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Cover of Blood of dragons
Book details

Blood of dragons

by Robin Hobb

Published 2013425 pagesISBN 978-0-0621-1685-7

The Tarman expedition has at last found Kelsingra, a city filled with ancient treasures. Here, the dragons and their Elderling keepers may discover their full potential, but only if the magic of Kelsingra can be unlocked. Already rumours of the city have floated down the Rain Wild River. Adventurers, pirates and fortune hunters will soon be coming to pillage what they can. Among them, Hest Finbok, determined to claim back his errant wife, Alise. Meanwhile, Selden Vestrit finds himself a prisoner of the ailing Duke of Chalced, who believes him to be some sort of dragon-man whose flesh and blood may work miracle cures. Soon Tintaglia's singer will be sacrificed to keep this vile old tyrant alive. Where is Tintaglia, the greatest of all dragons, when there is such need of her? Attacked, dying of a poisoned wound, can she survive? She holds the memories that will unlock the mysteries of Kelsingra, and the power to defend it, and her own. Without her, all may be lost.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.

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Full BookenDeX details

What the reading experience may hold

A fuller profile for choosing with more confidence—not just another copy of the preview.

Themes to notice

Fantasy · Fiction · Science Fiction

Use these as starting points rather than limits; the most memorable books often stretch beyond their catalog labels.

Content notes

No specific content concerns can be confirmed from the available English catalog information. Consult a publisher or reader-supplied guide when detailed warnings matter.

These notes are inferred from available catalog information and may not be complete. Check a publisher or reader-supplied guide if you need comprehensive warnings.

Reading experience

Balanced tone · Urgent pace

Best when you want to settle into a longer reading experience.

Who it may suit

A good fit if…

Readers who want a thoughtful experience and enjoy noticing the connections beneath a book’s surface story.

At a glance

This book's DNA

A visual estimate based on this edition's categories, description, and length. Select a star to explore the signals.

ToneBalanced
LuminousDark

This signal is descriptive, not a rating. It helps compare the kind of reading experience this edition may offer.

No plot details

Spoiler-Free Emotional Arc

A broad estimate of the book’s emotional rhythm, shown without story events or outcomes.

Spoiler-free
12345
PeakRelative emotional intensity
Blood of dragonsRobin Hobb
Powerful4.9/5

This visualization is an interpretive estimate based on catalog description, categories, tone, pace, and content signals. It does not describe specific scenes.

Before you choose

A quick reading snapshot

Edition facts and catalog signals to help you decide whether this book fits what you want to read next.

Reading lengthA standard-length read425 pages in this edition
Publication eraModernFirst published or edition dated 2013
Primary categoryFantasyAlso cataloged under Fiction and Science Fiction
ISBN-13
978-0-0621-1685-7
Language
English
Edition record
OL27142107M
BookenDeX editorial lens

A more thoughtful way into this book

This guide uses the edition details and category signals above to help you choose deliberately. It does not replace the author's work or a full review.

Good to know

Best when you want to settle into a longer reading experience.

Begin with its place in Fantasy, then notice where the book resists that label.

Try this reading approach

Read for connection, not completion.

Mark one passage that sharpens the book's central concern and one that complicates it. That tension often reveals more than a quick summary.

Three questions to carry with you

  1. Which familiar part of life becomes easier to see through this imagined world?
  2. What rules shape the world, and who benefits from them?
  3. Where does wonder, fear, or possibility change a character’s choices?

Editorial framework by Wesley Bryan, BookenDeX Founder and Editor.