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britreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What I admire most about this book is Hobb's ability to trust readers and let them make their own conclusions, even though we're in Fitz's perspective. the entire time. There are several times where the solution to a mystery is revealed and it's not treated as a major revelation in the narrative, but it is still satisfactory. I also found her writing to be extremely detailed and rich. It felt like an immersive read. And this world felt fully fleshed out and lived in.
I really connected with a lot of characters in here. Not just FitzChivalry, but also Burrich, Patience, Verity and to a lesser extent Chade. The evolution of Fitz and Burrich's relationship is one of the best in the book with Fitz and Verity's relationship running a close second for me.
I was also impressed with how progressive this story felt despite being published in the mid-90s. There are a lot of well-rounded female characters in here. This world is inspired by medieval Europe, yet there is no reliance on extreme misogyny or sexism. In fact, in this world, men and women have equal rights to rule. It's a small detail that I really appreciated, especially when compared to other fantasy novels/series written around the same time.
This is a slow-paced novel. We start off with Fitz when he is a young boy, around five or six years old. The story ends when he's roughly 18. I liked the slow pace as we had a chance to track Fitz's successes and failures, particularly when he begins to learn the Skill. And Fitz grows a lot during this novel. By the end, he is much more aware of his position as a King's man and the dangers that comes with the title. I appreciated this thoughtful approach to Fitz's tale. There are some action scenes, but the story is mostly focused on the emotional and mental impacts that stick with this young person.
This is my favorite read of the year and I really hope the rest of the series lives up to the expectation that this novel created. And I can't wait to dig into the other novels in this world.
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Death, and Animal death
Minor: Animal cruelty
moonlitreading_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The one thing I regret about reading Assassin’s Apprentice is that I didn’t start it earlier!!!! This book is slow paced, but Robin Hobb writes so well that I didn’t mind it. This book gives off an autobiographical feel and it’s more character-driven than plot-driven.
Speaking of characters, there were a lot that I liked. Even though everything is told from Fitz’s POV, the other characters still managed to stand out. Apart from Fitz, my favorite character is The Fool. I don’t know, I just feel like I want to be friends with him.
It was interesting to see Fitz’s character developing from when he was six until his mid(?) teens. But it’s crazy to think that everything that happened in this book was before Fitz became an adult. FitzChivalry Farseer you poor traumatized child.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death of parent
jo_lzr's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
kristis_bookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Physical abuse
bookaholic_in_wonderland's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Violence, Torture, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Animal cruelty
josiah17's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Hobb's prose is maybe the best I've read. It stands out as incredibly lyrical and fluid. I felt I could already visualize the entire world after just one chapter of vivid imagery.
Going back to being apprehensive, I say that because I believe myself to be a character-first reader. But I've also come to know that pacing does seem to affect my reading enjoyment, as well as the presence of a good overarching plot. Thankfully the plot is interesting enough in this first book, and the pacing is slow but stable in a good way. These things are all thanks to how phenomenal the character work and narration is from Fitz. You instantly want to root for this cast-out, and he offers a great perspective to view the world from. Many of the dynamics between him and other characters are also very well written.
I don't really have anything negative to say about this book. I suppose the end could've felt a little less rushed, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this. I will say I'm still a bit nervous to continue reading this series because this book is short and they only become longer as the series progresses, meaning the pacing may be more of an issue for me. But I already plan to at the very least read through the Liveship Traders trilogy. We'll see how things go.
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Animal death
Moderate: Violence and Suicidal thoughts
the_bitextual's review
4.0
Graphic: Animal death and Violence
carrionkid's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Grief, Child abuse, Death, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
jg93's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, and Death
maregred's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Classism, Blood, and Animal death
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Grief, Sexism, and Domestic abuse