Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb

74 reviews

scramuel058's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Xenophobia and War

Minor: Miscarriage and Pregnancy

laios's review

dark emotional sad tense 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, and War

Moderate: Death

Minor: Sexual content and Pregnancy

timlucier's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

Wow, I was craving Court Intrigue and a classic fantasy, and boy did I get what I asked for.
On the heels of the Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin brought me deeper into FitzChivalry's world and I was really hooked.
I found myself really hoping for a nice tidy bow wrapping things up happily at the end... but it appears this is not that kind of book.  The intrigue and the situations just keep getting worse and worse - and at times felt closer to the disparing situations in Game of Thrones than to the lighter fantasy I thought I would be getting.  But through it all, I was rooting for the characters and loving the writing.  Definitely enjoying this series and looking forward to the next.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture

inkysplodge's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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? No

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal death, Death, Blood, Murder, and Pregnancy

wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Cried at the end...  Will be continuing the series.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

loriley's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Terminal illness, Torture, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, and Pregnancy

Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, and Sexual assault

ethan_g_r's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture

mirandaleighhhh's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

I have so many swirling thoughts about this book, I'll need to return to this review later. 4.5 stars might not be enough, this might be a 5 star read... Every moment Hobb spends building these characters and this story, brick by brick, is worth it. You can sink into the story and grasp each character's thought process, even if you wish they weren't doing what they are doing. Hobb is a fantastic writer and I cannot wait to see where all the seeds she has constantly sown will grow and lead to. And the magic system is fascinating and constantly taking unexpected turns.

I am GUTTED for Fitz. Absolutely gutted. Pain pain pain pain pain! Constantly. Except for the brief weeks of love and joy he experienced.

It's enjoyable to read about a male main character written by a woman. The relationships and love stories play out in a much more relatable and layered fashion than many like this I have read by a male author.

Regal makes me FURIOUS. I am a bit surprised that so far, Regal seems to be a straight-up evil character. There is not much room to consider him to be morally grey like some of the other unsavory characters.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, and War

searchandrescueteam's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

The second of a trilogy is always a treat: you’ve read the first and want more, and you know if you like this one, there’s at least one more!
Now the central character is an adult - and the complexities of his relationships are ever more tangled.  
The matter of loyalty and allegiance at odds with other strongly held values is a recurrent theme here - and, as in life, unresolvable without compromise.
The twists and turns of the plot were enough to keep me reading to the last page … and wanting more!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Torture, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Sometimes a distressing read, if the reader feels empathy for the central character. Worth it - to see our daily complexities in a different way.

karlin0336's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

5.0

It's books like this that make me question whether any of the books I've rated five stars in the past really were five star books.
 This was an emotional rollercoaster, to say the very least.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Gore, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Drug use, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, and Pregnancy