Royal Assassin

HOLY. SHIT.

You know how the middle book of a trilogy is mostly just set-up for the third one, so they save the best for last? That may very well be, but goddamn, if this didn't already feel super intense, I can't even dare to imagine what else is in store.

There was a certain point at which this book just refused to let me go. I did the “One more chapter” thing a little too often every evening and decided I didn't need that much sleep after all. Hell was about to break loose every new chapter and I just couldn't wait to find out. And then it did.

These books do something to me. They make me smile, they make me cry. And to be perfectly honest, not a lot of books (or at least of the ones I've read) have been able to do that to me. This series did it almost from the very beginning, so wow.

Aside from story and the characters I already loved, it also made me see some of the existing characters in a new light. Just one sentence about them, and suddenly, I understand them and fall in love with them and just want the best for them. Which is exactly why I usually prefer series to standalone novels, not everyone gets their chance to shine at first.

Robin Hobb has officially got me, and as much as I want to devour everything in the Realms of the Elderlings series right away, I also never want it to end and want to savour them as much as possible. Which is perhaps the most clear sign that I've fallen in love with this world and its characters.