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prairieraven's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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
3.75
Adventure fantasy right from the start. A full cast of interesting characters and a plot that twists into the next books. I would not say that the characters are not overly diverse but easily could have been. I love that dogs have been given depth in this book as their own characters. I haven't found too many fantasy novels as enjoyable to read lately as this series. It has been a fun escape getting into this set of books.
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, War, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Bullying, Animal death, and Addiction
booksthatburn's review against another edition
emotional
- 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
ASSASSIN’S APPRENTICE follows Fitz through his childhood and adolescence, as he learns to be an assassin for the king, and what he’s actually willing to kill for.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Violence, and Medical content
Moderate: Cursing, Pregnancy, Ableism, Sexism, Misogyny, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Excrement, Drug use, Child abuse, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Child death, and Death
Minor: Miscarriage and Rape
hardbackednooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
On my second read, this is definitely still a 5-star book, but I did have a few things to point out that I didn't notice/didn't make a note of the first time around.
Good things
Good things
- This is a debut? Holy crap.
- The characters are all unique and distinct; while some have similar personalities(Regal and his entourage basically all being super vile and sadistic villains) , their descriptions, mannerisms, and dialogue make them easy to tell apart.
- Hobb's worldbuilding is absolutely incredible. She's done more in ~400 pages than some authors do with twice that amount. The richness of culture, history, conflict, environment, all of it is amazing. It perfectly sets up the next books and ties in well with the "side stories" (Rain Wilds and Liveship Traders).
- This book is quotable as heck. I mostly read the print version so I didn't make as many notes as I'd have wanted to, but a few things stuck with me that I went back and highlighted on my kindle.
- The storytelling style is a little difficult to get into at first, but this is still a good thing. It's a departure from the typical and once I'd read a chapter or two, I really enjoyed it. Instead of being told as a traditional first-person, "as it happens" type of story, it's a first-person recollection from an ambiguously older Fitz, who's sat down to write out his childhood. He references this in a few instances, saying things like "I wish I could remember the rest of this conversation" or "I can't recall the exact details" which helps you feel immersed in the retelling.
Not as good things
- The timeline is fuzzy for me. We know the book starts with Fitz around 6 years old, with very little memory of what came before. The story progresses slowly from there, giving Hobb time to introduce us to the world and the cast of characters, but after the 1/3 mark or so, we start having sudden jumps. They're usually ill-defined as "some years passed" or "after some time," which makes it difficult to gauge A) how long Fitz has beentraining with Chade) or how much he's aged, how long certain castle intrigue plots have taken, and other relatively minor things.
- Now that I'm thinking about it, maybe the fuzzy timeline is because it's being told as Fitz's retelling rather than a current happening. Hmmmm.
- There is a monumental amount of abuse in this story, which isn't a knock against the book, but it did take a lot out of me when I was reading. You definitely need to be in a good headspace to make it through.
All in all, a very excellent and good book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Addiction, and Drug use
bluejay21's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts
mariebrunelm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My history with this book started some ten years ago, when my favourite bookseller pushed it into my hands. He was already my favourite bookseller, but I didn't yet know how grateful I would be to him. Assassin's Apprentice became my favourite book of all time after I first read it (and the following two books in the trilogy, and Hobb's other books in the same universe). There's something in this book I've never found again elsewhere, which makes each re-read like coming home. It's a home where not everything is perfect, some family members I'd rather stay away from, and sometimes I still get lost in some shadowy corridors, but at its heart are endearing, defiant characters I feel I've known for a long time, and places I know will always keep a warm spot for me. I first read the Farseer trilogy in French, proceeded to re-read them in English when I could get my hands on the covers illustrated by John Howe, and now I'm re-reading them with Magali Villeneuve's beautiful, smooth pictures. But it's not exactly my third time reading. Over the years, I've come back to Robin Hobb when I needed comfort, to read a page or a couple of my favourite chapters. A few lines were enough to wisk me back to that home, and although I couldn't place who was whom and what some people were doing there, I always found my warm spot to settle back in.
Something that astounds me is the amount of foreshadowing you can't possibly grasp the first time. But re-reading it when you seize those clues is doubly heart-breaking because you're already aware of the hardships waiting for the characters, you remember them before they even happen, and you can't do anything to prevent them. It may sound like a painful experience, but there's also much beauty and comfort to be found within those pages.
Something that astounds me is the amount of foreshadowing you can't possibly grasp the first time. But re-reading it when you seize those clues is doubly heart-breaking because you're already aware of the hardships waiting for the characters, you remember them before they even happen, and you can't do anything to prevent them. It may sound like a painful experience, but there's also much beauty and comfort to be found within those pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Bullying, Grief, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Alcohol, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Drug use
fionac326's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Drug use, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts
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
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
emmeline's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Infertility and Miscarriage
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