Nov 23

Nov 23 Assassin's Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy, #1)

About the book

Author: Robin Hobb
Publisher: Del Rey (latest paperback edition)

More info:
The StoryGraph | Goodreads
Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the review.

Buy and support indie bookstores (+ I earn a small commission):
Bookshop.org (print) | Libro.fm (audio)

My Review

I’ve been meaning to read Robin Hobb for years — at this point, as a fantasy reader who champions women authors, it’s become a bit embarrassing, lol. I was craving a big, long adventure, and so I decided it was finally time! So glad I finally dove in.

Today there are 16 books in this universe (four trilogies and a quartet), but this is the first one, and it was first published in 1995. (The audiobook still has prompts for you to switch to the next tape!) True to form, it has a classic fantasy feeling, in a good way. There is magic and court politics and swords and horses. She is unhurried, trusting the reader to stick with her as she lays a sold, strong foundation for the many books and stories to come.

To that end, I liked this very much and I want you to read it, but you do have to be in the right headspace. It’s a slower start to a series than we are used to nowadays, but you can just FEEL that the investment in this worldbuilding is going to pay off. I did enjoy the audiobook a lot and I found that it helped me stay in it all the way through.

I love Fitz, and I love his dogs. I felt deeply for him throughout the entire book. The ending was excellent. I’m extremely intrigued about where this trilogy (and the rest of the series) is going to go. On to Royal Assassin!