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A review by halcyone
The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke
4.0
This review was posted at The Cozy Armchair.
The minute I read the summary for The Assassin’s Curse I knew I had to get my hands on it.This book has pirates, magic, and, of course, assassins, and it all adds up to one fantastic debut novel! This is honestly one of my top reads for the year, that’s just how much I enjoyed reading it.
Here are the facts: Ananna is the daughter of a successful pirate lord who wants to marry her to another pirate clan in order to cement an alliance. But Ananna doesn’t want that life for herself so she runs away, ruining all the plans her parents had made and inciting the fury of the other clan. That’s what brings Naji, the assassin that uses blood magic, after her. He intends to kill her, as per orders, but things don’t quite go as planned. Without revealing too many details, let’s just say that they end up forced together and must travel to find a solution to Naji's curse.
I love, love, love the accidental-bond trope, but I haven’t come across it very often in YA, so it was great to see it in this book. Unfortunately, it’s more of a plot device than actually a part of the plot. The ramifications of this cursed bond are talked about a lot but we rarely got to see it in action and we didn’t get proper “rules” for how it works (the rule we did get seemed to shift?). But that didn’t really detract from my enjoyment of the book.
Ananna’s POV is funny and honest; she’s a really headstrong, slightly naive, and definitely admirable pirate. This is one protagonist you want to root for because she’s badass and can stand up for herself, and through her narrative you can trace how this adventure she’s on changes her, probably for the better. She matures emotionally, but she’s never once a total damsel in distress. She’s quick to get a handle on difficult situations, and she spends a good chunk of the book caring for Naji as his brand of magic takes a toll on him.
Naji, on the other hand, is the polar opposite of Ananna, personality-wise. He is mysterious, stoic assassin that is harsh and borderline cruel at first. But throughout the story, his vulnerable side is slowly revealed in bits and pieces. He has a scar that disfigures his face and it becomes clear that he is self-conscious about it, so for once we have a male protagonist that isn’t completely confident in himself. Naji battles with insecurities a lot, and Ananna is there to continuously push him.
On that note, the romance in this book is practically nonexistent. It’s very subtle and, as far as we can tell, one-sided, which is also pretty rare in YA. But don’t let that make you dismiss The Assassin’s Curse! It’s so much more than the romance or the possibility of it.
It’s set in an super interesting world, where pirates can use water magic to ease their way and there are floating islands and mist creatures. Yes, it is lacking a bit in the overall worldbuilding; details are sparse so the setting is a collection of impressions, but I have a feeling this might be remedied in the second book. Regardless, The Assassin’s Curse tackles so many concepts and somehow manages to make them all work together cohesively, without coming off as a mishmash of tired ideas.
It’s also a page-turner! The pacing never lags, although plot development is interspersed with the odd info-dump here and there, but these are things I noted in passing as I flew through the book. I didn’t want to put it down! The only absolutely major complaint? The ending. It was incredibly abrupt, leaving me to momentarily think the book was missing some pages! It’s not quite a cliffhanger - you’re left at the start of a plot twist, where new obstacles have been introduced. While Ananna muses about what’s to come, the final thoughts aren’t conclusive.
But it’s okay, because everything about The Assassin’s Curse was a pleasant surprise, from the characters, to the romance, to every single plot point. It is a spectacular fantasy adventure that deserves tons of recognition from the reading community. The minute I finished I was already pining for the sequel, and I hate that I read this as an ARC because I have to wait even longer than usual
Just take my word for it and get yourself a copy of The Assassin’s Curse!
The minute I read the summary for The Assassin’s Curse I knew I had to get my hands on it.This book has pirates, magic, and, of course, assassins, and it all adds up to one fantastic debut novel! This is honestly one of my top reads for the year, that’s just how much I enjoyed reading it.
Here are the facts: Ananna is the daughter of a successful pirate lord who wants to marry her to another pirate clan in order to cement an alliance. But Ananna doesn’t want that life for herself so she runs away, ruining all the plans her parents had made and inciting the fury of the other clan. That’s what brings Naji, the assassin that uses blood magic, after her. He intends to kill her, as per orders, but things don’t quite go as planned. Without revealing too many details, let’s just say that they end up forced together and must travel to find a solution to Naji's curse.
I love, love, love the accidental-bond trope, but I haven’t come across it very often in YA, so it was great to see it in this book. Unfortunately, it’s more of a plot device than actually a part of the plot. The ramifications of this cursed bond are talked about a lot but we rarely got to see it in action and we didn’t get proper “rules” for how it works (the rule we did get seemed to shift?). But that didn’t really detract from my enjoyment of the book.
Ananna’s POV is funny and honest; she’s a really headstrong, slightly naive, and definitely admirable pirate. This is one protagonist you want to root for because she’s badass and can stand up for herself, and through her narrative you can trace how this adventure she’s on changes her, probably for the better. She matures emotionally, but she’s never once a total damsel in distress. She’s quick to get a handle on difficult situations, and she spends a good chunk of the book caring for Naji as his brand of magic takes a toll on him.
Naji, on the other hand, is the polar opposite of Ananna, personality-wise. He is mysterious, stoic assassin that is harsh and borderline cruel at first. But throughout the story, his vulnerable side is slowly revealed in bits and pieces. He has a scar that disfigures his face and it becomes clear that he is self-conscious about it, so for once we have a male protagonist that isn’t completely confident in himself. Naji battles with insecurities a lot, and Ananna is there to continuously push him.
On that note, the romance in this book is practically nonexistent. It’s very subtle and, as far as we can tell, one-sided, which is also pretty rare in YA. But don’t let that make you dismiss The Assassin’s Curse! It’s so much more than the romance or the possibility of it.
It’s set in an super interesting world, where pirates can use water magic to ease their way and there are floating islands and mist creatures. Yes, it is lacking a bit in the overall worldbuilding; details are sparse so the setting is a collection of impressions, but I have a feeling this might be remedied in the second book. Regardless, The Assassin’s Curse tackles so many concepts and somehow manages to make them all work together cohesively, without coming off as a mishmash of tired ideas.
It’s also a page-turner! The pacing never lags, although plot development is interspersed with the odd info-dump here and there, but these are things I noted in passing as I flew through the book. I didn’t want to put it down! The only absolutely major complaint? The ending. It was incredibly abrupt, leaving me to momentarily think the book was missing some pages! It’s not quite a cliffhanger - you’re left at the start of a plot twist, where new obstacles have been introduced. While Ananna muses about what’s to come, the final thoughts aren’t conclusive.
But it’s okay, because everything about The Assassin’s Curse was a pleasant surprise, from the characters, to the romance, to every single plot point. It is a spectacular fantasy adventure that deserves tons of recognition from the reading community. The minute I finished I was already pining for the sequel, and I hate that I read this as an ARC because I have to wait even longer than usual
Just take my word for it and get yourself a copy of The Assassin’s Curse!