Royal Assassin (#2 of the Farseer Trilogy) by Robin Hobb Review

Hey ForeverBookers,

How are you all doing today? I hope you’re well!

Yesterday, I finished perhaps my favourite book of the year so far!!! Royal Assassin really had EVERYTHING I love in a good book. 

The Readathons that I read Royal Assassin for were: 

The Cardcaptor-a-thon - The Dark - A book with dark themes - there are LOTS of dark themes in this book, some of which I mention in the spoiler section below...(#24)

Reading Rivalry - Book that ends on an even page number - the book has 648 pages!

Fiction Feud Society - this month the theme is scrabble. All members were given various letters to work a word out of that has something to do with each book they’re reading. I chose to make the word RUDE because a few characters come across that way to Fitz, so to us as well because it’s told from his perspective so we feel the things that he feels.


Popsugar 2020 Reading Challenge - A book recommended by your favourite blog, vlog, podcast, or online book club - I'm reading this series as a part of the CatchUp Bookclub, hosted by Becca And The Books on Youtube, which I've noted above!

The Eldering-a-long - the Readathon that’s hosted by Becca And The Books on Youtube, where we’re reading all of the Realm of the Elderling books, or at least the first couple of trilogies of it!

In “Royal Assassin,” we’re again following Fitz, our main character as he tries to traverse the line between being his father’s bastard son and quite literally the Royal Assassin for the king. This book has everything I love: Romance, political intrigue, comedy, drama, family, and TWO unique magic systems, both of which Fitz has, is that a good thing or a bad thing? I’ll leave that to you to decide. Can Fitz learn what he needs to to survive in the cut-throat world of the Six Duchies? You’ll need to read to find out!

Spoilers Below

We start the novel with Fitz, our main character being unsure of his abilities in “the Wit,” an illegal magic in the world of the “Six Duchies,” in which “Royal Assassin” is set. This makes him an unreliable narrator, as we’re growing up with him. The novel is told from his POV, as Assassin’s Apprentice was too.  “It was also warned that those that practice the Wit too long or too well became whatever beast they had bonded too. But that may only be legend,” is what he’s heard. Fitz has the ability of the Wit, to be able to communicate with animals. Does it make him become an animal though? You’ll need to read to find out!

Molly is brought up early on into the novel. She’s Fitz’s girlfriend. I enjoyed reading about her. She’s the character that I felt closest to in “Royal Assassin” because she’s a female, like myself, and we have similar personalities, I feel. “To me, it was enough that she existed for me to love. I did not even dare to hope she might return that feeling,” Is an early quote about her that I love because it tells us just how important she is to Fitz! This love and devotion he has towards Molly carries on throughout the novel. I actually think that possibly, Fitz and Molly might come into my top 5 couples of all time now, after reading this book and “Assassin’s Apprentice” before it. 

At the beginning of “Royal Assassin,” Fitz is getting over the after effects of the final events of “Assassin’s Apprentice.” He was treated poorly by the people in “Jhaampe,” a place in the world of the Six Duchies and needs time to recover. Burrich uses a little reverse psychology, when talking to Fitz about Molly, as is evidenced in, “If you’ve nothing to offer her, let her go. Are you crippled? Only you can decide so. But if you’re determined you are a cripple now, then perhaps you’ve no right to go and seek her out. I don’t think you’d want her pity. It’s a poor substitute for love.” This is Burrich telling Fitz that if he wants to be what Molly deserves then he’s got to try and get better. He shouldn’t want her pity, only her love, which he’ll only deserve if he tries. Fitz is still young at the beginning of Royal Assassin, so that’s why he doesn’t want to try, I believe. This also kind of reflects society today. Burrich is still a father figure to Fitz, always looking out for him. Fitz also has another father like figure in Royal Assassin in Verity, his uncle. Verity is always there to support Fitz, until he has to leave on a mission to try and find the Elderlings and bring them back to Buckkeep, where most of this first trilogy in the Realm Of The Elderlings series is set, to save the town from the Red Ship Raiders and Forged Ones. Verity knows he can trust Fitz and vice versa so they have an easy bond with each other. I LOVED seeing their relationship grow almost as much as I loved seeing Molly and Fitz grow as a couple. 

Another romantic couple I enjoyed was Kettricken and Verity. They were almost as present as Fitz and Molly to the story, and even though it’s told from Fitz’s perspective I still got all the feels from Verity to Kettricken and vice versa. Fitz can Skill, the magic that’s not seen as a sin, with Verity, which is why we see a few points directly from Verity, because Fitz is in his head. In a few of these he’s just worrying about Kettricken, especially when she gets pregnant, and he’s not there to support her because he’s trying to find the Elderlings. Will he be able to find them? You’ll need to read the series to find out!

The Forged Ones don’t play so much of a role in Royal Assassin, as they played in Assassin’s Apprentice, I don’t think. They were the antagonists in the first book but in this book there’s a greater threat! They’re still mentioned and they play a role, just not as significantly in my opinion. Fitz experiences a young girls murder from the hands of a few Forged Ones. “So this was how a child felt in one’s arms. So small and once so warm. So still. I bowed my head over her smooth hair and wept. Sudden shudders ran over me uncontrollably.” Fitz is clearly upset by the fact that a young child died, when he gets to the girl too late to save her. The Forged ones aren’t evil because they want to be evil. They’re captured and turned that way by the Red Ship Raiders, an evil group of people in the “Six Duchies.”

There is OF COURSE a main villain within this plot though, Regal. He’s the youngest son of King Shrewd who himself, had a bigger role in the first book I’d say but is still present in Royal Assassin. Regal, however has a much bigger role to play in Royal Assassin than he had in Assassin’s Apprentice! He wants to become King, that’s his main goal throughout this second book! Does he become King, and to what extent does that mean things have to change IF he does? You’ll have to read to find out!

“Father, I demand to know what goes on here!” Regal very nearly stamped his foot. Behind Shrewd, the Fool mimicked Regal’s facial expression.”

begins to shows just how much of a controlling, selfish and villainous character Regal is. This only gets worse throughout the rest of the novel, though— so much worse! The fool is being funny here, at a time when laughter is not welcome. 

A part that I wasn’t expecting in this novel was for Fitz to bond with a wolf, yes, a wolf. That’s why there’s a wolf on the cover of Royal Assassin. We know that he’s bonded with dogs before but I, for one didn’t expect a wolf to actually appear in the story, so that was a nice surprise! Cub or Nighteyes as he later reveals his name to be has quite a personality too. Fitz sees a wolf being gotten rid of so he takes it on. Of course, he doesn’t want to bond with it at first, but it can’t be helped as Fitz has “the Wit,” or beast magic, as it’s sometimes called by deplorable characters in the novel, because it’s not looked at as good or worthy.

The Fool was one of my favourite characters from Assassin’s Apprentice and I’m pleased to say that that’s still the case in Royal Assassin. He starts in this novel as a jovial character, as he was in Assassin’s Apprentice, but that changes when it’s revealed that he might not be able to be with the King long term later in this second book. 

“I can promise that if my king is taken, and I do not go with him, I will betray every one of your secrets. Every one.” The Fool’s voice was shaking.”

This threat is what the Fool gives to Fitz when he sees him after Regal makes his pledge to become King because Verity can’t be found or traced on his voyage to find the Elderlings. Not without Fitz using his Skill, which he doesn’t want to reveal he has. The fool doesn’t want to be mean to Fitz, I don’t believe. He just doesn’t know how else to get his views heard. I’m not saying whether Regal does or doesn’t become king, just that he wants to! The Fool isn’t happy that he won’t be allowed to go with King Shrewd to his new lodgings IF Regal does become the new king! I enjoyed the Fool’s parts, although they weren’t quite as funny or mischievous as in the first book. He had a more serious plot or role in Royal Assassin, which I also enjoyed. 

Another character from Assassin’s Apprentice is Chade, Fitz’s apprentice advisor. He taught Fitz to be the apprentice he becomes in the first book. He doesn’t have as big of a role in Royal Assassin, though. I was surprised by this. I thought we’d see Fitz go to see Chade lots to get advice, but we didn’t. I also like their relationship. It’s almost grandfatherly, the way Chade treats Fitz, just as the way Verity treats him is fatherly.

“For some of it, we must trust to luck. But for the rest, trust to me!”

His laughter was not a wholly reassuring sound as it followed me down the stairs.”

is what Chade tells Fitz, in the main plot of Royal Assassin, which I don’t want to spoil! Chade is telling Fitz that he can trust him! Can he, or is the laughter a sign that he’ll turn on him? You’ll need to read to find out!

Patience and Lacey are two side characters that don’t do an awful lot plot-wise. They’re just there to fill in the gaps. I liked Patience a lot, though. She’s funny and is still the mother like figure that Fitz has never had. 

Another evil set of characters are Selene, Justin and Will. Selene we know from Assassin’s Apprentice as Galen’s favoured student. Galen basically beat Fitz up as the Skill mentor in book 1 because he struggled to adapt to it. Justin might pop up in the first book too. Will, I believe is new. He’s just as bitter, though. They all want to prove that Fitz uses beast magic! Do they or does some twist of fate stop them? You’ll need to read to find out!

Lastly I’ll sum up another part of Fitz’s love life. He’s to marry Celerity, not Molly like he wants to on the king’s orders. Celerity’s father is a duke, Duke Brawndy to be exact, so he’s of nobility, meaning that she is too. Celerity likes Fitz, I believe but he doesn’t like her, as is seen in “I expected she would be my dinner partner and dreaded it.” Celerity’s father is a Duke that plays a big role at the end of the novel. I don’t want to spoil what it is but it could change the whole plot in the third novel. Fitz, however only wants Molly. Molly leaves in the second half of the novel. She says she’s found a new man to be with. Is this the case or is there something else to this revelation that Fitz and also we are unaware of, at the moment. I think there might be...

Overall then, I ADORED this book! It had everything that I love in fantasy plots: romance, political intrigue, twists that I didn’t see coming, a character standing up for themselves against all the odds, as well as the fantasy elements and some surprises on top of the things that I didn’t see coming...PLEASE read this if you like any of those things! It’s all there. The writing is fantastic and easy to read too! It’s not at all complex as it is in some other fantasy novels. 

Stand by for my next review, coming soon...