Erin reviewed Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb (Farseer Trilogy, #2)
Review of 'Royal Assassin (Farseer Trilogy, #2)' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Great ending to this book! Looking forward to reading the next one.
This book is more contained to Buckkeep than the first book. It's largely about slow, quiet political intrigue. Regal's role here is interesting. To the reader (and to Fitz) his deceptions and treachery are easy to see. But the others - Verity, Chade, Shrewd - have known Regal since he was a child and are having a much harder time seeing how far he will go. They don't want to admit to themselves how bad it is. It's frustrating to watch - this was a very depressing, frustrating read story-wise as things get worse.
Kettricken starts to come into her own here, and I'm growing to really enjoy her as a character. The Fool is also fascinating to learn about. I appreciate how it feels like the characters each have their own loyalties and priorities that can clash …
Great ending to this book! Looking forward to reading the next one.
This book is more contained to Buckkeep than the first book. It's largely about slow, quiet political intrigue. Regal's role here is interesting. To the reader (and to Fitz) his deceptions and treachery are easy to see. But the others - Verity, Chade, Shrewd - have known Regal since he was a child and are having a much harder time seeing how far he will go. They don't want to admit to themselves how bad it is. It's frustrating to watch - this was a very depressing, frustrating read story-wise as things get worse.
Kettricken starts to come into her own here, and I'm growing to really enjoy her as a character. The Fool is also fascinating to learn about. I appreciate how it feels like the characters each have their own loyalties and priorities that can clash even if they are in many ways "on the same side."
The main reason I have knocked this book down to a 4 star is Molly. I was disappointed to see her increase in importance in this book because her romance with Fitz has not been convincing to me. I like her fine as a character, but their romance has felt told rather than shown. I don't feel invested in it. However, as the book progressed I did appreciate how their relationship played out. Again, it was frustrating to watch but felt realistic and revealed more about who Fitz is.
My other snag with this book and with the first book is some datedness. Or some eye-rolly associations. Regal, as the villain, is associated with caring overmuch about his appearance and finer things. Kettricken is frustrated by being limited to homemaking activities. There's some general "feminine is bad" energy that irks me at this point in my life. I shouldn't really call that "dated" because many books are still written that way. From a woman author it just feels like the "not like other girls" attitude of my teens. Let's move past it!
