Blood of Dragons (Rain Wild Chronicles, #4)

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Blood of Dragons (Rain Wild Chronicles #4)

by Robin Hobb (Goodreads Author)

4.1 of 5 stars 4.10 · rating details · 1,102 ratings · 200 reviews

The dragons' survival hangs in the balance in the thrilling final volume in the acclaimed River Wilds chronicles fantasy series

The dragons and their dedicated band of keepers have at last found the lost city of Kelsingra. The magical creatures have learned to use their wings and are growing into their regal inheritance. Their humans, too, are changing. As the mystical bond...more

Hardcover, 448 pages

Published April 8th 2013 by Harper Voyager

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May 10, 2013 Brandon Zarzyczny rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book while I was reading it, but once it was done I just found it to be a bit underwhelming, which is something I'd never say about any of Robin Hobb's other trilogy endings. The writing is classic Hobb, where it is incredibly enjoyable to read and all of the characters are completely unique and entertaining. There's also a bit of character torture going on here, but it's really only one character, as all of the other good main characters have it pretty easy in Blood of Dra...more

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May 15, 2013 Bryan rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was a great book, which surprised me a bit, as The Rain Wild Chronicles was not, on the whole, my favourite Robin Hobb series. Okay, maybe the book being great didn't surprise me THAT much. This is Robin Hobb we're talking about here. I'm simply trying to illustrate the fact that although I enjoyed it on the whole, this was no Liveship Traders or Soldier's Son. The whole quartet had a bit of a YA feel to it(mostly teenage protagonists dealing with growing up, love triangles, ect.). I was al...more

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May 01, 2013 Robert Beveridge rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of the series

Shelves: amazon-vine, finished, owned-and-still-own

Robin Hobb, Blood of Dragons (Harper, 2012)

Full disclosure: this book was provided to me free of charge by Amazon Vine.

For the first time, Robin Hobb has extended past the trilogy and given us a quartet. I admit, I was a little apprehensive—especially given the brevity of the third novel in the series (really, she could have easily combined the two)—but she pulled through, and Blood of Dragons, while not packing as much of a punch as concluding-trilogy volumes like Ship of Destiny or Fool's Fate...more Robin Hobb, Blood of Dragons (Harper, 2012)

Full disclosure: this book was provided to me free of charge by Amazon Vine.

For the first time, Robin Hobb has extended past the trilogy and given us a quartet. I admit, I was a little apprehensive—especially given the brevity of the third novel in the series (really, she could have easily combined the two)—but she pulled through, and Blood of Dragons, while not packing as much of a punch as concluding-trilogy volumes like Ship of Destiny or Fool's Fate, brings the Rain Wilds Chronicles to a satisfying conclusion.

NOTE: the plot summary below necessarily contains spoilers for previous books in the series.

Plot: The dragons, and some of the keepers, have finally made their way to Kelsingra—at least, those who can fly. The rest remain in the makeshift village across the miles-wide river until they can fly. But it's not just the dragons and their keepers, of course; some of the ship's crew are still there, though most are on a supply run back to the jungle. (That's a weird sentence, no matter how you present it.) Alise is still there, though after an offscreen confrontation with Rapskal—we only hear about it in retrospect—she has decided, or been forced, to rethink her position within the expedition. Still, despite all the Kelsingra drama, everything seems to be going along swimmingly—except that the Duke of Chalced, still desperate for dragon parts he believes can extend his life, is sending ever-greater numbers of mercenaries into the Rain Wilds—including the guy who's been working with Hest, Alise's husband (and who was previously working with Sedric), and who has decided that since Sedric has disappeared without a trace, Hest needs to head into the rain wilds himself to recover some dragon bits. We all know where that plot line is going, yes? But at the same time, a third thread emerges: Tintaglia, one of the major players in the Tawny Man trilogy, but whom we haven't seen here since the first book, is gravely injured after a battle with some of those same Chalcedean mercenaries. Unable to find Selden, her singer (whom, you will remember, was captured by Chalcedeans in the first book, and his journey through Chalced, and through various hands, has been a tangential plotline throughout), Tintaglia heads for the Rain Wilds as well, looking for healing—which she, and the other dragons, believe can be found in Kelsingra, but the racial memories of neither the dragons nor the Elderlings offer any clues as to how or where—so the keepers must discover it on their own...

If you're already invested in the series, you don't need me to tell you you want to read this book. If you're not yet, and you've read the other series leading up to it (which is everything except the Soldier Son trilogy—and I persist in my belief that the Soldier Son universe is just on the other side of the mountains at the western edge of the Mountain Kingdom), then what are you waiting for? If you're new to Robin Hobb, welcome aboard—but you're at the wrong end of things. Go pick yourself up a copy of Assassin's Apprentice, the first book in the Farseer Trilogy, and work your way up (Farseer, Liveship, Tawny Main, Rain Wilds Chronicles). You'll be glad you did. ****
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May 14, 2013 Mjhancock rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The fourth book of the Rain Wild Chronicles offers Hobb's signature: a slow plot that builds to a moving conclusion, and some of the most solid character development you can find in a fantasy series. While this almost certainly won't be the last set in this universe (or so I wildly speculate), as Hobb's been building it for decades, most of the longstanding plots get resolved. By implication, that means all the plotlines from previous books get their fair airing: the new dragons continue their d...more

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May 06, 2013 Owlcat Mountain added it

I don't use star ratings, so please read my review!

(Description nicked from B&N.com.)

“Years ago, the magnificent dragon queen Tintaglia forged a bargain with the inhabitants of the treacherous Rain Wilds. In exchange for her protection against enemy invaders, the humans promised to protect an unhatched brood of dragons. But when the dragons emerged as weak and misshapen hatchlings unable to fend for themselves, dragonkind seemed doomed to extinction. When even Tintaglia deserted the crippled...more I don't use star ratings, so please read my review!

(Description nicked from B&N.com.)

“Years ago, the magnificent dragon queen Tintaglia forged a bargain with the inhabitants of the treacherous Rain Wilds. In exchange for her protection against enemy invaders, the humans promised to protect an unhatched brood of dragons. But when the dragons emerged as weak and misshapen hatchlings unable to fend for themselves, dragonkind seemed doomed to extinction. When even Tintaglia deserted the crippled young dragons, the Rain Wilders abandoned the burden of caring for the destructive and ravenous creatures. They were banished to a dangerous and grueling journey in search of their ancient dragon homeland, the lost city of Kelsingra, accompanied by a band of young and inexperienced human keepers, also deemed damaged and disposable.

Against all odds they have found the fabled city, yet myriad challenges remain. Sintara, Mercor, Heeby, Relpda, and the rest of the dragons struggle to find their wings—and their independence. Their human escorts, too, must contend with unsettling upheaval: Thymara, Tats, Rapskal, Sedric, and the others are transforming into Elderlings—true dragon companions. As old rules give way to new alliances, secret fears, and adult desires, the keepers must redefine their lives as they attempt to reawaken Kelsingra to its former glory. But gaps in the dragons' memories leave them all struggling to recover the magic that once animated the great city.

As the young Elderlings risk "memory walking" in the city's hidden history, an outside threat is growing. The Duke of Chalced has dispatched his forces to the Rain Wilds with a compelling mission: slaughter the dragons in an attempt to stave off his own demise. The tide of history is about to turn on a life-and-death battle that will ultimately decide the dragons' fate. If they win, the regal serpents will rule the world once more. And if they lose, they will vanish from the world forever.”

This is one of those novels about which I feel a little conflicted. On one hand, this series is a trilogy that stretched out for an extra book due to the story “growing”, according to the author. There are several points in this novel where that stretching is evident. It’s not so much that you read the book and think “Oh, here’s the point where she added things in” as it is just an overall feeling that the plot is dragging. I felt that there was less plot movement in this novel than in the others.

Also, I noticed that some of the events that would have been the most dramatic and fun to read are skimmed over or skipped altogether. I can’t name them without giving away a lot of the plot, but I was frustrated near the end when a major development is given short shrift. This contributes to the pacing issues that I was noticing, because page count seems to be given to things that don’t have much impact on the story as a whole.

On the other hand, I absolutely adore Hobb’s writing. I’ve been a fan of her novels ever since I picked up Assassin’s Apprentice, the book that started this long-running tale, and I will run out and buy her books on the release date because I always enjoy them. And this novel is no different—just because I saw some plot unevenness doesn’t mean that I disliked the book. Far from it! Hobb is an evocative writer, and readers of her stories are transported to the Rain Wilds or the city of Kelsingra, flying alongside dragons or roaming the treetop cities of the Rain Wilds traders. For me, her world is a familiar friend, and I love revisiting it.

It’s hard to review a book that is the fourth and final book in a series, because much of my recommendation is based on the series as a whole. Critiquing this book in a vacuum doesn’t work all that well, because I’m also judging how well the author wrapped up her plotlines and brought the entire story to a conclusion. In this respect, Hobb does the job well. By the end, we know the fate of the dragons as well as the fates of many of the characters, both good and bad.

I freely admit that I’m biased in favor of Hobb’s books. This novel may have its slow sections, but I find myself looking forward to new forays into the world of the Six Duchies and the Rain Wild Traders regardless of how they’re presented to me. I hope that you’re already a fan of Robin Hobb so that you can experience this latest journey with the mythical dragons. Blood of Dragons offers beauty, mystery and drama in equal measure, with a healthy dose of the proud and arrogant dragons that this world is known for.

This review originally appeared on Owlcat Mountain on May 6, 2013.(less)

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May 03, 2013 Aaron Eriksson rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Rain Wild Chronicles ended with the same heartfelt levity the rest of four-book series employed, less a novel about epic happenings, and more a novel where you hang out with some awesome people. I have been spoiled by GRRM's tendency toward grand conspiracies and wicked plot threads, but he still doesn't have the knack that Robin Hobb for making fantastic, fascinating characters. While the conclusion of her latest epic lacks of the punch of one of Martin's works, it doesn't need to, since th...more

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Apr 29, 2013 Brenda Cobbs rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2013

Long term fans of Hobb will love this book. Especially those of us who love recognizing elements from previous books and shout to the characters in this book about what it's from. But even readers who just started with this "quadoly" will enjoy it without knowing the extra bits. Although there were some points I had to explain to my mother who just started with this series. I can't wait until she goes back to read the Assassin series and then the other two, just so I can hear her "HEY!" when she...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Maurinejt rated it 3 of 5 stars

Blood of Dragons continues the story of the hapless dragons set out from the Rain Wilds with their merry band of outcast keepers in tow. The whole tale has felt too bloated, it should have been streamlined into the one long book originally envisioned. The page count was WAY too high for what actually happened, even taken at the leisurely, character developmental pace that Hobb adores and I respond to. Part of this is that I didn't love the characters the way I did in her other books, probably be...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Jeanette Heidenberg rated it 5 of 5 stars

Robin Hobb is one of my favourite fantasy authors and I was delighted to finally get the concluding book of the Rain Wilds series. While all the other series set in the realm of the Elderlings are trilogies, the Rain Wilds series consists, as I found to my great surprise when finishing the third book, of four books. The Blood of Dragons has the challenging task of not only closing the series to which it belongs, but it also ties up all the loose ends of the previous series in this realm. For tho...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Hayley rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 13, 2013 Emil Söderman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, female-author

So, the final book in the Rain Wilds Chronicles.

The worts part about it is probably that it feels abit like a transportation stretch, things set in motion in the earlier books lead to their natural conclusions but there are pretty much no twists, turns or even serous obstacles. Things just kind of rumble on, sorts themselves out, and then the end: Compared to the fantastic ending of Farseer, or the tension-filled climaxes of her earlier series... This is pretty weaksuace.

On the bright side, Hob...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Sally-Anne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley-edelweiss, read-fantasy

This and my other reviews can be found at http://sally-annereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

Thanks to Edelweiss and Harper Voyager for giving me this book to review.

The young dragons and their misfit keepers are finally settling into Kelsingra, along with Alise and her lover, Captain Leftrin. Reyn and Malta are traveling down river with their sickly baby to see if the Dragons can help, whilst worrying about the welfare of Malta’s brother Selden who has not been seen since setting off on a voyage. Tintagl...more This and my other reviews can be found at http://sally-annereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

Thanks to Edelweiss and Harper Voyager for giving me this book to review.

The young dragons and their misfit keepers are finally settling into Kelsingra, along with Alise and her lover, Captain Leftrin. Reyn and Malta are traveling down river with their sickly baby to see if the Dragons can help, whilst worrying about the welfare of Malta’s brother Selden who has not been seen since setting off on a voyage. Tintaglia is struggling after receiving wounds from the Chalcedeans who are under orders to bring back Dragons blood in his quest for immortality. Alise’s estranged husband, Hest has also been caught up in the Dukes quest through his greed for profit at any cost. We also get to follow the ongoing story of the Keepers of the Birds in Bingtown and Cassarick.

Blood of Dragons is the final book of the Rain Wild Chronicles series and I like this book because I enjoy Robin Hobb’s writing style and stories. This book follows the steady pacing of the previous books in the series, though it didn’t feel like the final book in the series as there still seemed to be quite a lot of threads left unfinished and I felt that it needs another book after this one to conclude it all.

The author is very good at exploring the characters’ thoughts and motivations, though they tend to be either good or bad, not much in the way of middle ground. You end up with quite an in depth understanding of each of them, and how they justify their actions. One minor niggle was as the convenient way in which Hobb dealt with Hest.

I really hope Robin Hobb writes more books set in this universe and especially ones where we find out more about Selden and the Chalcedean Duchess and Malta’s baby’s as he grows up. I would recommend Blood of Dragons, and the rest of the Rain Wild chronicles to people who have enjoyed Robin Hobb’s other series, and people who like the Earthsea Quartet by Ursula LeGuin.
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Apr 01, 2013 Pedro Amaral rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked the end of this series, but it just didn't really strike me. That said, I couldn't lay it off until I finished it. I guess it might be my annoyance with City of Dragons that prevents me from giving it 4 stars.

The book tells the story of how the new Elderlings appropriate of the City of Dragons Kelsingra, and how they struggle to find out their way in this new wondrous place. Meanwhile, they still have to deal with the threat of Duke of Chalced's desire for dragon's parts.

No new importan...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Belinda Sheehan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Really, I blame a lot of the faults with the previous books in this series on Hobb's publishers. They put a lot of pressure on her with this series, and I wonder if City of Dragons and this book were something she even wanted to write. The fact that, like the first two in the series, they were originally only meant to be one book, probably didn't help either. That said, this book actually addresses a few problems with the previous books, patching up a couple of plot holes and adding elements to...more

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Nov 23, 2012 FantasyWereld rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: volwassenen

Drakenbloed is het directe vervolg op Drakenstad en pikt de draad dan ook precies op waar het vorige deel eindigde. Behalve Rapskals draak Heeby zijn nu ook Thymara's draak Sintara en Tats' draak Fente in staat om te vliegen. De andere draken worden met de dag ongeduldiger en jaloerser. Hierdoor besluiten zowel de draken als hun hoeders om hun pogingen de draken de lucht in te krijgen te verdubbelen. Het duurt dan ook niet lang, voordat alle draken naar de grootse ouderlingenstad Kelsingra zijn...more Drakenbloed is het directe vervolg op Drakenstad en pikt de draad dan ook precies op waar het vorige deel eindigde. Behalve Rapskals draak Heeby zijn nu ook Thymara's draak Sintara en Tats' draak Fente in staat om te vliegen. De andere draken worden met de dag ongeduldiger en jaloerser. Hierdoor besluiten zowel de draken als hun hoeders om hun pogingen de draken de lucht in te krijgen te verdubbelen. Het duurt dan ook niet lang, voordat alle draken naar de grootse ouderlingenstad Kelsingra zijn gevlogen en daar genieten van alle verwennerijen. Eenmaal in Kelsingra worden de herinneringen van de draken en de ouderlingen echter getriggerd op het bestaan van het Zilver. Niemand kan goed benoemen wat het is of waar het te vinden is, maar ze weten wel dat het van levensbelang is voor de draken. Dus beginnen de ouderlingen aan een zoektocht naar het mysterieuze goedje. Een zoektocht die vereist dat ze de herinneringstenen raadplegen, met het gevaar dat ze in de herinneringen van lang geleden overleden ouderlingen verdrinken en vergeten wie ze zelf zijn.

Oude en nieuwe zorgen
Robin Hobb zet de verschillende verhaallijnen uit het vorige boek voort, maar brengt ook weer een aantal nieuwe problemen aan het licht. Alise is door Rapskal aangesproken op het feit dat zij niks te zeggen heeft over Kelsingra, aangezien zij geen ouderling is. Ze voelt zich hierdoor een buitenbeentje en vrij nutteloos, hoewel ze de moed niet opgeeft. Rapskal brengt steeds meer tijd door in de herinneringen van overleden ouderlingen en daardoor maakt steeds drastischere veranderingen door. Tymara weet nog steeds niet of ze voor Rapskal of voor Tats wil gaan. Zij voelt deze emoties al sinds het eerste boek en de constante twijfeling wordt soms een beetje vervelend, maar gelukkig weet Hobb precies op tijd een knoop door te hakken in deze verhaallijn.
De ouderlingen zijn in dit boek vooral druk bezig met hun zoektocht naar het Zilver. Het is een beetje lastig om de ernst van deze situatie in te zien, aangezien er in de eerdere boeken nooit eerder iets over is gezegd en het nu opeens van levensbelang schijnt te zijn. Deze verhaallijn is vooral van betekenis voor het einde van het boek en zo voelt het ook aan, alsof het er speciaal in is geschreven om het einde mogelijk te maken.

De Chalcedeaanse dreiging is nog nooit zo groot geweest. Het feit dat ze de aanval op draken hebben geopend, leidt tot grote woede onder de draken. Zij eisen dan ook een allesvernietigende wraakactie.

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Apr 15, 2013 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dragons

Having had waited a year or so for the final book of Robin Hobb's Rain Wild series, I eagerly snatched this book up when it was released, and for the most part it met my expectations of the conclusion to a story I had fallen in love with, with only minor disappointments.

In Blood of Dragons, most of the storyline leads to, and ends, in predictable endings from prior events in the last three books. I did not really have an issue with this, since they were the conclusions I had hoped for, but it wo...more Having had waited a year or so for the final book of Robin Hobb's Rain Wild series, I eagerly snatched this book up when it was released, and for the most part it met my expectations of the conclusion to a story I had fallen in love with, with only minor disappointments.

In Blood of Dragons, most of the storyline leads to, and ends, in predictable endings from prior events in the last three books. I did not really have an issue with this, since they were the conclusions I had hoped for, but it would have been nice to have had a few twist, turns, and shockers along the way. (view spoiler)

Much of the character development felt a little bland and stale, but I believe at this point Hobb had developed her characters to the point she had wanted them to be, the height of their development at this point of their lives. The characters were still quite lovable, or hateable, and still rang true to the people they had developed into over the course of the story. Many of the side characters that had some "screen time" in the prior books were only vaguely mentioned here and there. I had come to like most of the Elderling children and the crew of the Tarman, so I was hoping for a bit more of a conclusion to all of their slight side stories. (view spoiler)

The ending was nothing spectacular, but it was sweet, hopeful, and opened up the world to, hopefully, more expansion in the future by Hobb.

I do have one major, major gripe about the story though that kept me from being completely satisfied with the book.

(view spoiler)

Overall, "Blood of Dragons" did a good job of ending the story Hobb had created in the Rain Wild Chronicles, and closing another chapter of her immense world she has created through her books. I very much hope that she will continue writing in this world, and expand on the changes that this book brought to her world.

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Mar 29, 2013 Aldi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-the-feelings, made-of-undiluted-win, fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Let me begin this review with a few sentiments approximating the noises in my head upon finishing this:

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

ajskasuaiuwuioeuqw8euasIULXBaskmBNAKJSJHAKWEHAKJSHAklsjaKSHAkjsjaLKSHJklshA.

HHHHHHHHHHHNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNHHHHHHHHHHHHGRRAAAAAARGAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

AIAIAIAIAIAIAIAIAIAAIAIAIAIAIAIAIAIAIAIAIAIAIAIAIAIAI.

woooooooooooohoooooooooooooyeeeeeeeeeehiiiiiiiiiiiiiyyyyyaaaaaaaaaa.

Aaaaah, that’s better *flails* Obviously, this was masterful an...more

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May 06, 2013 Pancha rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction

I'm guessing this wraps up the Dragon Keepers trilogy, but that there will be another connected series in the future that plays off some of the plot threads that were only partly tied up. What will the world be like with more dragons in it?

I liked this series better than the Liveship Traders because it focused a lot more on people taking charge of their own lives and coming into their own, rather than trying to survive horrible, literally torturous situations (there was some of that, but it wasn...more

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Mar 01, 2013 Adriel rated it 4 of 5 stars

What happens to keepers and the dragons now that they rest of the world is coming their way? Can Ephron, Tingtaglia, and Selden possibly survive? Will Hest end up happy or Alisa and Sedric? Will the Duke get his dragon parts? (just in case you couldn't remember what was happening in the last book) So many questions answered only the way Robin Hobb can and a few more mysteries beautifully explained along the way.
I have to say my excitement at getting to read a book by one of my favorite authors...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Karen Brooks rated it 4 of 5 stars

The final book in The Rain Wild Chronicles, Blood of Dragons, concludes the epic journey of the dragons and their keepers and reveals the fates of some of the major characters whom we’ve grown to know, love and loathe over the course of four novels.
The future of Kelsingra hangs in the balance and with it, that of the newly formed Elderlings and their dragons. Mining the memories of the Elderlings past from the stone in the ancient city, it becomes apparent that only one thing can guarantee the...more The final book in The Rain Wild Chronicles, Blood of Dragons, concludes the epic journey of the dragons and their keepers and reveals the fates of some of the major characters whom we’ve grown to know, love and loathe over the course of four novels.
The future of Kelsingra hangs in the balance and with it, that of the newly formed Elderlings and their dragons. Mining the memories of the Elderlings past from the stone in the ancient city, it becomes apparent that only one thing can guarantee the dragons and their keepers have a future – a precious resource upon which everyone’s survival depends. But as time passes, the reasons Kelsingra was abandoned and the dragons nearly died out becomes apparent and hope for finding this resource swiftly fades.
Close to home, treachery is afoot as certain Bingtown Traders make plans to descend on Kelsingra with a view to exploiting the wealth they believe litters the magical streets. In exotic and deadly Chalced, plots stir as the ruler formulates great plans for his survival, something that’s contingent upon dragon sacrifice and more.
The world Hobb has created here – one begun a long time ago with the Assassin’s Apprentice series, where the Rain Wilds are eluded to before being more fleshed out in the Liveship Traders series - is a beautiful haunting and dangerous place. Acid waters, rainforests and tree-dwellers, physical deformities, living ships that bond with their owners, never mind inept, narcissistic and deadly dragons as well as abused and abusive spouses all populate this magnificent and bleak world. The central characters are brought to life over the course of four books and, like the dragons who play such a pivotal role in their lives, slowly emerge from their cocoons to spread their wings and shine brightly when they’re needed or have the justice they’ve stealthily evaded forced upon them.
While some parts of the tale appear slightly rushed or brushed over (eg, the final battle over Chalced) others were given the time they deserved and the characters at the heart were satisfyingly completed. You know that’s the case when you can imagine them living beyond the last page and, as I closed the book, I could see such potential for the wondrous city of Kelsingra and the people who, along with the triumphant dragons, have chosen to call it home.
A fitting and delightful end to a complicated, sometimes slow-moving but, I felt, always gripping tale of survival, memory, power struggles and triumph against extraordinary odds. And dragons. We cannot forget the beautiful dragons.

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Mar 27, 2013 Sally Berrow rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Oh God it pains me -- deeply -- to be awarding a 1 star rating to a book written by my favourite author, but I have to be honest, I just couldn't be getting along with this book at all. Characters that had previously seemed so fleshed out and three-dimensional (Sedric, Relpda and Malta for example) suddenly became flat and boring, mere shadows of their former selves; the threads of storylines that had been building up in City Of Dragons felt either abandoned (the traitors amongst the Traders Cou...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Rob rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: random-comments-review

I guess this week is Robin Hobb week on Random Comments. After reading Hobb's novella The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince , I'm having a go at Hobb's latest novel Blood of Dragons now. I tend to avoid reading works by the same author back to back but just this once I did anyway. Blood of Dragons is the fourth and concluding installment of The Rainwild Chronicles, a series that started out as a standalone and, as Hobb puts it herself, grew in the telling. The fact that story grew so much...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Angela Oliver rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

An excellent finale to the series, although it still leaves a few questions hanging for the reader to wonder about. Hobb's dragon life cycle is unique and fascinating, and her character development is always a delight to behold - we literally watch her characters grow up throughout the books, learning and changing. I found the "main character" (of the dragon keepers), Thymara, to be the most irritiating and least likeable of the PoV characters. My favourite, I would have to say, is Cedric, who h...more

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Apr 01, 2013 Antebar rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Credo di poter dire una cosa di questo libro: lo adorerete.

Non parlo di chi vi si accosterà con sufficienza, magari col semplice intento di finire la serie in attesa di storie migliori. Io parlo di chi, come me, ha amato e ama il magnifico universo di Robin Hobb; di chi, come me, non può fare a meno di soffrire insieme ai suoi personaggi, e illuminarsi di pura gioia al minimo riferimento ad altre pagine, adorate e sofferte già molto tempo fa.

Perché Blood of Dragons è soprattutto questo: soffer...more Credo di poter dire una cosa di questo libro: lo adorerete.

Non parlo di chi vi si accosterà con sufficienza, magari col semplice intento di finire la serie in attesa di storie migliori. Io parlo di chi, come me, ha amato e ama il magnifico universo di Robin Hobb; di chi, come me, non può fare a meno di soffrire insieme ai suoi personaggi, e illuminarsi di pura gioia al minimo riferimento ad altre pagine, adorate e sofferte già molto tempo fa.

Perché Blood of Dragons è soprattutto questo: sofferenza, speranza, orgoglio, sangue, memoria. È una celebrazione della grandezza dei draghi come mai se n'erano viste nella letteratura fantasy, ma al tempo stesso celebra la forza e la dignità degli esseri umani (o ex-umani) che con loro si confrontano. E di confronti e scontri ce ne sono tanti, tutti memorabili, in un romanzo ricco di azione come non erano invece stati i precedenti.

Robin comincia a tirare seriamente le fila di RotE, chiudendo alcune trame storiche e lasciando sul finale un unico grande interrogativo che sarà forse l'appiglio per la nuova serie in stesura. Il libro è scritto meravigliosamente, contiene scene GRANDIOSE e introduce un personaggio femminile che ho adorato dalla prima all'ultima pagina, tutto determinazione e coraggio e insospettabile dolcezza. I POV sono molteplici, ma gestiti decisamente meglio che in City of Dragons. Se devo criticar qualcosa, mi ha disturbato — e mi ha fatto temere una debacle qualitativa proprio sul finale — l'inizio del capitolo 21, davvero lento e inutilmente tirato per le lunghe... e avrei desiderato maggiore spazio per uno dei protagonisti, un po' troppo trascurato dalla Hobb negli ultimi due volumi della serie.

Mi permetto solo di prepararvi a un ultimo capitolo che è una gioia per il cuore e a un epilogo che non dimenticherete facilmente. Ho avuto le lacrime agli occhi per tutto il tempo, tanto ero felice di immaginare quei volti e leggere le loro parole.

E quel ‘Today! Today! Today!’ è echeggiato anche nel mio piccolo mondo.(less)

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Feb 05, 2013 John Matthews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-first-reads, fantasy

I will start this off by saying that I received a ARC copy of this book through Good Reads. At first, I found this book a bit confusing. I had to keep flipping back to the character summaries at the front of the book to keep everybody straight, but that could of just been because I hadn't read the first few books. Once I knew who everyone was better I enjoyed the book immensely!

******SPOILER ALERT*******

The only real drawback I had was the battle scene at Chalced. I wish the author would of desc...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Crystal rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was satisfied with the final Rain Wilds book, but it still isn't my favorite series in the Realm of the Elderlings. The characterization and world building are top notch, and I really felt like the characters were real people with real consequences to their actions. At the same time, there were few unexpected events in the plot. Events proceed more or less to their natural conclusion. At least there is less angst here than in previous series, and I was pretty happy with the ending. I felt that...more

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Apr 26, 2013 Terah Edun rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: epic, fantasy, favorites

Robin Hobb's Rain Wild Chronicles & Liveship Trader tales have always been my favorite. This one was no exception. In fact, I liked Blood of Dragons (the 4th in the Rainwild Chronicles, MORE than I liked City of Dragons - it's predecessor. City of Dragons focused more on the dragons and their keepers journey along the river - lots of mud, dirt, ickiness and river water. In this book the dragons and their keepers are finally in the fabled dragon city and can explore it to their content! I lov...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Rbette1299 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I love the Rain Wild Chronicles and very much enjoyed the final book, Blood of Dragons.
Robin Hobb excels at character development and as a reader you can’t help but bond with some of the characters. In Blood of Dragons, the major story lines were fleshed out with mostly satisfying conclusions. I have already read it three times to savor the high points.

In Blood of the Dragons, the dragons finally become Lords of the Three Realms, Earth, Sea, and Sky. Because of the hardships they have endured,...more I love the Rain Wild Chronicles and very much enjoyed the final book, Blood of Dragons.
Robin Hobb excels at character development and as a reader you can’t help but bond with some of the characters. In Blood of Dragons, the major story lines were fleshed out with mostly satisfying conclusions. I have already read it three times to savor the high points.

In Blood of the Dragons, the dragons finally become Lords of the Three Realms, Earth, Sea, and Sky. Because of the hardships they have endured, they are different in some critical ways from Tintaglia and IceFyre. The elderlings start to learn more what it means to be an elderling and what a massive amount of work it will be for them and generations to come to master the secrets of Kelsingra. It is clear that some will not be up to the tasks. Alice and Sedric show the most human character development throughout the books and it was most satisfying to see how they interacted with Hest in the end. Of the dragons, I think Sintara and Kalo show the most interesting maturation. This book had several gritty, harsh scenes that make you cringe. The worst violence revolved around Selden, Hest, and Malta. Selden and Malta survive, Hest pays a big price. I laughed out loud at Hest’s big dénouement. I was satisfied with the revenge against Chalced. I would have been dissatisfied if the Chaced revenge had taken any more page count from the other story lines. I had my favorite characters, but what carried this series for me were the dragons coming of age through terrible hardships. Rapskal had been one of my favorites but I was saddened at his choices in this book and think he is on a road to a lot of pain along with Heeby. It was satisfying to see that Tats rose to the challenge. This book makes you hopeful for the future of the dragons and elderlings. While I was mostly satisfied with the resolution to several critical storylines, when done, I couldn’t stop wondering what next for the dragons, the elderlings and the humans in the greater world. I sincerely hope that Robin Hobb will give her dedicated readers more of this fascinating world. I loved Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars trilogy because you got to see the settling of Mars through several fascinating generations to when the first settlers began to die off. The Rain Wild Chronicles brings the reader through the finding of, developing of, and the beginning of a world with dragons as rulers, but I would love it if the author would take us through at least one generation of Dragons as Lords of the Three Realms or until the next generation of dragons joins their parents. They have overcome so much but they have a lot more challenges to overcome to successfully rule along with the elderlings learning how to wield magic in support of them and I would love to read of how they do this.
(less)

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Apr 11, 2013 Kai rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2013

Disappointed. The book started out well. Picking up from where the last book left off. Unfortunately, by the time I finished reading it I felt cheated out of a good long tale. There are too many parts within the tale that were rushed and left me feeling unsatisified.

It starts with the little babe Phron. He's all better now, but we never find read the whole Malta/Reyn and Tintaglia conversation. Or read how the dragon cures the little boy.

Hest. Seriously. That's how that works out??

The battle. No...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Barbara rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've been reading this story for a long while. I had no clue the Rain Wilds were the end of a much longer work. Dragon Keeper was offered as a free d/l so I got it for my newly acquired iPad. I was hooked from the beginning. Since reading it and Dragon Haven I have gone back and read all of The Realm of the Elderlings. I LOVE the story. Blood of Dragons brings to fruition of many characters efforts to bring dragons and Elderlings back into the world. From Verity to our Beloved Fool, Malta and Re...more

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About Robin Hobb

** 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 st...more

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“Perhaps once one realised how deeply one could bond with a creature as foreign as a dragon, all forms of human love seemed more acceptable.” — 3 people liked it

“Dragons. A sky full of dragons.” — 3 people liked it

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Blood of Dragons (Rain Wild Chronicles #4)

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