Author: Elisabeth Wheatley
Series: Daindreth’s Assassin #1
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Publisher: Avowed Publishing and Media, LLC
Publication Date: May 25, 2021
Edition: Kindle
Source: Library
Purchase: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble
Synopsis:
An assassin falls for the archduke she was sent to kill, but killing him might be the only way to save his soul.
Magic has two immutable rules—every spell requires a sacrifice and every curse can be broken.
Amira Brindonu is a sorceress turned assassin, bound in a curse that forces her to obey her father, even to the point of high treason. When he orders her to kill the future emperor, she fails, but discovers a secret that could bring the whole of the empire to its knees.
The archduke is stricken by a curse that could sentence him and his people to damnation, but Amira could be the only key to breaking it. In a desperate last-ditch effort, the archduke takes Amira prisoner and makes a pact to protect her from her curse if she will help free him of his own.
As time begins to run out, Amira soon learns that there are enemies that blades can't touch and there are fates worse than death. Caught in a web of sorcery, intrigue, and her growing feelings for the archduke, the assassin must decide just how much she is willing to give to save the only man she's ever loved.
Every curse can be broken, but can two cursed people save each other?
Magic has two immutable rules—every spell requires a sacrifice and every curse can be broken.
Amira Brindonu is a sorceress turned assassin, bound in a curse that forces her to obey her father, even to the point of high treason. When he orders her to kill the future emperor, she fails, but discovers a secret that could bring the whole of the empire to its knees.
The archduke is stricken by a curse that could sentence him and his people to damnation, but Amira could be the only key to breaking it. In a desperate last-ditch effort, the archduke takes Amira prisoner and makes a pact to protect her from her curse if she will help free him of his own.
As time begins to run out, Amira soon learns that there are enemies that blades can't touch and there are fates worse than death. Caught in a web of sorcery, intrigue, and her growing feelings for the archduke, the assassin must decide just how much she is willing to give to save the only man she's ever loved.
Every curse can be broken, but can two cursed people save each other?
********************
I really enjoyed this book. I stumbled across this author on Instagram, and her book sounded like something I would enjoy. I can't quite pinpoint what stood out to me the most in this book. I do like the characters, they're all a bit sub-versions of character tropes. Admittedly, I mostly know this from what the author has said on her Instagram, but I could also see how she subverted the tropes, and I like how she did it.
There is some world building in this book, even if most of it is a little vague. I assume it's because in this first book, all the information isn't needed yet, I would've like how the magic works to be explained better. There is a pantheon of gods/goddesses made for this series, and I want the rest of the series to go into that a bit more. In this first book I didn't feel like it was explained much. I don't feel like I understand the significance of what worshiping certain gods/goddesses means.
The one part of this book that fell short for me, and it was the part that is supposed to matter the most, is the romance. It is very much a love at first sight story. But I didn't feel that invested in their romance. I didn't see where or how they fell in love. It seems very superficial, or surface-level at best. Did he fall for her because she was able to silence his curse? If that's the case, would he have given her a second look or thought if he never had the curse? I need a romance like this to work even if they'd met on different circumstances. I do hope that it makes more sense or is depicted better as the series goes on.
When it comes to the characters, while I do like them, not all of them make sense. I understand their motivations, but their chemistry with each other came across more like telling rather than showing. This does tie into the 'insta-love' feeling I got from the romance. But Daindreth and Thadred, I was surprised when it was revealed that they were close in age. I was picturing a 40ish year old man when Thadred was introduced. Not just because he has a limp and uses a cane. The way he talks to both Amira and Daindreth made me think he was a lot older. It made their kinship feel one-sided. Amira and Thadred also got over their hostility towards each other very fast.
All this sounds like I didn't like the book, I did, there is just a lot of small things that if I things that add up. There were also some small typos, for a self-pub author it wasn't that bad. I've read traditionally published books with more errors. I'm also a little confused about what era this book's setting is based on. There aren't many clues to give an idea for that.
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