Reviews with content warning for Animal cruelty - Assassin's Apprentice

Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

81 reviews

drlark's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional slow-paced

3.75

Finally giving this series a go, and I'm not sure how to feel other than, I need to know what happens next. If the last book I read was all plot, very little character, this is the exact reverse. Hobb takes her time introducing Fitz, the illegitimate son of the King-in-Waiting, and the characters who surround him as he grows up, trained and used by the king as a spy and assassin.

This is high fantasy in the classic sense -- a huge body of work (16 books!) immersing the reader in a new world with its own magic and history, so the reader has to be ready and patient to let that unfold at a gradual pace. I think Hobb does this quite well. Her writing is beautiful, and her development of the relationships between Fitz, Burrich, the Fool, Lady Patience, Chade, Verity, and others is expert. The relationships are what hooked me into this story because:

Oh my GOODNESS, the cruelty and ugliness of the villains in this book. And moreover, the blindness of the other characters to just how evil these people are, and the inability/unwillingness to stop them in their cruelty and ugliness -- it was upsetting, to say the least. Personally, I prefer villains with a bit more nuance. Villains who think they're doing the right thing. I prefer a kinder world. Of course bad things happen, and there's conflict, but... a little more kindness, please. And enough with the animal cruelty, ffs.

Content Warnings

brynalexa's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Adorable and cruel magic system. Heart wrenching.

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zombie_loves_books's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I finally started reading this series with a group and what a great start to a series! I ate this book up. The beginning was a little slow but necessary. I loved learning about the world through the eyes and growth of a child. It made finding out about the culture and ways of the world feel natural and not forced. Once I got to the last quarter I couldn't not put it down. There where moments where I couldn't breath it was a such roller-coaster.

Sorry to the group but I can't wait to start the next book.

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