I love unreliable narration as a literary device, and this series is REALLY good at it. It uses Fitz' cultivated distrust and insecurity to show the world from his own biased point of view. Sometimes he realizes his own mistakes, and sometimes he never does, and it's up to the reader to figure out what it really going on. Fitz is a product of his environment, and I love his damaged self 💖

As someone who can proudly call Robin Hobb my favourite author, I think you've been pretty fair, yeah. :) I do think you'll have less issues with the books going forward, if you choose to continue reading the series. The first book is a lot heavier on the montage-like, tell-don't-show style of stuff, which I think comes from a combination of the semi-epistolary style mixed with the age of the character. As you said, Fitz's experiences do get glossed over at times, and while that doesn't disappear entirely, simply due to the timescale the story works with, I do think it becomes less of an issue as it becomes less about formative experiences and more about the passing of time. Indeed, one of the things that I praise Hobb about with her writing style is that she's so good at making the slow, minute-by-minute, second-by-second passage of time during key points feel *incredibly* real and grounded, to the point that it hurts. My own experience with the book was certainly not an easy one. I think I DNF'd it three or four times before finally finishing it and continuing. I also know many people who've had trouble getting into the second trilogy in the series. I think it's fair to say that Hobb's writing isn't always the most accessible. In any case, so glad you finally took a crack at it. Hoping you continue, but no sweat if you don't. ^_^

I'm currently on book 7 of the series. So that's Tawny Man #1. I do agree with you about a lot of what you say. I think I ended up giving the book 3.5 to 4 stars. But I adored book two. Royal Assassin. The more you read, the more you care about Fitz and company. Also there is a relationship in book two that's AMAZING. My favorite character in the whole series is The Fool and as you learn more and more about him you can't help but love him. The strength of this world, for me, are the characters. You definitely develop feelings for them. There are times that the story may seem slow to some. But I never cared because from book two on, I was so invested.

The Realm of the Elderlings is my all-time favourite series. We are definitely alongside the characters throughout their journeys as the books continue -deeply and wholeheartedly. If you are interested in other trilogies (or the quartet) within the larger series, I would strongly recommend making the investment to read them in order. The series build upon one another and the stories intertwine in brilliant and beautiful ways. I don’t think you could appreciate the trilogies or Fitz’s story or Hobb’s talent to their fullest potential without the knowledge of what came before them and the insight into the overall importance of some of the seemingly small details. That said, many people do just read the Liveship Traders and are happy with how that narrative stands alone - but oh my, is it even better in the bigger picture! Are the books for everyone? Nope, and that’s okay. Were they perfect? Of course not. But for me, I loved all of it: the writing, character arcs, story, themes, and magic. Strangely, even 16 books didn’t seem like enough of this story to me! Thanks for your review. Definitely interested in hearing if you continue, but no pressure or hard feelings if you don’t!

I've finished the trilogy recently. The thing about this book, it's so in Fitz's head, the level of intimacy in which we feel Fitz's emotions is so deep, which is something I _loved_ and at the same time made me need to put the book down so. Many. Times. It was emotionally difficult and slow. But I ended up loving it. My heart's still broken though. Spoiler alert, the series doesn't get less heart breaking. The point about glossing over stuff is so true, but I also found it necessary because of the age range covered in this book. Covering his assassin's apprenticeship in more detail, though, was.. preferable, to say the least :P One thing that could make this one my favorite of the trilogy is the way the relationships are written. Here it felt pure and real and no interactions felt like they're simply the implementation of a pre-decided plot point. The characters are so true to themselves and the dialog is near perfect. This does remain the case in like 60% of the interactions in the next two books, but sadly it does slip at times. The Fool is my absolute favorite

So glad to hear another’s take on this book. My local used book store owner said pretty much the same thing you did.

SPOILER Omg his interactions with Burrich! when Burrich refused to talk to him it absolutely broke my heart. I wept for 15 minutes straight. I agree the action is often neglected and the story continues in this vein in the next books in the trilogy. I haven't read the next series yet so I don't know how the style progresses. I feel that in this trilogy it is a choice and in the end I think it is a justified one. Fitz is not a hero and Hobb tells us not to expect heroic exploits from him by glossing any typical fantasy action stuff over. For me the emotional payoff is worth suffering through a bit of a drudge here and there.

Thanks for the review! I just re-read this book (again). Robin Hobb is my favourite author, and her books are SO bittersweet! I've always thought that the narration choices Hobb uses in this book (and the first trilogy) is because it's sort of written like a memoir. And in the first book Fitz IS a kid, and therefore I'm not even expecting a huge depth. I love the characters and I love the "vibe" of the books (for a lack of a better word).

These books changed my life

This is definitely one of the first good book reviews I've watched. A lot of people just talk about the plot, and their thoughts on that. I appreciate that you talked about other things, such as the writing style. Looking forward to checking out some more of your reviews.

I know this is an old video, but I just wanted to say that the very first chapter(s) in this book where Fitz is first brought to Burrich is one of my favourite starts or introductions in any fantasy series. It really captured that vague yet still overwhelming sense of childhood memory in a fantastic way.

Thanks for the book review..! A friend recommended this book series, I just got the trilogy in the mail, & it's nice to hear a spoiler-free review to get me excited to dive in..! Great job!

I just finished this last week and it gave me a book hangover! I do agree I wanted to feel like I was there more, but I hear the next books going forward get better. And dogs!!!

Can I just say how much I appreciate how you dive right into your reviews? I like that I don't have to sit through a two minute waffley introduction with your videos hahaha

I just finished this book recently and I think your description was fair but because I was so attached to the characters I found that I was invested enough that the storytelling style worked for me. It's refreshing to have variety in my reading - it was cool to care SO MUCH about the characters and be interested enough in the world and plot, whereas when I read Brandon Sanderson for example, I'm in it for the world and plot and interested enough in the characters.

Dude, FINALLLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are so few mainstream Tubers talking about Robin Hobb outside of kittyG. This is the start of something special :)

I did a big whoopsie with Robin Hobb. I unwittingly started her books with the LAST trillogy, Fitz and the Fool. I have Assassin's Apprentice on my to read list right now. I am super excited to go back and get all the background for the series I have read. I will say that I love her writing, I felt immersed despite not having the whole picture. Also, while not having the huge amount of world behind it, the ending of the series still made me cry! Great review as always!

I normally don’t like adult fantasy books about children either but I love this series. Her writing gets better and better. I love being with Fitz as he grows.

I hope you do keep going and reading her work and the story of Fitz. You have so many wonderful and awesome things to experience going forward in her world. I'm dancing in place trying not to give spoilers. Ack! Book after book, trilogy after trilogy Fitz's tale is so engrossing. I envy you or anyone that gets to read them all for the first time. But yeah, keep going. Don't let little boy Fitz and the slightly old school fantasy writing style ground you to a halt. He does grow up. He even... Oops! See. No spoilers. Thanks for the video. Take care. Jeff

Stick with the series. Once you get to the liveships the writing style improves immensely!

I think you summed up my problems with the book when I tried to read it a couple of years ago. I do plan to go back and read it and will finish at the least the first trilogy. I've heard such good things about the series as a whole that I want to give it a completely fair try.

I have been waiting for review ever since you mentioned picking it up :) i feel much the same way as you do about the book. I decided to push through and now i have finished the second one in the Farseer trilogy, but have found myself putting off the third simply because i am not connecting with it as much as i would like. I will read it eventually though. I am currently around 50% of the way through Elantris (my first time reading Sanderson, I cannot wait to move onto Mistborn and TSA) and also about to start the 4th Wheel of Time book :D

I enjoyed your review. I shared your positive opinion of Hobb's writing style, but like you mentioned, I am one of those readers who does like the storytelling of Fitz life from his adult perspective. One of the issues I did have with the protagonist however, was his tendency to get stuck in his issues. I like self reflection, but I would have enjoyed celebrating a few more victories.

Few series has grabbed me the same way as these. The first book was pretty slow, but from book two and on it really gets better. Fitz is my all time favourite protagonist

I loved that series. I think your opinions are fair. When you get to liveship traders and the tawny man trilogy ( I am currently on book #2 of Tawny Man) the narration is more in the moment.

I just finished this book a few hours ago. Now I’m just one of those people that read Harry Potter as a teen and then never got into another book series again. So I’m not a distinguished reader at all. And this book absolutely captivated me, I read it in two days and I loved it so so so much. If you are not that impressed by it, you must have read some amazing things! So I’ll look through your channel to see which books you really love, after i finish the other fifteen books in this series. :’D

I definitely think it is worth continuing on with the series. While the subsequent books continue to create and build on the amazing character descriptions and relationships, they also have a lot more plot in them, and we get to see a lot of the action, than in the first book. I did film a series review on the Farseer Trilogy, if you're interested, and it might help you get a better idea of if you want to continue with the series, but I'll say here that the second two books are definitely more action packed than the first one, though still maintain all the positives you mentioned in your video.

No need to apologise if it was a writing style you don't like. Personally, I don't like the way George Martin writes the Game of Thrones books but I can enjoy a good story despite it! : ) I always found the way Hobb writes her characters very compelling - and I love Nighteyes! Made me spend many a weird moment trying to communicate with my dog while looking demented! Lol!

Hi Elliot Finally! I've been waiting for so long. The Realm of the Elderlings is my Favourite ever. But I understand that it is not for everybody. Hobb does have her problems when it comes to pacing. It's been 4ish years that I read the first entry so I don't remember too much about the form of story telling, but I think in most of the books she does't tell you, she shows. That's maily something she does at the beginning of trilogies. It is a very specific story. I don't mind the perspective of children, especially if you see them growing up. It's been a very special experience for me: I've spend a lifetime with Fitz and I think it has been truly amazing so far. Her characters are so real, so unique and so close to my heart. Her stories touch my like no other writer can. But I understand that tastes differ. I would encourage you to read Royal Assassin. I've you still don't feel it skip Assassin's Quest and try Ship of Magic. The second trilogy differs greatly from the first. We have multiple characters POV and story overall is of a different kind. It's a family drama basically. I think it would appeal to a wider audience. If that is still not your thing than Robin Hobb as an author isn't for you. And when it comes to spoilers: what do you want to talk about? Fire away!

*Possible spoilers?* You make some fair points. Fitz definitely gets more involved and you see a lot more intimate details of his life throughout the next 2 books. This is top 10 trilogy for me and I think if you keep going you will enjoy it too. P.s. I remember hating Regal so much in this series. One of those characters it's so easy to hate.

I haven’t finished this quite yet but I’m almost done and I love it so far, immensely. I think your thoughts are fair though

Yeah, there’s a lot of things that we don’t see, those damn “Cut to black” scenes. Interestingly, I have about the same thoughts as you, but I still like it maybe a bit more. I never finished the series, but I generally agree with what people say about it getting better.

I just picked it up and I am excited for an amazing adventure

I looooved that book it's my favorite book this year so far 😍

Recently finished this one, really liked it personally, a bit slow at times though. Book two has started off pretty strong as well

Just found your channel... I love Robin Hobb, I guess it was easier for me to get into, because I was pretty young when I read this. I must have just been in my mid teens. I loved the first trilogy, but to be perfectly honest, her stories get better and better. I loved the living ship series, the fool series was incredible, but the Soldier's Son trilogy was even better. I just love her writing style. I really recommend trying a series from her that's more in your wheelhouse storywise. I've never read anything from her I didn't really like. Gonna see if you have reviews on Julliet Marillier now, another one of my favorites...

I was just looking at this one, thanks for the review. It seems like people don't love the first trilogy, but enjoy it as it goes on. I think that requires too much buy in for me.

Need to try these

I DNF'd this one around 53% in, mainly I think because I'm very much a plot-driven reader (as long as I'm also engaged with the characters) and found it quite slow. You put into words really well how it's written . I am instead reading the Rain Wild Chronicles (just starting book 2), which I am getting on with much better - now realising I should at least have read the Liveship Traders first, oops! I may return to Fitz at some point in the future, I googled for spoilers of book 1 so that I could start book 2 if I want to. I listened to the audiobook of book 1 so I may try the paper copy next time... Am doing the same for the Rain Wilds!

It's tough to judge a 16 book series on its first entry, I guess if I read them for the first time now, I'd probably have the same criticisms. But I started reading this series in high school and so I kinda felt I grew up with Fitz and the Fool. I probably read through the entire series once every 2 years or so. I honestly hope you read the rest of the series, especially liveship traders and the tawny man, the writing style does shift a little away from the narration to a more traditional first person style of writing after the first trilogy and the emotions she provokes for her characters just goes up a level with every book. Dammit, it's about time to revisit the realm of the elderlings.

Montage plays a role in each of her series, but it's generally pretty focused to the first book in each of them where it occurs (and they don't occur as much in the non-Fitz focused books). I absolutely adore these books. My favorites of all-time, hands down. I *WEPT* at the second and third Fitz trilogies. Liveship Traders is fantastic as well. The only one I thought was a bit less exciting was the Rain Wild Chronicles, and even that I wouldn't call bad, it just features a love triangle for way longer than I felt was necessary and it ends up being brought up so repeatedly that I got frustrated by it. Robin Hobb's characters, though... ugh. They are so real. I just love them so much.

The realm of the elerlings is one of my fav fantasy worlds/series of all time ! I really appreciated how even if it wasn't your cup of tea, you could give it justice as one of the most beloved fantasy works. I would love however to hear more of your thoughts about the plot worldbuilding/magic systems and characters as you seemed to enjoy that part (Burrich, Fitz, the Fool ❤ , Chades etc) and the feels you mentionned (this serie made me cry, not an easy task, but not so much with death, but for the powerlessness,injustice felt by Fitz at certain events, Robin Hobb knows well how to make us empatize and feel) The more you read, the more you care for him and all the characters in general ! (minus spoiler : there's a wolf in the next book called Nighteyes and it's a blessing) It definitely will keep this form of storytelling aka Fitz's letters and him telling us the story of his life (and sometimes he is depressed,lol), but maybe you won't find it as distracting in the two trilogies that follow this one, once Fitz is an adult who talks about older times in his life the "time gap" blurrs and you feel more into the story I guess (ex: in the second trilogy (my fav trilogy out of all the 3) he is in his 30s). But don't feel forced to continue, if it doesn't click, it doesn't click 😉 For me I was hooked from book 1 (it also holds a dear place in my heart, first "adult fantasy book ever and one of my favs) and never looked back lol ! Do you intend to continue the serie ? Or intend to look into the other works in this universe (dragon keeper ,liveship ?) since it doesn't involve this kind of storytelling ?

Robin Hobb is one of my favorite authors. I feel that some of the things that bothered you are not there as much in the later works. I think the entire Fitz Story, which I think is oner a dozen books is a wonderful character study; and the relationship between Fitz and the Fool is excellent. My favorite series are the Tawny Man the the final trilogy, Fitz and the Fool. The latter has a fantastic character called Bee.

I finished the first trilogy this month and it was so dense and slow, I’m forcing myself to read them coz I want to get to the rain wild trilogy. They all need to be half the size coz for the three I read nothing happens til lithe last 10p pages or so, it’s actually painful, I had to force myself to read them

I agree with your description of this one but as it's the only one I've read, I can't really say how it goes from there. The one thing about this book that made me crazy was that she did spend a few pages talking about paper. The texture, thickness, how well it soaked up ink, how well the pen slid across it. In my copy, it was a solid 4 or 5 pages where she discussed which types of papers were best for writing. I wanted to jump off a cliff.

Assassin's Apprentice was one of the first fantasy books I ever read, back when it was released. Because of that, I tend to gloss over it's flaws in my mind. It definitely does have its faults but I still LOVE it.

The last book in the trilogy really takes you places. The climactic scenes are so strange, haunting, and dreamlike. I can compare it to few others (Patricia McKillip comes immediately to mind). The Liveship trilogy is more grounded, but has a reveal that seems to compromise the whole world Hobb's set up for these books, and really made me think about the tragedy and atrocity that went into making the world we live in (those who've read them, Know. Should you ever read them, you'll Know too.)

I felt the same with this book. I don't really enjoy reading about children from an adult perspective but I really enjoyed seeing the character grow and how each character had their own personality. The second book was more my taste because Fitz was grown up and there was a lot more politics going on.

Just finished this trilogy for the first time, loved it

Are u still going to carry on with Robin Hobb books???

A surprise, to be sure. I agree with most of Your comments - in the sense that some issues are there, not in the sense that they did not work for me. Montage-like scenes - yes they are there, but they are necessary time jumps to let Fitz grow from a ~6 yo we first meet. There is a lot less of that in the next books. The magic system(s) in the first book are rather less clearly defined than Sanderson made us accustomed to. Again, I think it is a necessary aspect of the book. We are constantly in Fitz's head, so it would not make sense for us readers to learn something Fitz has failed to grasp (the Skill) or something he had no teacher for (the Wit). However, we learn a lot more about how the Skill and the Wit work in the later books. Robin Hobb's writing style is one of the most beautiful I've come across and Fitz - I just love him. I could read about the most mundane of things, like tending a garden or feeding chickens, as long as the person doing it is Fitz and Hobb wrote it. This is where Hobb shines and where (im my opinion) Sanderson struggles. However, her books don't read as quickly as Sanderson's. Another aspect of her writing that I love is, that she does not pull her punches. Fitz and the other characters go through hell and back in their life. Characters created by Robin Hobb are some of my absolute favourites. And we don't even meet the most important one in the first book. I'm a little surprised You did not mention the Fool. He is a very, very special person and of the most interesting characters in all fantasy.

You need to make it to the liveship books. They get soooo crazy good

Is there an overarching plot in this series? I can’t read fantasy series if it doesn’t have a plot thread throughout, building up to something...

I’m only half way through the third book, Assassin’s Quest. I really struggled with the middle section of the first book, but I became so attached to the characters in the second book. In the third book it has slowed down again, but the parts I love, I really love. I’m definitely going to continue as I’ve heard it gets much better after this trilogy. Fitz can definitely be a bit frustrating at times!

This books synopsis sounds cool especially with how this kid learns how to be more noble & this book doesn't seems like it won't be so overwhelming. I would to see how the pages & the author writing style looks. I'll go check this out at books a million & see if it something i may want. Great review nonetheless 😊👍💜

From memory the narrator of Assassin's Apprentice is very much an adult, albeit writing about his childhood, and I thought the writing style was both appropriate to somebody who is educated as a prince and accessible to an ordinary reader. Over the series of books, I did feel at times that there could have been tighter editing and that some of the material was superfluous and Robin Hobb was just trying to cram in everything she could think of (the books just get ever longer and longer) but some of the writing in the later books is absolutely spectacular and definitely felt very intense and vivid to me. I did think the superflous material sometimes weakened the narrative drive, but I generally found the narrative gripping throughout all of the books and didn't want to stop reading. As other people have commented, I did feel very deeply entrenched in Fitz's perspective, so although he is an unreliable narrator, I often found it quite difficult to get out of his head and see an alternative perspective. I thought one of the most impressive things about the series was the way in which Robin Hobb shows the complexity and politics of interpersonal relationships, especially family relationships, and how they compromise individual freedom. Fitz and Nighteyes are probably my favourite characters in any book, but I have to say, I ended up really disliking the Fool. I'm curious about what other people think of the relationship between Fitz and the Fool. One thing I did find intriguing but puzzling was the little paragraphs at the beginning of each chapter describing a historical matter or custom etc. I kept trying to link the paragraph with what happened in the chapter but I could never really find much of a link. I guess the introductory paragraph was just part of the general world building. Or maybe I need to pay closer attention. SPOILER!!! I note that she left things open at the end of Assassin's Fate so maybe there will be more books with Fitz and Nighteyes (and the Fool) in the form they now take.

Awesome series.

I had similar feelings, but you must keep reading. It’s worth it😉

Ive been curious about this series, I bought the first 3 books knowing that they go together, but wasnt willing to commit to the 14, at this point. Some might think buying the first "trilogy" of the series is already a committment, but I've always struggled putting down a series without giving it more than just one book, especially if it was one of the authors first books. ie. Night Angel trilogy, the first book was good, the second was better, and the final was great in my opinion. Still one of my favorite series, though I know many couldnt finish the first. WORST case scenario, my library doesnt have them, and I would be more than happy to donate them.

I know exactly what you mean, and I prefer to BE THERE with the character, rather than be told a story. That said, I understand why Rothfuss did it in The Name of the Wind. It takes him 200 pages just to get the MC's backstory. However, I wish he would have just left that stuff more of a mystery and fit it in where it was relevant in the main narrative. Also, you could do a whole prequel on Kvothe's childhood. I still enjoyed it big time but just not my favorite style. Haven't read Hobb yet but sounds similar.

Fitz is a very well crafted character who really shines when around other people. He is, however, at his worst when he whines and sulks...and that's often, especially in book 2. I ended up having mixed feelings about this trilogy, but there's something about Hobb's writing that makes me want to continue. I haven't yet, but I'd like to soon. Overall, my experience was best when I was taking it slow.

I think of "summary" type passages as going "fast forward" to save time. But it's a judgement call when to do it. John Irving's The World According to Garp seemed like nothing but a plot summary.

It has been a long time since I first read the first book - and given that I think Robin Hobb is one of the best authors I have ever read, I find it hard to be objective. I can recall feeling a bit ambivalent about the book until towards the end when it really picked up. And his story just gets better. Robin Hobb can be really cruel to her characters and has broken my heart a number of times. I have never read an author that made me care so much for her characters (even when you want to give them a good shake) and I really think that is her strength.

Hi I just ordered mine

Royal Assassin is one of my favourite books of all time. Also most bitter and heartbreaking. I'm surprised so many people say the series gets better later, to me it lost most of the appeal once the fantasy elements started to overshadow the characters.

From what I’ve heard from people who love Robin Hobb, they agree her first trilogy isn’t THE BEST but it’s worth reading for Fitz.

I have such a love/hate relationship with these books. I have only read the assassin trilogy but I do plan on continuing in this world. I love the writing style, I found it easily digestible and I don't mind the narration. I really enjoyed the characters and the more I read, the more I loved them. My main issue is that there are large portions of the trilogy where I can't stand Fitz! I understand that he is a child and so I expected some emotional outbursts and bad decisions. However, I did not feel like he had any character growth in that department. After awhile, the emotional angst and random outbursts were too much for me. Somehow, I still really enjoyed the books. They were all 3-4 stars for me.

I don’t usually care for those things, either, but the beginning had me hooked, and the characters felt so real to me that the style and telling felt unimportant. Which is weird, because I’m not usually into slow pacing in books.

I feel like you were quite careful as to what you said because a lot of people love it. But don't worry, we all have different tastes and honestly this is the weakest of her books. The books get better and better (the second is way better, and that ending !). The characters, you will come to love them believe me !

Hi great video!!

FitzChivalry is probably my favourite character from any book

I adore those books

Honestly, the impact of all of the Realm of the Elderlings book doesn't hit until Fool's Fate. Yes, it's weird at first, since it's the perspective of a narrator, but in later books you get to the actual time where he (Fitz) is writing the Farseer trilogy. IMO reading all of the Farseer Trilogy and Liveship Traders is worth just to get to Fool's Fate (Tawny Man Trilogy bk. 3). Also Liveship Traders has a total different feel to it (In terms of the First person only/narrator point of view). Montages reduce over the books and I personally don't think will be bothersome anymore.

I read assassins apprentice and I found it very forgettable, I dont know why but I was like I would read part of it and forget everything that happend, but I still liked it. That kind of weird lol, but i want to re read it and continue on with the series because i have heard so many good thing that I think I could like it. I've also found that with a lot of big series like this I'm often not a huge fan of the first book but i like it more the further I get into it

im starting to enjoy Robin Hobb.

SPOILER (I guess?) I find that in the sequels of this series the way the narration is presented makes more sense. We get reflections on events of the past, a deepened understanding of how or why they are narrated as they are, and proof that the way the story is told is a direct reflection of the personal development of the characters. Hobb also adds more narratives in different parts of series, which offers a debth of narration that I really appreciate. I'm on book... 12, I think? Now, and the storytelling only gets more exquisite as Hobb investigates, I find. I highly recommend this series, it had become somewhat of an obsession of mine.

I don't know if you managed or have interest in advancing through the series (there are 3 trilogies following Fitz, plus two series in between in the same world and connected to Fitz story). I have just finished the very last one (Assassin's Fate) and is definitely a story telling, by a 65yo tough (I've already spoiled enough, so I will stop here). As the Fitz gets older, this is also reflected in the way the story is being told - it is most evident in the second series, The Tawny Man Trilogy. I've enjoyed all of them very much.

This wasn't Robin Hobb's first novel. She wrote about ten books under the name Megan Lindholm before this one was published.

I felt it quite slow, at least up to the first half of the book.

I didn't like this book much. The begin was brilliant, but I found it lost momentum towards the end. Too much traveling?

Unrelated question: What the hell IS Instagram?! I mean really now? What is the point of it? I use Facebook once in a blue moon, Twitter occasionally 2ce a week and Goodreads almost every day for a few minutes (and KZfaq to watch videos cuz duh). But I don't understand Instagram and its purpose. Why does it exist, what purpose does it serve as a social media site/app? Do you have to have a smartphone to use it? What's point of posting pretty book pictures - aside from them being pretty :/ Why do people hang out on this platform? I dunno maybe I'm getting old but I find that it's just another social media site that is solely aimed at wasting people's time.

I couldn't get into it, and put it down. I found it dull and the formal writing pushed me out.

I jumped into this after reading the final empire which I didn't like. And it was 5/5 for me. I cried a few times

Do you think you will read the second one? :)

I read this back in 2016. I disliked it for a reason you mentioned; quite a bit of it was 'later i found out' told rather than experiencing with the protagonist. I'm not a fan of the names for the characters as it only exemplifies how one dimensional they were. Also, I never cared for any of the characters. I was disappointed as I really wanted to read the later installments in the same world where dragons are the main theme.

For some reason, when I see Robin Hobb, my brain tells me JD Robb. :/

This review saved me money. Not for me.

I've read the trilogy, and by the end, it became one of my favorite series. The first book was my least favorite. I didn't like the montages either, but I would say that you're with the character more in the second and third. I really liked the descriptions in this series. I felt like I was able to really visualize things as they were happening.