Book Review: Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Dini @ dinipandareads10 Comments

Assassin’s Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy #1)
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Pub Date: 1 May 1995
Genre: High/Epic Fantasy

Panda Rating:

(5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court by his father’s gruff stableman. He is treated like an outcast by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him sectetly tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in Fitz’s blood runs the magic Skill–and the darker knowledge of a child raised with the stable hounds and rejected by his family. As barbarous raiders ravage the coasts, Fitz is growing to manhood. Soon he will face his first dangerous, soul-shattering mission. And though some regard him as a threat to the throne, he may just be the key to the survival of the kingdom.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Ableism, misogyny, adult-minor relationship discussed, parental abandonment, domestic abuse, child abuse & neglect, suicide & attempted suicide, suicidal ideation, depression, alcoholism, drug abuse, infertility (mentioned), physical injuries, death of a father, death of a husband, murder & attempted murder, poisoning, torture, whipping, war themes, graphic animal death including multiple deaths of pet dogs, animal cruelty & abuse, hunting, animal attack (mentioned)

Fair warning: I might’ve written an essay about this book because I loved it so much? I could’ve kept gushing but I tried for a bit of control, lol.

TL;DR: TL;DR: What if I said just read this (right now!) because every wonderful thing you have heard about it is incredibly true, as I have just experienced it for myself? Can I just leave my tl;dr at that? 😂 I’m really kind of tempted to because there’s nothing I can say about this book that other people haven’t already—after all, their words of praise is what convinced me to start reading it. The moment I picked this up I could already feel how this was the beginning of an epic journey. The more I immersed myself in this world and became invested in the characters’ lives, the more I wanted to stay in these pages because the storytelling is exceptional. This might not be a fast-paced read, but it is an action-packed, intense, and heartfelt journey, and I can’t wait to continue the series. I’ve found another new favourite!

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Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [312]

Dini @ dinipandareads9 Comments

We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent your time reading in bed or wish you had time to read today.

Hello, friends! I’ve found myself in a little situation where I don’t know what to read next. Sound familiar from 2025? The mood remains the same and it’s driving me a little batty now… 🙃 I haven’t been reading much lately, and I even have reads that I’m meant to be reading but just not latching on to. Here are the books I’m thinking of trying right now:

Violet Thistlewaite is Not A Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz, Guard in the Garden by Z.S. Diamanti, Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson

Have you read any of these books or if you have them on your TBR too, which would you pick up first? What book are you spending your Sunday in bed with?

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Let’s Talk Bookish: Bookish Trends of 2025

Dini @ dinipandareads7 Comments

✨ Welcome back to another week of LTB! ✨

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and co-hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits and myself! In this discussion meme, participants get to talk about certain topics, share opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! Learn more about LTB, past topics and future topics HERE.

This week’s topic is:

Bookish Trends of 2025

Prompts: Looking back on the past year, what bookish trends have you noticed? Are certain tropes, types of blogging, or other book-related content becoming more popular? If you did this post last year (Bookish Trends of 2024), do you notice any trend changes from that post? What changes do you foresee in 2026? What bookish trend would you most want to see become popular, or come back?

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Let’s Talk Bookish: Top 2025 Reads in 5 Words/Sentences

Dini @ dinipandareads2 Comments

✨ Welcome back to another week of LTB! ✨

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and co-hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits and myself! In this discussion meme, participants get to talk about certain topics, share opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! Learn more about LTB, past topics and future topics HERE.

This week’s topic is:

Top Reads in Five Words/Sentences

Prompts: What were your top 5 (or top 10) reads in 2025? If you had five words or sentences (your choice!) to describe each book and convince other readers to pick it up, how would you describe your 2025 favourites?

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In 2025… My Life in Books Tag

Dini @ dinipandareads7 Comments

I’m finally doing the “My Life In Books” tag at the right time this year and I’m excited to see how 2025 has gone according to the books I read. I had so much fun doing this tag for 2024 that I think I’m going to make sure I do this every year! How does it work? It’s easy: the only rule for this tag is that you must complete the prompts using titles from the books you read in 2025. On that note, let’s get to it!

This book tag was originally created by Book’d Out.

2025 was the Year of…

This Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman

This is pretty depressing and negative, but I mean, I don’t find it to be untrue, lol. The cover of this book also seems to illustrate the year perfectly (meaning it was full chaos vibes)! 😂

In 2025, I wanted to be…

Partying with Pixies by Hazel Mack

In 2025, I was the…

Rebel Witch by Kristen Ciccarelli

In 2025, I gained…

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman

In 2025, I lost…

You, With A View by Jessica Joyce

In 2025, I loved…

Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy

In 2025, I hated…

The Thief of Farrowfell by Ravena Guron

(I didn’t hate the book, I hated the thief! Hehehe)

In 2025, I learned…

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

In 2025, I was surprised by…

A Song for You and I by K. O’Neill

In 2025, I went…

Full Speed to a Crash Landing by Beth Revis

In 2025, I missed out on…

The Guy for Me by Marzy Opal

In 2025, my family were…

In A Rush by Kate Canterbary

In 2026, I hope it will be…

A Touch Wicked by Katrina Kendrick

And that it’s for my 2025 life in books! Wow, that was actually so much harder than the previous year, but I think that was also due to the quality of the books I read this year… Maybe? Anyway, I’m already keen to do this next year though! 🤭

Blog signature that reads: Let's Chat! xoxo, Dini

Mini Book Reviews: Holiday Romance Edition

Dini @ dinipandareads4 Comments

🎄 Happy Christmas, everyone! 🎄

The Christmas List (Strawberry Hollow #3)
Pub Date: 25 November 2024
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Panda Rating:

(3.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

I love Christmas.
So much so that in my smalltown I’m known as The Queen of Christmas.
And no one knows holiday festivities quite like Strawberry Hollow.

Only this Christmas season delivers an unexpected twist in the form of Wyatt Owens.
The handsome single father of my new student…
Who just so happens to also be my first love.

The one who broke my heart all those years ago.

I haven’t seen Wyatt since he left our hometown behind, but a piece of my heart has always been his.
And all those old feelings come rushing back the moment we see each other again.
Only now the boy I once loved is a charming, delicious and intoxicating man.

One I’m not sure I can resist.

Especially when neither of us can deny his daughter Lucy’s holiday wish- for the three of us to compete together as a team in Strawberry Hollow’s Annual Christmas List tradition.

At first, he’s determined to win every festive challenge on the list but the more things we check off, the more it seems like he wants to win me instead.
Soon things are heating up between us, and suddenly I find myself at risk of falling… for my ex.

But I’m not sure I could survive the heartbreak of losing him again.
Is this just a holiday fling… Or is this the second chance I’ve always secretly hoped for?

The Christmas List was super sexy cute and the perfect addition to the Strawberry Hollow series of festive romances written by Moore. If you enjoy extremely Christmassy romances, the single parent and second-chance romance tropes, precocious kids, and no third act or miscommunication because they are Adults™️, then I’d recommend checking this out!

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Let’s Talk Bookish: Deciding 2026 Goals

Dini @ dinipandareads9 Comments

Sorry that this is going up a day late! I thought I had scheduled it before I was off but apparently, that was just in my head. 🤭 Happy holidays everyone!

✨ Welcome back to another week of LTB! ✨

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and co-hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits and myself! In this discussion meme, participants get to talk about certain topics, share opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! Learn more about LTB, past topics and future topics HERE.

This week’s topic is:

How do you decide your yearly reading goals?

Suggested by: Jillian @ Jillian the Bookish Butterfly
Prompts: Do you set annual reading and/or blogging goals? Have you decided on any bookish/blogging resolutions for 2026? How do you decide what goals you want to pursue for the year ahead?

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