Hi people :)
So this is my second book review in a relatively short period of time. Yep, I've been reading too much for my own good.
Robin Hobb has always struck me as a great writer in a rather unique sense. I'm a real fantasy freak and am particular about the fantasy that I read. Before I read anything of Hobb's I was quite convinced that she'd be writing a rather poor first person narration with a conventional story line. Which is why I began with reading her Liveship Traders trilogy as it's a lot more difficult to publish a bad third person narration than is to publish a bad first person narration.
Lo and behold, when I finished Ship of Magic, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Hobb was more than the regular fantasy writer. What strikes me about Hobb's prose more than any other fantasy writer is her affinity for creating real characters and winning a reader's sympathy for them. She's not scared of being cruel to her characters and that makes for an interesting and unpredictable read.
Royal Assassin, like Assassin's Apprentice, was no exception to Hobb's style. Her complex plot lines never tilt quite the way that you expect them to. She tells a believable story of character development and character growth. And the best part: It all takes place within a realm in which magic is possible.
Her world too is a vast expanse that she develops effectively with each passing book.
Her melodramatic prose is perhaps Hobb's main flaw. Even her first person narration is fairly believable. It is the fact that she overdescribes to try to get an exaggerated effect, and consequently ends up with a slightly diminished effect.
Hobb's stories themselves are enthralling and are worth reading, especially if you like fantasy.
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