Blood of dragons by Robin Hobb

Harper Voyager, e-edition April, 2013. ISBN: 9780062116871.
Highly recommended. For mature readers and adults. Includes heterosexual and homosexual sexual references, torture and some depravity.
This is the fourth and final book in the Rain Wilds Chronicles (The Dragon Keeper, Dragon Haven, City of Dragons), and the action picks up immediately after the dramatic events which closed City of Dragons when lives, both human and dragon, magical and non magical, were in mortal peril. This is an exceptionally crafted conclusion to the quartet which explores with deft skill and sensitivity complex issues of discrimination, prejudice, love, justice and the place of memory in the present. As always with Hobb, the focus is on exploring complex characters, their dilemmas, decisions and fate within a world that is magical and mundane. Answers to a few mystical mysteries from previous trilogies (The Farseer Trilogy, The Liveship Traders and The Tawny Man) are revealed, and fans of the earlier works will find many delightful echoes as the new (and some ancient) Elderlings and dragons unlock the secrets to the city of Kelsingra. Hobb is both a visceral and poetic writer, giving readers an insight into the physical and spiritual lives of her characters. However, in several parts of the book the details are a little too graphic; I found some passages violent and difficult to read (blood is both metaphoric and literal). My only other minor criticism was that I read the ebook from Amazon, and there were formatting errors throughout which fused separate narrative voices together. This was very interruptive and distracting. Overall, a compelling read, and I hope that Hobb returns to the Rain Wilds and her dragons again soon.
Jennifer Ford