Reviews with content warning for Death - Royal Assassin

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Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb

63 reviews

kaylokay_'s review against another edition

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adventurous funny tense slow-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

4.25

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missmilana's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

5/5 stars

I can't express enough how much I love the Royal Assassin. I wish to lecture any and every person who has ever disliked this book and give them a stern word. I mean it when I say that this is the best book I've ever read.

In order to start my incoherant rant, I will distribute my review and my feelings through character analysis.

Chronologically, the name that gets mentioned the most is Molly, of course.

"To me, it was enough that she existed for me to love. I did not even dare to hope she might return that feeling".

Molly, as a character, became much more than the love interest to me. She grew to be somewhat of a motif, and appeared in the plot for anything but her words. In a good way. Molly reprsented the life that Fitz could have lived if he wasn't the bastard / apprentice we know and love him to be. She forced him out of his comfort zone and made him test the limits of those he loved most. All of Fitz's imaginery hopes and dreams has arisen because of Molly and the sheer idea of the future they could have together. Molly is to Fitz what Patience is to Burrich (in the most tragic of ways).

Chade is one of those characters that I can't help but judge, yet I feel sorry for at the same time? He appears a lot in this story, in a different way than the first book. This Chade is a lot more revealing about his plans, mostly because Fitz has grown up. Just like every character in this book, Chade is extremely two sided and my opinion of him can change with every chapter.

Was his life a foreshadowing of what mine was to be?

Generally speaking, I believe that he has Fitz's best interests at heart and I've become more prone to feeling sorry for him more than anything else. It becomes apparent to Fitz as the book progreses that Chade is getting older.

Also, now that Shrewd has died, it makes Chade appear even more ancient than he already is.

Good old Burrich. Even though his character is morally grey, at best, and he always has some questionable motives, Burrich has been nothing short of a father to Fitz. Which is more than Fitz has ever had.

Lady Patience knelt before the Stablemaster.

Shrewd is a crucial character in this series. I think it can be easily misrepresented that Chade or Verity are more important given the few amount of scenes we get with the King however, this is so far from the truth. Shrewd is the beginning and end of Fitz's mission and responcibilites and his word holds all power. The way that Shrewd is withering away through the books progession, and how easily he is being mainpulated, it's written so impressively.

The spirit was still there, battling the body that no longer obeyed him and the pain that was devouring the last years of his life. I swear I saw him, a young man, perhaps a year or so older than myself... This was who he still was, in his soul, this young man, trapped and desperate. He seized on me asking wildly, "Is there a way out?" I felt sinking with his grip.

Having gone through my tabs in order to write this review, I've stumbled across a quote from Fitz very early on in the book ,before the first chapter even, which states "Somehow it was much more bearable to move forward into a life where noone would recall who I had once been". This whole section of the book is completley ironic. Fitz's rebirth at the end of Royal Assassin has meant that he, quite literally, has to move into a new life where nobody he loves (except Chade and Burrich) can recall who he had once been. And spoiler alert... in Assassin's Quest he hates it!

To summarise, every fibre of my being loved this book. For some, I recognise that the slow pace and character driven story can seem monotonous and overdone. For me, picking up the book felt like walking through my front door at home. I immediately felt at peace. I should write Hobb a personal letter of thanks for this gift she has given me. I know that Assassin's Quest won't be the same as this masterpiece but I know that it will be special in it's own way. My final thoughts: fuck you Regal!

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caitibeth's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-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

5.0

Fitz is back in Buckkeep. Despite all that happened in the first book, he and Verity can't move against Regal yet. And the Raiders continue to come. When Verity chooses a radical course to try to save the Six Duchies, Fitz will have a hard road to walk to protect those he cares about.

Another beautifully-written book, rich with detail and poignant despite its unrelenting grimness. Fitz never has an easy time of it, and neither do any of his allies. But Hobb tells the story very well.

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