Malta *spoilers all Hobb books*

[Farseer]

Firstly, well met and welcome to thePlenty, Queen Avalon. I am ever so glad that you turned up and asked this question as it was one I know I had meant to ask here ages ago, after my first reading of CoD, but obviously never did...or, at least, I don't *think* we've chatted about it yet?!

but didn't Malta have black or at least dark colored hair in LST....?

Yes, she did. I know that I don't have her listed in my ‘Black Hair, Black Eyes’ thread but, at the very least, her hair was ‘dark’. I also went to check what the PlentyWiki had to say but it had nothing about any of this under Malta’s 'Appearance' so that will be something to add in once something firm can be referenced. I’ll try and do this soon (unless someone else can quickly search with a Kindle etc).

I could have sworn she did, as so was very confused when I read in CoD on page 110 when it talks about Reyn stroking her "gleaming golden hair"

I remember feeling the same confusion...

I'm pretty sure I don't remember any part of the previous books saying anything about a hair color change, though it very well could be possible with all her other Eldering transformations

Possibly due to transforming, but unlikely I'd have thought. More likely a typo. Of course, you never know. If Fitz can have hair that changes to white, maybe the trauma Malta experienced could change her hair to golden...though, if this were the case, you'd expect another character, or Malta herself, to expressly state something about the change, just as Fitz did about his own appearance.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it was a typo though

There were a number of inconsistencies in CoD and even DK and DH (all of which Robin has acknowledged as being hers ). One of these I passed directly on to Robin after a thePlenty member noticed it from a Dutch translation reading. Thankfully it was thus able to be changed in time for the English releases. Interestingly, the errors seem to always be in relation to Malta eg her parentage, relationships with other family members etc. I think the one I passed on had that Ephron was her father and not Kyle, and I also recall another instance in DK or DH where Althea was stated as being her sister (or mother?) and not her aunt.

Still will try and reference her having had dark hair first and foremost, and then proceed from there. Good pick-up!

If she does have blonde hair, it will be difficult for me to change that in my mind...she has been too long having had dark hair for me to change now!