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vampires's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
5.0
it definitely starts slow, which is not a bad thing, but i did not expect it to be 5 stars until everything begins snowballing and it feels like everything is wildly out of control but from an author perspective you can tell that robin hobb had everything so tightly under control and plotted to the minute. her handling of the plot and all the infrastructure supporting it was so good. also, she never pulls a single punch. there were like 2 things that i think she softened that could have been worse, but even then, she only transformed something bad into a different bad thing rather than hesitating on the trigger. like she just aimed the gun slightly to the left instead but still shot it anyway. WILD. i love the complexity of the web connecting the different characters that is gradually spun into place. also i love that the women are real characters and feel like real people, even when their position in the narrative would make it very easy to write them as more archetype (i don't want to include spoilers in this review so i won't name names but there are a couple of characters that applies to). there is the story unfolding in front of us, and then the story unfolding simultaneously off page, and then the story that already unfolded in the past that is dogging the narrative and you can feel its presence and every so often you are thrown a few crumbs to piece together. INSANE
Graphic: Child abuse, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Grief, and Drug use
Minor: Infertility
ltsang08's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Death of parent, Bullying, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Infertility, Physical abuse, and War
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The pace is very, very slow, there is a lot of descriptive language and exposition to wade through, and even then, there isn't a whole lot of plot to be found, at least not at first. All these things considered, I can easily see why someone might get frustrated and give up.
But I found Assassin's Apprentice to be an absorbing, riveting, and immersive read - just what a good fantasy should be.
It also delivers in spades when it comes to political intrigue, which I also very much enjoy reading. The story is told from the POV of Fitz, who for
The other characters are well-developed too (even the villainous ones[
The plotting was overall excellent, although did find the ending
4.5 stars from me.
Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Eating disorder, Blood, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Alcohol, and Death of parent
Minor: Fatphobia, War, Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Xenophobia
bookishgoblin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Abandonment, Alcoholism, War, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Grief, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Infertility, Suicide, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
clarabooksit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Bullying, Grief, Violence, Murder, Child abuse, and Abandonment
Moderate: Physical abuse, Ableism, War, Death, Animal death, Gaslighting, Rape, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Addiction, and Drug abuse
emilywc's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Animal death, and Murder
brynalexa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Grief, Alcohol, and Blood
Moderate: Mental illness, Medical trauma, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Drug use, Misogyny, Death of parent, Violence, Physical abuse, Addiction, and Infertility
Minor: Rape
lanna_aud's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, and Child abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism and Abandonment
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Infertility
briely's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minor: Animal death, Alcohol, Murder, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, and Physical abuse
bookishchef's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I mean... the forged ones are basically zombies, no?
Unfortunately, this was incredibly boring until the last third. I listened to it in audio form and it became a stream of consciousness at some point. It didn't feel like the story had a clear direction (or any at all) until the last 30%. It's a shame because the writing is very good and some of the character relationships were intriguing.
Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, and Animal death
Moderate: Drug use, Alcoholism, and War