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+--- Thread: Just finished (spoiler free) (/thread-23303.html)
Just finished (spoiler free) - nettletea - Jan-17-2020
I finished reading Assassin's Fate last night. I started reading the RotE books almost fifteen years ago now. They've been a background, but still important, part of my life and my wife's life for so long. We even named our Labrador Nettle.
I feel like I'm in a sort of mourning. I can't read anything today. I don't want to start another book too soon because it feels disloyal.
Well.. it is something I have loved that has ended, and the characters have felt so real to me over such a long period of time. I feel like I couldn't possibly find a series as good as this to replace it. Time will heal. At least it's a happy kind of pain. 
On the plus side, there is a far bit I haven't read because I took the short path! Yes, I suffered some very big spoilers regarding the in-between trilogies, but I didn't mind too much.
So now I can look forward to reading all of the RotE short stories for the first time, the first trilogy again for the first time in fifteen years, the liveship books to completion (I stopped halfway through The Mad Ship.. I have no idea why now, it was years ago), and I skipped the Rain Wild books the first time through because the last trilogy was coming out and I couldn't wait..
So still a lot to look forward to - and I am excited about reading the books again knowing more about the world and the people. I trust Robin to have known so much all along and I expect to find a lot on the page I never saw the first time.
Time for a short break then, and then to read something else and to process what has been an amazing first journey through the Realm of the Elderlings. I'll be re-starting again soon with Homecoming, a re-read of The Wilful Princess, and Cat's Meat.
I can also now explore these forums more without fear of running into main story arc spoilers.