The Farseer Trilogy

Reread 
How could I give this book 3 stars before?!!
....
It was my first time reading this type if books where we followed the protagonist from when he was young. The slow-paced story, formal writing style, I'd have to say i struggled i bit throughout the book. But as the story goes I've come to like Fitz, the bastard, our protagonist training to become a royal assassin. I was under different impression of the type of assassin he was training to be and expected a bit of action here and there. Nevertheless, i quite enjoy the book.

Rating: 6.8/10

I started out enjoying it but the plot didn't really go anywhere. It's almost as if the author couldn't decide between Galen or Regal being the primary antagonist. After almost half the book revolving around Galen's harsh training methods and his cruel interactions with Fitz, Galen was killed off almost instantly as the book approached its climax. Additionally, Regal just received a slap on the wrist for plotting to kill and overthrow his brother. Just seemed unrealistic to me and the final sequence did nothing for me. Also, nothing happened with Fitz possessing the Wit. This was emphasized so much, especially in Fitz's tumultuous relationship with Burrich but nothing ever came of it besides him bonding with a couple puppies. I had heard such good things about this series that my experience left me a bit disappointed. I might read the next books in the series if I have time but right now, Mistborn is appealing to me much more.

Ugh, this book just... punched me in the feels so hard. I'll try to ignore my sore and bleeding heart to give some objective comments first before I give way to my spoilery rants. Overall, this book was amazing. It had a tight plot with lots of twists and turns, distinct and solid characters that have you rooting for them or hating them and wishing their downfall, sets up a lot of questions to be answered in the rest of the series while still remaining a fairly satisfying standalone, and at last a main character in a fantasy series that isn't annoying without being a Gary-Stu either. This was a 4.5 star read for me.

Trigger warning: Pet and animal deaths. This aspect of the book was the hardest for me to read and the reason for my bleeding heart, but at the same time I have to acknowledge that Hobb writes them compellingly and not gratuitously or lightly, so you know that they aren't there for random shock factors. It still hurts very much though, and I'm still a tiny bit mad at Hobb for making me sit through that and not even be able to just DNF the series, because she also writes animals so beautifully and endearingly, it's clear that she also loves animals and dogs especially very much, but then she takes that knowledge and really wrenches our hearts with it, UGH WHY!!!! I absolutely cried when I got to the part where we see Nosy again, and found out that he lived a long and happy life with an affectionate master.

I've been reading so many great high fantasy series lately and this definitely counts as one of them. I love the world already, it's so different from all the others I've been reading with such a fun magic system that's engagingly written and explored. Unlike most “apprentice” books where I feel like we barely spend much time actually feeling like the main character is apprenticing because they spend more time doing other plot things than learning whatever skill or craft they're meant to do, this one hit a great balance in giving us that “apprentice” journey while also not boring us with the monotony of lessons because something new happens chapter.

Fitz is also a sympathetic and relatable main character. He's not perfect, he goes through a lot, and he deals with them in a way that isn't obnoxiously annoying and realistic for his age at the time. He sulks like a teenager, he's susceptible to flattery and trickery sometimes, he gets buoyed up by pride, but also can fall into the doldrums of low self-esteem. You just want to root for him and protect him from the politicking of the court. You eye other characters askance because you can't trust them to do right by Fitz. The fact that the book is written from a first-person perspective of an older Fitz looking back on his life also allows some narrative tension. I love the epigraphs before each chapter, which served the dual purpose of introducing some foreshadowing by hinting at events to come but also helps to set up and explain the backstory of just that segment of the world we're about to see in the upcoming chapter, without coming across as too info-dumpy.

This book isn't grimdark, but I feel like it kinda flirts at the edge of one sometimes. There are some good-hearted characters in here that you can trust, but there are a lot who aren't as trustworthy, and Hobb has shown that she isn't afraid to kill off characters, even just as you think they're being set up to be a mainstay in the whole trilogy.

In summary, a definite blanket recommendation for any and all fantasy fans, although I'd also recommend seriously checking out the trigger warning above cos that shit took a toll on me.

The main problem I found with Assassin's Apprentice was the pace. The first part took me about a week to get through (I remind you this book is 435 pages long!). The only reason why I was picking it back up was to get to the point where I could understand people's praises about this book. Needless to say, this novel is highly regarded by readers, but I was, at first, not impressed with it. There was just a bunch of not much happening, and the plot had yet to be established - one of the reasons why I didn't feel compelled to continue reading. I also want to add: for a book with “assassin” in the title, there's not a lot of assassination going on, or even deaths. If you pick up the book expecting and wanting this, know you will be disappointed. The same can be said about magic, there's just not much of it. Regardless, I managed to pull through, and as I said previously, this book started to get my attention in the second half. Not only was the plot finally moving forward, but you got to know the characters better, as well as feel for them. I especially loved the last third, which was filled with political intrigue. We were introduced - without spoiling too much - to a new land and a new set of characters. I immediately liked them and was looking forward to seeing more of them and pondered on the impact they would have on the ending. It did not disappoint. I cannot explain how good of an ending it was. It completely made reading the book worthwhile. I've also heard people say the second book is better so I definitely plan on reading it!

By the time I finished this book, I loved it... but by around page 300 I was starting to think this was just not my jam. I very nearly just switched gears and put this back on the shelf for another ten years. If you like me are struggling through the first two thirds of this, there is still hope that you too can get some joy out of this much beloved series! Hoping that book 2 gets rolling a bit quicker though haha.

This is the first book I read as part of the Sword and Laser book club.I had never heard of [a:Robin Hobb 25307 Robin Hobb http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1205023525p2/25307.jpg] before. I'm very glad I have now.I really enjoyed this book a lot. It's a very different feel than most of the fantasy books I've read.There isn't really a clear path for the protagonist until halfway through the book. Some might find that off-putting, but I found it refreshing.Just learning about the character and the world as he grows up is more than sufficient to keep the story moving along in my opinion without some large and looming evil for him to confront.Eventually you see where the character might fit in and play an important role in world events, but Hobb doesn't feel the need to set that up in the first 50 pages like most fantasy novels I've read seem to do.I have already started [b:Royal Assassin 68487 Royal Assassin (Farseer Trilogy, #2) Robin Hobb http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1323721053s/68487.jpg 4668002] which is the second book in this trilogy and have [b:Assassin's Quest 45112 Assassin's Quest (Farseer Trilogy, #3) Robin Hobb http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328153405s/45112.jpg 503752] ready to go when that's done to finish the first trilogy.I plan to tackle the other 2 trilogies in this world when I have more time/read some other books.

I've been meaning to start reading Robin Hobb's books for some time now. I always see people talking about how incredible her books are, but I've always found them daunting. There's so many and most of them are very long. However, I shouldn't have waited this long. This book was a true delight!

This book follow Fitz, the bastard son of the King-in-waiting. When his maternal grandfather drops him off at the palace, saying he wants nothing to do with him, the stable master, Burrich, is placed in charge of the boys care. We follow Fitz as he grows up, always an outcast, but always willing to work. You see him train in fighting, managing the stables, using his powers, and learning how to be an assassin for the King.

This book, being the first book in the series, really sets the reader up for understanding this world and understanding the characters. The development of all of the characters is so expertly done. There is so much nuance to all of the characters, big and small. Since this book covers many years, you really get to grow up with these characters. The plot was a little slower until the back end of the book, but that is to be expected a lot of times with the first book in a series. However, I was never bored because of how much character work Hobb puts into the story.

I'm so excited to continue this series. I've heard the next book is even better than the first. Waiting for my library copy to come in!

TW: animal cruelty, animal death, child abandonment, parental abuse, poisoning, suicide (attempted/assisted)

If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would.

Listening to other people review this book, I had been left worried that it would be a slow, tedious experience, spiced with loads of sad events. But though their reviews were not untrue, they were not correct either.
The book is masterfully written, where every sentence is a piece of art, without being too flowery. The pacing could be considered slow, but I never wanted it to be any faster - I was enjoying every moment.
The characters are vivid and easy to follow. The story is intricate and well woven (reminded me of A Song of Ice and Fire). The emotions that it evoked weren't unpleasant or dreadful. Every time I'd put the book down, I'd be looking forward to picking it up again.
Reading it was like coming home - both happy and melancholic.

Robin Hobb is now a favourite author and I can't wait to continue with the rest of her books.

Turns out that I had read this book a few years ago on vacation, but I recall very little of it. This time I enjoyed it much more. It's not perfect, a lot of “telling” when I prefer “showing”. But knowing that this is the beginning of a large 16 book epic helps put it in perspective for me. This is more of a prologue of what is to come, an introduction to a character that I understand comes and goes throughout the entire series. One of the problems I have with it is that this is supposed to be a book about the origins and training of the main character, but the actual training part of the book was really skimmed over. Especially his combat training which was barely mentioned, but his training as both an assassin and a wizard were focused more on his relationships with his mentors than the actual details of what he is taught. To me, this has the effect that I know only vaguely of the main character's skills, but I actually have a lot more detailed knowledge of his motivations, which is not was I was expecting from the novel, but may be more beneficial to the series as a whole.

[b:Assassin's Apprentice 45107 Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy, #1) Robin Hobb http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320339497s/45107.jpg 171715] is definitely one of the best books I read this year. The narrative does not depend on any commercial appeal such as several known titles... Finally, [a:Robin Hobb 25307 Robin Hobb http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1205023525p2/25307.jpg] knows how to lead the story of a very elegant way. Despite being written in a slow pace, [b:Assassin's Apprentice 45107 Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy, #1) Robin Hobb http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320339497s/45107.jpg 171715] has richly drawn characters in a captivating storyline. Awesome, definitely one of my favorites.

a bit slow at times, and written in a way that can be hard to connect with, but i still found myself getting attached to fitz and the world. i didn't really understand fitz's negative feelings towards Burrich as it seemed like Burrich was more of a father figure than Chade.

the galen days were pretty awful and i didn't understand how fitz could've just kept going lol, but i guess that was the point (galen was manipulating fitz without him realizing).

enjoyed it enough to actually immediately purchase 2 out of 3 of the collector's illustrated editions :)

nosy ❤️

can't wait to see where things go!

It took me a long while to pick up one of Robin's books, but it was so worthy. She's a brilliant author and a master storyteller, and I only wish I have learned of her earlier in my life.

The writing is stunning, the world building is very interesting, but the best part is the character development. Robin's writing really shines in this!

Assassin's apprentice is a great beginning to the series. It's the coming of age story of Fitz, which reminded me a lot of Kvothe but better. Now I can add 15 more books to my TBR list... and the best news is that it is finished!