Ship of Destiny concludes Robin Hobb’s Liveship Traders trilogy. Having committed to the series after enjoying her Farseer books, I finished it—but my reservations from The Mad Ship carried through to the end.

The finale brings together the various plot threads: the Vestrit family drama, Kennit’s pirate ambitions, the serpents’ journey, and the truth about liveships and dragons. Hobb ties things up competently enough, but the journey there continued to frustrate me.

The focus on mental illness and psychological trauma remains central. Characters dwell on their pain rather than acting to change their circumstances. This introspective approach has an audience, but I prefer characters who do things rather than feel things at length.

The mysteries resolve as I expected. The reveals about wizardwood, dragons, and the serpents held few surprises.

My issues with the characters persisted. Althea never became the active protagonist I hoped for. The liveships remained more pitiable than awe-inspiring. Even Kennit, positioned as a compelling antagonist, felt like a case study rather than a villain I could enjoy hating.

Fundamentally, this trilogy was marketed as fantasy adventure but delivered relationship drama with a fantasy coating. That’s a legitimate genre—just not what I signed up for. The bait-and-switch feeling that started in the second book solidified here.

Rating: 3/5

I can’t recommend this to readers wanting traditional fantasy adventure. Fans of relationship-driven fiction or those deeply invested in Hobb’s introspective style may disagree with my assessment. I enjoyed the Farseer trilogy despite its bleakness, but the Liveship Traders didn’t work for me.