Royal Assassin

"Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb 1/5 ⭐ I've DNF'd this at 30%. Unfortunately I just don't think Robin Hobb is for me. I love her descriptive writing and I don't even mind the slow pace all the time. My biggest qualm is her main character work. I find them maddening, they are like vanilla ice cream with no ability to learn from mistakes. They don't grow very much as characters, and they let others choose how they live... I just can't. "

"A massive improvement on the first oh my GOD this is gonna be amazing. This world is so complex and different than any other fantasy I’ve read"

"580 pages "

"The magic system in this series has been simple and elegant. I think this gives the author the room to develop the inter and intrapersonal relationships to a depth that would otherwise be lost in understanding a more complex system. These characters are of such a class that they are in what seems like constant strife. The author does a great job giving the reader just enough joy and peace in their lives to still have hope them. "

"3.5/5 ⭐️ <br/><br/>The first 75% of this book had me sleeping but the ending saved it"

"Great books and well written. My only issue so far is they tend to be slow in the middle with the plot mostly moving forward at the end of book 1 and 2. Still excited to read book 3."

"I cant even imagine where this will go from here, but what a ride so far."

"Anytime I can completely envision a story playing out in my head, I can’t help but give it 5 stars. So far this trilogy has been slower paced than what I usually go for, but here it only adds to the evolving characterization and grander plot. Plus, the last 100 or so pages were intricately and insanely done. Hats off to Robin Hobb."

"Oh boy. What do I say? Great sequel to one of my favourite books. I really enjoyed it and it has incredible plot progression. I'm constantly in awe of Hobb's writing. However, the reason I can't give this a 5 ⭐ is because it's so slow in the middle. Hobb follows in the footsteps of her previous success, and crafts a stellar story that just takes so long to prove itself. If I gave it a long enough respite I might never have picked it up again, for I might have forgotten what I loved so much about it. But nevermind that. What did I love so much about it?<br/><br/>Again, we're reintroduced to a FitzChivalry who's wrestling with his identity and place in the world. He's afforded the title bastard but his farseer blood still owns him. He's not quite his own person, and cannot promise himself to a purpose other than his king; a king whose mind is deteriorating every day and becoming a shell of his former self. He becomes resentful towards himself, his king, and the barriers in his life he cannot overcome. With his king all but defeated by the ailments that mysteriously plague him, he pledges himself instead to his prince Verity and devotes himself entirely to his bidding. Verify, however, seeking the well-being of his subjects before his own, ventures out to seek the Elderlings, ancient all-powerful beings that could help them in their struggle against the persistent OutIslander raiders. He leaves his Queen in Waiting Kettricken, his ailing King father, and his kingdom at the mercy of his villain brother prince Regal.<br/><br/>Regal is still desperate for the throne. It's a little insane to me how the conflict is the exact same as the last book. Fitz is fighting his demons trying to convince Chade, Verity, Burich, the King, literally everyone, that Regal is a treacherous snake. But not one person takes him seriously, and he ends up paying the price. It's not a small price either. Homeboy literally dies and is resurrected only to be invited back to a world where everything went wrong and he cannot return to the way things were, because everyone knows you have the Wit, the loathsome Beast magic. Like, how do you even continue like that? What a cruel sentencing and my guy was just trying to do right by his king.<br/><br/>I'm telling you, when this book picks up, it picks UP. Like the highs are amazing and the lows are painfully boring. He literally goes into a battle frenzy and slits a girl's throat before chasing a boy through the entire castle like a predator until reaching the main hall where he leaps onto his prey and stabs him like 12 times. Then he jumps onto a table and declares that the king is slain and he takes revenge using the king's own blade. That's actually insane.<br/><br/>But suffering through so much to get to the last 100 pages, at which point the book becomes impossible to put down, is a task. I enjoyed the book truly, but it's a hard one to recommend or to consider rereading. Which is why, despite loving the characters, plot, and writing, I'll have to give it a 3 ⭐<br/><br/>Yet even now, when the pain presses most heavily and none of the herbs can turn its deep ache, when I consider the body that entraps my spirit, I recall my days as a Wolf, and know them not as a few but as a season of living. There is a comfort in their recalling, as well as a temptation. Come, hunt with me, the invitation whispers in my heart. Leave the pain behind and let your life be your own again. There is a place where all time is now, and the choices are simple and always your own.<br/> Wolves have no Kings."

"3.5 stars"