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kirstym25's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The worldbuilding is layered, with things explained as Fitz is told them, supplemented by insights from his older self. This leads to a gradually filled-in impression of a complex setting where details are conveyed as they are necessary, and even more is implied through the narrative. This style lends clarity. He discusses both how he felt at the time, as a child and then a teenager, and what he thinks about those events now that he’s an adult. This becomes especially important during sections such as his time under Galen, as the dissonance intensifies between events as they happened and how he was being conditioned to perceive them. There are several moments where something he does as he’s telling the story is juxtaposed with some assertion made by his younger self, showing how something must have changed in the meantime (presumably to be covered somewhere in the trilogy).
One of my favorite things is his complex relationship with Burrich. How they are to and with each other changes throughout the story. Even when it's changing for the worse, it makes sense, and it's nice to see Fitz's growing understanding of Burrich as a person with his own internal world separate from Fitz. How Fitz views Burrich is often a great proxy for how Fitz is growing and changing, flavored by the dissonance between how Fitz is and how Burrich wants him to be.
There’s a lot of care in the narration, partly due to the balance between Fitz’s memories and his older self’s reactions to and commentaries on the memories, and partly due to what I can best describe as a lack of voyeuristic interest. One of the background plots involves raiders pillaging the coast, and, other than a few scenes where Fitz has to directly fight someone as a result of the raids, there are few descriptions of the kind of violence which accompanies such raids. Said violence is canonically happening, and Fitz frequently discusses the effects he’s observing on the people and the Kingdom which stem from the raids, but in a way that makes sense for his character. This is just one example of how the narration gives the impression of the complexity (and sometimes violence) of Fitz’s world, but does not unnaturally bend his character to direct the story towards it, nor does it shy away when appropriate.
A great start to the series, I'm ready to read the next one.
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Medical content
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Miscarriage and Rape
anna_23's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Minor: Infertility
kiandrareadsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Blood, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
alisylvi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Death
poetskings's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
rorikae's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Having read the Mad Ship trilogy by Robin Hobb first, this story is a bit more typical of high fantasy though still speaks to Hobb's character building. It's especially impressive when considering that it was her debut novel.
I found that the story itself was rather basic for a fantasy novel though I hope that the next book in the series may introduce more complex plot lines, especially since this book centered on Fitz's childhood and upbringing. I think the strongest part of the story is the characters. Fitz is instantly likable and even in places where the story itself was slow, I was still compelled to read on because of my care for Fitz. His connection with the dogs that he encounters in the story was one of the strongest ways that I felt his character was built up and those were the relationships I was most invested in.
If you are interested in a solid first book in a classic fantasy style, Assassin's Apprentice is a good option though so far I have enjoyed the other books I have read by Robin Hobb more.
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Violence, Murder, and Abandonment
Minor: Death of parent
emsavors's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Infertility and Infidelity
Minor: Sexual assault and Suicidal thoughts
jcakelover's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Grief
amelialincoln's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Alcoholism and Drug use