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A review by kittyg
Forest Mage by Robin Hobb
4.0
Another book by Hobb which I thoroughly enjoyed. Again I say I really don't know why this series has low ratings here, I actually really enjoy this and I am so intrigued about what will happen in Book #3 as so far Hobb has surprised me with twists and turns in both the first book and this one.
As we pick up the story here we again follow Nevare, the young Soldier Son who has already faced so much more than he ever thought he'd have to. Nevare has gone through trials of wit, skill and disease, and he's come out the other side... but he's definitely not left unchanged and when we meet him once more these changes are starting to truly manifest.
One of the elements I found most interesting in this book is the main character's constant battle with weight gain and hunger. The weight gain within this book is definitely there for story purposes, but the reactions of family and friends to Nevare's increased size seemed very realistic and cutting to me, making me think about the pressure of society and the values we place in it.
Nevare's dealings with magic have always been sporadic and hard to foresee, change or shape but in this book we start to see Nevare as he encounters more of it and also more of the Speck people (from who the magic stems). The magical system of this world always feels a lot more nature-based, primitive and powerful to me in this story than the magic within the Elderlings series. I have to say that this seems like a darker, much more sinister and controlling type. I definitely think I would be pretty unnerved if some of the things Nevare has to go through happened to me!
Seeing Nevare away from the Academy for a lot of this book allowed the world to open up a lot more and for Nevare to meet people who had very different ways of life to him. There were times where Nevare had to take control and suffer to prove himself, and even when he did sometimes it wasn't enough. Nevare definitely has a hell of a lot to deal with here, and I think he became a stronger character for taking his life in his own hands and trying (a little) to regain some sense of what he should/could do.
As always I come away from a Hobb book with absolute satisfaction that I just read a solidly good story and that I am sure the last book will be a good one too. I would give this a 4*s and so far this series has both surprised and enchanted me. Recommended for sure!
As we pick up the story here we again follow Nevare, the young Soldier Son who has already faced so much more than he ever thought he'd have to. Nevare has gone through trials of wit, skill and disease, and he's come out the other side... but he's definitely not left unchanged and when we meet him once more these changes are starting to truly manifest.
One of the elements I found most interesting in this book is the main character's constant battle with weight gain and hunger. The weight gain within this book is definitely there for story purposes, but the reactions of family and friends to Nevare's increased size seemed very realistic and cutting to me, making me think about the pressure of society and the values we place in it.
Nevare's dealings with magic have always been sporadic and hard to foresee, change or shape but in this book we start to see Nevare as he encounters more of it and also more of the Speck people (from who the magic stems). The magical system of this world always feels a lot more nature-based, primitive and powerful to me in this story than the magic within the Elderlings series. I have to say that this seems like a darker, much more sinister and controlling type. I definitely think I would be pretty unnerved if some of the things Nevare has to go through happened to me!
Seeing Nevare away from the Academy for a lot of this book allowed the world to open up a lot more and for Nevare to meet people who had very different ways of life to him. There were times where Nevare had to take control and suffer to prove himself, and even when he did sometimes it wasn't enough. Nevare definitely has a hell of a lot to deal with here, and I think he became a stronger character for taking his life in his own hands and trying (a little) to regain some sense of what he should/could do.
As always I come away from a Hobb book with absolute satisfaction that I just read a solidly good story and that I am sure the last book will be a good one too. I would give this a 4*s and so far this series has both surprised and enchanted me. Recommended for sure!