A Lazy Reader's Review of "Assassin's Quest" by Robbin Hobb

Synopsis

    King Shrewd is dead at the hands of his son Regal. As is Fitz – or so his enemies and friends believe. But with the help of his allies and his beast magic, he emerges from the grave, deeply scarred in body and soul. The kingdom also teeters toward ruin: Regal has plundered and abandoned the capital, while the rightful heir, Prince Verity, is lost to his mad quest – perhaps to death. Only Verity's return – or their heir is princess carries – can save the Six Duchies.

    But Fitz will not wait. Driven by loss and bitter memories, he undertakes a quest: to kill Regal. The journey casts him into deep waters, as he discovers wild currents of magic within him – currents that will either drown him or make him something more than he was.

Review

    And so, we've reached the end of The Farseer Trilogy. What a ride it has been. I feel so fulfilled having finished the first trilogy in The Realm of the Elderlings series and, naturally, I have quite a lot of thoughts.

    I'll start with my overall thought on the trilogy as a whole. I think that The Farseer Trilogy is a classic introduction into fantasy. If you want well-developed characters that grow as the story progresses, a unique and intriguing magic system, and amazing world building, then you should pick up these books up and give them a read. 

    Now, on to my thoughts about this book. I thought that the pacing was a little bit more suited to my tastes. The previous two books were very slow paced, which I didn't mind since there was never a time where I was bored or uninterested in the story. However, Assassin's Quest had begun at a relatively fast paced, which I very much enjoyed. Fitz was an absolute beast in this book. In the first half of the book, Fitz is so determined to get his revenge on everyone that had wronged him and the people he cared about, but he mostly wanted to kill Regal. He had accepted the fact that this last assassin's mission could very well be his last, but he did not care. He was going to get his revenge. 

    I also thought that the ending was a tad underwhelming. A lot of the second half was taken up with traveling and brooding. After Verity was able to create an Elderling, the story fell a little flat to me. Rather than being shown the concluding events we were told and I was not a big fan of that. This is something that I noticed Hobb do in all three books: she stuffed beginning and the middle of the books with so much information and high stakes and then, in the last half, cram the resolution and quickly ties up any loose ends. Not very satisfying, to say the least. 

    Regardless of the issues I had with the ending, I still really enjoyed this book and am very much looking forward to picking up the second trilogy in this series.

  

Sept. 30, 2024 - Oct. 3, 2024

★★★★☆

Favorite Quote: "I healed. Not completely. A scar is never the same as good flesh, but it stops the bleeding."