Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

39 reviews

mcosmic's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Animal death, Gaslighting, Violence, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

britreads's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

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

5.0

I was nervous to read this. I heard that this is a slow read and many people prefer Hobb's other series. But I had so much fun reading this and I want to finish the whole series. (I predict the other two books will be 5-star reads for me.)

What I admire most about this book is Hobb's ability to trust readers and let them make their own conclusions, even though we're in Fitz's perspective. the entire time. There are several times where the solution to a mystery is revealed and it's not treated as a major revelation in the narrative, but it is still satisfactory. I also found her writing to be extremely detailed and rich. It felt like an immersive read. And this world felt fully fleshed out and lived in.

I really connected with a lot of characters in here. Not just FitzChivalry, but also Burrich, Patience, Verity and to a lesser extent Chade. The evolution of Fitz and Burrich's relationship is one of the best in the book with Fitz and Verity's relationship running a close second for me. 

I was also impressed with how progressive this story felt despite being published in the mid-90s. There are a lot of well-rounded female characters in here. This world is inspired by medieval Europe, yet there is no reliance on extreme misogyny or sexism. In fact, in this world, men and women have equal rights to rule. It's a small detail that I really appreciated, especially when compared to other fantasy novels/series written around the same time. 

This is a slow-paced novel. We start off with Fitz when he is a young boy, around five or six years old. The story ends when he's roughly 18. I liked the slow pace as we had a chance to track Fitz's successes and failures, particularly when he begins to learn the Skill. And Fitz grows a lot during this novel. By the end, he is much more aware of his position as a King's man and the dangers that comes with the title. I appreciated this thoughtful approach to Fitz's tale. There are some action scenes, but the story is mostly focused on the emotional and mental impacts that stick with this young person.

This is my favorite read of the year and I really hope the rest of the series lives up to the expectation that this novel created. And I can't wait to dig into the other novels in this world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Death, and Animal death

Minor: Animal cruelty

jo_lzr's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

I really liked the prose of the book. I sympathized a lot with Fitz. There is, also, a strong focus on Fitz's mental health. Even though descriptions were a bit exhaustive at times, Robin Hobb's talent in story crafting made up for it.

Spoiler

I think that the fog that Galen put in the mind of Fitz so that he would forget about his ability to Skill, which caused him to hate himself so much that he wanted to commit suicide is an interesting metaphor for real life. I don't know if that was something the author did on purpose, but it is interesting to think that in real life the perspective of oneself can become fogged through abuse and gaslighting.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

dianacally's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Abandonment, and Animal death

Minor: Death of parent

jg93's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Animal death, Violence, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, and Death

maregred's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Classism, Blood, and Animal death

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Grief, Sexism, and Domestic abuse

mariediane016's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Moderate: Violence and Abandonment

Minor: War, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, and Murder

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Emotional abuse, Death, and Animal death

Moderate: Abandonment, War, Gaslighting, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Animal cruelty, Classism, Ableism, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Medical content

Minor: Miscarriage, Suicide, Infertility, Sexism, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Alcoholism, and Infidelity

Corporal punishment/whipping. Poisoning and aftermath. Near drowning.

erebus53's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Infidelity and Pregnancy

Minor: Vomit, War, Animal cruelty, and Excrement

zone_a3's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Classism, Gaslighting, Murder, Abandonment, Animal death, and Emotional abuse