At first I thought "5 stars, amazing read!" But then I started thinking, remembering all the emotions I felt while reading. And most of them were a loathing, a growing hatred toward all the (same, old and new) companions appearing within the story except for the Fool and Nighteyes. For each and everyone of them had their own little secret plan, their intention of steering Fitz into the direction they deemed greater for king and country–or their own petty lives. This young man gave up near everything, got beaten, stabbed, shot, killed–and still he's loyal to the very core. But when he reached a point where he draws the line of loyalty, he got called an egoistic, naive kid. Those around him gaslight him into thinking he can't even hope to having the slightest chance of getting his own life after he did what's asked of him. Moreover, they wanted to keep him in the dark about everything, and scolded him when he made mistakes due to not knowing. But when he demanded answers, all they did is keeping their mouths shut. The way they all treated him (yes all of them), without even accepting or cherishing, from the heart, what he had endured to get to the point where he was... It baffled me. And the one thing Fitz fought for? Yeah, it was lost to him. He gave everything, lost everything. And still, the world took from him, robbing his very heart and soul blank like a sheet of fresh paper. They even robbed him of is very own body, gaslighting him into it by a vow made days before in an entirely different context! It was despicable, again and again, and I cried a tear or two for poor Fitz, not gonna lie. And in the end, when all was done, the grand finale just happened off-page, without Fitz, mentioned in a single tiny chapter. Just a last smile, an empty wave, and poof, over and out. Not one question remaining inside my mind was clearly answered in the end, the magic system still seemed like a thing I wasn't really able to grasp fully, because they used it at will–just not Fitz! There were so many details not adding up when pondering about it afterwards. Some interesting details weren't mentioned at all, which resulted in a kind of lacking depth to certain characters. Speaking of characters: What also upset me was the fact that the newly introduced female characters all wanted to sleep with Fitz, no exceptions. It seemed like they were only written into the story for the single purpose of chasing after a night with him, just to show on-page how loyal he was. And when they didn't get him, they got upset or even jealous?! Like, touch some grass, maybe? Having to picture women to prove a point like this is mildly disappointing. Robin Hobb's prose was magnificent. It kept me going even in parts where I thought the contents a tad boring. Some parts of the book I wished shorter, some were outrageously brief.

That took a VIOLENT turn, holy cow.