This book isn't bad or poorly written. I meant the rating--for me, it was okay. Hobb has a setting and cast of characters that I imagine fantasy fans love. Reading this book and its sequel made me realize that my beloved fantasy series (LOTR, Chronicles of Prydain) are the exception rather than the rule in my literary palate. I tried this because someone said this was a different type of fantasy than Harry Potter (which I tend to think of as boarding school stories plus magic), and since I think Harry Potter is just okay, I thought I'd like this more. 
 Fitz's story has potential. Raised as a bastard in his grandfather the king's castle, he straddles the stables (and the animals he loves) and the courtly intrigues of the castle proper. He trains to be the king's assassin, and the idea that a king would use a 14/15 year old to go around poisoning his enemies is so crazy that I guess it makes sense in the context. The author gives Fitz a sort of emotional detachment--he really only bonds (magically) with a couple dogs, but all of his human relationships are lacking. I see why she did this for the sake of the story, but it made it difficult for me to empathize with him. In order to survive the extreme loneliness of his boyhood, he has to turn his emotions off. I cared what happened because I wanted to know what was going to happen next, but not necessarily because I cared ABOUT Fitz. I did go ahead and read the second book in the series, but it confirmed that this particular series is not a good fit for me.