Reviews

The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince by Robin Hobb

mishon's review

sad fast-paced

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

3.75

cmarley's review

4.0

I thought this was a lovely addition to the history of The Six Duchies!

It was actually a lot more tragic than i thought it was going to be....It is sad that from what we have heard in the Farseer trilogy the Piebald Prince is still remembered with malice. It makes you think if this has happened in our actual history at some point..

I love that it also gives more context as to how life is in the Six Duchies in the main series, and why the Witted are still hated and feared.

telakyn's review

dark sad slow-paced

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

5.0

kendylldrilling's review against another edition

fast-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

4.0

roctothorpe's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-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

3.5

This was short but very compelling and beautifully written, so basically par for the course with Robin Hobb. The prose has a fairytale-like rhythm, but the actual story that is told is quite dark. This novella is broken into two parts and it really fleshes out the backstory of how the Wit was introduced into the Farseer line and why Witted folk are treated with such prejudice. There is a broader message of how superstition and fearmongering propaganda get passed down through generations and become accepted as fact, which is as applicable as ever in our present day world. This is the mildest of spoilers but the way the second story is framed as a

scroll that is hidden in the Buckkeep library made it feel like I was reading this through the eyes of a young Fitz that had stumbled upon a secret piece of Farseer history, which I deeply enjoyed

. I read this after Fool's Errand, which I think was a good point in the series to slot this in. While it can technically be read at any point (even before the Farseer trilogy), it would be best enjoyed by someone who was already familiar with Fitz's world.

"Every coward may know one moment of courage." 💔

sailor_marmar's review against another edition

adventurous reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

grv_rvt's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

beaundarrows's review

4.0

Such a nice little taster to get me thinking about the Six Duchies again, to prepare myself for next April.

I really need to go back and read "The Tawny Man" trilogy again. I've read "The Assassin" trilogy about 4 times, and "The Liveship Traders" trilogy maybe 3 times, but I only read "The Tawny Man" once and it was a while ago, and I've forgotten a lot of it.

Anyway, there were parts in "The Willful Princess" that I really didn't feel at all sorry for Caution. But the heart wants what the heart wants, so they say. And sometimes I thought Felicity listened to her mother too much. She was obviously just a social climber, with no rungs on her ladder, so she had to use her own daughter to even get close to where she wanted to be. But I suppose life would be pretty difficult when literally the only "skill" you have is to have children and feed another's children.

However, I did feel nothing but sorrow and pity for Prince Charger. He deserved none of what he was put through. Nor did any of the Witted who supported him. Felicity says a few times that originally it was a good thing to have the Wit, that it wasn't a magic that needed to be hidden. However, there must have been a lot of underlying fear and suspicion and even jealousy in those who didn't have the magic for it to suddenly be accepted as a bad thing. If the Wit is a bad thing, so must be any magic, surely?

4.5 out of 5 for this one. I love everything that comes from Robin Hobb's beautiful mind.

evildrspod's review against another edition

4.0

Beautiful and tragic like so many of Robin Hobbs best books.

itsnour's review against another edition

4.0

this is what novellas should be like. heartbreaking and impactful.