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sh3lfcar3's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide attempt
will_foster's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
What a start to this trilogy. Assassin's Apprentice was one of those books I remember seeing as a child and thinking it might be cool to read, but never got around to because my patience for reading was incredibly low back then.
I'm now both glad and sad I didn't read it then. Much of it would have gone over my head. I don't think I'd have picked up on all the details and nuances, would have probably been disappointed about a considerable lack of assassinating, but Fitz would have been such a consoling, if that is the right word, character to read as an awkward child.
I adored Fitz's journey through childhood, through the machinations of the world he finds himself non-consensually thrown into where horrible people hate him just because he's a child born out of wedlock from a royal figure.
I wanted so much to hug Fitz and tell him everything would be alright to the extent that the highs and lows of his story weighed so much more. He is an unreliable narrator and makes a lot of mistakes, but that makes him all the more human and loveable.
It did take me longer to read than I expected. Robin Hobb is an incredible world-builder, you get to know the main locations inside and out, but I found areas to slow quite considerably and ended up reading less per sitting than I thought I would.
That being said, Fitz, and his awful life, is something I'm now completely attached to. I immediately want to continue this trilogy, and the Realm of the Elderlings series as a whole, if only to read how Fitz keeps getting up again and again after he's knocked down and refuses to the let the world ruin him. He will surely have some happy endings, right?
Also, Burrich is an amazing character. Noble and stern but caring, he is the unsung hero of this novel :)
I'm now both glad and sad I didn't read it then. Much of it would have gone over my head. I don't think I'd have picked up on all the details and nuances, would have probably been disappointed about a considerable lack of assassinating, but Fitz would have been such a consoling, if that is the right word, character to read as an awkward child.
I adored Fitz's journey through childhood, through the machinations of the world he finds himself non-consensually thrown into where horrible people hate him just because he's a child born out of wedlock from a royal figure.
I wanted so much to hug Fitz and tell him everything would be alright to the extent that the highs and lows of his story weighed so much more. He is an unreliable narrator and makes a lot of mistakes, but that makes him all the more human and loveable.
It did take me longer to read than I expected. Robin Hobb is an incredible world-builder, you get to know the main locations inside and out, but I found areas to slow quite considerably and ended up reading less per sitting than I thought I would.
That being said, Fitz, and his awful life, is something I'm now completely attached to. I immediately want to continue this trilogy, and the Realm of the Elderlings series as a whole, if only to read how Fitz keeps getting up again and again after he's knocked down and refuses to the let the world ruin him. He will surely have some happy endings, right?
Also, Burrich is an amazing character. Noble and stern but caring, he is the unsung hero of this novel :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Animal death
mcosmic's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
Moderate: Abandonment, Animal death, Gaslighting, Violence, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
eleanorjmca's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Gaslighting, and Suicide attempt
carrionkid's review against another edition
4.5
This book had me run through the whole spectrum of human emotion ngl
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Grief, Child abuse, Death, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
maithaalfalasi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Infertility and Animal death
mvanhaas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, War, Suicide attempt, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Death
mouse_ears's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Animal death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, Murder, and Suicide attempt
maeverose's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.25
TL;DR:
Not a lot happens in the first half, mostly an introduction to everything and following Fitz as he grows up and trains to be an assassin. Second half tried to do too many different things back to back. I assume setting stuff up for future books but it felt a bit jumbled. Maybe if the beginning had been condensed it could’ve been spread out better. I really like the writing style and world building. I don’t know if I would say the book itself is too long or more so that big books just can’t keep my attention. I was only mildly interested for a lot of this book.
Characters
Characters
So far I’m not that connected to Fitz. To me he felt a little void of personality outside of having a strong moral code, liking animals, and being a teenager. Some of the side characters were much more interesting to me. Mainly Chade, Burrich and the Fool. My favorite character so far is the Fool.
‘The gender of the Fool has been disputed. When directly questioned on this matter by a younger and more forward person than I am now, the Fool replied that it was no one's business but his own.’ — You tell ‘em. (I say, as I’ve decided that he’s transmasc non binary..)
A Note
‘The gender of the Fool has been disputed. When directly questioned on this matter by a younger and more forward person than I am now, the Fool replied that it was no one's business but his own.’ — You tell ‘em. (I say, as I’ve decided that he’s transmasc non binary..)
A Note
For people who haven’t read the book yet: I feel like chapter 15 deserves a bit of a warning. Specifically for telepathic mind rape and suicidal thoughts/attempt. There’s some build up to what happens within that chapter, but it’s much more intense than most of the book leading up to it.
I was gonna include a whole rant about the never corrected ableism but decided I was being over dramatic so I’ll spare you. I just find it annoying that people only ever seem to care about ‘time period accuracy’ (being as this is clearly based on medieval times) when it allows them to treat their marginalized characters poorly. I know this was written 30 years ago but still. It irked me.
I was gonna include a whole rant about the never corrected ableism but decided I was being over dramatic so I’ll spare you. I just find it annoying that people only ever seem to care about ‘time period accuracy’ (being as this is clearly based on medieval times) when it allows them to treat their marginalized characters poorly. I know this was written 30 years ago but still. It irked me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Violence, Death, Animal death, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Abandonment, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Excrement, Vomit, Gaslighting, and Misogyny
Minor: Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Infidelity, and Pregnancy
Graphic: poisoning, telepathic mind rape, mental loss of self (becoming zombie-like), drowning, in one scene a dog is in a lot of pain and distress due to a bone stuck in its throat. Fitz removes it and the dog is fine, but the scene is very graphic. Moderate: self hatred, suicide baiting, eugenicsthoseoldcrows23's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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
I've been meaning to read this for a long time, and I'm so mad at myself for having put it off. I suspected that I would enjoy Robin Hobb's work, and I had hoped that The Realm of the Elderlings would someday come to be one of my favorite series. This first book has convinced me that my hope was not in vain.
I can understand why this book may not be for everyone. It's slow, and much more character focused then plot driven. However, it gives me the same vibes as Tamora Peirce gave me when I was a kid just dipping her toes into fantasy. I was a little nervous going in because I had heard several people say that this book was dense, and I was concerned I would be too stupid to get it, but reading this book felt like sinking into a warm bath. I didn't find it difficult at all, only rich and layered. The character work is excellent, and I found myself caring deeply for Fitz before the first chapter was done, and the writing is beautiful. I'm so excited to continue this trilogy and The Realm of the Elderlings over all.
If you, like me, have been putting this book off for whatever reason I encourage you to bite the bullet.
If you, like me, have been putting this book off for whatever reason I encourage you to bite the bullet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Animal death, Child abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pregnancy, Bullying, War, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Blood
Minor: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Ableism, Drug use, and Infidelity