Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb
Feb. 17th, 2025 03:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
m_oonmoonThis is my second Hobb and if I had to compare, I think I might like this better than Ship of Magic. Unlike Ship of Magic where there are a lot of characters to keep track, Assassin's Apprentice is mostly confined to Fitz, a royal bastard. Fitz' position is a precarious one as he has to prove himself useful to the king while being despised by those who are vying for the throne.
I am surprised at how the book ended. I thought there would be a more long-haul plot seeing as this is a trilogy but it seemed to tie up its strings by the end of the novel. There were some things that were vague (perhaps purposefully, since it will play a bigger role in the succeeding books?) but overall, if I didn't know beforehand that this was a trilogy, I would never have expected it to have a continuation.
This makes me even more intrigued to read the second book. Are we focusing on Fitz again? Is there another angle to the royal intrigue? I think I would enjoy it if we were to get Fitz as the protagonist again. I liked following along in his journey and seeing how he interacts with his guardians and mentors.
I find it difficult to pinpoint exactly what I liked about this. I think there is something about the way Hobb writes that flows really well. There is a focus on the humanity of the characters rather than the specifics of the magic system. I think I avoided fantasy novels for so long because I thought the characters fall second to the world-building. Hobb manages to avoid this - her characters are crafted well without letting the story fall to the wayside.
I am surprised at how the book ended. I thought there would be a more long-haul plot seeing as this is a trilogy but it seemed to tie up its strings by the end of the novel. There were some things that were vague (perhaps purposefully, since it will play a bigger role in the succeeding books?) but overall, if I didn't know beforehand that this was a trilogy, I would never have expected it to have a continuation.
This makes me even more intrigued to read the second book. Are we focusing on Fitz again? Is there another angle to the royal intrigue? I think I would enjoy it if we were to get Fitz as the protagonist again. I liked following along in his journey and seeing how he interacts with his guardians and mentors.
I find it difficult to pinpoint exactly what I liked about this. I think there is something about the way Hobb writes that flows really well. There is a focus on the humanity of the characters rather than the specifics of the magic system. I think I avoided fantasy novels for so long because I thought the characters fall second to the world-building. Hobb manages to avoid this - her characters are crafted well without letting the story fall to the wayside.