It's been a long time since I've read a Robin Hobb book, and I didn't remember much about her style. One thing I did remember is that she likes to torture her characters, and that's definitely true in this book too.Ship of Magic is the first book in a trilogy, which in turn is the second trilogy in a series of four connected trilogies, but it's not connected to the first trilogy and can be read standalone. Despite it being nearly a decade since I read the first trilogy, I never felt lost or that I was missing anything. There are just small references and callbacks.

At its heart this is a pirate novel. It follows several POV characters, but the vast majority of time is spent at sea. I really like pirate fantasy, I think it's an underused subgenre and we need more of it, and Hobb is a fantastic writer. This book is long, maybe a little too long, and differently drags a bit in the middle, but it's undoubtedly well-written, smart, witty, and emotional.

The concept of a living ship is a cool one, and the ships being their own characters with distinct personalities definitely adds in some excitement to sailing.

My one complaint with this novel is how poorly she treats some characters. Characters will often make poor decisions act irrational for what seems to be the sole purpose of making their lives harder and driving the plot forward. It's a common criticism I've seen of Hobb.

This is a good novel, but definitely not one that wraps up satisfactorily on its own. Many major plots and subplots are left unresolved and are set up specifically to lead into the next novels. These books are a significant time investment, so be warned if you decide to start this one.