Royal Assassin

Royal Assassin was a strong sequel to Assassins Apprentice. I felt way more connected to Fitz and the stakes felt higher throughout the book. His character has really grown through the first two books and I love how that growth is communicated through his changing relationships with the other characters. From when Burrich returns to Buckkeep until the king-in-waiting ceremony is some of the most exhilarating reading I’ve done. The conclusion didn’t quite live up to the buildup, but it left me wondering where the story goes from here and more excited than ever to find out what Fitz does next.

Long winded.  One character kept hanging out with evil character that killed her brother.  Evil character keeps doing evil things and no one does anything about it.

Tried a second time to no avail.  Tired of Molly.  Tired of no assassin stuff happening.  Tired of the moaning and self centered thoughts of Fitz.  I'll just have to accept unlike most ppl this series is just not for me.  It lacks logic in how people act. And sadly I bought the whole series that now need to find a new home sigh.    

nighteyes ????????????????  

i was always fond of kettricken and verity and burrich but this book made me even more so. it???s so lovely to read a slow paced book (and it really is quite slow) that still feels so intentional. as the story expands and i grow more familiar with it, it feels like a warm (painful) blanket 

Comparando com o primeiro livro eu daria a esse livro uma nota mais baixa. O livro é melhor que o primeiro na verdade, mas o primeiro tem um ar de novidade e excitação que este segundo não tem.

Enquanto o Assassin's Apprentice conta sobre um menino na primeira infância e adolescência, focando bastante na solidão, Royal Assassin conta o final da adolescência de Fitz e começo da vida adulta.
Jovem adulto que tem muitos amigos e está sempre rodeado por pessoas, chegando até compartilhar intimidade com outros, ainda assim ele se sente solitário. Isto ressoou bastante comigo, porque vivi essa experiência de se sentir assim.

O livro tem uma interpretação do Dilema do Porco-espinho muito parecido com Evangelion nesse sentido. Se aproximar das pessoas machuca elas e você mesmo e se afastar caímos na solidão. Achei as representações desse sentimento em Fitz muito dignas e compreensíveis e é muito bem expresso até na relação dele com a Skill. Que Verity fala pra ele que ele coloca uma guarda tão alta contra as pessoas ao redor dele que ele cria uma barreira contra a Skill. Mais a frente no livro Chade ainda confirma dizendo que ele nunca vai confiar em ninguém nem entender o quanto as pessoas se importam com ele.

Esse é o ponto alto de um livro bem tranquilo de ler, devagar no seu ritmo. As implicações políticas e as consequências desse livro são bem maiores que no título anterior o que me dá um senso de urgência em ler o próximo título. Apesar de não gostar tanto disso me sinto a vontade ainda em recomendar a trilogia até agora.

Minha maior implicações com o livro é a relação de Fitz com Molly. Apesar de fazer parte e ela ser o grande alvo do dilema do Porco-espinho citado, os diálogos entre os dois são bastante repetitivos.Quanto a Regal eu escrevi que no primeiro livro achei ele bem raso como personagem. Nesse livro isso não muda, apesar dos esquemas e intrigas dele serem mais complexas e misteriosas que no primeiro título. O destaque positivo vai pra Lady Patience igual no primeiro livro, junto com Burrich. Os dois cresceram muito como personagem e fiquei bem feliz. A rainha e o Fool não ficam pra trás.

Hobb's writing is definitely a slow burn. I got stuck near the middle, not sure if the story was progressing onwards or just stagnating, everything felt like a side quest. I put it down for a few days before picking it back up and plowing through the 'training arc'/setup sections.

Given this early floundering, I thought I wouldn't be rating the book higher than three stars, but the second half more than made up for it. I rarely read more than an hour of a book at a time, but this gripped me completely. The ending was unexpected and sort of beautiful in a way.

Though I never liked him much, I was devestated that Shrewd died after such a long suffering. I really thought he'd shake his tormentors and make a comeback. It was a great piece of writing to have Shrewd apologise for what he has made of Fitz. I am not a fan of the Molly storyline, once again I think it detracts from the story, but I reckon she'll be back - and pregnant - in the next book. We also didn't get any inkling on whether Nighteyes will be back after that ending, poor fella.

The writing has emotional depth and the characterisation is impeccable. Everyone is a real person, people with flaws, realistic motivations, goals, and agendas.

Much like the first book in this series, this is a masterclass in character work. You just feel so strongly for Fitz and Robin Hobb really draws you in with her narrative. The villains are eminently relatable to the point you’re seething right along with our protagonist. I can only hope this trilogy sticks the landing!

Oh Fitz. Oh my sweet baby Fitz. This book made me want to CRY. The way everyone in his life, even the people who love, see him as a weapon first and a person second. The way he's always expected to put everyone above himself and seen as selfish and immature if he doesn't. The way he can never have anything to call his own, and when he finally does have something it's the one thing that everyone would/does hate him for, the thing that ends up killing him.

There's a moment where Chade says “I don't think you will ever completely trust anyone. Or believe that someone cares about you.” and my only response was: why would he? When has anyone ever showed that they loved him unconditionally? When has anyone ever loved him without using him first?

This book coincided with a bit of a reading slump for me so it took a while to get through but I just couldn't abandon this story. My heart absolutely broke for Fitz for almost every single page. He tries so hard to do the right thing and to be what everyone needs and he almost always fails. And he's only just a boy.

Every bit of it hits just as hard on a reread. Maybe even harder.

I just finished this one for the second time. I remember enjoying them nearly twenty years ago, around the time my concept of God was evolving. The Wit and the Skill tied in with that nicely. 

Here is my favourite part...

The exercise for centering oneself is a simple one. Stop thinking of what you intend to do. Stop thinking of what you have just done. Then, stop thinking that you have stopped thinking of those things. Then you will find the Now, the time that stretches eternal, and is really the only time there is. Then, in that place, you will finally have time to be yourself.

2024 Reread

3.5

I can't remember the last time it took me this long to read a book, but this was not a bad thing. Robin's writing just demands time, attention, appreciation and I loved every bit of it.

Royal Assassin takes over immediately after the first book, but with an even better plot: more intrigue, more secrets, more magic, more lies, more bonds, more love, more surprises, more tension, more everything. It played with my emotions close to an unbearable level. I wanted to scream at the characters and throw my kindle to the floor. And although I was 100% sure I was going to pause the Farseer trilogy, to read something else in between, I'm not sure I'm able to do it, I need to know the rest of the story.

This was truly great! More thoughts to come (maybe)

A very emotive sequel. It will be a while before I can get over this.

Also, reading this made me realize that I enjoy character-driven fantasy stories. The political intrigues and navigation in this book were so interesting with the focus on Fitz and his dynamic with the characters.

I liked Fitz as a protagonist in the first book, but I came to love him in this sequel. His narration is brilliant, flaws and all. I loved basically every interactions he had with the characters, especially with Burrich or Nighteyes.

Very excited to finish this trilogy! Even though I know I'll be emotionally damaged.

Hobb continues to make everyday life in a small town interesting and it doesnt get monotonous i dont know how she does it, i felt like this one went a little longer in the middle maybe but other than that its better than the previous entry in every way, specially that ending.

Fantastic! Only way to put it! And even better 2nd time through! Cannot wait to get to Assassins Quest

Idk how I'm gonna enjoy the Live Ships trilogy, I love everyone here so much. This was really slow around 200 page mark but once it picked it up I really enjoyed it. 

I certainly enjoyed this book. This is the 2nd book the Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb and I found this to be a very character driven book more than plot driven

This is not to say there is no plot or plot progressino there certainly is but I did find that this book focused alot of Fitz's character while the other characters were really background chracters to this story with not much in other view points.

Despite the title the book does not focus much on Assassin aspect of Fitz's character but rather his relationships with other characters, and as a character driven reader I thouroughly enjoyed this book and so far am really liking this series as a whole!

Royal Assassin is one of the best that I've ever read. I didn't think that Hobb would be able to so decidedly top the already amazing Assassin's Apprentice, but here I am, basking in the fact that she made her previous work look almost amateurish in comparison. She's opened my eyes to parts of her books that I didn't even realize appealed to me, and doubled down on the aspects that I loved.

First things first, let's get the prose section out of the way. If you're at all familiar with Hobb's work, you'll know what you're getting with this. She doesn't do purple prose, but she does exceptionally well crafted prose that enriches the text at every step. Some of the lines that she drops into this book wracked me full of sobs because of the sheer power of the writing. Dialogue is also a massive strength of hers, every single character feeling like their dialect and delivery has been painstakingly considered. Of special note is the Fool, who's every line feels like it's been meticulously crafted to get your mind racing about the possible meaning behind his cryptic speech.

Then there's the story. First off, the court politics. They're so much better in this than they were in Assassin's Apprentice, since Fitz is so much more observant and alert, and finally begins to take a more proactive approach when it comes to involving himself in them. We actually get the opportunity to really see the man behind the curtain, and it's fantastic. But even then, Hobb uses this newfound agency and observant nature as a fog for the reader, blindsiding us with twists that are brilliantly crafted and that she practically screams at both us and Fitz, but neither notice because we don't have the experience the world required to see them. I found myself regularly blindsided by the twists the story took in regards to the court.

But that's only a small part of the whole, and of equal note in my opinion is her handling of the magic systems. If I was to complain in the first book, it would have been the underdevelopment of the magic system, but I was under no illusions that that would be the case for the rest of the series. In this book we have extended periods of time coming to grips with both the Wit and the Skill, and these are also used to give us broader of the characters that surround Fitz, both old and new. These have the potential to be one of the most interesting magic systems that I've ever encountered, and I'm so excited to see how they're expanded upon in Assassin's Quest.

I also really enjoyed how she did combat. If it's small brawls we get the whole thing with almost every detail, but if it's larger scale battles, we get the initial burst, and then a smash cut to the aftermath, the reasoning being that Fitz loses himself in the battle and his future self can't recall the nitty-gritty. I really enjoyed this way of doing large battles, since in some fantasy, the fights can begin to drag on after a while, so this method sates our appetite while not burning us out on the combat.

And then there's the characters. I could probably write a full essay on my love for the characters here, but I don't want this section to drag, so I'm gonna briefly touch on the standouts. But, before I do, I just want to say, there isn't a single character that I dislike in this book. There's ones I hate, but they're still solid characters when all is said and done.

Something that I really appreciated about the book was Hobb's ability to write off screen character arcs that work really well. For instance, Hands was a prick last book, and I didn't like him. But throughout the book, he undergoes a character arc in the background that completely transforms him to be a much more tolerable person, and we don't see the journey, just the slow transition of the character as Fitz notices him around the stable, and when finally we see an interaction with him, his arc has been completed, and it doesn't feel like whiplash from a sudden character shift.

For the characters we do see the arc for, Fitz has to be talked about. Fitz' journey throughout this entire book is one of the most cathartic, yet still painful, arcs that I've ever read. We finally see him begin to come into his own, while weathering painful setbacks and losses, and growing from each one. He's an incredibly well crafted character, and is honestly one of the bests PoVs in fantasy. I don't want to spoil too much of his journey, but this isn't the Fitz we once knew, who was placid and tried to fade into the background. His heritage plays a large part in his story now, coming to the forefront rather than being an insult to put him down.

Verity is a standout as well, as we finally get to know the reclusive King-in-waiting, destroying himself to save his kingdom. He's one of my favourite characters in the book, and steals every scene that he's in.

Burrich is just as good, if not better than he was in the prior book, and is just my favourite character in the series so far. His devotion to Fitz is beautifully written, and the pain that he carries with him is heart wrenching the few times he shows it. I adore him so much.

Then lastly, there's Regal. I hate Regal. He's an inhuman spiteful little shit. He makes Ramsay Snow look like a kitten in comparison. He is one of the most evil characters that I've ever read. He draws genuine fury out of me so often it's shocking. I have had to put the book down for a bit to calm down after he's done something. I'm desperately hoping to see a very brutal and drawn out end for him in the last book.

I've barely touched on the characters, but they're all phenomenal, and I don't know how Hobb nailed each one so perfectly. There's still Nighteyes, Molly, Patience, Kettricken, the Fool, Rosemary, Chade, the list just goes on and on, and it's great. Just for the characters alone, you should read it.

The world is also expanded in staggering ways. We get more of the history, both political and mythological. But mainly, we get the current political climate shown to us, through Fitz' work as a kings man. We're introduced to new leaders, and get our first glimpses at what the raiders true motivations might be, whilst also being shown that not all Outislanders are scumbags. It's wonderfully executed, and as with Assassin's Apprentice, leaves me parched for more, since no amount will satiate my desire to see the wonders hidden in the world.

The only major thing that I can say might be an issue for people is the pacing. This book is slow as shit. I really appreciated that about, but I've been told before that I don't have the best gauge for what good pacing in a story is, since I can just sit there and read character moments ad nauseum if they're done well enough, which as I said before, they all are. That being said, the pacing won't be an issue for people until the middle of the book, since the beginning is actually really fast paced.

Overall, this was an absolutely perfect book in my opinion, and I'm gonna be recommending this to anyone who'll bother listening to me about it. 5/5 stars, but only because I can't give it more.

Above 3⭐️ but not quite 3.5.

As with book one, I loved the characters and the world building, as well as where the story went ultimately.

But there are two reasons why I gave this book lower rating than the first one.

#1 The plot with Molly nearly drove me to roll my eyes out of my head. I don't like Molly - she is whiny, inconsiderate and selfish, and this thing with her was way too over the top melodramatic.

#2 The stupidity of the king and the king's people. A king must think of his people first and foremost. Before family and comfort. Nearly all that the Six Duchies went through could've been avoided if someone had taken the measures to stop Regal (by all means necessary) and I am sorry, but you have to be a halfwit to not see his game. Even Fool admitted as much, when he implied that Regal was doing all this to avenge his mother. So you mean to tell me that all this time you knew and didn't think to mention this to Chade or Shrewd? And speaking of Chade, he kept on yapping about the duty of the king's men, but forgot the most important one - to give sound advise and to warn his king when said king is endangering his people and one of his sons - the future king, because his other son is his favorite... All the big heads spent 80% of the book trying to convince Fitz that he doesn't know enough and the last 20% discovering what he was saying from the beginning was actually true. And don't get me wrong, I have no issue with characters being stupid, I just don't like it when they do, yet the author is trying to convince me it's otherwise. There is unavoidable suffering and there is unnecessary suffering. And, sadly, I am afraid there was quite a lot of the latter in this book.

CAWPILE SCORE
C-10
A-10
W-10
P-9
I-9
L-10
E-10
TOTAL-9.71/10

Too much to say. Its worth every second

I will be talking about it on Libromancy https://libromancy.podbean.com/ on 02/05/2023

Continuing my slow reread, in order to not burn out on Hobb again. This was really good, am looking forward to the next one.

So depressing. I love it.

Robin Hobb is the Queen of Fantasy. So freaking good. I love the first person style and the endings are always climactic and the relationship with animals and humans are always emotional. Love it all.

Wolves have no kings
 
Royal Assassin is the second book in the Farseer Trilogy. To be honest this book took me two attempts to get through, because this story starts out at a very slow pace, yet it builds tension throughout the entire novel to the point where the last quarter is almost unputdownable. I think a big part of my enjoyment this time around came from me reading smaller parts of the book, maybe a chapter or two, at a time. Because even though the plot moves rather slowly overall, many chapters still had me in awe at how they juggled the large cast of characters, setting up the intrigues, foreshadowing later events, letting the story breathe and have nice character moments and interactions.

The supporting cast of characters is really great: Burrich, Lacey, Patience, Hands, Rosemary, Duke Brawndy, Chade, Wallace, Celerity, Cook, besides many others all feel real and have their own strong motivations. And this is especially true for the main cast. Molly is the weakest point of the book, while still definitely being bearable. I hate Prince Regal, hate him with a passion! Robin Hobb's antagonists do not disappoint. The Fool on the other hand is wonderful and incredibly intriguing. The Farseer family, King Shrewd, King-in-Waiting Verity, Queen-in-Waiting Kettricken and Bastard FitzChivalry serve up one of the best political intrigues I have read recently. Nighteyes was one of the highlights of the books for me, I won't say anything further than that.

The world-building is very convincing, the threats feel real and dangerous and I like the epigraphs that often offered interesting bits of lore, because they acted as an elegant way of giving bits of exposition. It was especially satisfying when these bits of the world would show up in the chapters and be relevant. The Skill and Wit are well executed soft magic systems.

Robin Hobb is a master of prose, especially writing strong emotions. Reading Fitz seeing a white ship, instills in you a deep sense of his horror. Joy and desperation are both prevalent throughout this book and are written so that you feel them alongside of Fitz. The twists and turns of the narrative are foreshadowed well and don't feel unearned while still mostly being surprising.

Being the second book in a trilogy the book leaves a lot of questions open, that the conclusion has to answer. Nonetheless the ending is at a fitting point. I recommend this book and trilogy, but only for people in the mood for something that has a slow pace.

Wolves have no Kings.

Tough to get through. I wanted to love this book, but just didn't find the conflict compelling. The final 75 pages were really thrilling, but for the first 600 pages I didn't really look forward to picking it up. This is despite the characters being well-rendered and somewhat interesting. The romantic elements were good, but overwhelmed by the lack of clearly-defined bad guys. Too bad, since I ordinarily love reading this author, and will read plenty more.

It took me 4 months to read this book. Clearly something didn't work for as well as it did in the first book in this series. I think it might be the pacing that slowed down in the middle part of the book or the romantic sub-plot that bored me to tears.
And with all of that, this was still a 4 star read.