A review by iellv
Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.25

what the hell did i get myself into? 4.8 for emotional devastation, but I'm rating this 4.5 because this is titled assassin's apprentice but we didn't get a training montage. i'm half jk; i picked this up FOR the emotional suffering, but i would have liked to see specifically how fitz's training went and a bit more of him and the fool--though i suppose we have a whole trilogy of just the two of them? there was a lot of time spent on the Other training montage that i feel definitely took away a crucial part of life in buckkeep, but I can appreciate that that was kind of the point. anyway this book drove me insane and i'm glad i took my time with it. because what do you mean it's going to keep getting worse? god say it isn't so! the character work on this was so brilliant that every little unfortunate thing that happens in this gd book feels three times more devastating than they would have any right to be if someone less capable wrote this book. im prescribing cbt and shock therapy to burrich btw. fitz needs help too but burrich can get it first.

this is far from the most coherent review. i have much more to say, but all in all this was a very solid beginning and i have developed a very deep admiration for robin hobb's character writing. i'm still waiting patiently for more interesting and compelling worldbuilding and political intrigue. the political intrigue is fine, but nowhere near as exciting as others i've already encountered, but that might change as fitz grows older? i'm not too optimistic

considering the type of person regal is, and how dull buckkeep is compared to jhaampe.