I hate that this review isn’t going to be completely positive. I had such high hopes for this series, but Royal Assassin didn’t wow me as much as Assassin’s Apprentice. Let’s talk about it.
Synopsis
Fitz has barely survived his first hazardous mission as king’s assassin. Battered and bitter, he vows to abandon his oath to King Shrewd, remaining in the distant mountains. But love and events of terrible urgency draw him back to the court at Buckkeep, and into the deadly intrigues of the royal family.Renewing their vicious attacks on the coast, the Red-Ship Raiders leave burned-out villages and demented victims in their wake. The kingdom is also under assault from within, as treachery threatens the throne of the ailing king. In this time of great danger, the fate of the kingdom may rest in Fitz’s hands–and his role in its salvation may require the ultimate sacrifice.
My Thoughts on Royal Assassin
I have mixed feelings about Royal Assassin. On one hand, I did enjoy it. It had the same atmosphere that I enjoyed so much from Assassin’s Apprentice. Plus, the world building was even better. It felt like the kingdom expanded and it’s getting closer to the epic scale that I would expect from a series of this scope.
But the thing that frustrated me in this one was Fitz. He was simultaneously naive and cocky. He absolutely drove me crazy. Plus, his inner monologue pretty much consisted of him thinking about his fealty to his King. It began to feel repetitive. I’m hoping his character will develop more in book three. However, I’m giving him benefit of the doubt because he was still young in this one.
I’m also a little disappointed in the direction the story is going. He spends less time being an assassin and more time being a political consultant in every chapter. First off, why are they letting a teenager/young adult control the fate of the kingdom?? I was hoping to see more of Chade and Fitz training in this one but that hasn’t been the case. Chade even disappeared for most of the book. I hope the next one will get back to that but with the way the ending of this one was set up I’m not sure that will happen.
So, while I enjoyed my time reading Royal Assassin, I think it suffered from second book syndrome. I do plan to continue the series, but I think I will take a break between this book and the next. I want to revisit book three with a fresh perspective.
My Rating: 3/5
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I remember enjoying this trilogy but I never got around to rereading it and my memories of it are a bit hazy. I do remember that I enjoyed the second trilogy the Liveship Traders more. Hope that the third book is better when you read it but having a gap sounds sensible.
I’m still looking forward to the Liveship Traders so that’s good to hear.