AA: Enjoying it this time around.

[Melanie]

I often find I need to be in the right fram of mind to appreciate particular books. One example is George R.R. Martin, as he has so much detail, I really need to be in the right frame of mind.

But - back to the book at hand. Assassin's Apprentice

I have had this book on my shelf for years - every time I have started it I couldn't get too far in, but never let go of the book (even during the great bookshelf purge of 2009 when I started using e-readers) because I had the impression that I would enjoy it if I just picked it up at the right time.

Apparently now is the right time for me. :-) there are some things about the protagonist that I do not like, but then I remind myself we are dealing with a pre-pubescent child (at least up to the point where I am at, Ch. 7)

[laanba]

I've had that happen to me before several times. I can't think of the books right now but I know two or three times I finally got into reading a book that I had tried several times earlier.

[Jack]

Hobb definitely writes in the "slow boil" style. What's nice is that she also writes in such a way that she doesn't use cheap hooks, but rather keeps you reading by investing you in her characters.

[Melanie]

Jack wrote: "... keeps you reading by investing you in her characters."

That may be exactly it for me. I have always been a character reader; I tend to skip through battle scenes and extensive description of locations; but give me character detail and I am enthralled.