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A review by enbyglitch
Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb
5.0
Incredible. Hobb's worldbuilding and narrative continue to be excellent, and her characters are among the most human I have ever read. I also can't believe how much of this book George RR Martin took for inspiration when fleshing out the Starks and the North of Westeros, and that I hadn't heard of this before.
Women don't have the best place in Hobb's world, and characters such as Molly and Patience are kept down pretty harshly at times. On the other hand, Kettricken's story elevates this book to new heights for me. She challenges assumptions fiercely and constantly, just by being who she is and refusing to bow to expectations. Entire books have been written about characters like her, and the fact that her story is only in the backdrop here leaves me in awe of Hobb's ability.
I couldn't help but wonder while reading whether this would be the close to the perfect novel if only Fitz and Celerity's genders were swapped. It's a line of thought I'll certainly carry with me into book three.
Once again, I have to mention the biggest flaw in this series: The title and cover art truly beg to be brushed aside as the most generic fantasy, while the quality of content in these books easily rivals ASoIaF and the Kingkiller Chronicle in my opinion.
Women don't have the best place in Hobb's world, and characters such as Molly and Patience are kept down pretty harshly at times. On the other hand, Kettricken's story elevates this book to new heights for me. She challenges assumptions fiercely and constantly, just by being who she is and refusing to bow to expectations. Entire books have been written about characters like her, and the fact that her story is only in the backdrop here leaves me in awe of Hobb's ability.
I couldn't help but wonder while reading whether this would be the close to the perfect novel if only Fitz and Celerity's genders were swapped. It's a line of thought I'll certainly carry with me into book three.
Once again, I have to mention the biggest flaw in this series: The title and cover art truly beg to be brushed aside as the most generic fantasy, while the quality of content in these books easily rivals ASoIaF and the Kingkiller Chronicle in my opinion.