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cupnoddles's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
The emotional depth of this book is really touching. The plot, the setting, the world-building, all of that was good, too, but mostly I was here because the characters were so fully realized, multi-faceted, and interesting. Fitz is, more than anything, profoundly lonely throughout this book. It hurt a lot to see the ways in which he tries to claw his way out of this, only to be denied at nearly every turn. Fitz and Burrich's relationship I found particularly difficult: it's hard to see Burrich's own self-denial over the Wit leech into the way he treats Fitz; the whole "saving you from your perversion" hit hard, since it's an attitude many queer people have had to face. I had moments of genuine dismay over just how unfair things are for Fitz. I wanted to shout: It's not fair! You don't deserve that! Most of all, Fitz, don't believe that you deserve that!
I was also really impressed with the way Hobb portrayed royal bastards in this novel. I felt like there was a level of thought and nuance here that I've seldom seen otherwise. Fitz is/is not royal, is/is not an heir, is/is not a threat, depending on what's convenient or what's deemed necessary by those around him. But any attempt or assertion by Fitz to fully be one or the other, is fully rebuked. He's forced to occupy a liminal identity. I think (hope) this will be explored further in the next books.
Finally I felt a huge fondness for the (albeit fewer) woman/girl characters in this book. They don't fall into easy boxes. They're written so distinctly and so differently. They're people! How refreshing.
I'm really looking forward to exploring the Farseer series further!
I was also really impressed with the way Hobb portrayed royal bastards in this novel. I felt like there was a level of thought and nuance here that I've seldom seen otherwise. Fitz is/is not royal, is/is not an heir, is/is not a threat, depending on what's convenient or what's deemed necessary by those around him. But any attempt or assertion by Fitz to fully be one or the other, is fully rebuked. He's forced to occupy a liminal identity. I think (hope) this will be explored further in the next books.
Finally I felt a huge fondness for the (albeit fewer) woman/girl characters in this book. They don't fall into easy boxes. They're written so distinctly and so differently. They're people! How refreshing.
I'm really looking forward to exploring the Farseer series further!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
ceallaighsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“So. I’m to teach you to be an assassin. Is that all right with you, boy?…There is this, boy—and you should remember it in every situation, not just this one—learning is never wrong. Even learning how to kill isn’t wrong. Or right. It’s just a thing to learn, a thing I can teach you. That’s all. For now, do you think you could learn how to do it, and later decide if you wanted to do it?” Such a question to put to a boy. Even then, something in me raised its hackles and sniffed at the idea, but child that I was, I could find no objection to raise. And curiosity was nibbling at me. “I can learn it.” “Good.” He smiled, but there was a tiredness to his face and he didn’t seem as pleased as he might have.”
TITLE—Assassin’s Apprentice
AUTHOR—Robin Hobb
PUBLISHED—1995
GENRE—ya fantasy
SETTING—a medieval fantasy world
MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—coming of age, heritage & destiny, magic, death, politics
WRITING STYLE—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
CHARACTERS—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
STORY/PLOT—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
BONUS ELEMENT/S—Excellent world building details—especially the animal knowledge, Molly’s chandler shop, the dynamic in the kitchens etc.
PHILOSOPHY—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️—some of it was iffy, but some of it was excellent, like this: “That is the trick of good government. To make folk desire to live in such a way that there is no need for its intervention.” is PERFECT.
“‘Hard times are here, boy. And I wonder if they will ever pass.’ In the years to come, I was to wonder that often.”
This is the kind of fantasy book that you honestly can almost feel the magic radiating off the page as you read it. I was just blown. away. By the stunning, stunning prose, the depth of all of the characters—even the ones that seemed trope-y, they all had *something* that made them feel more real, even a little sympathetic—and the incredibly insightful treatment of so many interesting themes it was just an extremely elevated fantasy story. I wasn’t expecting that! haha though so I think I ended up reading it a bit faster than I really wanted to so definitely going to save the rest of the series for when I have more time to really immerse myself and maybe even do a reread of this one then as well.
So yeah. An excellent, excellent fantasy story. But. 😅 There were TWO. REALLY upsetting dog deaths—though it felt like THREE the way it was written 😩—so... I just don’t do dog deaths so. That was a pretty big bummer. 😕
“Most prisons are of our own making. A man makes his own freedom, too.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
TW // BOTH dogs frkin die in this 😡 , child abuse (Please feel free to DM me for more specifics!)
Further Reading—
- The Story of Silence, by Alex Myers
- The Last Kingdom, by Bernard Cornwell
- Terry Brooks
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Child abuse
nicheinterests's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Death of parent
emsavors's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, and Drug use
Moderate: Infertility and Infidelity
Minor: Sexual assault and Suicidal thoughts
jcakelover's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, Grief, and Drug abuse
amelialincoln's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Drug use and Alcoholism
iviarelle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was... an experience. The writing is great, the setups and payoffs are pretty satisfying, but some of the events are very upsetting and potentially traumatizing. Also, some scenes and sequences feel a little rushed, particularly the most plot-important ones. It's a bit of an odd balance for me. Don't get me wrong: I'm curious, even eager, to read more in this series and universe, but as interested as I was while reading it, I'm not as impressed with this book as a whole as I thought I would be. Also, so many content notes. See again about upsetting and traumatizing. This is not a lighthearted book you want to read as a break between heavy stuff, this is the stuff you may need a bit of a break from.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, and Torture
Minor: Vomit, Pedophilia, and Medical content
liteartha's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
oh boy. this is lush, intricately detailed fantasy and hobb is clearly a master at her craft, but my god was this a <i>slow</i> start. i feel like this is the sort of book that i’ll see with new appreciation as i continue on with the many books in this world, but this initial read was a bit challenging to feel properly immersed in until about the two-thirds mark
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Misogyny, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Suicide and Vomit
booksandtea997's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Violence
Minor: Alcoholism and Drug use
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