A review by pennym_
Assassin's Fate by Robin Hobb

adventurous sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

i finished it out of respect for this incredible series, the world, and its characters. but it took me forever. and i just dont enjoy reading about a long journey. it was fun to see characters pop up from previous books, but at times it really made the plot drag. im thinking especially of the time spent in the pirate isles, just stuck and waiting while these other characters from another series (my favorite, even!) had to play out their drama. there was also SO MUCH retelling and summarizing the events of previous books, which i guess might make sense if you were reading these books as they came out. ive been reading them all over the span of two years, so i found myself skimming those sections. but moreover, the characters in this book didnt really need the history lesson, not for the purposes of their journey. 

also for a grand finale book,

hobb sure did keep a lot of those characters alive. im not saying i wanted everyone to die, but it rubs me the wrong way when authors pretend to kill off a bunch of characters and then they turn out not to have died. in this case, fitz i understand not dying where everyone thought he did. im more annoyed about everyone surviving the paragon attack.

anyway this was a fitting conclusion to the rote, it did really feel like a full-circle ending. it did in some ways mirror the structure of the first three books, which i can appreciate, but my ratings are also reflective of that first series of books; i just dont enjoy a quest plot 🤷‍♀️