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britreads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
While I did not enjoy this novel as much as I did the other two in the trilogy, I am still in awe of Hobb's writing and storytelling. I look forward to reading more from this universe.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about Assassin's Quest. I enjoyed the first 15%-20% of the book where Fitz and Burrich are living in the cottage together. I loved how this mirrors the end with Fitz, Nighteyes and Hap the boy living together after the story is over. I also enjoyed the last portion of the novel where Fitz and Co. set off to find Verity beyond the Mountain Kingdom. But the middle portion of the book were difficult to get through. I liked seeing more of the Six Duchies beyond Buck and the Coastal Duchies. And, even though I found most of the journey repetitive, I found the landscape descriptions absolutely stunning and realistic.
In terms of characters, Hobb had a difficult challenge on her hand. Most of the characters we met and grew to love in the first two books are absent here or we see them in quick scenes when Fitz uses the Skill. I wished we had more of Lady Patience. She is my favorite in the series so far and I wanted so much more of her in here. My heart broke for Kettricken and Verity. (Though I will always firmly believe Verity was a terrible husband.) And while Fitz's angst and self-pity was annoying most of the time, I did understand why he held such feelings and why he struggled to release them. I also grew to love both Nighteyes and the Fool here. I always appreciated the Fool, but this was the first time I genuinely enjoyed reading the Fool and Fitz's relationship. And Nighteyes matured immensely and endeared himself to so many people.
There are two new and recurring characters here: Kettle and Starling. I enjoyed Kettle from the time she joined the story. Her backstory was heartbreaking and I was interested in all of the secrets that surrounded her. Starling on the other hand... *sigh* At first, I liked Starling and the friendship she established with Fitz. Not only was she entertaining, but also resourceful. And while her motivation was selfish (not in a bad way), I liked that it was simple compared to everyone else's goals. I wished it stayed there with Starling. But at some point, right around when Fitz makes it to the Mountain Kingdom, things change and I grew to dislike her. Now to be fair, I understand how Starling's backstory and some events in the story influenced her actions, particularly her complicated relationship with Fitz. Truly, I believe Starling is a hard character to write given what happens to her. What softened my dislike of Starling was the realization that everyone in this story is desperate in some way. Starling is desperate for a sense of stability and safety. But I think Fitz's angst and his constant lamenting over Molly was annoying at times and adding Starling into that mix only made things worse for me. By the end, I have no strong feelings about her. Given the in-universe importance of minstrels in this world, I understand why she needed to be part of the story. I just wish some things were different about her...mostly I wish there wasn't this strange romantic subplot between her and Fitz.
Speaking of romance, I don't like ANY of the couples in this series.Molly and Burrich? Absolutely not! Outside of the huge age difference, Burrich was essentially a father figure to Fitz. For Burrich to fall in love with his surrogate son's former lover (who Fitz often saw as his wife) was so weird to me. And Molly's speech was nice, but girl...raise your standards a bit. Burrich was nice and did lie to you or hit you and that's why you love him?? ...Okay. I already said that Verity is a terrible husband and Kettricken deserved so much better. (Actually all of the Farseer men are terrible romantic partners.) I like them separately. But I was not really moved by their love story. Also Verity using Fitz's body to have sex with Kettricken was icky to me. There are some major consent issues at play. The wiki claims that Kettricken knows the paternity of her son Dutiful, but did she know in the moment or does she find out well after the fact? Even if Kettricken knew and understood, Verity didn't give Fitz a clear understanding of what was going to happen so it still feels like a huge violation. And even if Fitz understood, Verity was his King so there is a power imbalance at play. It's not like Fitz had a real ability to say no. I get what Hobb was trying to do with this, but I think some things could have been clarified. With Starling and Fitz...I understand why Starling wants to sleep with Fitz. But again, I'm not really moved by their relationship outside of a friendship. The only (potential) romantic relationship I am invested in is the one between the Fool and Fitz. Their scenes, especially in the quarry, were beautiful. I am eager for their eventual reunion.
I heard the Liveship Traders series is one of Hobb's best series. I am taking a quick break from her work to read other things, but I look forward to reading the next installment in this world soon (possibly in February). And while I struggled to read this final book in the Farseer trilogy, I genuinely loved this series and I want to work my way through all of Hobb's stories. So far, Assassin's Quest is my least favorite book by Hobb and I hope her other stories far exceed my expectations.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about Assassin's Quest. I enjoyed the first 15%-20% of the book where Fitz and Burrich are living in the cottage together.
In terms of characters, Hobb had a difficult challenge on her hand. Most of the characters we met and grew to love in the first two books are absent here or we see them in quick scenes when Fitz uses the Skill. I wished we had more of Lady Patience. She is my favorite in the series so far and I wanted so much more of her in here. My heart broke for Kettricken and Verity. (Though I will always firmly believe Verity was a terrible husband.) And while Fitz's angst and self-pity was annoying most of the time, I did understand why he held such feelings and why he struggled to release them. I also grew to love both Nighteyes and the Fool here. I always appreciated the Fool, but this was the first time I genuinely enjoyed reading the Fool and Fitz's relationship. And Nighteyes matured immensely and endeared himself to so many people.
There are two new and recurring characters here: Kettle and Starling. I enjoyed Kettle from the time she joined the story. Her backstory was heartbreaking and I was interested in all of the secrets that surrounded her. Starling on the other hand... *sigh* At first, I liked Starling and the friendship she established with Fitz. Not only was she entertaining, but also resourceful. And while her motivation was selfish (not in a bad way), I liked that it was simple compared to everyone else's goals. I wished it stayed there with Starling. But at some point, right around when Fitz makes it to the Mountain Kingdom, things change and I grew to dislike her. Now to be fair, I understand how Starling's backstory and some events in the story influenced her actions, particularly her complicated relationship with Fitz. Truly, I believe Starling is a hard character to write given what happens to her. What softened my dislike of Starling was the realization that everyone in this story is desperate in some way. Starling is desperate for a sense of stability and safety. But I think Fitz's angst and his constant lamenting over Molly was annoying at times and adding Starling into that mix only made things worse for me. By the end, I have no strong feelings about her. Given the in-universe importance of minstrels in this world, I understand why she needed to be part of the story. I just wish some things were different about her...mostly I wish there wasn't this strange romantic subplot between her and Fitz.
Speaking of romance, I don't like ANY of the couples in this series.
I heard the Liveship Traders series is one of Hobb's best series. I am taking a quick break from her work to read other things, but I look forward to reading the next installment in this world soon (possibly in February). And while I struggled to read this final book in the Farseer trilogy, I genuinely loved this series and I want to work my way through all of Hobb's stories. So far, Assassin's Quest is my least favorite book by Hobb and I hope her other stories far exceed my expectations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Rape, Torture, and Grief
Minor: Miscarriage
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War, and Classism
Minor: Ableism, Child death, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Vomit, Abortion, and Death of parent
lukegreed's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Rape, Grief, and Gaslighting
beyourbestshelf's review
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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Torture
Minor: Miscarriage, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
angstifies's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
4.5
very slow book, especially at the beginning, but i enjoyed it anyway. Robin Hobb’s characters are so wonderfully written and the dynamics we got to see in this third book were even better crafted than in the previous installments. i absolutely loved the “quest” element that was very dominant in the story, and i found the ending flawless. i will absolutely be reading the other RotE books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Miscarriage, Rape, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction and Pregnancy
atalea's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, and Torture
kaziaroo's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Death, Drug use, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Drug abuse, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, Rape, Transphobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Outing
adeliab'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gore, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Infertility, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
themegaread's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture and Grief
Minor: Child death and Rape
mariebrunelm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
I have loved the conclusion of The Farseer Trilogy from the first time I've read it (even though the ending has always feel rushed), but I'm not the same person I was some ten years ago when I first read it. Still, the book has grown with me, and my understanding and love for it has only deepened. I do think Robin Hobb mainly strings together an account of Fitz's brushes with death, but she does so with heart-wrenching prose and meaningful conversations that ring ever so true.
TW : mention of stillbirth.
TW : mention of stillbirth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail