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stresspanda 's review for:
Snowblooded
by Emma Sterner-Radley
Assassin’s Swede.
Valour and Petrichor grew up in the Order of Axsten, an assassin’s guild in the wintery city of Vinterstock. An entirely official and sanctioned guild, I should add, who “handle” difficult problems for the city’s ruling class.
They have very different, yet still very successful, approaches to their work. Valour is blunt force trauma with a heart of gold. She only kills those who she feels actually deserve it, and frequently suffers the ire of the Order for her idealistic approach. Petrichor is more of a precise surgeon - albeit one with high patient mortality, and no bedside manner whatsoever. They have a suitably antagonistic relationship, and the last thing either of them wants to do is to work together. And yet, they have one thing in common, they both want out of the Order and to have the chance of a normal life.
And so, they are given one last job, together. One that will pay well enough that they can buy their respective freedoms. All they need to do is find and kill Brandquist, the head of a shadowy criminal organisation that has flooded the city with addictive magical potions, Well, that and also not kill each other in the process.
Ah, you are thinking, this sounds like the perfect setup for an enemies to lovers romance. And you would be dead wrong. For Valour is also burdened with babysitting Ingrid, a wealthy, well-connected socialite, who has been targeted by Brandquist’s gang. Unfortunately for Valour, Ingrid is a wealthy, well-connected, and annoyingly attractive, socialite. And a pretty flirtatious one at that. So, she needs to keep her close to keep her alive, but not too close that she can’t do her job. Oh, the sapphic sexual tension!
I really enjoyed this book, and I’d love to read more set in this universe. The city itself is a pretty grim place, and obviously our two POV characters are literally assassins so it does involve quite a bit of murdering, but there is amusing banter between all of them, and the growing relationships definitely help to offset the darker tone. It’s not exactly cosy fantasy, but their hideout sure feels pretty cosy sometimes as they shelter from the falling snow. There are plenty of twists and turns, and the book feels the perfect length to deliver an entertaining and notably self-contained story. Highly recommended!
Thanks to Rebellion Publishing for the review copy.
Valour and Petrichor grew up in the Order of Axsten, an assassin’s guild in the wintery city of Vinterstock. An entirely official and sanctioned guild, I should add, who “handle” difficult problems for the city’s ruling class.
They have very different, yet still very successful, approaches to their work. Valour is blunt force trauma with a heart of gold. She only kills those who she feels actually deserve it, and frequently suffers the ire of the Order for her idealistic approach. Petrichor is more of a precise surgeon - albeit one with high patient mortality, and no bedside manner whatsoever. They have a suitably antagonistic relationship, and the last thing either of them wants to do is to work together. And yet, they have one thing in common, they both want out of the Order and to have the chance of a normal life.
And so, they are given one last job, together. One that will pay well enough that they can buy their respective freedoms. All they need to do is find and kill Brandquist, the head of a shadowy criminal organisation that has flooded the city with addictive magical potions, Well, that and also not kill each other in the process.
Ah, you are thinking, this sounds like the perfect setup for an enemies to lovers romance. And you would be dead wrong. For Valour is also burdened with babysitting Ingrid, a wealthy, well-connected socialite, who has been targeted by Brandquist’s gang. Unfortunately for Valour, Ingrid is a wealthy, well-connected, and annoyingly attractive, socialite. And a pretty flirtatious one at that. So, she needs to keep her close to keep her alive, but not too close that she can’t do her job. Oh, the sapphic sexual tension!
I really enjoyed this book, and I’d love to read more set in this universe. The city itself is a pretty grim place, and obviously our two POV characters are literally assassins so it does involve quite a bit of murdering, but there is amusing banter between all of them, and the growing relationships definitely help to offset the darker tone. It’s not exactly cosy fantasy, but their hideout sure feels pretty cosy sometimes as they shelter from the falling snow. There are plenty of twists and turns, and the book feels the perfect length to deliver an entertaining and notably self-contained story. Highly recommended!
Thanks to Rebellion Publishing for the review copy.