Re-Read Review: Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

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Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Published: 27th March 2014 | Publisher: HarperVoyager | Source: Bought
Robin Hobb’s Website

The kingdom of the Six Duchies is on the brink of civil war when news breaks that the crown prince has fathered a bastard son and is shamed into abdication. The child's name is Fitz, and he is despised.

Raised in the castle stables, only the company of the king's fool, the ragged children of the lower city, and his unusual affinity with animals provide Fitz with any comfort.

To be useful to the crown, Fitz is trained as an assassin; and to use the traditional magic of the Farseer family. But his tutor, allied to another political faction, is determined to discredit, even kill him. Fitz must survive: for he may be destined to save the kingdom. From The StoryGraph.

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Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features child abuse, drug use/addiction, regerence to rape, abuse, misogyny, violence against women, animal cruelty/animal death, references to suicide, suicidal ideation, child abuse, ableist language, eference to paefophilia, and regerence to abuse of the disabled.

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Review: Seeress of Kell by David Eddings

Seeress of Kell by David Eddings (Borrowed) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

Now in the final stages of their quest for his son, Garion and his companions travel to Kell to consult the only undamaged copy of the Malloreon Gospels. For centuries the Seers have guarded this book from the Grolims and even had their wizards put a curse of blindness on any Grolim who tried to enter Kell.

So, as proclaimed in Guardians of the West, Belgarion the Godslayer sets out with those who must join him: the Eternal Man, the Guide, the Man with Two Lives, the Bearer of the Orb and the Silent Man, and the rest of his companions to The Place Which Is No More to make the final choice - darkness or light.

But Zandramas the Sorceress will not be outdone. Though she may not enter Kell she still has young Geran and should she reach the final meeting place with him, then Garion must slay his son or the world will be no more. From Goodreads.

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Review: Sorceress of Darshiva by David Eddings

Sorceress of Darshiva by David Eddings (Borrowed) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

In this fourth book of The Malloreon, Garion and his companions continue their desperate search for Zandramas, the Child of Dark and abductor of Garion's baby son, Geran. Led by the orb from Mallorea to the island of Melcena, they discover the place where the sardion once rested and also find Senji, a self-taught wizard whose undamaged copy of the Ashabine oracles carries a message for Garion from the evil god Torak.

As Zandramas's intention to fulfil the Dark Destiny becomes clear, Garion and his friends know that they must travel to Kell. There they will discover from the Malloreon Gospels the truth of their ultimate destination, The Place Which Is No More. But the friends are not alone in their search as the prophecies of Cyradis, the Seeress of Kell, begin to be fulfilled. From Goodreads.

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Review: King of the Murgos by David Eddings

King of the Murgos by David Eddings (Borrowed) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

In this second book of The Malloreon, Garion and Ce'Nedra continue the quest begun in Guardians of the West. In their party travel the immortal Belgarath the Sorcerer, his daughter Polgara the Sorceress, and the little Drasnian, Silk.

Garion knows that it is the mysterious figure Zandramas who is responsible for the abduction of his infant son, and he and his companions journey many miles and encounter many strange beings in their search for him.

Their way leads through the foul swamps of Nyissa, ruled over by the Snake-Queen, and on into the dark kingdom of the Murgos, where human sacrifices are still made to the dead god Torak. Further on, however, even beyond those forbidding lands, they must face the ultimate danger - not only to themselves but to all mankind... From Goodreads.

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Review: Guardians of the West by David Eddings

Guardians of the West by David Eddings (Borrowed) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the previous series, the Belgariad. Read no further if you're planning on reading the Belgariad and don't want it spoilt for you.

Warned by the prophecy that a new and greater danger threatens the lands of the west, Garion, Belgarath and Polgara must begin another quest to save the lands from great evil.

Three years have passed since Garion's killing of the evil god Torak and his marriage to Ce'Nedra. He is now Overlord of the West, slowly learning how to cope with the duties of a king and to overcome the difficulties within his marriage.

When the Orb of Aldur warns Garion to 'Beware Zandramas!' the Voice of Prophecy reveals that somewhere in the unknown land of the East the Dark Prophecy still exists and that great new dangers threaten.

While Belgarath and Garion seek to uncover the nature of this threat, Garion's baby son is kidnapped. All evidence points to the loathsome Bear-cult, which has gained power once more, and Garion leads an army bent on its destruction. But there are even more sinister forces at work, and Garion and his followers must look towards the malign and mysterious evil of Zandramas. Their quest must begin again. From Goodreads.

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Review: Enchanter's End Game by David Eddings

Enchanter's End Game by David Eddings - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

The quest was over. The Orb of Aldur was restored. And once again, with the crowning of Garion, there was a descendant of Rive Iron-Grip to rule as Overlord of the West.

But the Prophecy was unfullfilled. In the wast, the evil God Torak was about to awaken and seek dominion. Somehow, Garion had to face the God, to kill or be killed. On the outcome of that dread duel rested the destiny of the world. now accompanied by his grandfather, the ancient sorcerer Belgarath, Garion headed towards the City of Endless Night, where Torak awaited him.

To the south, his fiancée, the Princess Ce'Nedra, led the armies of the West in a desperate effort to divert the forces of Torak's followers from the man she loved.

The Prophecy drove Garion on. But it gave no answer to the question that haunted him: How does a man kill an immortal God? From the blurb.

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Review: Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings

Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

It had all begun with the theft of the Orb that had so long protected the West from the evil God Torak. Before that, Garion had been a simple farm boy. Afterward, he discovered that his aunt was really the Sorceress Polgara and his grandfather was Belgarath, the Eternal Man. Then, on the long quest to recover the Orb, Garion found to his dismay that he, too, was a sorcerer.

Now, at last, the Orb was regained and the quest was nearing its end. Of course, the questors still had to escape from this crumbling enemy fortress and flee across a desert filled with Murgo soldiers searching for them, while Grolim Hierarchs strove to destroy them with dark magic. Then, somehow, they must manage to be in Riva with the Orb by Erastide.

After that, however, Garion was sure that his part in these great events would be finished.

But the Prophecy still held future surprises for Garion--and for the little princess Ce'Nedra. From the blurb.

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Review: Magician's Gambit by David Eddings

Magician's Gambit by David Eddings - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

Ce'Nedra, Imperial Princess of Tolnedra, was confused.

Everyone knew that the tales of the Orb that protected the WEst from the evil God Torak were just silly legends. But here she was, forced to join a serious and dangerous quest to recover that stolen Orb. No one believed in sorcery. Yet Garion's aunt and Grandfather seemed to be the fabled sorcerers Polgara and Belgarath, who would have to be thousands of years old. Even young Garion was learning to do things that could only be sorcery.

Garion! He was nothing byt a farm boy, totally unsuitable for an Imperial Princess. Then why did she have such an urge to teach him, to brush his tangled hair, and to comfort him?

Now he was going to a strange tower in the centre of all he believed evil, to face some horrible, powerful magician. And she wouldn't be there to watch over him. He might be killed! She'd never see him again... From the blurb

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Review: Queen of Sorcery by David Eddings

Queen of Sorcery by David Eddings - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

Legends told of how the evil God Torak had coveted the power of the Orb of Aldur, until defeated in a final battle.

But the prophecy spoke of a time when he would awake and again seek dominance over all the world. Now the Orb had been stolen by a priest of Torak, and that time was at hand.

The master Sorcerer Belgarath and his daughter Polgara the arch-sorceress were on the trail of the Orb, seekung to regain it before the final disaster. And with them went Garion, a simple farm boy only months before, but now in the focus of the struggle. He had never believed in sorcery and wanted no part of it. Yet with every league they travelled, the power grew in him, forcing him to acts of wizardry he could not accept. From the blurb.

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Review: Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings

Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings - Long ago, the Storyteller claimed, in this first book of THE BELGARIAD, the evil god Torak drove men and Gods to war. But Belgarath the Sorcerer led men to reclaim the Orb that protected men of the West. So long as it lay at Riva, the prophecy went, men would be safe.

But Garion did not believe in such stories. Brought up on a quiet farm by his Aunt Pol, how could he know that the Apostate planned to wake dread Torak, or that he would be led on a quest of unparalleled magic and danger by those he loved--but did not know...? From Goodreads

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Review: The Hidden City by David Eddings

The Hidden City by David Eddings - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

THE ULTIMATE BATTLE

Sparhawk, the Greatest of Pandion Knights, has offered freedom to the Troll-Gods trapped in the Blue Rose in exchange for their aid in fighting Cyrgon, the sinister god of the Cyrgai. But Cyrgon has turned to the unspeakable arts of Zemoch magic in his war against the Tamul Empire. He has brought back to the world the very essence of evil which was cast out at the beginning of time by Azash and the other Elder Gods. Klæl! As ancient as the Blue Rose, and as powerful.

The ultimate battle between Blue Rose and Klæl must be fought - though Ehlana is helf prisoner by the enemy in the Hidden City, defended by Klæl. The time for strategy and hope is past. From the blurb.

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Review: The Shining Ones by David Eddings

The Shining Ones by David Eddings - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

HAVOC AND WAR

Prince Sparhawk is pledged to fight the enemies of the Tamul Emperor Sarabian with all the skill and cunning of a Pandion Knight. Meanwhile his Queen, Ehlana, educates Sarabian in the art of ruthless statesmanship. Sarabian is transformed from a mere puppet ruler into a formindable politician. But still Trolls, vampires, werewolves, zombies, ghouls and Ogres form a vast conspiracy to take over the Empire. Most disturbing of all are the reported sightings of Shining Ones amongst the hordes. These luninous beings inspire more fear than the rest combined. And Sparhawk and his companions must resurrect the sacred jewel of the Troll-Gods to combat them.

The enemies of the Empire know that possession of the jewel makes Sparhawk as dangerous as any god. But gods are among his foes. And while Sparhawk defends the far-flung Tamul Empire, he cannot also protect his beautiful Queen. From the blurb

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Review: Domes of Fire by David Eddings

Domes of Fire by David Eddings - PRINCE SPARHAWK AND THE TROLL-GODS

Queen Ehlana and the Pandion Knight Sir Sparhawk are married, their kindfom peaceful at last, their union blessed with a very special daughter named Danae. But soon trouble sweeps westward from the Tamul Empire to disrupt not only the living of Eosia but the dead: horrific armies are being raised from the dust of the long-past Age of Heroes, threatening the peace won at such a cost in Zemoch.

Prince Sparhawk is called upon to help the Tamuli nations defeat these ancient horrors. Perhaps the Troll-Gods are once more loose in the world! With Ehlana and a retinue of Pandion Knights, Sparhawk will make the hazardous journey to the Tamuli Empire, aided by Aphrael the child Goddess...only to discover in fire-domed Matherion, the incandescent Tamuli capital, that the enemy is already within its gates.

Domes of Fire begins a spectacular new David Eddings trilogy, The Tamuli. Full of marvels and humour, full of romance and shrewdness, above all full of magic, the resources of the epic form are mined deep by the greatest of modern fantasy writers. From the blurb.

WARNING: This is a follow up trilogy to David Eddings' The Elenium. The events in these books take place several years after those in The Elenium, with the same characters. Therefore, this series - and so also my review - discusses things revealed in the previous trilogy. Read no further if you plan on reading The Elenium but don't wish it to be spoiled for you. Click here to be taken to the end of my review for links to my reviews of the books in The Elenium.

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Review: The Sapphire Rose by David Eddings

The Sapphire Rose by David Eddings - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

Finally the knight Sparhawk had come to possess Bhelliom, the legendary jewel of magic. With it, he frees Queen Ehalana from the crystalline cocoon that preserves her life, but Bhellion carries dangers of its own. And now Sparkhawk is being stalked by a dark lurking menace that is only the beginning of his troubles.... From Goodreads

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Review: The Ruby Knight by David Eddings

The Ruby Knight by David Eddings - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

Quest for the jewel of life.

Enter the world of warring kingdoms, magic and marvels, political intrigues - enter the enthralling world of THE ELENIUM.

In this second volume, Ehlana, young Queen of Elenia, clings to life by a thread, preserved within a diamond-like block of crustal conjured by the sorceress Sephrenia. But there is a price to pay - twelve Pandion Knights must sacrifice their lives to keep her alive for just one year.

Only one thing is powerful enough to save Ehlana - the Bhelliom, an exquisite and magical jewel that has been lost for centuries. Sparhawk, the Queen's Champion, and his band of allies must set off on a perilous quest to locate the precious stone. But the evil God Azash has plans for it himself... From the blurb.

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Review: The Diamond Throne by David Eddings

The Diamond Throne by David Eddings - Sparhawk, Pandion Knight and Queen's Champion, returns from a long spell of exile to find his native land overrun with evil and intrigue - and his young Queen grievously ill. Indeed, Ehlana lies magically entombed within a block of crystal, doomed to die unless a cure can be found within the year.

But as Sparhawk and his allies - who include Sephrenia, he ageless sorceress, and Flute, the strange and powerful girl-child - seek to save Ehlana and the land, they discover that evil is even greater and more pervasive than they had feared...

Truly a gem of epic fantasy from the modern master of the genre, The Diamond Throne will delight existing legions of Eddings fans - and gain him further devoted myriads of enchanted readers. From the blurb.

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Review: My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent (Re-Read)

My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent - When teenager Kaylee screams, someone dies...So when teen pop star Eden dies onstage and Kaylee doesn't wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can't cry for someone who has no soul. The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad's ironclad curfew and putting her too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend's loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls: a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld - a consequence they can't possibly understand. Kaylee can't let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk. From Amazon UK.

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Review: My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent (Re-read)

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent - Being a teenager just got much more complicated. There is something very wrong with Kaylee Cavanaugh: she senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally. Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about the need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next. From Amazon UK

WARNING! This is a re-read review for the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge. Although this is the first book in the series, I will be discussing it in relation to my first read and the later books in the series. There will be major spoilers for ALL books! You may read my original, spoiler-free review of My Soul to Take, but do not read any further if you don't want this series spoiled for you.

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