Assassin's Apprentice

Book: Assassin's Apprentice
Series: The Farseer Trilogy #1
Author: Robin Hobb

Fitz is a royal bastard, cast out into the world with only his magical link with animals for solace and companionship.
But when Fitz is adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways and learn a new life: weaponry, scribing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly. Meanwhile, raiders ravage the coasts, leaving the people Forged and soulless. As Fitz grows towards manhood, he will have to face his first terrifying mission, a task that poses as much a risk to himself as it does to his target: Fitz is a threat to the throne… but he may also be the key to the future of the kingdom.-Goodreads

Review: This book has been on my TBR shelf for years and I finally took the time to read it.  Fitz is a sympathetic protagonist with a tragic backstory who can't catch a break. There were a lot of secondary characters, the only ones really making an impression were Burrich, Fiitz's (kind of) surrogate father figure, Chade, the royal assassin, and Patience, the widow of Fitz's father. 

Overall, it was a good fantasy novel with strong world building and minor magical elements. It was slow at times and quite repetitive, but I was cheering for Fitz as a character and wanted him to succeed (with the crap hand he was dealt in life). 

Grade: 3/5