Realm of the Elderlings

Reactions from the Realm: Ship of Destiny, Chapters 19-21

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The Old Vivacia Can’t Come to the Phone Right Now. Why? Oh, ‘Cause She’s DEAD!

***Liveship Traders spoilers through chapter 21 of Ship of Destiny***

Hooboy. The battle of the liveships is upon us, and it emotionally devastated me as much as Kennit & co. devastated Paragon’s crew.

I have to admit, I got chills when chapter 21 opened with Althea seeing Vivacia’s mast appear in the mist. As predicted, the battle was over before it even really began. Never mind Kennit’s serpent minions having a sudden change of heart at the command to destroy Paragon- the crews were nowhere close to evenly matched. It was a sad, sad end to Paragon’s sailing.

Paragon 😩 . We knew the past was rough, but the Kennit-Paragon conversation wrecked me. I don’t know what’s to come, but we’ve got some VIPs to get out of the hull, and I’m hoping there’s an Amber (Chekhov’s woodworker?) salvage situation ahead.

We’ve got Althea fished out of the sea (side note: maybe sailors should reconsider their stance on swimming lessons), and Wintrow once again primed to do what he does best: wreak havoc on a sailing vessel. Stay tuned!

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Reactions from the Realm: Ship of Destiny, Chapters 15-18

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I love mess!

As a seasoned blogger of four days, I want to quickly share how much fun I’m having sharing my thoughts about Ship of Destiny and my broader RotE journey. What I thought would be just sending my words out into the lack has turned out to be the plenty. For those of you who have found my posts, liked, and to my very first subscriber 🥹- thank you! It delights me to think someone may have actually chuckled at something I’ve written. With that- onward!

***Liveship Traders spoilers through chapter 18 of Ship of Destiny***

There’s a lot of political maneuvering happening right now all along the cursed shores. We’ve got a Housewives-style post-battle reunion at the Traders’ Concourse. To think, just chapters ago we were having teenage dance drama here. Simpler times. Now we are in heavy negotiations with a dragon. And if you think I mean “negotiations with a dragon” metaphorically, rest assured: they had a detailed discussion about whether the dragon would need to sign a written agreement.

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Reactions from the Realm: Ship of Destiny, Chapters 12-14

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Oh no, characters are briefly happy again!

***Heavy spoilers for The Liveship Traders through chapter 14 of Ship of Destiny. Minor references to The Farseer Trilogy***

Thus begins our regularly scheduled programming. My tentative (and highly flexible) plan is to read a few chapters at a time and post my reactions as I make my way through the rest of Ship of Destiny. If all goes well and my heart survives the remainder of this trilogy, I will sail straight into The Tawny Man Trilogy (I think that’s next?) and keep this party going!

Well, Robin, you’ve done it again, you clever, clever lady. I came out the gate hot, titling my first post “Robin Hobb, You Raggedy Bitch.” At the time, I wondered if I should soften it, worried it might sound a tad aggressive. But if I’m going to be anything on this journey, it’s authentic- so couth be damned, I let it rip. Now, I hope it’s beyond apparent that no one has ever been called a raggedy bitch with more love and admiration in the history of the phrase. And Robin “the Weaver” Hobb has got me again. The reveal of the Kennit-Paragon connection truly blew my mind.

There is certainly more to uncover in this tangled history, but when the trail of breadcrumbs led to Paragon revealing he was Kennit’s family ship – wow! (If this was exceedingly obvious to everyone else, please just let me revel in my simpleness).

All those little hints – Kennit’s past abuse, his connection to Igrot, Paragon’s visceral reaction to pirates, his discomfort at Althea and Brashen’s consensual coupling (!!) on-board. Once Paragon began piecing it together, my mind was racing through so many little moments and hints dropped along the way. I am sure a re-read would reveal even more layers leading up to this moment. Bow down to the queen weaving this rich, devastating tapestry.

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Reactions from the Realm: The Farseer Trilogy, Reader’s Quest

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My Brave Journey Setting Forth into The Realm of the Elderlings

***Spoilers for The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb ahead***

Author’s Note: When I began my blogging journey through The Realm of the Elderlings, I happened to start at the natural spot of about 75% through the second trilogy. So, in the event that any human soul stumbles upon and happens to follow my journey, I thought it might be nice to share a few reflections on The Farseer Trilogy and The Liveship Traders up to my first post.

These early reflections only scratch the surface, but if you enjoy this glimpse into my descent into Hobb-induced madness, I hope you will check out my in-depth reaction pieces to the later series. (Where else can you go for predictions of polyamory involving boats?) Without further ado…

The Farseer Trilogy

As someone who holds every word of The Farseer Trilogy in the highest esteem, I can conceivably see how this series isn’t for everyone. (I mean, those people are of course horrifically wrong, but that’s their right.) So here’s what I’ll concede: Is it the fastest-paced story ever told? No. Does Assassin’s Quest drag a bit at times? Perhaps.

But damn it, I don’t care. This story was absolutely for me. I was right there alongside Fitz on every Eda- and El-cursed step of his quest. If anything, a bit of suffering along the way (I’m looking at you, coterie) only deepened my immersion.

A little about me to set the stage: I occasionally enjoy a bit of romance in my literary endeavors. So what a nice surprise to find out this was the greatest love story of all time- just between Fitz and me, rather than any characters on the page.

I can’t quite say what it was that drew me to this journey, but one thing’s for sure: I could never have anticipated the ride I was about to embark on. There were a few omens early on that made it clear I was going to need to buckle the fuck up.

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Reactions from the Realm: Ship of Destiny, Somewhere Around Chapter 11, wizardwordship Sets Sail!

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Robin Hobb, You Raggedy Bitch

***At the top, light general spoilers for The Farseer Trilogy and The Liveship Traders, no specific plot points mentioned. Further down, heavy spoilers for Liveship Traders through chapter 11 of Ship of Destiny, marked beforehand***

Greetings and hello! This post is me yelling into the lack, uncaring of who, if anyone, this ever reaches. I am in the sixth book of my Realm of the Elderlings journey, and I simply cannot continue without an outlet for my thoughts, reactions, and traumas from this series.

Are you wondering what has driven me to this point, gentle reader? Well, I have just experienced the most chilling thing one can experience in a Robin Hobb book. A character just verbally expressed to themselves: “I am happy.”

Nothing makes me more frightened than something seeming to go well for a character in this world.

So, with no one in the real world to turn to, here I am.

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