Bernadette Dunne is a good reader/voice actor, and I enjoyed listening to the audiobook. That said, the pacing was a bit slow at times. ( )

In this third volume in the Sharing Knife quartet, Dag and Fawn are off to explore the world to find some answers or maybe just some more questions. Dag is developing new powers as a maker that he never showed before. He has also come to believe that the way Lakewalkers and Farmers interact has to change if the malices are ever to be finally removed from the land.

Dag and Fawn, along with Fawn's brother Whit, begin to explore by retracing Fawn's journey to Glasshaven. From there, they find their way to the river. Dag has some idea of showing Fawn the sea as part of a belated honeymoon trip.

There they meet with Boss Berry who is taking her flatboat down the river in the hope of discovering what happened to her father, brother and fiance who went down the river to sell a boat and didn't return. Fawn signs on as cook and Dag and Whit to do general labor.

As they go down the river, they gather problems and people from beguiled Hod, to runaway patrollers Remo and Barr. Along the way they meet Farmers and rivermen and Dag tries out sharing Lakewalker secrets to begin to erase the rear and suspicion between Farmers and Lakewalkers.

The trip takes a turn for the dangerous when they run into river bandits controlled by a renegade Lakewalker. Berry learns the fate of her loved ones and Lakewalkers and Farmers work together to end the threat.

The worldbuilding is very realistic. Bujold mentions the accounts of the real keelboaters and others who traveled the upper Mississippi that she read for background. The characters are well-drawn and all grow and change through the book. I am eager to read HORIZON to get to the end of this epic journey. ( )

I love a good fantasy novel and this series is great. In find the characters and story engaging. The writing style easily draws me in and leaves me eager for the next book by this author. ( )

The continuation of the Sharing Knife series is enjoyable and continues the exploration of the relationships between farmers and Lakewalkers. The story has more of a plot then the previous books, as the protagonists travel and met various people and make new connections. The book has more worldbuilding and focuses a lot on ground magic. I felt like the information presented in this book became more tedious and distracted from the story. I was less interested in the worldbuilding since this is already the third book in a 4 book series. Still very well written and looking forward to reading the last book. ( )

I read the first two of The Sharing Knife books all the way back in 2011. There were things I liked about them, but I was frustrated by how quickly the romance developed and how much it was the focus. Instead of reading the third book, I read Bujold’s other series instead. Given how much I love some of those books and that I've found most of them worth rereading, I decided to give this series another go. I'm glad I did.

Fawn and Dag have left behind their respective communities and seek passage on a flatboat heading down the Grace River.

I think this story’s strength is in how it is about journeys, family and community, and in the steady way it develops its themes. There’s the physical journey downriver, but the characters all have their own personal journeys: their boat-boss, Berry, is searching for her father and her betrothed; Fawn and her brother Whit have a chance to build a different relationship, away from their roles they occupied on their family’s farm; Dag is eager to take advantage of the opportunities to teach farmers about Lakewalkers, but doesn’t expect to wind up teaching Lakewalkers; nor to make such dramatic discoveries about his own, still-developing abilities and about what happens when Lakewalkers are cut off from others Lakewalkers.

“My papa used” -- Berry’s breath caught, broke free again -- “used to say, Nothing worth doing is fun all the time. But it’s still worth doing all the time.” ( )