Title: The Assassin’s Curse
Series: The Assassin’s Curse, #1
Author: Cassandra Rose Clarke
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Publication Date: October 2, 2012
Genres: YA, Fantasy, Adventure
Reviewed by: Angie Edwards
My rating: 5/5
SUMMARY
Ananna of the Tanarau abandons ship when her
parents try to marry her off to an allying pirate clan: she wants to captain
her own boat, not serve as second-in-command to her handsome yet clueless
fiance. But her escape has dire consequences when she learns the scorned clan
has sent an assassin after her.
And when the assassin, Naji, finally catches up with her, things get even worse. Ananna inadvertently triggers a nasty curse — with a life-altering result. Now Ananna and Naji are forced to become uneasy allies as they work together to break the curse and return their lives back to normal. Or at least as normal as the lives of a pirate and an assassin can be.
And when the assassin, Naji, finally catches up with her, things get even worse. Ananna inadvertently triggers a nasty curse — with a life-altering result. Now Ananna and Naji are forced to become uneasy allies as they work together to break the curse and return their lives back to normal. Or at least as normal as the lives of a pirate and an assassin can be.
REVIEW
My first thought when I was about thirty percent into
this novel was: why the heck have I waited this long to read this phenomenal
book?! The Assassin’s Curse simply
blew me away! No, not away really. More like into another fantastical world
where the combination of powerful magic, wickedly awesome pirates, and undefeatable
assassin’s are the order of the day.
Clarke has created a world in which I don’t
necessarily want to live (simply because I don’t have the endurance these
characters have to survive such a world), but which proved to be the ideal
escape from my own mundane life. As far as YA books go, she breaks away from
every stereotypical characteristic and predictable plot device familiar to this
genre (I know some say YA is not a genre, but whatev, bear with me). This
tantalizing, magical novel is primarily driven by its two strong-willed and endearing
main characters, and secondarily by endlessly creative world-building. For me,
those are the two deciding factors whether or not I would enjoy a book. But let’s
move on to the two characters that made The
Assassin’s Curse a win for me. They are what I really want to talk about.
Ananna is in one word, perfect. Not a perfect
character perse, but perfect as in this is what I would describe as the
ultimate girl protagonist. She doesn’t possess one trait that got on my nerves.
Not one. Her stubbornness and deliberate defiance of her parents would’ve
irritated me had it not been so skillfully written and balanced by her other
character traits such as her making decisions based on her considering the
consequences of her actions first. Even though those consequences might put her
in harm’s way, she still plunges ahead knowing perfectly well what to expect
and being prepared to deal with it head on. That is what I mostly admired about
her character. What made me like her even more is that in more than one scene
she’s the one that saves her male companion from certain death, instead of it
being the other way around. Now tell me, how many books have you read where the
girl physically saves the boy from being killed? Not many, right? Ananna is the
girl I want by my side when disaster strikes. She handles a sword and a knife
like these are extensions of her arms. She makes split-second decisions and
doesn’t back away when faced down by an army of pirates sent to kill her. She
speaks her mind, but knows when to keep her mouth shut, and this girl can barter
with pirates like it’s nobody’s business. Honestly guys, why are you still
reading this review and not the book? There’s so much more I want to say about
her, but I’d rather you got to know her on your own. You should see the mean
punches this little lady packs!
Then there’s Naji. He’s apparently an undefeatable
assassin, but I guess Ananna proved that myth wrong. Her good deed
unfortunately activates a curse, but on the bright side, she got stuck with a
guy who’s so different from any male love-interest I’ve read up to this point. Throughout
the story, though, you wouldn’t think of Naji as a love-interest because Clarke
doesn’t describe him as such or give any indication that either character has
feelings for the other, until the last third of the book. Yet, if you’re
someone who can spot the finer details hidden between layers of battles for survival,
you’ll easily pick up on the things that might eventually spark an attraction
between these two, although it’s rather one-sided. Naji is all darkness,
mystery, moody, aloofness, and sinister magic. He sticks to the shadows and
hides his face behind a mask because of the scars. So what’s so attractive
about him? I really can’t say. All I know is that I felt weirdly fascinated by
his enigmatic charm, and that I rooted for him and Ananna all the way.
This brings me to another point. I’ll be really quick
about it because there isn’t much to say, but I think romance junkies might
want to know. First off, this is not a romance novel, but it has a tiny bit of
romance in it. I think the second book might focus more on this element as this
one is all about survival. What there is between Ananna and Naji is more an
attraction, but like I said earlier on, it is one-sided. This attraction isn’t
based on either character’s physical appearance, and not once is the word “hot”
used to describe either of them. This “attraction” isn’t immediate and rather
builds up gradually through a sequence of events throughout the story. In my
opinion, that is the way romance should be written and how two characters
should fall in love. I’ll find out in book two whether they actually fall in
love or not. By the end of book one I only know how one character feels. And
speaking of endings, this one ends with a major cliffhanger. So if you hate
cliffhanger endings, this will definitely leave you feeling frustrated.
Finally, the writing took me some time to get used to,
and the pacing was a little slow the first forty percent or so. Once it got to
the battle in the desert, I was hooked and read into the early hours of the
morning, forcing myself to put the book down and get a few hours of sleep. The Assassin’s Curse was a more than
pleasant surprise, and even before I finished it, I got myself a copy of the
second book, The Pirate’s Wish, in
which Naji and Ananna has to complete three impossible tasks to end their
impossible curse. Even if you are of the opinion that pirates and assassins,
curses and dark magic isn’t your thing, I still think you should give this book
a chance if only to meet these two amazing characters. This is not the sort of
book I’d choose to read, but I’ve heard so many good things about it, I wanted
to find out for myself what everyone was on about. I don’t regret my choice for
one second, and I’m positive you wouldn’t either if you give this novel a
chance.
PURCHASE
LINKS
ABOUT the AUTHOR
Cassandra
Rose Clarke is a speculative fiction writer living amongst the beige stucco and
overgrown pecan trees of Houston, Texas. She graduated in 2006 from The
University of St. Thomas with a bachelor’s degree in English, and in 2008 she
completed her master’s degree in creative writing at The University of Texas at
Austin. Both of these degrees have served her surprisingly well.
During the summer of 2010, she attended the Clarion West Writers Workshop in Seattle, where she enjoyed sixty-degree summer days. Having been born and raised in Texas, this was something of a big deal. She was also a recipient of the 2010 Susan C. Petrey Clarion Scholarship Fund.
During the summer of 2010, she attended the Clarion West Writers Workshop in Seattle, where she enjoyed sixty-degree summer days. Having been born and raised in Texas, this was something of a big deal. She was also a recipient of the 2010 Susan C. Petrey Clarion Scholarship Fund.
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1 comment:
I've still yet to pick up this book even though I've heard nothing but good things about it. A book shopping spree is in order I think! Love the review.
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