In a great conclusion to what many call an epic tale, Beloved and FitzChivalry Farseer go on a journey of vengeance and discovery, only to find out the peace that they were searching for may have been inside themselves all along.

At times redundant and sentimental, every word of this manuscript really dives into the relationships of two characters we watched grow up through pain and great amounts of suffering. 

Robin Hobb's works always tend more toward character study than a forward and fast plot, but this book almost had too much plot for me. I've read these books for over a decade, including all of her other trilogies set in the same world, and they all come to clash and mesh into what feels like a long sentimental and final goodbye.

Bee Farseer (which this trilogy really focuses on), is a great character, combining so many different personalities into one tiny and powerful package made for a great read. While we visited A LOT of old friends, Bee always remained the most interesting to me, even if the story started to veer into old territory.

The Fool, who I consider to be one of my favorite characters in literature, begins to show his true colors as the book reaches its final conclusion. Selfishness, vanity, conceit, duality, and manipulativeness all come into play, and it isn't really that bad to see all of those traits finally start to come out at one time. 
​
Fitz has made many a long journey, and none so far as to deal vengeance for his stolen child, but in the end we see more of what makes his character weak, instead of strong, and what characteristics tend to make the Fool vain and narcissistic. Fitz's friendships and life goals finally start to reap great rewards in this chapter of his life, and it's about time.

​In the end all our heroes are people, and maybe all they really needed was attention and true love shown to one another.

I sobbed my eyes out at the end==truly a perfect end to a tremendous series of books.

I’ve always loved how this series pulls no punches. What an epic way to finish. In true Hobbs fashion, we are taken on an epic ride, one that will leave you emotionally drained. Will I miss the Characters? Yes. Will my life be empty and void without Fitz? Of course, but at least I have the option of starting over and reading again from the beginning.  

This review was written by Confessions of an Ex-Ballerina http://www.exballerina.com it will go live on 5-27

I was thrilled to receive a copy of this book. I have read each book with FitzChivalry Farseer and I sit her with tears streaming down my cheeks filled with emotion over the end of one of my most beloved characters. 

This story was somewhat different because the narrative often switched between the voice of Fitz and that of his daughter Bee. Each chapter switch that occurs has you on the edge of your seat as you alternate between hope, despair, anger and triumph. 

I could, and probably will, read this entire 9 book series over again. I have recommended it to all those that share my love of reading and will continue to do so.

This is a story that reaches all of us that read epic series such as Lord of the Rings and Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. I am so glad to have discovered this series I wholeheartedly recommend this book and each of its predecessors to everyone who loves to read.

This is a book of utter majesty. I have never been so satisfied with the ending of a series this size. The characterization is so superbly written that I forget I'm reading and feel I am actually inside the Realm of the Elderlings myself. I cried more than once, and immediately started to reread once I finished the book. Favorite series, favorite author, bar none.

A grand Finale. If you have read any of Robin Hobb's Elderling books then you really need to read this one. She brings the entire series to a very satisfying & Organic conclusion. The pacing of this book is really good and as always with Hobb's books the characters feel very real. Robin hobb has merged her Farseer and LiveShip stories in this book and she does a fantastic job of merging them.

*** Spoiler Warning ***

What I loved about the book is how Robin hobb handled the relationship between Fitz, Fool and Bee. I also loved the parts in Kelsingra. I also loved the interaction between characters from the two series. What I did not like was the suffering that Bee went through. I think we had already connected to the character and invested in the story I did not need to see her go through more of it. Fitz felt very clumsy in the second half of the book and I did not enjoy those pieces. Finally I did not like the liveships birthing real dragons. I felt that was a big stretch and a clumsy way to close that thread. Regardless this is a must read for anyone who likes Hobb.

The end is finally here, whether we were ready for it or not.

The Fool and the Assassin barrel headlong toward their certain deaths. There has been no pause in that momentum since Fool's Quest. While this may be a welcome plot dynamic to some readers, the sustained level of tension is at risk of becoming tiring before the mid-point of the book. Despite this consistency, the emotional ride of Assassin's Fate is a classic Hobb rollercoaster. So grab your Feels, and let's jump into it.

The characters. If you've been following Hobb throughout the series, you know them well. Fitz, the Fool, and their fam have been strongly established (if somewhat turned on their heads in this new trilogy). There is still room for character development in Assassin's Fate, but expect it to be jarring. 

Robin Hobb's movement within character is always smooth, but there were times in the new book where it began to push at the bounds of reality in a way I don't expect of her. For good or ill, Assassin's Fate really is the sum of all books previous; which if we remember, were founded on the experiment of taking cliche and reviving it to relevance. Our dynamic duo have come a long way from their first pages, but they do still ring true to their classic traits. 

What is perhaps most exciting about Assassin's Fate is the depth it adds to the southern lands of the Realm of the Elderlings. As their histories, myths, and society unfold, we are greeted once again with a magical, sinister place that could rival Bingtown with its interesting turns. 

Personally, I was overjoyed (and over-angst'd) to learn more of the time between the Fool's years at his school of prophecy and arriving in Buck. One thing that continually brings me back is this inherent mystery of this character - which he manages to retain, despite divulging a few more of his secrets.

At the end, I was left with a feeling so conflicted - both overwhelmed with love for these fools and incredibly frustrated with the nature of their finish. I'm not sure what I wanted, but this ending left me unsettled. For this reason as well as some of the plot arc and characterization quibbles, I will only rate Assassin's Fate a 4.5. However, it's definitely still worth reading.

Prepare yourself. I'm not sure it will be enough. This book might wreck you in all the good ways.

"The Fool. Then Lord Golden. Mage Gray. And now Lady Amber. All different. Yet always my friend." - Fitzchivalry Farseer

A hard-to-put-down addition to Farseer lore. Fitz and the Fool continue to surprise, newer characters in the saga become fleshed-out gems worthy of their own tomes, and plots thicken and thicken until you wish everyone would just go away until you get to the last page.

Thanks, NetGalley, for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

With this massive tome, Hobb brings her fifth and final trilogy about the assassin Fitz and his catalyst, Fool, to a tearful, fitting end. For the last twenty years I have read Fitz's tales and this one was no disappointment. It's a huge book which could easily be two or three books in itself, but that would break apart the whole idea of trilogy in itself. 

I have to confess that I was not enamored with Amber. Like Fitz I wanted the Fool back...the one with whom we all fell in love. But their journey had never been an easy one. I loved Bee and her feisty spirit and incredible power which I felt was dampened a great deal at the end of the novel, after her amazing triumphs in Clerres. But all in all, it was an incredibly satisfying read. 

If you haven't read any of the books in Robin Hobb's world, I recommend that you start at the beginning. It will be a long, wonderful quest with characters that will wrap themselves around your heart.

Oh, what a bittersweet book this is! Robin Hobb can pull on my heartstrings like few other authors can. I don't want to spoil it, so let's just say that this book will be a highly emotional one if you've been along with Fitz and the Fool across their many series in the Realm of the Elderlings.

This is the book where it all comes together for a very dramatic finale. If you happened to think the first two books were slow, this one definitely isn't. Bee comes into her own power. There are fitting story endings for all. I even grew to like Lant!

I have a strong sense that this is the end of the Realm of the Elderlings novels. It wraps them all together beautifully. I suppose there is room for more with a new generation of characters, but I don't think I want more. There's a sense of conclusion with hope for the future of that world and that really is a perfect place to end.

"Don't doubt us, or we are lost."
"Fitz, my love, that is the problem. I do not doubt Bee's dreams at all" 
 
*this review contains mild spoilers for all previous Robin Hobb books*

* * * * *
5 / 5

I don't really have the words to say how much this series, these books, these characters have meant to me. But I will, nevertheless, try my best. I read Assassin's Apprentice when I was thirteen years old, and I genuinely believe that it changed my life, so when Robin Hobb announced that she would be writing the Fitz & the Fool trilogy a few years back, I was absolutely delighted. Whilst I enjoyed Fool's Assassin and Fool's Quest, they pale next to this stunning conclusion. Mostly, this is a result of a clear plot direction and the reunion of FitzChivalry and Beloved.   

I whispered the words to myself. "I don't do this for the world. I do it for myself." Quietly I rose and left him the table and the brandy

To appreciate this masterpiece, I truly think one must read all of Robin Hobb's other Realm of the Elderlings works first: not only the Farseer trilogy and the Tawny Man trilogy, but also the Liveship Traders and the Rain Wild Chronicles. You can pass on the Soldier Son books. Assassin's Fate brings together all these wonderful strands from those series: Paragon, the liveship The Pariah, the mad ship, to Malta and Reyn and Tintaglia and the Bingtown traiders and Wintrow and Althea and Boy-O and Kennitson and Heeby and Amber. Then there is Verity and Shrewd and Kettricken and Nighteyes and Chade, remembered through memories and given fitting endings. There are far too many elements to name and Hobb brings them all together in this book. Read the others first, not only to stop yourself being spoiled, but so that you can savour Assassin's Fate and all it's references.

It is impossible too, to underestimate the span of the Realm of the Elderlings books. I have watched and read and, in some peculiar way, lived the lives of five generations of Farseer; I have followed the life of Fitzchivalry Farseer for over fifty years and thousands upon thousands of pages. From Shrewd and Chade, to Verity and Regal and Chivalry, to FitzChivalry, to Bee and Nettle and Hap and Chivalry (again), to Nettle's daughter Hope. From Kettricken, child princess of the Mountain Kingdom to elderly Queen who still cannot tell Fitz that she loves him. These books are cyclic in a way. Not only do Fitz and the Fool do their strange dance of using each other, of trusting and betraying and loving each other, all the way to the bitter end, but we see young and wild princes mature (Fitz, Dutiful, Kennitson), themes of naming and identity (Ash/Spark, FitzVigilant/Lantern/Lant, Fool/Amber/Lord Golden/Lord Chance/Beloved), duty, love and loss explored over and over.

"But the world spins on and there is a destined path. You can only tip it so far before it rights itself! It's all inevitable now. I see, but you refuse to look"

We pick up the plot with Bee kidnapped by Dwalia and the Servants of the White, dragged through a Skill-pillar and thought to be dead and lost by FitzChivalry. Bee's tale is a sad one. Ten years old and small and pale, she is thought to be The Unexpected Son by Dwalia and Vindeliar and so is dragged to Clerres, the White Island. Upon Clerres, nothing is as it ought to be. Where once there was one White Prophet for each lifetimes, now they breed Whites and half-Whites for the sole purpose of harvesting their dreams in order manipulate the future into making them richer and richer. Clerres is rule by the Four, who tortured the Fool and Prilkop when they returned there after Aslevjal. Meanwhile, Fitz, the Fool, Perseverance (a stable boy at Withywoods), Spark (the Fool's serving girl and Chade's apprentice), and Lant (Chade's bastard child) begin a quest to Clerres to cease the rule of the Four and claim vengeance for Bee. They are supported in this aim by Tintaglia, the dragon, who recalls some outrageous grievance against the dragons by Clerres.

The pace of this book is, like the other two Fitz & The Fool books, slow. It is leisurely. We meander between Bee and Fitz and, whilst my love for Bee Farseer has grown exponentially since she first appeared, I still prefer Fitz's chapters. Not only are those the ones with the dragons and the Rain Wilds and the liveships, but I also love him and Beloved far more than I could ever love Bee (sorry, Bee). Whilst there is plenty of action and it is wonderful to see an older (I think he is somewhere between sixty and sixty five) Fitz take up again the role of the assassin, this is a long and weighty book. The writing itself is the same style Hobb has always used, hopefully you know by now whether you like it or not! Personally, I think her first person style is excellent, and I went highlighter crazy all over my copy. I like to pepper my review with quotes, mostly to break it up and give people a sense of how an author writes, and I had a lot of excellent quotes to choose from.

My fate was here and only I could shape it. It stole my breath away. And as I gazed, I felt my heart lift, just as the minstrels described it could happen. I was here and the great work of my life was before me

The characters all have great development, Bee in particular. I found her a bit whiny is Fool's Assassin, but here she really comes into her own. I was reminded a bit of Nona in Mark Lawrence's book Red Sister; Bee is ten but has learned from Wolf-Father (Nighteyes) how to be a predator. How to make her prey afraid of her. How to rip out chunks from grown men and where to stick a knife. Yet she retains that strong love for her mother and father whilst she begins to explore what it means to be a White, to see the paths of the future spreading out before her. I definitely grew to adore Bee. On the other half of the storyline, whilst there is a little less page time devoted to Lant and Spark than there has been previously and virtually no appearance of Shun, Perseverance is a delight to read about. He flourishes in life aboard a liveship, but struggles with the loss of his normal life at Withywoods.

But, obviously, the real interest here is the interactions between Fitz and the Fool and his myriad of masks. The Fool spends a lot of time as Amber, the woman who took up residence in Bingtown as a wood carver, a lady who Fitz doesn't particularly like or trust. Their interactions have matured, these are not two young boys anymore, yet we still see the past in them. There are still hints of the Fitz who stormed the corridors of Buckkeep, raging because Lord Golden had insinuated that people thought they were lovers. But no more does Fitz balk at the name Beloved. A particularly wonderful moment is when Fitz meets Paragon, the liveship carved in his likeness, and Paragon is not pleased.

"Walk away," Amber said in a small deadly voice. "Walk away, Fitz. From things you don't want to hear. Things you don't want to feel. Things you don't want to know"

Fitz himself is growing old, tired under the weight of yet another quest but still burning with anger at the supposed death of his daughter. This one last time he packs his pockets with poisons and bears his axe to his own personal war. He aches with the loss of Withywoods, the life he thought he had finally settled down in. He is vicious and angry and so very tired of war and prophecies and loss and the Skill. To write such a believable character, to develop him from a small child to an older man is an incredible feat of writing, I think. I can see in this old Fitz the boy I admired when I was thirteen, the boy who ran half wild with a pack of children in the docks of Buckkeep town, stealing sausages and running with Smithy. I admit, my heart warmed a little every time he was casually addressed as Prince FitzChivalry; I recall reading the Tawny Man series for the first time and wanting to chuck Prince Dutiful off the tower, every time he referred to Fitz as "peasant Badgerlock" or some nonsense. "Don't you see?" I wanted to shake the annoying Dutiful by the shoulders, "Don't you see how much this man has given, how much he has lost? This is FitzChivalry Farseer, the man who has given everything for a crown he can never have." 

Hobb has written old, weary Fitz wonderfully and given him the most perfect ending I could have wished for. Good god. The ending. I knew it was going to happen and yet it was still so sorrowful and poignant and perfectly fitting. I shan't spoil it and will only say that I honestly think that there was no better conclusion. My only complaint is that it is so final, that there is little chance of a continuation. Though if Hobb wrote any more, I would devour it in a heartbeat. 

"Don't go where I can't follow you. Don't leave me behind."

I have written a long rambling review, yet don't feel that I have written enough. Assassin's Fate made me laugh and cry and remember the earlier books with such fondness that the moment I turned the final page I wanted to pick up Assassin's Apprentice and read all of them all over again. If anyone reading this review has not read Assassin's Apprentice, then for the love of god go and read it! Assassin's Fate is the culmination of a tale that is fantasy fiction as it ought to be written. 

My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book. I cannot thank them enough.

'Are you ready,my brother?'

Thank you Robin Hobb.
I can't lie. There have been tears. What a wonderful gift this series has been and what a wonderful final episode.

All strands were connected and interwoven in such an amazing way. Did Robin know how she wanted the story to end up all those years ago when she wrote the Assassin's Apprentice? It boggles my mind. I also found it slightly strange as well as delightful to see the worlds of the Elderlings and Kelsingra combine with Fitz's. Have you ever seen Bedknobs and Broomsticks? Well it was a bit like that when the real cinematic world combined with the animation!
I noted so many memorable scenes while reading that I thought to cite in this review, but I'm not going to spoil your fun. 
I have (almost) never minded the long and winding way in which Robin tells her stories. Every word, you realise afterwards, had its place and its reason. But in this book I found the story Zimmerman right along from page 1. No more hints and subtle foreshadowing: all that's been done already in the previous books. THIS is the big reveal, where everything comes together.
The ending was fitting and perfect.
Please don't read this unless you've read the preceding volumes of this work. I'm sure Robin wouldn't thank me for saying this, but to me this is her Magnum Opus.

Thanks to Netgalley, Robin Hobb and Random House Publishing group for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Arrrrrrgh. How do you rate a book that made your heart ache?

Robin Hobb, it is clear, sees her characters as living breathing creatures. They are not paper creations serving as plot points, or throwaway side characters, or ones who only step in to save the day. In Assassin's Apprentice, we meet Fitz. Scruffy, illegitimate, sent to live away from his mother. Taken in by Chade, made an assassin - a profession he never wanted. He was to serve the king, which kept him from following his heart. Yet Fitz found ways, eh? He found Nighteyes, and they were pack. He found Molly. Burrich took him in. Later, Patience, and Verity, and all those who loved him well. Of course, we can't forget the Fool. What a complicated, frustrating love he had for Fitz.

It's not just Fitz, either - the Liveship Traders series - Althea, fiery and proud. Malta, who started out annoying and deceptive but grew into wisdom and strength with the aid of dragons. Kennit and his perverse and abused back story. His small redemption with Etta. The liveships themselves - Vivacia, and poor twisted Paragon, who gains a redemption of his own.

The dragons! Tintaglia, Heeby, Icefyre (his head on the hearth! Oh, how that made me cheer). The silver, the elderlings, the complex magic in Hobb's world, the details, the way she made you hate Kennit while you pitied him, or loathed Regal, but understood why he did what he did. Fear Paragon, and yet understand how Althea could love him.

In this, Assassin's Fate, you see it all. Robin Hobb (or Megan) brings all the loose ends in and weaves such a backstory, such connections, that I marveled at how seamlessly it was done, at her skill. Then I thought how satisfying, to finally GET things, that "Ahhhh, now I see," feeling. But that was immediately followed by sadness, because oh, no. If she lays bare the mysteries of the past, what more will there be to tell? But she kept on, and next thing I knew, they had all come together. The dragons, the liveships, Fitz and the Fool, Bee all mixed up in the Fool's past. Icefyre! Even the ghost of Nighteyes, speaking in Fitz's mind, sounding as he always did. I was simultaneously overwhelmed with joy and sadness. That was this book for me.

How does Robin Hobb complete a book like this? With a great respect for all those she's loved, all the characters she's made me love. In just the right way. So that you put it down when done, and cry, and smile, and think, "I wouldn't want these characters in anyone else's hands, ever." Nighteyes lives on. Every time our dog huddles up to my husband, and my husband says, "Yes. We're pack." Every time I wonder why I am not using my claws, why I am close to giving up, I think, "Heh, that's something the wolf would say."

If you have not touched these books, if you keep meaning to and put it off, if you think, "Eh, I don't like dragons," well, stop it. Get the Farseer series. Read it. Then decide.

Oh. The usual - received as a galley in exchange for my honest review.

Fantastic book that keeps you reading late at night. It took me a little while to read this book but I am a slow reader.  Very well written. 

I enjoyed the story very much and I know what will be reading anything else that Robin Hobb writes because the books are always so good.

wonderful conclusion for Fitz and Fool. Very emotional, beautiful story. When I heard it would be the end I was upset, but having read it I am ok with this being where their story ends.

4 stars!
I'm tempted to give this 5stars because FitzChivalry is my probably my very favorite book character of all time, and the ending did not disappoint (I've spent the last two hours crying my eyes out) - BUT, in true Robin Hobb style the first 60% of the book was a drag. In fact, my sisters are reading this book and warned me not to spoil it, and I told them that up to that point, I couldn't spoil anything even if I tried - NOTHING had happened. It was reminiscent of the last book of the 1st trilogy where it was just tons of travel time and introspection until the last 25% of the book and then BAM, non stop action and emotion.

I will say that Bee really grew on me in this last book. I really disliked her in books one and two, but she was great in this book. And little Perseverance - he was so adorable. One of my new favorites. So many people in this series overall that I just loved and were so memorable - Verity, Kettricken, Nighteyes, Chade, Burrich - even Motley! Oddly there were others that I feel I should have liked, but just never really did. Dutiful's wife, Nettle, Fool as Amber, Bee when she was young. Molly most of all - I never liked her. Am I the only one that never really "felt" the relationship with her and Fitz?

One of the things I didn't like is I felt like the book took too much time with Rainwild and Liveship stuff. I liked those characters, but those sections went on forever and were totally irrelevant to anyone that didn't read the Liveship or Rainwild books. It felt a little indulgent to me that Hobb seemed to want to write a sequel to their story too, but was foisting it on me in a place I didn't want it (in a Fitz book). 

If I could rate the last 35% of the book - this would be 5 stars. The ending was everything you would want, everything is wrapped up nicely. You'll probably feel like me, absolutely wrung out emotionally, sad to say goodbye to old friends (and let's be honest - their story is done - time to let them go), but satisfied with how things turn out. 

Despite my nitpicks, this series will always be one of my absolute favorites of all time. The characters are fantastic, Hobb can write so beautifully and emotionally. The magic system is great (skilling, wit, dragons, elderlings), the world is so complete and complex. I feel as I do every time I end a beloved series - bittersweet that it ended, and wondering if I'll ever find another series that will ever be so dear to me!

I received a free ARC through Netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Wow. Doesn't seem like twenty years ago when I first came across Robin Hobb's first book, Assassin's Apprentice, and I haven't missed any books over the handful of trilogies based in this world. So, one more time I have fallen back into Fitz's story....

Possible spoilers ahead - 'Ware!

As the third book in the Fitz and the Fool trilogy, the story continues with Fitz and the Fool and a few companions are in the belief his daughter Bee is dead. That being the case, they plan on assassinating the Servants, all of them, in vengeance. At the same time, Bee who is alive is trying to escape her kidnappers. In the long-short of it, both parties are headed to island of the Servants.

Without too many spoilers, Fitz finds Bee, and in the escape Fitz is left behind and the whole party of companions leave. Having left Fitz to die (he was pinned under debris and told them to go) the group travels back home, not knowing Fitz has actually survived (details you will have to read).

Ok ... enough of the story as I don't want to share how it ended....

Wow. I truly did tear up a bit towards the end of the story. Probably about where Fitz is trapped and left behind ... and then later when what happens, happens. I don't think a story has moved me as much as this one has, with me feeling so much for a character. Robin Hobb has done an immaculate job in creating this world and her characters! I hope to see more stories in this world-setting, and am hoping Hobb will continue the story of Bee, Nettle, and other characters.

I am very wary of spoilers so I will just say that this book is everything you have been waiting for if you are a long time follower of the world of Fitz, The fool, Bee and Buck. I can hardly believe that the concluding book of a trilogy of trilogys has kept me so interested, excited and sleepless. Don't start this if you have a lot on, need a good weeks sleep etc as you won't want to stop until it's finished

I was over the moon to receive an arc copy of this book from net galley and Robin Hobb

Assassin's Fate was a fantastic conclusion to an amazing series, but what else could be expected by Robin Hobb.  The fact that the author could make me care so much about these characters that I was almost afraid to read it, because I knew the author was so capable of putting me through an emotional roller coaster, shows the authors strength. My fears were well founded, but it was worth the ride to find the end of the story for two of my favorite characters off all time, Fitz and the Fool.

If you are the kind of person who tears up easily when you read, better have a box of Kleenex ready.

In this final volume of the series, Fitz, the Fool, and their companions continue on their travels to rescue Fitz’s daughter Bee from her abduction by the Servants from the far-off island of Clerres, home of the Fool’s prophetic people. Narration is shared between Fitz and Bee, who fights hard to survive her harsh captivity and becomes ever stronger under the wolf Nighteye’s mental companionship. The resolution won for them is hard fought, and as always, Fitz suffers much before he is allowed to rest.

The entire Fitz and the Fool series has read to me as if Hobb is saying farewell to the world she has created through all the books she has written over the years. In the previous novel, Fitz and the others met the characters of the Rain Wilds Chronicles, and in this one, they join forces with people from the Liveship Traders books. Brashen, Althea, Paragon the liveship and more join Fitz on his quest to avenge Bee. This volume presents some exciting developments in regard to the nature of the liveships and their relationship to dragons, too.

This is a long book. At times it’s gripping, but anyone who craves constant action might find some parts of it a bit of a struggle. Travel isn’t always very exciting, and much of the book is spent simply getting to Clerres. (There’s plenty of action once they get there, though.) Fitz also maintains his habit of introspection and worry over his role and how he might fail the Fool and all the others he cares for, something that doesn’t really lend itself to rapid pacing.

The end of the novel is both right and emotionally wrenching. The resolution of the partnership of Fitz, the Fool, and Nighteyes is perfect both in regard to the special bond shared by the three of them and in how it connects back to their early adventures. At the same time, the way Hobb gets them to that point was hard for me to read because I’ve come to love these characters so much. She gives us George R. R. Martin levels of physical suffering toward the end of the book, and I wanted better for Fitz. Yet that ending also allows Hobb to show the profound impact Fitz's life has had in a way that's very moving. It really is all very masterfully written and shows Hobb at her very best as an author.

If you have eagerly followed Fitz’s story over the years, this book is a necessary read and very highly recommended. Just keep those tissues handy.

An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. And then I bought it, because I had to have it.