Assassin’s Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy #1)

Summary:

In a faraway land where members of the royal family are named for the virtues they embody, one young boy will become a walking enigma.

Born on the wrong side of the sheets, Fitz, son of Chivalry Farseer, is a royal bastard, cast out into the world, friendless and lonely. Only his magical link with animals - the old art known as the Wit - gives him solace and companionship. But the Wit, if used too often, is a perilous magic, and one abhorred by the nobility.

So when Fitz is finally adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways and embrace a new life of weaponry, scribing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly, as he trains to become a royal assassin. (Summary and cover courtesy of goodreads.com)

Review:

This was definitely a book with a slow build and a story for the story’s sake.  The book unravels into a meandering story culminating in events that are not completely resolved, but set up for the future books in the series.  Similar to other fantasy epics, we stay with Fitz and he grows up and learns new skills that are tested repeatedly until he becomes a more developed character. 

This is one of those odd books that didn’t feel like a lot happened and yet I struggled to put it down and was eager to find out what happened in each successful chapter.  A really good read, but not one I’d feel particularly driven to reread any time soon.

Warning: Contains repeated violence.

Rating: 4 stars!

Who should read it? High fantasy fans that like some slow build thrown with in with their action.

Want to read the whole series?

• The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince (Fareer Trilogy #0.5)

• Royal Assassin (Farseer Trilogy #2)

• Assassin’s Quest (Farseer Trilogy #3)