A review by brennanaphone
Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb

adventurous emotional 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

Really glad I read this trilogy through the end, because the final (and longest!) installment is a real banger. I found the first book a little standard and the second one incredibly stressful, but this one really found the sweet spot: adventurous, reflective, mature, and tense. Fitz is finally growing up, and while his frustration with being lashed to the wheel of fate is a sympathetic plight, he's become a lot more aware that the people around him are as complex and devoted and ill-used as he is. Also, after feeling a bit queer-baited with Burrich in the first book (that man loved Chivalry a lot more than Patience, ya feel me?), I was delighted with the Fool's firm rejection of the gender binary.

Just a really great read. The ending felt a little neat, but only in terms of plot. In terms of character it was as bittersweet and complex as Frodo's return to the Shire in LoTR.