Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

28 reviews

poison_frogs's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.5


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laraveliants's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative relaxing sad 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

“So, was there anything to me, other than being a spy or assassin?”

The one thing I regret about reading Assassin’s Apprentice is that I didn’t start it earlier!!!! This book is slow paced, but Robin Hobb writes so well that I didn’t mind it. This book gives off an autobiographical feel and it’s more character-driven than plot-driven.

Speaking of characters, there were a lot that I liked. Even though everything is told from Fitz’s POV, the other characters still managed to stand out. Apart from Fitz, my favorite character is The Fool. I don’t know, I just feel like I want to be friends with him.

It was interesting to see Fitz’s character developing from when he was six until his mid(?) teens. But it’s crazy to think that everything that happened in this book was before Fitz became an adult. FitzChivalry Farseer you poor traumatized child.

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dianacally's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0


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maregred's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0


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talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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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erebus53's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.25

I'm pleased that this was only the first book in a lengthy series. Being high fantasy it had a familiar format that made it an easy read, despite the story unfolding slowly. Conflicts of interest and clear training montages weren't actually boring! It was amusing to see the story of a child who comes from nothing and the internal logic of the court machinations he was subjected to.

Not everything was a problem to be resolved in this story, which leaves a lot of scope for the future. Clearly, some things are left as origin story and will be threads that can be woven into upcoming chapters. I think the only thing that could seriously turn someone off a story like this is if you hate magic and dogs. I did find it hard to invest energy in the relationships that Fitz has with his dogs, because I could see them being used against me (he reader) to twist some kind of John Wick narrative. I do like that things were internally consistent, and that each character had their own knowledge and motivations.

I LOVE it when I am presented with a simple puzzle, with hints along the way. There are many little revelations that unfold through this story as it is one of espionage, power plays, and secrets.. but also of arcane knowledge, misunderstandings and true affection between people. The relationships carry the story and make it feel less clunky; less a war game and more like a conversation.

I'm looking forward to exploring the world building and the people we meet along the way.

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saintsunshine's review against another edition

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

4.0

I find it difficult to explain what makes Robin Hobb's Assassin Apprentice so good. Compared to the complex and often bloated fantasy stories I've been consuming over the years, Hobb's work is straightforward and leaves much up to the imagination of the reader – which I found refreshing. The narrative is easy to get into and Fitz makes for a relatable protagonist.

I'm not sure yet if I'll be continuing my read as I did struggle a bit with the book. The first person narration and the audiobook performance were obstacles to my enjoyment of the book, which is wholly a personal thing and not on Hobb. Given the nature of Hobb's writing, it was at times difficult to keep track of characters and motivations. I found that characters would reach conclusions that would go unexplained, so this is a book that rewards full attention. I just found that mine wasn't always there. 

The high points of this book, however, were incredibly exciting. While I think I'll take a break before commiting to more of the series, I hope to chase those same highs again.

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mouse_ears's review against another edition

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

3.25


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shaemyn's review against another edition

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

4.0


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eileenp59's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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

3.75


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