.
The writing is amazing, definitely why I finished it, the world building is definitely above average, I love the depiction of the rain wild.
The characters are mostly one dimensional, only Sedric and Alise had good character development in this, the rest especially Thymara was so terrible, she was naive and ignorant, I hope that changes. Leftrin didn't change, don't know what I feel about that yet.
September 2, 2025
Dragon Haven
Dragon Haven is the second book in Robin Hobb's Rain Wild Chronicles series and continues the story of the dragon keepers as they journey upriver in search of the legendary city of Kelsingra where they can live under their own rules. I enjoyed this second book much more than the first. I think everything here had a better depth to the characters' relationships, the keepers' relationship with their dragons, and the overall development of the story. I thought it had a good pace. And of course, one thing I really liked was the romance I couldn't wait to see come to fruition, and finally, I freaked out over this specific couple. Overall, this book is far superior to the first, and anyone who's already familiar with the author's writing and has read other books in this universe will definitely enjoy it. I can't wait to pick up book 3 and read it and freak out over these incredible characters I've grown to love so much.
Dragon Haven is the second book in Robin Hobb's Rain Wild Chronicles series and continues the story of the dragon keepers as they journey upriver in search of the legendary city of Kelsingra where they can live under their own rules. I enjoyed this second book much more than the first. I think everything here had a better depth to the characters' relationships, the keepers' relationship with their dragons, and the overall development of the story. I thought it had a good pace. And of course, one thing I really liked was the romance I couldn't wait to see come to fruition, and finally, I freaked out over this specific couple. Overall, this book is far superior to the first, and anyone who's already familiar with the author's writing and has read other books in this universe will definitely enjoy it. I can't wait to pick up book 3 and read it and freak out over these incredible characters I've grown to love so much.
April 28, 2024
Never thought I would say this about a Robin Hobb book but this...was not very good 😭
It feels like 90% of this book is about angsty teenagers on a boat struggling with their sexual desires.
I will continue this series but I am not looking forward to it. Hopefully, book 3 will be better.
It feels like 90% of this book is about angsty teenagers on a boat struggling with their sexual desires.
I will continue this series but I am not looking forward to it. Hopefully, book 3 will be better.
November 12, 2023
What a great continuation from Dragon Keeper that felt like it made so much progress in terms of bringing character and plot arcs to their culmination that I feel like I just completed a duology sub-series within a sub-series. It wasn't as purely satisfying as book 1 where I was discovering new characters to love and getting thrown into such an intriguing situation, but it was just as gripping in its own way as we navigated this tricky journey together.
Hobb and middle books is an equation that results in pain...pain for the characters, and pain for the reader. I should have been prepared but part of me was hoping that this would depart from the pattern and turn into a Realm of the Elderlings cozy fantasy series (lol a fool's hope). But at the same time there's goodness and hope and messy personal growth, and the pain leads to deep deep emotional payoffs for when good things do happen, cuz they don't come easy or without a cost.
I am really enjoying the tight focus in this series on one plot line but viewed through a bunch of different perspectives on the same voyage. It's made the pacing feel quite brisk, as Hobb switches POVs fairly quickly compared to what she did in Liveship. And they all offer something quite unique and interesting, and Hobb just makes it feel so different inhabiting each one as the inner conflicts and fixations are so distinctive. I've had a great time with the first half of the Rain Wild Chronicles so far, and I love that I basically have no clue what's on the horizon with the next couple books, other than that I'm sure it's gonna be an incredible ride.
Hobb and middle books is an equation that results in pain...pain for the characters, and pain for the reader. I should have been prepared but part of me was hoping that this would depart from the pattern and turn into a Realm of the Elderlings cozy fantasy series (lol a fool's hope). But at the same time there's goodness and hope and messy personal growth, and the pain leads to deep deep emotional payoffs for when good things do happen, cuz they don't come easy or without a cost.
I am really enjoying the tight focus in this series on one plot line but viewed through a bunch of different perspectives on the same voyage. It's made the pacing feel quite brisk, as Hobb switches POVs fairly quickly compared to what she did in Liveship. And they all offer something quite unique and interesting, and Hobb just makes it feel so different inhabiting each one as the inner conflicts and fixations are so distinctive. I've had a great time with the first half of the Rain Wild Chronicles so far, and I love that I basically have no clue what's on the horizon with the next couple books, other than that I'm sure it's gonna be an incredible ride.
September 23, 2015
So this book is number #2 in the Rain Wild series and it's the continuation of the story of Thymara, Alise, Leftrin and their magical Dragon creatures they're accompanying. We get to see that the story picks up straight after the ending of the first one, meaning you're straight back into the action. What I liked about this book was that there did seems to be a lot more action scenes and some real moments of stress and worry for our cast of characters.
So, this book follows our intrepid adventurers as they have ventured away from their homes in the search of new, exciting place. We see that their journey is fraught with problems, right from the start point, and we see that not only is there a poisonous and scary river, a lack of food and plotting, but also the group itself has some widening cracks and fractures causing lots of moments of tension.
I think that the strengths of this book lie in the fact that Hobb is able to create some characters who are not all good, bad or black and white. It's easy to make a character and say this is a good character, you must like and root for them, but Hobb doesn't do that. She manages to make people who feel real. They frustrate you, they make you angry, they make you annoyed and they make mistakes. Equally she knows how to recover a character and turn someone 'bad' into someone good by giving them redeemable moments and actions. We see a lot of both in this book, and it was certainly worth her taking the time to develop all of the major human and dragon characters.
In terms of the plot it focuses mostly on the journey they are undertaking. I felt that the pacing for this one and the plot for this one were probably more intense than the previous just because we face more 'unknown' and I really liked getting to follow along for this story.
Another element I do want to mention in this review is the letters between the Birdkeepers - Eric and Detozi - which are at the end of each chapter. I found myself getting drawn deeper and deeper into their storylines and what they were talking about and it was all very exciting by the end :)
Finally I have to say that Hobb knows how to make me connect with the characters in this series (and all of her books). She's fabulous at not only creating characters, but making you want them to succeed or fail. We connect so easily that within a mere 500ish pages she had me change opinion on a few of the characters multiple times and cry alongside the happy and sad moments! (yes, there were some tears!)
On the whole, another stellar job from Hobb and another 4* read. I really enjoyed this and actually read almost all of it in one day so that's pretty impressive. A solid book and a series I am definitely looking forward to continuing with. There's a lot of potential here and I can't wait to see it blossom!
So, this book follows our intrepid adventurers as they have ventured away from their homes in the search of new, exciting place. We see that their journey is fraught with problems, right from the start point, and we see that not only is there a poisonous and scary river, a lack of food and plotting, but also the group itself has some widening cracks and fractures causing lots of moments of tension.
I think that the strengths of this book lie in the fact that Hobb is able to create some characters who are not all good, bad or black and white. It's easy to make a character and say this is a good character, you must like and root for them, but Hobb doesn't do that. She manages to make people who feel real. They frustrate you, they make you angry, they make you annoyed and they make mistakes. Equally she knows how to recover a character and turn someone 'bad' into someone good by giving them redeemable moments and actions. We see a lot of both in this book, and it was certainly worth her taking the time to develop all of the major human and dragon characters.
In terms of the plot it focuses mostly on the journey they are undertaking. I felt that the pacing for this one and the plot for this one were probably more intense than the previous just because we face more 'unknown' and I really liked getting to follow along for this story.
Another element I do want to mention in this review is the letters between the Birdkeepers - Eric and Detozi - which are at the end of each chapter. I found myself getting drawn deeper and deeper into their storylines and what they were talking about and it was all very exciting by the end :)
Finally I have to say that Hobb knows how to make me connect with the characters in this series (and all of her books). She's fabulous at not only creating characters, but making you want them to succeed or fail. We connect so easily that within a mere 500ish pages she had me change opinion on a few of the characters multiple times and cry alongside the happy and sad moments! (yes, there were some tears!)
On the whole, another stellar job from Hobb and another 4* read. I really enjoyed this and actually read almost all of it in one day so that's pretty impressive. A solid book and a series I am definitely looking forward to continuing with. There's a lot of potential here and I can't wait to see it blossom!
May 22, 2025
4.5 stars
I’m really enjoying this series a lot more than I expected to. The journey up river makes for pretty consistent pacing with some interesting moments. This sequel had some really nice character growth— especially from Sedric.
The keeper’s obsession with mating and partnering up was a bit much. I think it makes sense for a bunch of neglected teenagers who suddenly find themselves without rules to behave recklessly and to rebel against the “polite society” that has treated them so poorly. But it overwhelmed the story at times and was off putting.
Outside of the keepers, this is the first time that Robin Hobb has written intentional romance plots that don’t repulse me!
I’m really enjoying this series a lot more than I expected to. The journey up river makes for pretty consistent pacing with some interesting moments. This sequel had some really nice character growth— especially from Sedric.
The keeper’s obsession with mating and partnering up was a bit much. I think it makes sense for a bunch of neglected teenagers who suddenly find themselves without rules to behave recklessly and to rebel against the “polite society” that has treated them so poorly. But it overwhelmed the story at times and was off putting.
Outside of the keepers, this is the first time that Robin Hobb has written intentional romance plots that don’t repulse me!
December 26, 2025
This story constantly pulls you in, and even though the narrative pace is slow you always have the feeling of movement. I don’t want to put the book down when I am reading, and when I am not reading I am thinking about it and wanting to pick it up. We don’t get any new characters in this story, which makes sense given how the previous book ended, but we do go deeper into our experiences of many of the characters as they continue to grow and transform on this journey. Hobb’s use of multiple POVs is really skillful and it makes this small group feel expansive and diverse. This book alleviates one of my complaints about the previous book, and about Fitz in the Tawny Man trilogy, to be honest, which was that their character development was stretched out and constantly falling in on itself just to stretch the story out without feeling like genuine responses or actions by the characters. All of the character secrets find their way to daylight in this story, and even when things feel a little stretched out it doesn’t feel like narrative convenience in the ways it has in the past (or, at least, not as much). In addition to the characters’ growth and evolutions the narrative plotting is great, too. There is a major action set piece that goes far beyond simply being a breathtaking bit of spectacle and it also serves a major narrative function, and the way we build to that and then navigate its after-effects is wonderful. I don’t know if it is because this is the 11th book in a series so I know Hobb’s narrative tendencies, or if I just read enough to see how the pieces fit together in a traditional epic fantasy story, but there isn’t a lot of surprise in this story. It seemed pretty obvious from the start what emotional arc the characters would eventually find themselves completing, and there were a handful of large moments of resolution that all were pretty obvious and easy to see far before they land in the narrative… And yet, none of that bothered me. The writing was so immersive that I felt myself standing on the barge, watching the ever changing river and marshy swamplands around it, witness to the transformation the majestic creatures are undergoing as they labor. The characters are emotionally resonant and I wanted to spend time with all of them, and as the narrative spread itself like wings just building up the strength to fly instead of either surprise or disappointment I felt like the story was opening a warm embrace and lovingly guiding me where to go. The world building and characters are engaging enough that the plot, even though it doesn’t really offer a lot of surprise, still feels original and captivating. Also, Hobb continued with the framing device of the missives between the birders at the end of every chapter and it added a wonderful whimsy, as well as its own secondary plot, to the story, while also giving us a taste of how things are going back home.
The ideas that Hobb is addressing in this novel are continuation of the first, and aren’t new. They are especially prominent in coming-of-age stories, which in some ways this is. None of the themes are particularly subtle: survive together, die alone; pride brings only the appearance of happiness; rules are created by those in power who intend to preserve their power, so they should not be just blindly accepted without intelligent investigation, but at the same time some rules exist to help protect individuals as well as the community as a whole and just giving in to every emotional instinct and disregarding all rules and precedence is just as foolish as blindly following; groupthink is dangerous, but we still need to rely on others; the value of independence, as well as the value of knowing yourself in order to be more present for others; and so on. Does it maybe lean a little hard into exotifying the trope of the noble savage, how these hard working river workers don’t have the culture or education of the city but have something better? Yeah, a little, but it feels appropriate for our characters. Again, none of these themes are unique, and Hobb is pretty heavy-handed in exploring them, but they all make sense in this world and they fuel actual character and narrative development, so everything feels like it fits together well.
This novel actually feels like a much more natural ending point than the previous one, and it sets up a whole wonderful bunch of potential complications and evolutions for the next two books. This really felt like the second half of the first book, and while there is definitely more story to tell it is a climactic and exciting place to rest. I enjoyed this much more than the previous book, and I find myself even more invested in what happens next, as it seems like the next two books have the potential for bridging the (narrative) worlds of the Rains Wild series and the Fitz-focused series.
(And if you read my review of the previous book and you noted my minor complaint at the end of that review, Hobb did do exactly what I had anticipated with the characters I mentioned in that complaint, and I am happy with their journey and representation in this novel, but that doesn’t entirely eliminate the sting of the way they were introduced in the previous book.)
The ideas that Hobb is addressing in this novel are continuation of the first, and aren’t new. They are especially prominent in coming-of-age stories, which in some ways this is. None of the themes are particularly subtle: survive together, die alone; pride brings only the appearance of happiness; rules are created by those in power who intend to preserve their power, so they should not be just blindly accepted without intelligent investigation, but at the same time some rules exist to help protect individuals as well as the community as a whole and just giving in to every emotional instinct and disregarding all rules and precedence is just as foolish as blindly following; groupthink is dangerous, but we still need to rely on others; the value of independence, as well as the value of knowing yourself in order to be more present for others; and so on. Does it maybe lean a little hard into exotifying the trope of the noble savage, how these hard working river workers don’t have the culture or education of the city but have something better? Yeah, a little, but it feels appropriate for our characters. Again, none of these themes are unique, and Hobb is pretty heavy-handed in exploring them, but they all make sense in this world and they fuel actual character and narrative development, so everything feels like it fits together well.
This novel actually feels like a much more natural ending point than the previous one, and it sets up a whole wonderful bunch of potential complications and evolutions for the next two books. This really felt like the second half of the first book, and while there is definitely more story to tell it is a climactic and exciting place to rest. I enjoyed this much more than the previous book, and I find myself even more invested in what happens next, as it seems like the next two books have the potential for bridging the (narrative) worlds of the Rains Wild series and the Fitz-focused series.
(And if you read my review of the previous book and you noted my minor complaint at the end of that review, Hobb did do exactly what I had anticipated with the characters I mentioned in that complaint, and I am happy with their journey and representation in this novel, but that doesn’t entirely eliminate the sting of the way they were introduced in the previous book.)
April 27, 2017
4.5 stars~ this one continues where part one finished. Soo basically still very much lovable! Flows beautifully~ I loooove Thymara~ And Alise her choices and growth in character is what she deserved alllll along! I feel like she will grow into this confident strong woman and finally do what she loves deeply to the chore: explore and see the world! There were more setbacks in this book that actually made it quite suspenseful at some point. And the growth of the dragons is magical :D
A small thing that bothered me:
A small thing that bothered me:
May 1, 2024
The first half of this was a little slow for me, but even a less than stellar Hobb book is still pretty great. I'm endlessly impressed at how she manages to change how I feel about characters. And the latter half of the book has some really interesting world-building information. Excited to discuss this one soon on a livestream!
August 1, 2016
Executive Summary: An improvement over The Dragon Keeper. With everything set the story is just able to move forward at a brisker pace. This is really Dragon Keeper part 2 from what I understand and it feels like it.
If you enjoyed the first one, you'll likely enjoy this at least as much if not more. If you found the first book a let down, you may find you gave up on the story too soon.
Full Review
After completing The Dragon Keeper, I really wanted to jump right into this one. However with other obligations and coordinating reading schedules it had to wait a little bit.
I enjoyed the first book, but this one was a step up for me. The characters and the main plot are set. The journey is on. Now we can just sit back and see what happens.
Ms. Hobb has always had a slow plot development to me. For some reason it just works with me in a way other authors don't. This is really the second half of The Dragon Keeper.
The way Ms. Hobb writes animals has always impressed me. Nighteyes felt like a real wolf to me. Her cats were especially good too. She's done it again here with Dragons.
Of course no one knows what a dragon would be like, but she still seems to paint a picture that just feels right to me. Intelligent and arrogant. Only these aren't full dragons. Their development was stunted. Their memories aren't complete. They can't fly and have to rely on humans to help care for them.
There is a lot of development of both the dragons and their keepers in this book, as well as the supporting barge and crew. They face the first real adversity of their journey to find an ancient lost city of the Elderlings where the dragons may be able to thrive.
At its heart, this is a story about relationships. Sure there are dragons, but as intelligent creatures that are able to communicate with their keepers, their relationships play as large of a role (if not a larger one) than the interpersonal relationships of the humans.
Her characters are once again superb. I don't think I despise fictional characters quite so much as some of the ones Ms. Hobb has written. While none of these are quite as despicable as Regal or as frustrating as Malta, they are memorable.
The way Ms. Hobb writes, I feel like I could just fall right into her books and stay there. Not that I'd really want to see the acid Rain Wild River. But I'm all for checking out ancient cities with magical wonders and remnants of dragons.
I can’t wait to jump into City of Dragons!
If you enjoyed the first one, you'll likely enjoy this at least as much if not more. If you found the first book a let down, you may find you gave up on the story too soon.
Full Review
After completing The Dragon Keeper, I really wanted to jump right into this one. However with other obligations and coordinating reading schedules it had to wait a little bit.
I enjoyed the first book, but this one was a step up for me. The characters and the main plot are set. The journey is on. Now we can just sit back and see what happens.
Ms. Hobb has always had a slow plot development to me. For some reason it just works with me in a way other authors don't. This is really the second half of The Dragon Keeper.
The way Ms. Hobb writes animals has always impressed me. Nighteyes felt like a real wolf to me. Her cats were especially good too. She's done it again here with Dragons.
Of course no one knows what a dragon would be like, but she still seems to paint a picture that just feels right to me. Intelligent and arrogant. Only these aren't full dragons. Their development was stunted. Their memories aren't complete. They can't fly and have to rely on humans to help care for them.
There is a lot of development of both the dragons and their keepers in this book, as well as the supporting barge and crew. They face the first real adversity of their journey to find an ancient lost city of the Elderlings where the dragons may be able to thrive.
At its heart, this is a story about relationships. Sure there are dragons, but as intelligent creatures that are able to communicate with their keepers, their relationships play as large of a role (if not a larger one) than the interpersonal relationships of the humans.
Her characters are once again superb. I don't think I despise fictional characters quite so much as some of the ones Ms. Hobb has written. While none of these are quite as despicable as Regal or as frustrating as Malta, they are memorable.
The way Ms. Hobb writes, I feel like I could just fall right into her books and stay there. Not that I'd really want to see the acid Rain Wild River. But I'm all for checking out ancient cities with magical wonders and remnants of dragons.
I can’t wait to jump into City of Dragons!
May 11, 2021
The Hobb hype train has not returned, however it has steadied slightly
7.3/10
This book has some stuff that is.....well not great. The teenager angst romance is strong in this. However when Thymara is not thinking about whether she should fuck people, and whether she is ok with other people fucking, it is pretty good. This book got me invested in some of the characters, had hateable villains, some tension, but was also a complete mess.
One thing I want to give massive credit to, is the chapter preludes. They are letters between the keeper of the birds in Bingtown and Trehaug, and Hobb somehow makes their relationship really compelling, dynamic and interesting. It is just Hobb giving us a friendly reminder that nobody can do more with less when it comes to characterization.
The other thing this book has going for it, is some antagonists that are actually hateable, and some interesting plot developments. Additionally the prose continues to shine, and the worldbuilding is excellent.
The pacing on the other hand is a complete mess. Also the amount of focus on teenage angst is just......it's not what I am looking for in an adult fantasy. Anyway, I definitely vastly preferred it to Dragon Keeper, although it still hurts because of how much potential this series could have had, as Hobb reminds you she can knock your socks off with the damm chapter preludes.
7.3/10
This book has some stuff that is.....well not great. The teenager angst romance is strong in this. However when Thymara is not thinking about whether she should fuck people, and whether she is ok with other people fucking, it is pretty good. This book got me invested in some of the characters, had hateable villains, some tension, but was also a complete mess.
One thing I want to give massive credit to, is the chapter preludes. They are letters between the keeper of the birds in Bingtown and Trehaug, and Hobb somehow makes their relationship really compelling, dynamic and interesting. It is just Hobb giving us a friendly reminder that nobody can do more with less when it comes to characterization.
The other thing this book has going for it, is some antagonists that are actually hateable, and some interesting plot developments. Additionally the prose continues to shine, and the worldbuilding is excellent.
The pacing on the other hand is a complete mess. Also the amount of focus on teenage angst is just......it's not what I am looking for in an adult fantasy. Anyway, I definitely vastly preferred it to Dragon Keeper, although it still hurts because of how much potential this series could have had, as Hobb reminds you she can knock your socks off with the damm chapter preludes.
March 28, 2023
Plot wise we deviated a lot and focused far too much on the crew and their drama than I would have liked to read. Nighteyes is a superior pet than these reptiles on any day. I am not gonna lie when I say that Dragon Keeper and Dragon Haven could have been edited as a single book.
November 2, 2017
Spectacular - the world building and character development in Book One really came together for an action packed 500+ pages of pure Hobb.
July 3, 2019
Trigger warnings: Cheating, abusive relationships
4.25-4.5 stars! The half star that's missing is pretty much for the teenage angst, LOL.
Update: 4 stars flat upon reflection.
4.25-4.5 stars! The half star that's missing is pretty much for the teenage angst, LOL.
Update: 4 stars flat upon reflection.
March 27, 2017
I remember reading a while back that Hobb had intended the Rain Wilds Chronicles to be two large books rather than four smaller ones. For that reason, I decided to read the first two books and treat them as one for a review.
It's a definite change - one of the more common complaints I see about Hobb's writing is her "slow burn" pacing. I think it's fair to say that here her pacing is practically glacial, and if you find that frustrating you are going to have a difficult time here. Much like some GRRM fans had issues with AFFC after the whirlwind of ASoS, I suspect some readers will have difficulty appreciating Rain Wilds after the emotional rollercoaster ride of Fool's Fate. And that's a real shame, because the first two entries in Rain Wilds have a great deal to offer.
As always, there is some stellar characterization. One of Hobb's strengths is in her ability to write flawed, sometimes frustrating characters. This series is no exception. There is a realistic and sometimes uncomfortable portrayal of domestic and sexual abuse, including an unflinching look at the behavior of a malignant narcissist. The thoughts and feelings of the characters affected by this abuse and their tendency to place blame at their own door rings very true. But there is hope here, too.
The dragons are... well... assholes. Some readers may have difficulty with this - it is my own personal feeling that I don't need characters to be likeable just so long as they are interesting, but YMMV. With that said, Relpda is awesome and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise. I love the insight into how the various dragons think; we learn much more about the relationship between Dragons and Elderlings as the Dragons begin to regain their memories, and here we come to the real strength of the Rain Wilds. World building. Again here, I'd have to compare it to AFFC. We learn about the little people, the outcasts of this world and some of the more unsavory customs of the Rain Wilds and Bingtown traders, all through the eyes of the people they cast aside. We begin to fill in the gaps of the lost Elderling cities, of memory stone and other mysteries that tantalized us in the Liveship/Fitz novels. Through Alise we are able to begin piecing things together, and though the story is good, for me it has become secondary to my delight in watching the threads of Hobb's tapestry taking shape.
I'm finding it fascinating. It may not be for everyone, but it's definitely up my alley.
It's a definite change - one of the more common complaints I see about Hobb's writing is her "slow burn" pacing. I think it's fair to say that here her pacing is practically glacial, and if you find that frustrating you are going to have a difficult time here. Much like some GRRM fans had issues with AFFC after the whirlwind of ASoS, I suspect some readers will have difficulty appreciating Rain Wilds after the emotional rollercoaster ride of Fool's Fate. And that's a real shame, because the first two entries in Rain Wilds have a great deal to offer.
As always, there is some stellar characterization. One of Hobb's strengths is in her ability to write flawed, sometimes frustrating characters. This series is no exception. There is a realistic and sometimes uncomfortable portrayal of domestic and sexual abuse, including an unflinching look at the behavior of a malignant narcissist. The thoughts and feelings of the characters affected by this abuse and their tendency to place blame at their own door rings very true. But there is hope here, too.
The dragons are... well... assholes. Some readers may have difficulty with this - it is my own personal feeling that I don't need characters to be likeable just so long as they are interesting, but YMMV. With that said, Relpda is awesome and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise. I love the insight into how the various dragons think; we learn much more about the relationship between Dragons and Elderlings as the Dragons begin to regain their memories, and here we come to the real strength of the Rain Wilds. World building. Again here, I'd have to compare it to AFFC. We learn about the little people, the outcasts of this world and some of the more unsavory customs of the Rain Wilds and Bingtown traders, all through the eyes of the people they cast aside. We begin to fill in the gaps of the lost Elderling cities, of memory stone and other mysteries that tantalized us in the Liveship/Fitz novels. Through Alise we are able to begin piecing things together, and though the story is good, for me it has become secondary to my delight in watching the threads of Hobb's tapestry taking shape.
I'm finding it fascinating. It may not be for everyone, but it's definitely up my alley.
Read
August 14, 2025i think the thing i enjoy the most about this series is the themes that it touches on. about female empowerment, women's bodies, taking back your power and choices, and the like. to reduce these concepts to the most surface level takeaway of being about teenagers and their relationships and who-is-having-sex-with-who is completely missing the point.
i wasn't particularly attached to any characters in the first book, but i find myself becoming more and more invested in them now. it was great to see them going through their own personal journeys while on this voyage together, and witnessing their growth and coming into their own. and the dragons, of course, continue to remain one of the best parts.
i wasn't particularly attached to any characters in the first book, but i find myself becoming more and more invested in them now. it was great to see them going through their own personal journeys while on this voyage together, and witnessing their growth and coming into their own. and the dragons, of course, continue to remain one of the best parts.
October 27, 2021
(spoilerfreie Gedanken zum Buch)
Für mich bisher leider das schwächste Buch von Hobb. Band 1 + 2 hätte man ohne Probleme in einem Buch zusammenfassen können, da in diesem hier auf 570 wirklich nicht viel passiert ist. Dem Handlungsstrang über Thymara kann ich nichts mehr abgewinnen, weil sie mir unsympathisch ist, bin allerdings sehr invested in Bezug auf Alise, Leftrin, Sedrick, Relpda, Spit und Carson! Außerdem ist Hobb eine großartige Charakterzeichnung gelungen: die Darstellung eines „perfekten“ antagonistischen und manipulativen Narzissten, der grausam, aber wunderschön, gebildet, höflich und charismatisch ist. Man verspürt abgrundtiefen Abscheu, versteht allerdings auch, wieso gewisse Charaktere von der Figur abhängig sind/glauben sie zu lieben. Super gemacht!
Für mich bisher leider das schwächste Buch von Hobb. Band 1 + 2 hätte man ohne Probleme in einem Buch zusammenfassen können, da in diesem hier auf 570 wirklich nicht viel passiert ist. Dem Handlungsstrang über Thymara kann ich nichts mehr abgewinnen, weil sie mir unsympathisch ist, bin allerdings sehr invested in Bezug auf Alise, Leftrin, Sedrick, Relpda, Spit und Carson! Außerdem ist Hobb eine großartige Charakterzeichnung gelungen: die Darstellung eines „perfekten“ antagonistischen und manipulativen Narzissten, der grausam, aber wunderschön, gebildet, höflich und charismatisch ist. Man verspürt abgrundtiefen Abscheu, versteht allerdings auch, wieso gewisse Charaktere von der Figur abhängig sind/glauben sie zu lieben. Super gemacht!
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