Fantasy

City of Dragons

City of Dragons

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-05 14:56:17
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Robin Hobb
  • ISBN：0008154414
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Summary

Return to the world of the Liveships Traders and journey along the Rain Wild River in the third instalment of high adventure from the author of the internationally acclaimed Farseer trilogy。

The dragon keepers and fledgling dragons have discovered a route to the lost city of Kelsingra but there is one problem: they need to be able to fly to cross the treacherous waters and enter the fabled city。 At first， only a few dragons are willing to try – the others are either too ashamed of their deformed wings and feeble muscles or too proud to risk failure and humiliation。

But the rewards waiting at Kelsingra for those brave enough to take to the air are worth more than they could possibly imagine。 This was a city built for dragons and their keepers。 Alise Finbok is overwhelmed by the treasures she finds there， and spends hours carefully uncovering wonder after wonder， recording her findings for posterity。 She knows the knowledge will change everything the world thought about dragons and the Elderlings。

Yet rumours of the city’s discovery have floated down the Rain Wild River and reached envious ears in Bingtown and beyond。 Adventurers， pirates and fortune hunters are coming in droves to pillage what they can from the city。 Will the dragons， only just finding their strength， and their keepers， who are changing in their own mysterious ways， be able to fend them off？

And what has happened to Tintaglia， the dragon-mother who started it all？ Has she really abandoned her offspring forever？ Or will she too return to seek the riches of Kelsingra…

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Reviews

Sam Wescott ，

I still can't exactly put my finger on why I'm finding this series to be less satisfying than the Liveship Traders and Farseer books。 I think it might be because of some of the characters。 I love the capriciousness of the dragons and I really have a soft spot for Leftrin and Alise （Sedric has my sympathy， but not much of my interest）。 It's really great to see more of Reyn and Malta and get a glimpse of the wilder world and I've grown really fond of Leftrin's crew and the Tarman as a sort of hybr I still can't exactly put my finger on why I'm finding this series to be less satisfying than the Liveship Traders and Farseer books。 I think it might be because of some of the characters。 I love the capriciousness of the dragons and I really have a soft spot for Leftrin and Alise （Sedric has my sympathy， but not much of my interest）。 It's really great to see more of Reyn and Malta and get a glimpse of the wilder world and I've grown really fond of Leftrin's crew and the Tarman as a sort of hybrid liveship。 But man， these teenagers are annoying。 I really like Thymara whenever the boys aren't around， but the obsession with "mating" （puke） and her conflict about sex and pregnancy and having to make grownup decisons about desire and consequences is so incredibly dull。 I thought I liked Tats until he became a moody sex pest and I LOVED Rapskal when he was Thymara's earnest and weird friend， but now he's lost all that charm。 It's infuriating。 I know that Hobb can write teenagers well。 I like Sylve a lot and Fitz was a great protagonist in his teenage years。 Malta was absolutely infuriating as a teen， but I still found her story incredibly compelling。 This love triangle and sex anxiety are not compelling and I really wish the story would abandon that struggle。 Thymara is going through some really intense changes， but her libido is not the one I give a shit about。 But I'm still really enjoying filling in lore gaps about the elderlings and how dragons interact with humans， so the series is still enjoyable enough。 Honestly， I'd probably like these books better if I wasn't directly comparing them to the Farseer and Liveship Trader books， which are just in another league。 OH - the interactions and romance between the bird keepers in the little chapter interstitials are precious and I love them。 I squealed。 I swooned。 Somehow that was an effective and compelling romance and yet every time Thymara kisses someone， I want to die。 Go figure。 。。。more

strawberry ，

City of Dragons is the middlest middle book that’s ever middled， and it’s not even an actual middle book。 There’s also， to my recollection， TWELVE POVs and FOUR bird keepers in a lil smol（ish） book。 That’s just wow。 And despite that， it doesn’t actually feel overwhelming at all。I enjoyed every minute of it。 I started screaming from the summary alone， and City of Dragons actually has the pain and suffering that I’ve come to expect from the Realm of the Elderlings， only， you know。 In brand new ang City of Dragons is the middlest middle book that’s ever middled， and it’s not even an actual middle book。 There’s also， to my recollection， TWELVE POVs and FOUR bird keepers in a lil smol（ish） book。 That’s just wow。 And despite that， it doesn’t actually feel overwhelming at all。I enjoyed every minute of it。 I started screaming from the summary alone， and City of Dragons actually has the pain and suffering that I’ve come to expect from the Realm of the Elderlings， only， you know。 In brand new anguishing ways。（view spoiler）[The living conditions of the keepers and the prospect of memory drowning made me uncomfortable， to say the least， which is great。I am forever devastated by Selden’s plight。 To say he does not deserve this is an understatement。 WHO BETRAYED YOU！ WHO DARED DO THAT TO OUR LITTLE BOY？I was excited to be in fabled Chalced。 No stone unturned in this universe – you’ve heard it， you’ll see it， and I love that。 I am intrigued by Chassim， and we haven’t even met her。 I cannot believe I actually witnessed， in person， the Duke planning to eat Selden。 THE DUKE PLANNING TO EAT SELDEN！Carson is a kind， kind man。 He’s partner goals。 Heck， he’s human goals。 Sedric and Carson live together， which， yes， of course they do， but also someone hold me。 They’re happy together and I’m happy with them and I was making happy noises。Leftrin is so sweet and I love him。MALTA！ Hasn’t she suffered enough？ Like， torture anyone but Malta， at this point。 You’ve so many new shiny targets。 Why does it have to be poor Malta。 That said， when she reached the Tarman and the crew helped her， I actually cried。 I was so tense during her plight that I actually cried at the goodness of the Tarman fam。 Congrats。And Reyn， my favorite Rain Wilds boy。 It’s been so long since we’ve been in his mind。 I love his mind。 Why do I love so much that the cat likes Reyn and that Reyn pets the cat？ Probably because I’ve rooted for that sweet summer child so hard over three books and over book-years that everyone that treats him well brings me joy。Hest’s POV was uncomfortable and fascinating， as it should be。 The terms he uses for Sedric and Alise hurt， they made me cringe and wince and just stop and breathe for a second。 Still， it’s fascinating to see his life and the mindset that makes him act the way he does。The drama with the bird keepers had me reeling。 How dare you， Kim！ How DARE you speak to Detozi that way？！That said。 I think the character arcs did not make it out completely unscathed from the （comparatively） short length of the book combined with the multiple POVs。 What was Alise doing in this book？ Well… not much。 What was Sedric doing in this book？ Not much。 What was Leftrin doing in this book？ More， but not by much – thank Malta and Reyn for his prominent presence。 I kept wondering if we needed to spend time on certain parts， given our limited page count。 Did we really need Tats’ POV？ Why didn’t we have Sedric there to see the Kelsingra loot– which specifically relates to his current state， who was specifically painted as suffering a little extra hard in the harsh circumstances， and have Tats confide in him since Sedric’s already familiar with his deal？ Do Alise and Sedric interact in their daily life， after their Big Moments in the previous book？ And if Sylve ever had a line， I don't remember it。 I understand the other keepers having a lesser role than the minor one that they already had， but Sylve had been kind of important to Thymara’s life。 One scene naming each keeper by name would have sufficed， just something for them to leave a mark， an ~I was here too。I loved what we did see， from every person we saw it。 It’s a great setup for the next book – every piece in place for a potential avalanche of division， heartbreak， and disaster。 It’s cool and awesome and engaging and I’m super excited for it。 I just think that the sum of what we did see in this book was in parts uneven。On a side note， every time the Traders badmouth the Six Duchies， it’s like a stab in my heart， still。 THEY’RE FAM， PEOPLE！ THEY’RE FAM！（hide spoiler）] 。。。more

Nightrunner ，

It’s just been some few days since I read this， but I’m already regretting not writing my review sooner。 What actually happened in City of Dragons？ I can barely recall it anymore。 I liked reading it， but it was a lot slice of fantasy life and it blends together with the rest of the series。 The story of Alise and Sedric， which could have ended on a happy note in the last book， did of course continue and got new problems。 Somehow， it felt a bit like the problems arose merely for the story to conti It’s just been some few days since I read this， but I’m already regretting not writing my review sooner。 What actually happened in City of Dragons？ I can barely recall it anymore。 I liked reading it， but it was a lot slice of fantasy life and it blends together with the rest of the series。 The story of Alise and Sedric， which could have ended on a happy note in the last book， did of course continue and got new problems。 Somehow， it felt a bit like the problems arose merely for the story to continue？ Or maybe it makes them more human and realistic， not having their tale end because everything is kind of well。 However， it did feel like the keepers and the other people travelling with the dragons did a lot of tramping on the same spot。 Suddenly reading about Malta， Reyn and Selden？ Now THAT’S some intriguing stuff in the making！ In my opinion， it would’ve been more interesting to read more about them and less about the keepers and the dragons。 Because， it’s just more of the same with them。 Their plot is finding Kelsingra and help the dragons save themselves。 There’s some romance， but that captures most of it。 There aren’t that many keepers and we spend a loooot of time with them， but still some of the keepers just are？ They’re the beginning of a new generation of elderlings， and still we mostly follow a romance between some few of them？ It’s the same with the dragons。 Even though the dragons are more individual characters than dragons tend to be， there’s not room for all of them。 They’re balled together like a flock， which make them a bit boring。 I guess I wouldn’t mind them being bunched together if they weren’t so full of themselves。 I prefer my dragons to be noble and fight alongside humans， just as I prefer my protagonists to be the hero archetype。 That’s just a preference though。 Concerning the dragons， Hobb have made an interesting choice in not only equipping them with fire and size， but with venom and magic too。 This make their high thoughts about themselves understandable， but it also makes it hard to see how they’re going to coexist with humans。 I can’t see all of human race being servants of dragons， not if they’re not treated with some respect too， but why would dragons give them that？ I wonder how Hobb will solve that。 So， what did I think of this book？ It was a nice read， but not amazing。 I’d like more focus on the threat from Chalced， because THAT’S some interesting things going on！ It will be more of that in Blood of Dragons， but honestly？ What I’m really craving is Fitz and the Fool。 。。。more

Maui Sniffano ，

ISBN: 9780007273812Cedric och Carson， äntligen lite hälsosam vacker kärlek！ （s。 51-52）

Maria ，

I’m disgusted， I was sure that this was the final book in this series & instead I learn that there is another one。 I don’t understand why in book 2 we spent so long with all the same characters advancing so sluggishly like the barge on the river & in book 3 we discover more characters & twists & turns that have to be sorted in another book。 Is it only me， but I see 💵 symbols！

Laurie ，

3。5 starsThe dragon keepers have made it to Kelsigra， and it feels like now things can really pick up。 The dragons didn’t just get sent off to die， and a problem get swept under the rug， instead there are now major economic interests， a lot more bad guys， and the future potential for major global upheaval。Better than book 2， I appreciated the greater world coming back into this。 The wider political intrigue， characters that have been absent， and generally a lot more storylines and complexity mad 3。5 starsThe dragon keepers have made it to Kelsigra， and it feels like now things can really pick up。 The dragons didn’t just get sent off to die， and a problem get swept under the rug， instead there are now major economic interests， a lot more bad guys， and the future potential for major global upheaval。Better than book 2， I appreciated the greater world coming back into this。 The wider political intrigue， characters that have been absent， and generally a lot more storylines and complexity made this feel like Hobb again unlike the previous。 Looking forward to the final installment。 。。。more

Cauldhamer ，

3。5/10

Sphoots ，

Good book。 I am loving these books

Reanne Furney ，

Of the 16 books so far in this massive series， these 4 are my least favorite and I found myself enjoying them but mostly hurrying to get through them。 I am excited to pick up the remaining trilogy "The Fitz and the Fool。" I miss their voices and need more of their story！ These four books did indeed fill in a lot of missing information and solved the mystery of the ancient past but not entirely so I believe there is more to come in the final 3 books。 I'm super stoked。 Of the 16 books so far in this massive series， these 4 are my least favorite and I found myself enjoying them but mostly hurrying to get through them。 I am excited to pick up the remaining trilogy "The Fitz and the Fool。" I miss their voices and need more of their story！ These four books did indeed fill in a lot of missing information and solved the mystery of the ancient past but not entirely so I believe there is more to come in the final 3 books。 I'm super stoked。 。。。more

Trent ，

This was my favorite book of the Rain Wild Chronicles so far， though still not quite a 5 Star。 My favorite aspect of the book was the expansion of the story to include characters other than the Keepers/Hunters in Kelsingra。 As excited as I was to explore the lost Elderling city， I was even more intrigued to check in on characters like Malta， Reyn， Selden， Tintaglia， and even Hest。 On top of that， we also get our first real inside look into the court of the Duke of Chalced。 For someone who has re This was my favorite book of the Rain Wild Chronicles so far， though still not quite a 5 Star。 My favorite aspect of the book was the expansion of the story to include characters other than the Keepers/Hunters in Kelsingra。 As excited as I was to explore the lost Elderling city， I was even more intrigued to check in on characters like Malta， Reyn， Selden， Tintaglia， and even Hest。 On top of that， we also get our first real inside look into the court of the Duke of Chalced。 For someone who has read the previous entries in the Realm of the Elderlings saga， these chapters offered fun reunions and tantalizing details - however， if you have -only- read the Rain Wild Chronicles， I could understand if there was some frustration surround all of these new POV's。 As mentioned above， I also really enjoyed exploring Kelsingra。 This is a truly mysterious and magical place。 I can't wait to unlock more of it's secrets in the final volume of the series。 Hobb isn't necessarily known for her magic systems or world-building， but I really think she has outdone herself in this series in that regard。 The only real downsides to this book were that A） Much like Dragon Keeper before it， this book ends abruptly。 It's clearly the first half of a book that was cut for publishing purposes。 B） The teenage drama， while somewhat toned down， is still pretty rampant and annoying。 The Thymara/Tats/Rapskal triangle is particularly obnoxious。 That said， it was not enough to ruin the book， by any means - mainly because this book was very short and there was so much else going on。 Overall， a really good book， and I am super excited for the finale！ 。。。more

Joy Wilson ，

In this book the plot lines pick up a bit more speed although it seems to take a great deal of anything of importance to happen。 I generally enjoy reading books by Hobb， but this series has been required a lot of toil on my part。 As with book two， relationships are presented in a great deal of detail and I for one am tired。 This detail may lead to a payoff in the final book， but I have lost hope。 The fabled city of Kelsingra has been found， but only 1 dragon has learned to fly and feast on her o In this book the plot lines pick up a bit more speed although it seems to take a great deal of anything of importance to happen。 I generally enjoy reading books by Hobb， but this series has been required a lot of toil on my part。 As with book two， relationships are presented in a great deal of detail and I for one am tired。 This detail may lead to a payoff in the final book， but I have lost hope。 The fabled city of Kelsingra has been found， but only 1 dragon has learned to fly and feast on her own。 Heeby’s return， with Rapskal， increases the tension on Thymara and she is still having trouble with Sinatra。 I guess I can see that Sinatra sees herself as she wants to be， but not as she is， but the never ending condescending voice is now mostly annoying。 Alise is desperate to record every thing and every bit of history in the City of Dragons， but there is simply too much and she misses Leftrin who has returned to get supplies and payment from the council of Traders。 Chalced is still sending hunters of dragons and many other smaller story lines are fleshed out。 There are places where Hobb shows her mastery， but for me， they were too far between and far too few。 I will finish the series because I respect her work and look forward to hearing the end。 The last 2 books feel like a slog。 Hoping for a good finale that lives up to the promise of the first book。 。。。more

Robin ，

Very entertaining dragon books。 I like Robin Hobb and this series was a very good one。 I just sort of pounded down on them and flew through them （so to speak！）

Rumyana Bumbarova （WELCOME TO MY MIND） ，

Много се радвам， че поредицата потръгна。 Миналата част беше малко бавна и нямаше кой знае какво действие。 Но тук нещата отново се връщат в ритъм。 Обнадеждена съм за финала。 Градът на драконите е много привлекателно място и ще стане ябълката на раздора。。。

Julia Shore ，

More awesome Robin Hobb。 The bit of the hands in boxes creeped me out a bit。Malta's scene in the brothel was very dramatic and tense。Sintara's arc was really good。As far as the Rapskal vs Alise argument went: I am really heavily on Rapskal's side。 The scene where Alise told Rapskal off about the clothes I got really annoyed at her。It was interesting having Hest as a perspective。 The Duke was an interesting narrator as well。 More awesome Robin Hobb。 The bit of the hands in boxes creeped me out a bit。Malta's scene in the brothel was very dramatic and tense。Sintara's arc was really good。As far as the Rapskal vs Alise argument went: I am really heavily on Rapskal's side。 The scene where Alise told Rapskal off about the clothes I got really annoyed at her。It was interesting having Hest as a perspective。 The Duke was an interesting narrator as well。 。。。more

Olga ，

Objectively I don't think this is Hobb's best series but damn these books just work for me。 I love reading them。 Objectively I don't think this is Hobb's best series but damn these books just work for me。 I love reading them。 。。。more

Lyndal Simpson ，

Quite different from the second book in that it featured lots of different perspectives and locations。 There were passages told from the POV of Malta， Selden， Hest， Sedric， Thymara， Alise， Leftrin， Tintaglia， Tats， Sintara and the Duke of Chalced。 I loved having Malta back in the story and that it was being told from her perspective。 Malta， Thymara and Alise interest me most （although Alise's character development started going downhill in this one， but more on that later）。 I like Tats and Leftr Quite different from the second book in that it featured lots of different perspectives and locations。 There were passages told from the POV of Malta， Selden， Hest， Sedric， Thymara， Alise， Leftrin， Tintaglia， Tats， Sintara and the Duke of Chalced。 I loved having Malta back in the story and that it was being told from her perspective。 Malta， Thymara and Alise interest me most （although Alise's character development started going downhill in this one， but more on that later）。 I like Tats and Leftrin， but Sedric continues to do nothing for me。 I know Hest was horrible to him， and I can't stand Hest， but I still can't bring myself to like Sedric at all either。 The second half of the book was fantastic。 That half was definitely a 5/5。 The action surrounding Malta was so exciting， I was on the edge of my seat。 I liked the addition of Tillamon。 I'm interested in meeting the Duke of Chalced's daughter Chassim in the next book。 I'm looking forward to the dragons becoming less dependent on the keepers， because that whole angle annoys me。 I hate the arrogance of the dragons and I just don't buy into the whole dragons as the Lords of the 3 realms stuff。I didn't like the pairing up of Thymara and Rapskal。 I think she would be better with Tats。 I don't see Rapskal's appeal AT ALL。 I find myself a bit disappointed with Alise。 She was this really interesting character for 2 books， then she all but faded from view in this one， except to be extremely bossy and annoying when she did feature。 I hope she comes into her own a bit more in the last book， which is all set up to be a great read！ 。。。more

Elizabeth ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I think this series might be the first time I've read something that was part pigeon-epistolary。 The budding romance between the two Keepers of the Birds in book 2 was amusing， and now， it's a mini espionage thriller side-story carried by birds！ Fantastic。Thymara's storyline， on the other hand， is infuriating。 She's being constantly sexually harassed by adolescent boys in mens' bodies。 One of them takes her to an abandoned city so that he can get her alone without a means to return home on her o I think this series might be the first time I've read something that was part pigeon-epistolary。 The budding romance between the two Keepers of the Birds in book 2 was amusing， and now， it's a mini espionage thriller side-story carried by birds！ Fantastic。Thymara's storyline， on the other hand， is infuriating。 She's being constantly sexually harassed by adolescent boys in mens' bodies。 One of them takes her to an abandoned city so that he can get her alone without a means to return home on her own， and then uses the city's magic to alter her memories and "seduce" her。 No， boy， that's rape。 Not one of the boys pays any attention to what Thymara consistently says she wants and doesn't want， and she has no recourse。 None of the few adults seem more than vaguely interested， leaving Thymara to be the only voice of reason。 "Let's not risk getting pregnant when we're living in shacks in the winter and barely have enough food to eat and are responsible for providing huge quantities of game to these enormous dragon creatures， and oh， yeah， GIRLS WITH MUTATIONS LIKE ME OFTEN DIE IN CHILDBIRTH。" It goes in one ear and out the other with these manipulative little bastards， which is probably kinda realistic tbh， but still infuriating。 The sexual politics in the Fitz books is shaky at best， but the imbalance of power here is appalling。 I really hope Thymara gains some control over her situation pretty damn quick， and that these awful males realize what they're doing。 Now。 Honey， a boy who has no problem tricking you into having sex DOESN'T REALLY CARE ABOUT YOU。 。。。more

HekArtemis Crowfoot ，

3。5 stars。 Hest。 Ugh。

Cory Fisher ，

Best of the rain wild chronicles series so far。

Katrin von Martin ，

My thoughts on the first two novels of the Rain Wilder Chronicles were somewhat lukewarm。 They felt overlong for their content and lacked the normal quality that I’ve come to expect from Robin Hobb， but I was optimistic at the close of Dragon Haven that the discovery of Kelsingra would bring the story out of its funk。 And it did！ Though， it’s still not up to the standard of the Farseer， Liveship， or Tawny Man trilogies。 Spoilers follow。Story/WritingThe dragons and their keepers have finally arri My thoughts on the first two novels of the Rain Wilder Chronicles were somewhat lukewarm。 They felt overlong for their content and lacked the normal quality that I’ve come to expect from Robin Hobb， but I was optimistic at the close of Dragon Haven that the discovery of Kelsingra would bring the story out of its funk。 And it did！ Though， it’s still not up to the standard of the Farseer， Liveship， or Tawny Man trilogies。 Spoilers follow。Story/WritingThe dragons and their keepers have finally arrived in Kelsingra。 While the city may have been built for the use of dragons and Elderlings， it has been long abandoned – even the dragons’ collective ancestral memories hold no answers to unlocking the city’s secrets。 With the dragons growing every day and the keepers’ changes progressing， it seems like dragons and Elderlings will once again be a part of the world。 But first， they need to survive their first winter and learn all they can about Kelsingra。Meanwhile， Leftrin sails the Tarman and its crew back to Cassarick to gather supplies for the fledgling settlement at Cassarick and report his mission’s success。 He soon learns that he’s stepped into a dangerous situation。 The Duke of Chalced is old and ailing， close to death， and believes that the mythical powers of dragon body parts and blood can cure him。 He has sent agents out to find the dragons and bring back what he desires…whatever the cost。 And Leftrin （and Malta and Reyn） are about to learn that desperation will drive these men to extreme lengths to get what their duke wants。I’ll admit that I was surprised when I saw the page count of this book。 At under 350 pages， I think it clocks in at the shortest Hobb book that I’ve encountered…and I’ll be honest， I was a little concerned about how the lack of length would impact the story。 Hobb’s plots are known for being slow burns， taking their sweet time to set everything up and carefully develop the plot and characters to provide the greatest impact when it all comes together。 It’s one of the things that I like about her books。 Well， as the saying goes， good things come in small packages！ This was definitely the best book in the Rain Wild Chronicles and makes full use of its pages。 It moves along at a surprisingly quick pace， wasting no time in building the world， broadening the story， and hitting us with everything the plot has to offer。 Hobb isn’t one to waste pages ever， but I think the pace sets this apart from her other works （in a mostly good way）。The story （finally） takes us away from the Rain Wild River – and away from the drama and tribulations of the keepers， dragons， and Tarman’s crew – and broadens out， letting us experience what else is going in the world and reminding us that the events in this series matter beyond the dragons and their keepers。 It’s awesome and refreshing to get some new viewpoints and settings， as well as see some returning characters from past series。 I love that Hobb gives so much thought to the whole picture and the other elements of her world。 It feels complete and fully realised， a huge breath of fresh air after the limited scope of the last book。And what we see is fascinating！ We’re back with Hest in Bingtown to see how he’s reacting to Alise and Sedric’s extended absence…and what trouble Sedric has gotten him into。 Leftrin takes us back to Cassarick， where we learn of corruption within the Trading Council there and the bigger implications of Kelsingra’s discovery。 After it being a big player in other Hobb works， Chalced takes front and centre several times， finally allowing us to meet the oft-mentioned Duke and get some context for his demands。 Malta and Reyn make a prominent appearance， and it’s great to see them again and see how they’ve grown since the Liveship Traders trilogy…and the tribulations they face as both Elderlings and individuals talented at being in the wrong place at the wrong time。 We also check in with Selden， who has definitely experienced some unfortunate happenings since we last saw him in the Tawny Man trilogy。 Suffice to say， we get a lot more than traversing up a river and it’s fantastic and interesting！It’s just as fun to see the keepers （and Alise and Sedric） uncover the secrets of Kelsingra。 We’ve seen this city before in the Farseer trilogy （I smiled when Alise found Verity’s fire in the tower and blamed it on Rapskal）， but now it’s fully in the light。 Fitz and Verity weren’t Elderlings – the keepers are， and they’re able to uncover the city’s full potential （with a little help from their dragons）。 There are differing opinions at play， with Alise wanting to preserve Kelsingra as-is while Rapskal intending to fully reclaim it as Elderlings， but the city has a lot of hidden treasures and it’s nice to see it become， in a sense， a character in its own right after making such a prominent appearance earlier in the bigger series。 I also enjoyed the eerie feeling around it – definitely the goth in me。Overall， I think this book adds a lot to the Realms of the Elderlings as a whole。 As I read， I often found myself wondering “I wonder how this will impact the Six Duchies” or “Will the Fool make an appearance？” or even thinking about how past events possibly foreshadowed or led to what’s going on now。 And I like that！ I enjoy considering how a book’s plot points will affect the bigger series， which is something I couldn’t really do with the first two books and their limited scope。It’s just great to get more perspectives and an upping of the ante for so many characters！ The world is changing， and we have a front seat to it。Oh， and I can’t forget the smaller “side” story going on with the birdkeepers guild portrayed through the letters at the end of each chapter。 The first two books focused more on the personalities of Erek and Detozi Dunwarrow， the keepers of birds in Bingtown and Trehaug， and their budding relationship and eventual marriage。 Now， just like the main story， this one broadens out， moving beyond the personal and introducing a plot of intrigue and corruption among the birdkeepers。 Who’d have thought that the conveyance of messages and the caring for of birds would be such big business？ Or that the story could be so captivatingly portrayed through a series of letters？ It’s surprisingly high stakes， a lot more than I expected when I realised that a tertiary story would be told through these end of chapter letters。 Yet， despite my praise， something felt a little off about the book as a whole。 I really maintain that this wasn’t intended to be a tetralogy， but a trilogy。 All three books have felt somewhat oddly paced with the first two being way too specifically focused， only to randomly （if refreshingly） branch out in the third instalment。 Even this one felt like it ended a bit too abruptly， and when combined with the shockingly low page count， I feel similarly to how I did with the first two books: like this and the fourth book could have probably been one， but needed to be cut somewhere to make two books （rather than padded out， which was the impression I got from the first two）。 It’s a weird sort of inconsistency that’s plagued this whole series， and I wonder what went on behind the scenes to create it。Finally， Hobb’s writing is back to its top-notch best。 It’s witty and sharp， perfectly conveying what it needs to without becoming prosy or indulgent。 She succeeds at the perfect mix of being clear and concise while also maintaining her own voice。 I just really enjoy her writing。RomanceThis is an element that I haven’t really enjoyed that much in this series， and that feeling continues。 I don’t even dislike the pairings， really – it’s more that I don’t get why Hobb made it her mission to pair everyone up with someone。 For whatever reason， no one is allowed to be single。 Even Reyn’s sister Tillamon quickly forges a romantic bond with Hennesey， one of the Tarman’s crew…and I think at that point， I actually rolled my eyes and groaned because I was so over everyone conveniently finding a partner。Again， I like a lot of these couples。 Sedric and Carson are， frankly， adorable and I love their dynamic and how they’re growing together。 Alise and Leftrin are apart for most of the novel， though they spend time thinking about one another， and I get why: they’re a decent pair （if perhaps a little boring） trying to plan a future together。 Malta and Reyn are one of my favourite couples and have come a long way since we saw them together in the Liveship Traders trilogy – they’re definitely a pair to envy for how supportive they are of one another， especially in the face of hardship。I find that I don’t care quite as much about the keepers’ various relationships， but I think a lot of that comes down to not really knowing them as characters。 Jerd and whatever guy will have her; Davvie and…Lector？ （see， I’ve already forgotten）; Skellie and Alum…they’re all a little blah to me。 I’m also over Thymara’s romance struggles。 They’re appropriate for her age and where she is in life and I think that both Rapskal and Tats are good partners for her for their different reasons， but it’s superseded her character and feels a bit too YA for me。 Almost everything is about her relationship drama now， which makes me a little sad since I’d liked her character。 CharactersAs is always the case with Hobb’s books， there’s a large cast at play here， so I can’t go into all of them。 They’re all interesting in their own ways， and now that most of the cast is no longer constantly on the move and have access to secure shelter and food， they have a chance to relax （somewhat） and settle into who they’ve become。We have Alise fully casting aside her Bingtown status， deciding that she’ll never return to that life， and attempting to pursue her scholarly interests in Kelsingra…while also grappling with the fact that she’s a human in an Elderling city with Elderlings that want to use it as intended。 Rapskal is undergoing a lot of change， his boyish nature driving him to fully explore Kelsingra， ignoring the warnings surrounding the memory stone found there。 It’s making him a different person， but while that concerns the other keepers， he’s hardly bothered。 Sedric is completely out of his element， but is learning to contribute in a society that has no use for the clerical skills that made him valuable in Bingtown （and， of course， he’s putting Hest firmly behind him to move forward with Carson）。There are also characters that don’t grow in any great ways， but they’re solid and constant and are enjoyable to read about。 Leftrin， Tats， Reyn， and Malta fit into this category。 Great characters capable of courageous things， but they don’t make any huge development strides （though it’s certainly fun to see that Malta is just as determined， crafty， and intelligent as she was in previous books…just in different situations and a new stage in life now）。 Carson is still the rough wilderness man and de-facto leader of the keepers。 Hest maybe isn’t a “good” character， but I personally value seeing what he’s up to and how he’s reacting to his wife and valet disappearing （he’s the character we all love to hate！）。Selden is somewhat in his own category because he’s changed a lot since his last appearance， but his situation here prevents him from making any huge strides。 It is heart-breaking to see where he’s ended up， especially if you remember him as a young boy from the Liveship Traders and I’m hopeful that things start to turn around for him in the last book。And then there are the characters that just sort of fade into the background。 This would be most of the keepers and Tarman’s crew。 To a point， I’m ok with not knowing them quite as well since they’re tertiary characters， but it also continues to surprise me that after three books with these figures， they’re sill largely indistinguishable。 Hobb is normally pretty good at giving even the most minor of characters something to make them feel like people and not just like stand-ins。 And I’ve already mentioned that Thymara’s character growth seems to have become “what guy will she pick？” A lot of these are the new Elderlings！ I’d love to feel like they matter a bit more。But the real highlight continues to be the dragons！ Hobb is just so damn good at writing a dragon’s point of view， making them both distinctly animal， yet oddly human and relatable。 These are creatures a lot smarter than us that view things on a completely different level， and they have no shame in how they see themselves in comparison to their human/Elderling companions。 I’d say that it really sets Hobb’s books apart from the many other dragon books in the Fantasy genre。 And it’s really great to watch the hatchlings learn to become proper dragons， mastering flight and providing for themselves。 We also get Tintaglia’s perspective again， as an “original” dragon， and that’s also nice after not seeing her for a while。 The dragons are just amazing， and I’d happily read a book completely in their point of view。OverallDon’t let the short length of the book worry you - City of Dragons is the strongest （so far） book in this tetralogy。 The story broadens out in a refreshing manner and reminds us that there’s a bigger world to be impacted by what goes in in these books。 Hobb hits her normal stride in worldbuilding and character development， even if some of the characters get lost in the background and， if I’m going to be honest， the characters don’t feel as “real” as the ones from past series。 The romance， however， is way too much and I still think that something happened that forced Hobb to make this story fit four books instead of three。 But hey， I’m excited for the next on！ Four stars。 。。。more

Deborah Obida ，

This is slightly better than the previous book， it was shorter， the story progressed more and characters from Liveship not only made an appearance but one has a POV。 How amazing is that。The events in this book started just where the previous stopped， with the dragons at Kelsingra but couldn't get there because they need to cross a river and they can't fly。 The only way to get there is to learn how to fly， some dragons finally learnt to fly but most are still struggling， the important thing is th This is slightly better than the previous book， it was shorter， the story progressed more and characters from Liveship not only made an appearance but one has a POV。 How amazing is that。The events in this book started just where the previous stopped， with the dragons at Kelsingra but couldn't get there because they need to cross a river and they can't fly。 The only way to get there is to learn how to fly， some dragons finally learnt to fly but most are still struggling， the important thing is that they are trying。 There is a little character development， Thymara is a tidbit more mature。The other characters like Sedric， Alise， Leftrin are as fun as ever， I'm loving their character development。The writing improved greatly and the world building didn't need work， it was great before， I love that it continued。 What you’re looking for is the feeling that no matter what， being with that person is always going to be better than being without that person。 Good times or bad。 That having that person around makes whatever you’re going through better， or at least more tolerable。The romance here wasn't as cringy as that of the previous book， I like that Thymara finally picked someone。Malta and Reyn are the new addition to the series， another character that has a POV is Hest， I loathe his POV， it's so annoying， his character needs lots of development。 。。。more

Anastasia ，

Robin Hobbs writes a good story with interesting characters。 Ones a that I hope win。This book is light on the politics compared to her other series。

Ella Catherall ，

This is more of a three and a half star book， purely because this book felt like it only existed to set up the fourth。 It was well written and interesting but very little actually happened。 Regardless， I’m looking forward to reading the next one。

Ruthie ，

just wonderful book

robylegge ，

Questo terzo capitolo delle cronache mi è piaciuto meno degli altri due。 Ci sono nuovi personaggi （nuovi per me， che non ho letto la saga di Borgomago）， si salta da un PoV all'altro， e quindi da un luogo all'altro。 Sono riuscita a seguire bene questi passaggi， ma ho trovato che così facendo Robin Hobb ha dovuto sacrificare un po' di introspezione， che è secondo me il punto di forza della saga。 Più dinamicità， meno introspezione: da un lato mi ha fatto divorare il libro in pochissimi giorni perch Questo terzo capitolo delle cronache mi è piaciuto meno degli altri due。 Ci sono nuovi personaggi （nuovi per me， che non ho letto la saga di Borgomago）， si salta da un PoV all'altro， e quindi da un luogo all'altro。 Sono riuscita a seguire bene questi passaggi， ma ho trovato che così facendo Robin Hobb ha dovuto sacrificare un po' di introspezione， che è secondo me il punto di forza della saga。 Più dinamicità， meno introspezione: da un lato mi ha fatto divorare il libro in pochissimi giorni perché volevo sapere che cosa sarebbe successo， dall'altro però mi è mancata un po' di emozione。 Mi è sembrato un libro di passaggio， in preparazione al quarto。 Infatti fondamentalmente leggiamo degli spostamenti dei personaggi verso un luogo dove， presumibilmente， si chiuderanno tutte le linee narrative。 Tutti i capitoli ambientati a Kelsingra sono bellissimi， la città è stupenda， i draghi sono sempre più interessanti。 Thymara è l'unico personaggio che ha un'evoluzione。。。 tutti gli altri quasi non compaiono。 Comunque è stata una bella lettura e ora non vedo l'ora di sapere come finisce。 。。。more

Steen Ledet ，

Too much of a middle book to be truly engaging but good setup for the final book。

Soraia ，

I struggled with some parts and felt they were too long and had to push myself to keep reading。 And others were too rushed and I would have loved to read more。。In City of Dragons we are following our keepers as well as some characters that we didn't hear from in the previous books and they brought with them a bit of repetition again to the series， though some were interesting to read。 I felt the book was going in so many different directions， and it was all over the place with so many new and ol I struggled with some parts and felt they were too long and had to push myself to keep reading。 And others were too rushed and I would have loved to read more。。In City of Dragons we are following our keepers as well as some characters that we didn't hear from in the previous books and they brought with them a bit of repetition again to the series， though some were interesting to read。 I felt the book was going in so many different directions， and it was all over the place with so many new and old characters that each chapter felt separate and was just trying to tell its story。。The last chapter though made me excited to read the final book， Blood of Dragons。 。。。more

Ryk Stanton ，

YAWN！ So there’s these people， see， and they want to have sex with these other people。 And sometimes they both want to have sex together， but sometimes it’s all about power plays。 Oh， and one of these sex-havers is a man who likes to have sex with other men！ And he’s a big bully， but then there’s a twist because HE gets bullied by someone else！ Ha！Oh， and there’s dragons！ And some of these dragons want to have sex with other dragons！ And some of them are strong-then-weak， and others are weak-the YAWN！ So there’s these people， see， and they want to have sex with these other people。 And sometimes they both want to have sex together， but sometimes it’s all about power plays。 Oh， and one of these sex-havers is a man who likes to have sex with other men！ And he’s a big bully， but then there’s a twist because HE gets bullied by someone else！ Ha！Oh， and there’s dragons！ And some of these dragons want to have sex with other dragons！ And some of them are strong-then-weak， and others are weak-then-strong！ And some like humans， but some don’t。 Man， what’s going to happen？YAWN！ I can’t wait — yawn — can’t wait to — yawn — yawn — to find — zzZzzZZZZzZzZ 。。。more

Mooni ，

Seni loetud Hobbidest minu jaoks kõige nõrgem。Eelmised kaks Rain Wild Chronicles raamatut olid võrratud oma inimene vs loodus narratiiviga， tegelaste siseheitlused （puudega inimeste toimetulek， enese aksepteerimine， vägivaldsest lähisuhtest pääsemisega） köitvad， kuid siin on rännak läbi ning kuigi paar asja juhtub， siis osalt tundub see justkui epiloog eelmistele osadele， osalt aga proloog viimasele osale。 Vabalt oleks võinud liita RWC kolmanda ja neljanda osa kokku。

Hannah （auri。winter） ，

I like Robin Hobbs other books more。 I somehow just don't feel that connected to the characters in this book。。。 I like Robin Hobbs other books more。 I somehow just don't feel that connected to the characters in this book。。。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=City of Dragons

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=City of Dragons&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,City of Dragons&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0