Last week, I launched this feature so I can yap about all things RoTE. I’m already into the second book of the Farseer Trilogy, so I figured I’d make a recap for the first book too. This week, I’m sharing my first entry to make up for Assassin’s Apprentice. It’s been a couple of months since I read Assassin’s Apprentice, and while I don’t remember every single detail of every chapter, I remember how it made me feel—and I think that’s enough to keep going.

What stuck with me the most: 

• Fitz was a child caught in something way bigger than himself. 
• He was constantly torn between duty, longing for love, and just… trying to survive. 
• There was a gruff, horse-loving guardian I grew to care for (even when he was frustrating).
• Magic wasn’t flashy—it felt wild and intimate, like something dangerous you whispered about. 
• There was someone hidden in the shadows teaching him how to be useful (and deadly). 
• The palace life was full of politics and power plays, but Fitz was always skirting the edges of it. 
• A few animals stole my heart. And yeah, maybe I cried a little. Maybe.

No detailed recap here—just a memory log. But it’s wild how even vague memories of Hobb’s writing still hit hard. I remember the atmosphere more than anything: lonely, harsh, but weirdly cozy? Like I was living in the halls of Buckkeep with Fitz, just trying to keep my head down and not die.

I was worried I wouldn’t be able to pick things up again, but Royal Assassin kind of welcomed me back like I never left. The tone, the pain, the quiet magic—it’s all still there. And I’m already emotionally invested. Again.