How does Hobb so deftly take what is essentially a dragon survival/adventure book and weave in an exploration of feminism, pregnancy loss, queer relationships, abusive relationships (including sexual dominance practiced in healthy/unhealthy ways)? I'm just in love, okay? Still some weirdness in pacing, but I heard that this series was meant to be two books and the publishers asked her to turn it into 4. Haven't verified that but if true it explains the strangeness - imagining these past two books as one longer book makes much more sense to me structurally.