No Disrespect (SS spoilers)

[jasonresno]

I read it after going through the Realm of the Elderings and was very disappointed as well. The world building was there but the characters were not. Even the plot was interesting to me. It just all came back to the characters.

I was happy with the first novel and the school/all of the students were an interesting read but then they were just abandoned and I don't think it ever got better again.

[finella]

I’ve just finished the third book and I'm quite satisfied. Perhaps it’s not Robin Hobb at her best but the story intrigued me and I don‘t think, it‘s “crap” at all. That seems unfair to me. Some years ago, I started Soldier’s Son shortly after having finished Tawny Man and found it a bit boring and not really interesting. I always compared it with Fitz and The Fool, Paragon and Amber etc. and I think, that was my mistake. Your just can’t compare Gernia and RotE. It’s something completely different and it‘s better to wait some time between finishing RotE and starting with Gernia. Nevertheless I think Gernia is a decent Robin Hobb opus. Typical Hobb, Nevare is not a settled character but a young man with ambitions that are not his one but his fathers, captured in the conservative education of the social stratum of his family. And as he is separated by Lisana that early, he never had the chance to become a man who is able and willing to take his own way. How could he - with his family and their (his own) expectations on the one side and the magic on the other. Hard stuff. Epiny and Spink are the characters, I liked most, probably because they were able to let go and made their own way. Also Lisana was really fascinating. I liked the magic of the speck and the idea, that their wise people link together with a tree in the end. Hobb’s description of this linking is brilliant and really thrilled me. Also her description of nature and how everything is affiliated with each other is smashing. And yes, I like nature .
Nevertheless I have to admit, that Gernia doesn’t raise so many feelings as RotE does. The characters but also the story are not so stirring. Nevare’s sister for instance keeps a bit shallow although she has much potential. Amzil leaves me sort of cold. There is certainly a lack of “beloved“ like The Fool, Nighteyes, Kettricken, Paragon, Ophelia and so on and so on. But it’s still fantasy which is much better than eighty percent of the rest of it. And I had a good time during my pretty cold and rainy holidays .