Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb

17 reviews

thoseoldcrows23's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

5.0

This series has quickly become an all-time favorite for me. More than anything I love Hobb’s character work. Both our main character Fitz and the cast of side characters hold a special place in my heart, and I find myself feeling genuine emotion for them (fear when they're in danger, heartbreak when bad things happen, joy when they're successful). The thing that holds this back from being a full five stars is that it’s a little long, and occasionally some of the romantic side plot elements felt tedious. I don't dislike the romance, but they spend much of the book going over and over the same conversation, and it gets quite redundant after a while. Still, to say I felt anything other than love for this book would be a lie, and I am both excited and nervous to read book three as I'm sure it will absolutely break me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Slavery

elskabee's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, and Blood

Moderate: Confinement, Torture, Violence, Dementia, Cannibalism, and Classism

Minor: Miscarriage and Sexual content

the worst of the book is the scene containing child death and cannibalism in which

Fitz comes upon a child being attacked by Forged Ones. He attempts to rescue her but she dies and it is clear that they were trying to eat her while she was still alive.

The scene is not extremely detailed, but it is said plainly what had happened and is referred to in passing a few times later on in the book.

angstifies's review

adventurous challenging sad 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? Yes

4.75

reading this book feels like reading a really messed up diary written by my poor boy Fitz who’s slowly realizing how shitty everyone actually treats him and he should, in fact, stop being so nice and helpful all the time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Blood, Vomit, Pregnancy, and War

emsavors's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Cannibalism, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and War

mariebrunelm's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

"Here we are, and here is always the place we must start from."
Each time I read this book, and it's been 4 or 5 times, I wonder why I make myself go through all that pain again. Robin Hobb isn't gentle with her characters. She pushes them to their limits, and then beyond, while keeping a firm grip on her story. But she's also a master storyteller, and a queen of character writing. I go back to her books because there are no others I can immerse myself as much into. I know Fitz, and I know the Fool, by some deeper knowledge than just words. I live for the conversations they have in this particular volume. Yes, there's one the characters I hate the most in all literature, but there's also fabulous friendships between people of all genders. It's a truth universally acknowledged that found family is my favourite trope, and I have an inkling that I first experienced its thrill with this series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, and Blood

ailsaod's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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? Yes

4.0

 Not gonna lie this book was a chore to read. I really enjoyed 'Assassin's apprentice' and was so hyped to read this book I pinched it from my dad and then quickly discovered why he had stalled halfway through. This book can be divided into three main segments: 1. sexy times and forbidden love, 2. political maneuvering and Regal being infuriating and 3. horrible atrocities committed by the Forged ones/the Outislanders. None of which I enjoyed.

The sex scenes were numerous and while vague managed to tell you way too much! I really did not want to know about Fitz's sex life and the pressures put on his relationship with Molly just made me wish they weren't together.

The sections covering the struggle for power in Buckkeep were very frustrating to read - why put yourself through this when you could just watch people being awful on the news?! I spent most of the book wishing I could smack Regal (and I very much enjoyed the scene where Verity slaps him)!

There are also a number of battle scenes, most of which are fine to an extent but there was one in particular that was extremely unpleasant and put me off my food for the better part of a day (content warnings for gore, cannibalism and child death). Just thinking about it now, over a month later I feel queasy.

There were however some good things about this book: the prologue had me weeping in a way I don't find disagreeable and the ending section was very tense. These parts and the characters of the Fool, Kettricken and Verity made reading this book bearable, though they sadly didn't take up a large enough portion to make the experience enjoyable! I don't think I'll be looking to read book 3 for some time, though it certainly isn't on my no read list.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gore, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Death and Terminal illness

Minor: Drug use, Misogyny, and Torture

emmeline's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, and Blood

Moderate: Miscarriage, Terminal illness, and Excrement