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Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb, reviewed by Daniel L.

Royal Assassin, sequel to, Assassin’s Apprentice, by Robin Hobb is a great fantasy novel based on a mixture of political intrigue and magic. This is the second installment in the Farseer series.

Fitz, the main character in the novel, has just accomplished his first mission as an assassin in the Mountain Kingdom, but at a price. After a near brush with death, young Fitz finds himself a cripple, useless and battered. He claims he would not return to Buckkeep, his kingdom. But his love for another, and glaring issues, lure him back to the courts of Buckkeep and the intrigue of the royal family.

It has become spring again. That means the Red-Ship Raiders would soon attack the coasts of the Six-Duchies. But there is also an attack from within the walls of Buckkeep that threatens to overthrow the sickly king, King Shrewd. Fitz will soon realize that the fate of the kingdom resides in him.

This novel is great read for people who love fantasy and political intrigue. The story will be comprehensible only if you have read the first book of the Farseer series, Assassin’s Apprentice. The storyline is amazing and the characters are well-developed. For those who love long books, this book is lengthy at 581 pages. Every single one of these pages is needed to develop the plot and conclude it.

As all novels, this book has its faults. The beginning of the book reads rather slowly and tediously, but is necessary for the development of the novel. Another qualm I have about this book is its ending. I feel that the ending was inappropriate for the conclusion of such a great novel. It almost seemed as if the book shouldn’t have ended where it does.

In my opinion, this book is an amazing read. The suspense and the plot are so well-developed that by the end of the story, you would wish it hadn’t ended. Overall, I give the book four stars because it was such a sensational book and because I believe its conclusion was unfit for it.