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aromarrie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
i'm really happy to have discovered this series the way i did. sometimes, recommendations can come completely by chance and even a random infographic on bookstagram can stick with you for a while. the one thing that is at the center for all three books in this series that i wholeheartedly admire is how much the characters are who drove the story. and they are the ones who have you wanting to read until the end. learning about these assassin characters and the oaths they live by as they swear themselves to protect their city was incredible because we got to see how each and every one of them showed their dedication in different ways.
in the slow-burn murder mystery that was the first book, amastan was someone who had a lot of doubt in himself in his capability to kill a mark, and then the story eventually grew even bigger as he found himself at odds with a mysterious killer who was offing his cousins. because of this, he found himself forced himself into a position where he had to reckon with what was right and what was wrong, and what felt necessary for the good of his family. in the second book, thana's character had a much more fiery spirit and was eager to succeed under the weight of her family's eyes being that she was the Serpent's daughter, only to step into what became quite a bizarre journey that completely reshaped what she thought she knew about her mark and the dangers that come into play when handling a contract. in this book? illi was like a shadow of herself, a cousin who was dealing with the trauma of an event that occurred off-page near the end of the second book. this event completely uprooted her family and especially herself, and above all, it made her desperate to find a way to make sure nothing could ever take down her city again. this desperation leads her to make questionable decisions that added a lot of tension to the story as she ends up involving herself in something that was much bigger than her body could handle, and heru (a significant character we meet in thana's story) assists with that.
i found it very interesting, the relationship that was explored here between illi & heru because it's one that's very odd and has its complications, but there was some semblance of respect that was shared between them--heru, who was considered an outcast by the people of Ghadid due to his practices that were viewed as a sham against G-d, and illi, who learned second-hand about these practices and felt urged to lean closely into if it meant protecting all the people she loves so that they don't become lost like the others before. she threw herself forward as a martyr but it felt much more intense than that because she was also isolating herself from making any sort of connections or letting anyone close in since it always felt like there were dangers hovering near the horizon.
canthem's character was another interesting aspect to this story because they were only supposed to be a brief smudge in illi's life, someone to share one night with without any strings attached, only to then have that smudge grow bigger & bigger so that she eventually couldn't just ignore them. in all the scenes that we see canthem with illi, they added a lighthearted feel to an overall grim story because even with all the guul that are to be fought and strangers to steer clear of, canthem connected to illi and had a charm that made it impossible to forget them. they made it impossible to forget about how there could be more than always staying on edge and letting that chip on your shoulder guide every decision you make. they leaned into having illi learn that there is something beyond the horizon that isn't all just smoke & fire, but much rather something light and hopeful. on the journey towards that road, however, there's a lot of blood spilled and possessions taken and it was all very intense.
the writing was as beautiful as it was in the other two books, if not a little more if the majority of bookmarks & highlights i made in my ebook have anything to say about that. i loved from the beginning reading about these assassins working to fight to keep Ghadid safe because it is their home and it's all part of their history; the people are what will keep that history alive even as centuries go on because in all the fighting and chaos, there's also new relationships formed and lost connections that come back even after over a decade. there's glass to rebuild and scrolls to be recovered, with healing to be done by the plentiful water that comes trickling in--which by the way, i will always love how the author wrote these healers' connection to water and their own jumbled history that comes with it as stories do always get rewritten over time with each mouth that speak of it.
i loved how alive Ghadid felt and how we got to see it at its darkest times, this book only proving to show how there is something that can be done if all of its citizens work at it as they keep facing forward. i loved how each and every character had their own spot to shine in, even those without their own povs, and for those who did--i love how near the end of this story, all these voices echoed as one like some kind of hive-mind, because what connects amastan, thana, and illi is the city they call home and they each go on their own separate ways of finding their way back to it if it means keeping each other safe.
in the slow-burn murder mystery that was the first book, amastan was someone who had a lot of doubt in himself in his capability to kill a mark, and then the story eventually grew even bigger as he found himself at odds with a mysterious killer who was offing his cousins. because of this, he found himself forced himself into a position where he had to reckon with what was right and what was wrong, and what felt necessary for the good of his family. in the second book, thana's character had a much more fiery spirit and was eager to succeed under the weight of her family's eyes being that she was the Serpent's daughter, only to step into what became quite a bizarre journey that completely reshaped what she thought she knew about her mark and the dangers that come into play when handling a contract. in this book? illi was like a shadow of herself, a cousin who was dealing with the trauma of an event that occurred off-page near the end of the second book. this event completely uprooted her family and especially herself, and above all, it made her desperate to find a way to make sure nothing could ever take down her city again. this desperation leads her to make questionable decisions that added a lot of tension to the story as she ends up involving herself in something that was much bigger than her body could handle, and heru (a significant character we meet in thana's story) assists with that.
i found it very interesting, the relationship that was explored here between illi & heru because it's one that's very odd and has its complications, but there was some semblance of respect that was shared between them--heru, who was considered an outcast by the people of Ghadid due to his practices that were viewed as a sham against G-d, and illi, who learned second-hand about these practices and felt urged to lean closely into if it meant protecting all the people she loves so that they don't become lost like the others before. she threw herself forward as a martyr but it felt much more intense than that because she was also isolating herself from making any sort of connections or letting anyone close in since it always felt like there were dangers hovering near the horizon.
canthem's character was another interesting aspect to this story because they were only supposed to be a brief smudge in illi's life, someone to share one night with without any strings attached, only to then have that smudge grow bigger & bigger so that she eventually couldn't just ignore them. in all the scenes that we see canthem with illi, they added a lighthearted feel to an overall grim story because even with all the guul that are to be fought and strangers to steer clear of, canthem connected to illi and had a charm that made it impossible to forget them. they made it impossible to forget about how there could be more than always staying on edge and letting that chip on your shoulder guide every decision you make. they leaned into having illi learn that there is something beyond the horizon that isn't all just smoke & fire, but much rather something light and hopeful. on the journey towards that road, however, there's a lot of blood spilled and possessions taken and it was all very intense.
the writing was as beautiful as it was in the other two books, if not a little more if the majority of bookmarks & highlights i made in my ebook have anything to say about that. i loved from the beginning reading about these assassins working to fight to keep Ghadid safe because it is their home and it's all part of their history; the people are what will keep that history alive even as centuries go on because in all the fighting and chaos, there's also new relationships formed and lost connections that come back even after over a decade. there's glass to rebuild and scrolls to be recovered, with healing to be done by the plentiful water that comes trickling in--which by the way, i will always love how the author wrote these healers' connection to water and their own jumbled history that comes with it as stories do always get rewritten over time with each mouth that speak of it.
i loved how alive Ghadid felt and how we got to see it at its darkest times, this book only proving to show how there is something that can be done if all of its citizens work at it as they keep facing forward. i loved how each and every character had their own spot to shine in, even those without their own povs, and for those who did--i love how near the end of this story, all these voices echoed as one like some kind of hive-mind, because what connects amastan, thana, and illi is the city they call home and they each go on their own separate ways of finding their way back to it if it means keeping each other safe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Grief
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