It's always a special day for me when my dad recommends a book for me that he liked or is reading. In this case, he's been reading this trilogy for about a month or so (cuz he has work, unlike my lazy self, so it's taking him a normal amount of time) and talking about it intermittently. I was between books the other day, and this one was available at the library...so I got it out. And now we're both reading and loving the series at the same time! Which is very fun, except now he's worried I'll finish it first. :)
Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court by his father’s gruff stableman. He is treated as an outcast by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him secretly tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in Fitz’s blood runs the magic Skill—and the darker knowledge of a child raised with the stable hounds and rejected by his family.
As barbarous raiders ravage the coasts, Fitz is growing to manhood. Soon he will face his first dangerous, soul-shattering mission. And though some regard him as a threat to the throne, he may just be the key to the survival of the kingdom.
Worldbuilding/Writing Style
The worldbuilding at first glance seems like a typical fantasy universe. And in some ways it is--rather medieval, with a king and feudal system, and the political stresses that go along with that. But there's also a dual system of mental magics, and royal names shape the people they're given for? And cool mountainous kingdoms who make houses out of trees? Also, there's pseudo-magical pirates? So, a bit out of the ordinary! Even in the ordinary parts (with herbs, hawks and hounds, horses) the care and research the author took as she built her world showed. As for the writing style--unobtrusively great. I especially love the parts at the beginning of each chapter, which outline history of the kingdom, but in a totally pertinent and non-boring way.
Plot
Do the characters ever catch a break? No, no they do not. And it makes for a FANTASTIC plot, where there's never a boring moment. (Okay, there were a few small places where it dragged. But small!) It also means that it's a very stressful read, so don't read this if you don't need more stress in your life, and/or have a set bedtime that you get in trouble for breaking. Cuz you might need to stay up late to finish the section. :) Truly, though, the plot was so unpredictable, and I was really worried for the characters the whole time, and it was just excellent. Also, the author did the thing where the reader can sometimes figure things out a teeny bit ahead of the characters, which is such a hard thing to pull off, but so fun for the reader. I loved the way Fitz grows up in the stables, too--it felt sort of like home. And it was long! Because it's adult fantasy and long plots are a hallmark...and fantastic.
Characters
Aaah the characters! I loved them, but I think especially for the secondary characters, I'll love them even more in the second read--because I was afraid to get attached to them this time around! I love Fitz--such a boy, but such a good boy. His emotions were so realistic, and the way he would get confused about things that the reader knew was infuriating and understandable. And the minor characters! Burrich, Molly and Chade were so fantastic in their subtle care for Fitz. And Verity! I love Verity so much! He's such an amazing prince and person. And the subtle shaping of the people of the mountain kingdom, and just...the characters are amazing, okay. Their motivations are realistic, and their reactions are perfect, and it's like they're almost real.
Romance
It's sort of there--but barely! I can't wait to see more in the next book.
Content
A few bits of innuendo, some violence (not super explicitly described).
Overall Rating (first reading)
Four stars for sure! I'm almost tempted to give it 4.5 stars, even though I've not reread it yet (and I save 4.5 stars for rereads (only if they're actually that awesome, of course)). I suppose I'll have to wait and see how the series turns out!
Reminds me of...
There are a couple of worldbuilding elements and a little bit of thematicness that remind me of By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson (also an excellent read, but more on the YA side).
Do you have any Adult fantasies to recommend? Do your parents ever recommend books to you? How's NaNo going, for those participating? :)
Oooh, this looks really good. I'll have to add it to my TBR. My dad recommends books to me all the time, and I recommend books to him. It's excellent.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever read Lovely War? I think you'd like it. It's amazing.
It was great! Yes, having a reading rapport with a dad is the best. :)
DeleteI haven't read that one. I'll have to look into it. Thanks for the recommendation!
My dad and I swap books sometimes too, he's a lot pickier than I am.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really good!
My dad is definitely picker than me, too. So I definitely don't recommend him everything I read. :)
DeleteIt is!
My dad doesn't read a lot so when he recommends a book to me I try to read it ASAP. And, he and I usually have the same tastes. :) I actually can't think of any adult fantasy books that I've read, but this sounds like a good place to start!
ReplyDeleteSame! My dad doesn't have a lot of time to read, so he choses carefully, which gives his recommendations a lot of weight with me. :) I think this is definitely a good place to start for adult fantasy, but then, I'm biased, since it's the first adult fantasy I've read.
DeleteOh oh oohhhh. This sounds fantastic. I've been meaning to give Robin Hobb a try for a while now...and for some reason I've been hesitant? But I am hesitant no longer. (That said, who knows when I'll get around to this, with the current state of the library and my schedule...)
ReplyDeleteAnd I want to get more into adult fantasy, because I'm sure there's stuff I'll like, but for the most part I haven't liked what I've tried of it.
It's really cool that you share recs with your dad like this. My dad doesn't read very much - but some of his favorites have become some of my favorites, which is REALLY fun. And when we go places, he often drives while I read to him - and that's a pretty fun experience too. I love sharing stories with all sorts of people, but especially my dad. For whatever reason, haha.
It IS fantastic! You'll have to let me know what you think, once your library and schedule let you get around to it. :) I think adult fantasy is maybe harder to get into than YA? Since YA is so popular, I think less people are writing the "grown up" version.
DeleteIt is really cool! My dad and I share several favorites as well, which is lovely. Ooh, I may have to try reading while we drive sometime! Although my dad and I are usually accompanied by an entourage of siblings whenever we're driving somewhere...It's true, sharing stories with dads seems to be almost more fun than sharing them with other people. :)