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City of dragons
334 pages
A deeply empathetic, slow-burn journey of outcasts and broken mythical creatures finding their strength and a place to belong.
What it feels like
Reading this installment feels like walking through a dense, humid jungle that suddenly opens up into breathtaking, ancient ruins. The pacing is characteristically steady, prioritizing the intricate, shifting dynamics of a found family of outcasts and their bonded, imperfect dragons over rapid-fire action. The prose is deeply interior and sensory, pulling you into the physical discomforts of the journey and the profound emotional weight of the characters' transformations. The mood balances a lingering melancholy with a swelling sense of wonder and hard-won triumph as the destination finally comes into view. It is a deeply rewarding experience for readers who crave immersive, character-driven fantasy where the emotional stakes—healing from trauma, finding acceptance, and forging unbreakable bonds—matter just as much as the survival of the world.
- Mood
- atmospheric
- wondrous
- perilous
- ancient
- Tone
- earnest
- introspective
- empathetic
- melancholic
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- found family · healing from trauma · human-animal bonds · reclaiming lost glory · finding belonging
- The writing
- Richly detailed, deeply interior, and evocative, prioritizing emotional resonance and sensory world-building over flashy action.
- The arc
- Moves from weary determination and lingering self-doubt toward awe, hard-won triumph, and profound connection.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love deep character studies, slow-burn emotional payoffs, and intricate, lived-in fantasy worlds.
Content notes
- body mutation
- emotional abuse
- animal peril
- violence
About the book
author Robin Hobb returns to world of the Rain Wilds—called “one of the most gripping settings in modern fantasy” (Booklist)—in City of Dragons. Continuing the enthralling journey she began in her acclaimed Dragon Keeper and Dragon Haven, Hobb rejoins a small group of weak, half-formed and unwanted dragons and their displaced human companions as they search for a legendary sanctuary. Now, as the misfit band approaches its final destination, dragons and keepers alike face a challenge so insurmountable that it threatens to render their long, difficult odyssey utterly meaningless. Touching, powerful, and dazzlingly inventive, Hobb’s City of Dragons is not to be missed—further proof that this author belongs alongside Raymond E. Feist, Terry Brooks, and Lois McMaster Bujold in the pantheon of fantasy fiction’s true greats.
Description from Open Library.
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