tweetybugshouse
Written on Feb 4, 2015
"When a young sorceress is exiled to teach magic to a clan of assassins, she will find that secrets can be even deadlier than swords"--
- ISBN10 148299223X
- ISBN13 9781482992236
- Publish Date 4 March 2014
- Publish Status Active
- Publisher HarperCollins Publishers Inc
- Imprint HarperCollins
- Format Audiobook (CD)
- Duration 7 hours and 40 minutes
- Language English
Reviews
ladygrey
Written on Apr 16, 2014
But mostly I love the way this book thinks! I adore [a:Leah Cypess|2915782|Leah Cypess|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1271641014p2/2915782.jpg] because here stories and worlds are always so unique. And this one could have so easily been full of "life is precious!" cliches. But instead it takes a very unconventional and well reasoned approach to life and death. It asks interesting questions and offers unexpected answers and I so enjoyed that! And it dies all of that in a way that makes the characters really compelling.
The plot is structured really well - like a good movie from the nineties where all the little elements come into play at some point. And there's a bluntness in this world of people who don't pull punches and who don't apologize; whose stark honesty is so appealing.
KitsuneBae
Written on Jan 24, 2014
This review also appeared on: Thoughts and Pens
Death Sworn, I could have sworn that the 5 star rating is almost within your grasp. You could have rendered me on my knees. You could have made me suffer a terrible hangover. But sadly, you let your laziness get the best of you. Let me enumerate the things that I liked and disliked about you, alright?
The things that made my inner bibliophile happy:
1. The Characters- Ileni is a kick-ass heroine despite the fact that her magical powers are almost drained. Her realism and cockiness really made me a happy reader. Not to mention that she definitely know what her purpose in life is and she’s not afraid to achieve it even if it threatens her life. I think that she’s one of the few heroines who see death with realistic acceptance. She doesn’t mope about it… she just looks at it like it’s rain…an uncontrollable phenomenon that would occur any day.
Her love interest, Sorin, is also one interesting fellow. He’s a cold-bloodied assassin and he is a firm believer that every death serves a greater purpose. His first meeting with Ileni was quite antagonistic since they have differing beliefs when it comes to killing people. But over time, he warmed up to her. This event led me to another discovery of the other side of his personality. Sorin is somewhat naïve when it comes to girls and romance. And his reactions were really funny and at the same time, frustrating.
Even the other characters including the villains deserve commendation.
2. The Romance- Sweet and wasn’t interfering to the overall story. It was really interesting to see a romance unfolding between an arrogant sorcerer and a passionate murderer.
3. The Interactions and Dialogues- Highly amusing for the most part but chilling at certain times.
4. The prose- Beautiful and it really flowed well.
The things that made my inner bibliophile grumpy:
1. The Story- It wasn’t executed well. Death Sworn is the first book in the series and I expected that there’s going to be a lot of grounding works here. Apparently, there’s none. Death Sworn was relatively short for a High Fantasy book, consisting of only 191 pages. I want elaborate explanations about this and that. I want to understand the Rathian Empire, the Regenai and The Assassins. Being the first book, I actually anticipated that Cypress would supply solid rationalization about the community, about the world. She could have inserted back stories here and there. Or she could utilize any writing method that could fully immerse me in the world that she has painted.
Additionally, most of the twists were predictable and some of them were even loosely knitted.
2. The World Building- Almost non-existent. The whole story took place inside a huge cave full of glittering orb lights. Aside from that, I generally don’t have any idea what’s on the outside. What about the flora and fauna of the whole kingdom? What about religion? Does the community have beliefs and other customs? What about the laws enforced by the Rathian Empire, The Assassins and the Regenai? What about the lay out of the whole kingdom?
3. The Ending- Rushed. Cliffhangery. Riddled with inconsistencies and ambiguousness. There’s also an unbelievable scene that made me draw a question mark in the air. How did that happen?!!! What Ileni did was just ridiculous. Just can’t…Grrrr.
To conclude…
I don’t hate this book… please believe that. If truth be told, it was definitely a pleasurable read and I had a wonderful time in getting to know the other characters. The thing is, I want to be fair with my rating… I want to be fair with the potential readers of this book. There’s just no way I can ignore those glaring flaws.
Thank you for the free ARC, Harper Collins and Green Willow!
lizarodz
Written on Jan 16, 2014
Find the original review here: Reading with ABC.
I believe that fantasy is quickly becoming one of my favorite genres. Death Sworn was very eye-catching to me, both for its beautiful cover and for the synopsis. It definitely didn’t disappoint.
Ileni was an unexpected protagonist. When she arrives to the caves to be the assassins’ teacher she is quite resigned to her fate. She hopes to be useful to the Elders and expects to die very soon. A woman that is rapidly losing her magic in a cave full of male assassins couldn’t last long, right? Even though she kept thinking the worst about everyone around her (and some did deserve it!), and kept expecting to die, she fought with all she had not to. That, I have to admire. She thought herself to be incapable of any wrongdoing, but in the end, survival weighted more. I was also very surprised that she didn’t take the opportunity of getting power. She isn’t perfect. On the contrary, she is perpetually, sad, angry or scared, but she is a woman of action.
Sorin is another mystery. His true origin is unknown (to us, at least). He’s really good at being an assassin, but he is also fair and gentle. He is a bit mysterious and very complex; I can’t wait to know him better. Ileni, let me give you some advice: Tellis is not even worth your time, so please concentrate on Sorin, ‘kay?
The characterization is overall, really good. Cypess has created characters that are very complicated and two-faced. What I mean is that there are no absolutes, most characters are both good and bad. However, Irun and the Assassin’s Master and beyond creepy!
One of the most important components of a fantasy book it’s world building. As far as I’m concerned the more world building the better; not only do I want to be told about this new world, but I want to experience it as well. Death Sworn has a fascinating backdrop, and we are told all the time what goes on outside the walls of the caves and a lot of history, but we don’t get to experience it. I honestly didn’t care too much for the setting because I personally wouldn’t be able to last a week living inside a cave! The writing is really good and it flows nicely. The plot is amazing, full of twist and turns that I didn’t see coming at all.
The ending was a cliffhanger if ever saw one. Since Ileni left quite abruptly to go to the Empire, I assume that she will find some answers, make the right decisions, and find Sorin (*pretty please… makes puppy eyes*) I cannot wait to read the conclusion of the Death Sworn duology!
Some quotes for you:
“Ileni found herself sitting on the floor with her back against the bed, arms wrapped around her body, feeling as if something inside her had frozen and cracked. She had been so loved, once. She hadn’t even realized how lucky she was, to be the center of someone’s world, to have someone who would always be there. And now she was alone, a helpless girl in a labyrinth of caves, surrounded by people who would kill her at a word.”
“Do you truly think all the people you kill deserve to die?
“That would be an easier belief, wouldn’t it?” Sori’s face was remote. “But no…We face the truth, Sorceress: Not that they deserve to die. But that their deaths serve a greater purpose.”
About the cover: I love the cover. It's mysterious and I like the contrast of dark and light. I think this is the tower that raises over the caves, home of the assassins.