Review Swap with Teen Fiction Centre - Assassin's Apprentice

I am pleased to announce that I am participating in a review swap every Saturday with Teen Fiction Centre, a brand new YA review blog! Each Saturday, I will post a guest review from Teen Fiction Centre and Teen Fiction Centre will post a guest review from my blog. Perhaps it will spread the word on different genres in YA fiction, giving both of our readers a wider spectrum of recommendations. I hope you all enjoy and look forward to feedback on this new feature!

This week's genre is FANTASY!

Robin Hobb - Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy #1)

This book is perfect for all fantasy lovers, and combines action and adventure with political intrigue, the hopes of a kingdom, and the simple emotions of a lonely child as he grows up in a strange and unfamiliar land. The book is written in first person, and the imaginative writing style lets the reader see the rich, bright world that Hobb has created through the eyes of the main character, Fitz. Fitz is the illegitimate child of an abdicated heir to the throne, and starts life as Nameless the Dog Boy, brought up by his estranged father's serving man, Burrich. This first book in the Farseer Trilogy tells the story of how Fitz comes to live in Buckkeep, the ruling centre of the Kingdom of the Six Duchies, and how he becomes apprenticed to the Farseer King's mysterious pock-scarred assassin, Chade.

When Fitz finds himself thrown headfirst into life at Buckkeep, the reader explores with him the strange new world, uncovering the many layers of secrets and factions at work in the court. As Fitz grows into his role as the illegitimate son of a prince, and a secret assassin's apprentice, the reader finds his or herself identifying with Fitz, with the first person style of the book allowing the reader to form a true connection with the character. Due to this connection, the reader can feel genuine joy and sadness at the ups and downs of Fitz's first years of life at Buckkeep.

The Kingdom of The Six Duchies is a full and masterfully created world, with the Coastal Duchies of Shoaks, Bearns, Rippon and Buck, and the Inland Duchies of Farrow and Tilth. Through Fitz the reader explores some of this amazing world in Assassin's Apprentice, and the end of the book takes Fitz on a journey to a faraway land, and leaves the reader eager for the next book in the trilogy.

Assassin's Apprentice also introduces Hobb's original and interesting magic system, with the two main players being the Skill and the Wit, both of which Fitz has possession. The Skill is the traditional hereditary magic of the Farseer line, allowing it's users to project themselves into the minds of others, and to see events unfolding thousands of miles away through another's eyes. As this trilogy and the trilogy that follows unfold, deeper, more powerful uses of this magic are discovered. The other main magic of the series is the Wit, a bestial magic that allows its user to form deep and meaningful bonds with animals, which can eventually reach the stage where man and animal are almost completely at one with each other. This magic is widely misunderstood and disdained throughout the Six Duchies, with accused practitioners traditionally hung, quartered and burned over water. For this reason, Fitz must keep his possession of it a secret. The reader can experience Fitz’s first bond with the dog Nosy in Assassin’s Apprentice, and his heartbreak when Burrich tells him that the Wit is wrong, and that he must stop using it.

Assassin's Apprentice is an exciting introduction to the Farseer Trilogy, and the amazing world that Hobb has created. This book is definitely not one to be missed. If you're interested in purchasing this book, click here, as I will get a commission for directing business to Amazon. Thanks a lot, and I hope you've enjoyed Teen Fiction Centre's first review!

**Big thanks to Teen Fiction Centre for the review! All credit goes to them. Thank you!**