Title: Fool’s Quest

Author: Robin Hobb

Series: The Fitz and The Fool #2

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: After nearly killing his oldest friend, the Fool, and finding his daughter stolen away by those who were once targeting the Fool, FitzChivarly Farseer is out for blood. And who better to wreak havoc than a highly trained and deadly former royal assassin? Fitz might have let his skills go fallow over his years of peace, but such things, once learned, are not so easily forgotten. And nothing is more dangerous than a man who has nothing left to lose…

The Book Review:

After loving Robin Hobb for so long, I kept thinking there’d come a point where her work would stop dazzling me at every turn. That maybe I’d get used to it or something. What I didn’t expect was to love her more and more with every book, and Fool’s Quest was one of her best yet!

After following Fitz’ journey for eight books now, I am at the point in the story where every minute revelation about the characters or the world (and the history and magic within it) strikes me as profound. I find myself completely immersed in the pages, eagerly seeking my next discovery – discoveries that percolate in my brain and keep me thinking about them months, even years later. But that’s just the kind of brilliant storyteller Robin Hobb is. I remember with the same vivid clarity things that happened in the first trilogy as I do those that happened within the last book. The ending of Fool’s Fate rocked my world so much, it’s partially responsible for why I started a book blog (I just HAD to talk about it).

I think part of the reason these books have such an impact is the culmination of story. What made Fool’s Quest so profound is that it finally converged Fitz’ tale with Hobb’s other stories (Liveship & Rain Wild) that were only on the periphery up until this point – and it was AWESOME in the truest sense of the word. It’s as if all that came before was one long buildup to this brilliant moment where everything finally converges… AND THEN THE BOOK ENDED!!! And I’m on the floor sobbing because I have to wait another year to experience the final book in the trilogy.

What makes these books hard to wait for is what also makes them so special to me. They evoke real emotion and a sense of love and loss that is almost unparalleled by anything else I’ve ever read. Hobb continues to make a very compelling case to claim the spot as my favorite author. When I think about my reading experience, I’m always grateful for her books and how they’ve shaped me as a reader, reviewer, and writer.

Overall, if you like fantasy, I consider Hobb a must-read. The slow pacing of her stories allows you to savor every moment and become completely immersed in this world and these characters. I always come away with a fulfilled sense of having lived another life. I can’t help but recommend them as often as I can – start with Assassin’s Apprentice, you won’t regret it!

*Thank you Random House Publishing Group, NetGalley, and Robin Hobb for the chance to read and review an early copy of Fool’s Quest– you made my year!!

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by Niki Hawkes