The Assassin's Curse

by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Ananna of the Tanarau abandons ship when her parents try to marry her off to another pirate clan. But that only prompts the scorned clan to send an assassin after her. When Ananna faces him down one night, armed with magic she doesn't really know how to use, she accidentally activates a curse binding them together. To break the spell, Ananna and the assassin must complete three impossible tasks all while grappling with evil wizards, floating islands, haughty manticores, runaway nobility, strange magic...and the growing romantic tension between them. -- publisher.

• ISBN10: 1908844019
• ISBN13: 9781908844019
• Publish Date: 2 October 2012 (first published 1 January 2012)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Angry Robot
• Imprint: Strange Chemistry
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 298
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

I was very excited for The Assassin's Curse, because I have a bit of a pirate obsession as well as a fondness for assassins (assassin is my favorite word, fyi). It was a lot of fun, but it was also missing something for me, which I can't exactly pinpoint. Ananna was born and raised on the sea, as her family is in the pirate business. As a captain's daughter, she's not up to inherit the ship, but she is betrothed to a captain's son. To escape her fate, Ananna runs away, but her fiance's father sends an assassin after her. Lucky for Ananna, her would-be killer is cursed. She ends up saving his life, causing him to be compelled to protect her at all costs. Now they're stuck together, which is not what she had in mind at all, so she agrees to help him break the curse. Fun times ahoy!

The Assassin's Curse was a very quick and easy read. Ananna and Naji get into a lot of trouble on their journey north, so I was never bored. But I wasn't fully engaged for some reason either. I was just reading along, and next thing I know, it's over. There wasn't anything that really drew me in or blew me away. I also felt like their troubles were a bit repetitive. Someone would find them, Naji would use too much magic to fight them, Ananna would have to nurse him back to health even though she doesn't know what she's doing. Then someone magical would appear, help, and send them on their way. Repeat. I liked what I was reading, but do wish it had been a bit less formulaic.

I did really love the magic in The Assassin's Curse! It's everywhere! Ananna's mother could do magic and tried to teach her, but that didn't go so well. So Ananna does have magic in her, but she just doesn't know how to use it, or really care to. Naji on the other hand pretty much is magic. Assassin's aren't just people who kill other people. He can turn into shadow and move around unnoticed. He can do protection spells and offensive magic. Of course, there are other magical beings who aren't so nice out there too, including sirens! There's also a wizard that Naji thinks can help him. Magic was a huge part of this world, which seemed to be based on the Middle East. I really liked it.

In the end, I did quite enjoy The Assassin's Curse. I was more impressed with the magical aspects, rather than the adventure, but I think that's okay. It's enough for me to be interested in what comes next for Naji and Ananna, since now they'll be headed on a (hopefully) magical quest to break his curse.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[reveriesociety_]

I liked the plot and the fact that the heroine was a pirate. But what kept me from giving it five stars was the romance. Or lack of thereof. I usually don't mind but the blurb gave the idea of at least a kiss. *shrug* It's wonderful when two characters take their time to know each other, but I feel a little deceived with this one.

[nitzan_schwarz]

2013 cleaning my shelves challenge

Originally posted at Miss book reviews

The Assassin’s Curse was one of those books that was nothing like I expected yet at the same time I still enjoyed it.

The most fun thing about this book was the magic and the world. I found it very interesting that magic is a huge part of people’s lives in this world and the fact that different types of magic bonded better with different sorts of people. The spirits of that type of magic watched over certain types of people.

Ananna was a strong yet stubborn character. I liked that she could look after herself, her stubbornness was amusing at times and she seemed very brash. Naji was very mysterious, I wanted to know more about him and his past.

The beginning of this book had me wrapped around it’s words. I was a little surprised to discover the language it was written in but realised it made perfect sense as it was in Ananna’s point of view. At first I couldn’t stop reading because I had no idea what was going on, mostly due to the fact that Naji was very vague and even Ananna wasn’t sure what was happening most of the time. But around half way through things fell in to place and I knew where it was heading.

I found that the middle of the book on wards felt like it dragged out more than I would have enjoyed. The pace slowed down a lot and I wanted it to speed back up again. It did near the end, the ending making me really wanting to pick up the next book as soon as possible. The ending felt like it was the beginning of the true story while this story felt like it sets it all up. Which isn’t a bad thing at all. It leaves me wanting to pick up the next book for sure.

This book was a fun, interesting and quick read. I recommend giving it a go if you like fantasy!

Miss J
xx

Okay. Totally hooked. Annana is a fantastic MC. She's a no-nonsense, sassy and smart-assy type of gal with the mouth of a sailor. And Naji....is just Naji. And I totally love him for it. His stoic nature and natural glares never cease to make my heart flutter. Only thing that bothered me is it ended too soon.
Full review to come.

[Ashley]

booknook — Young Adult book reviews

The Assassin's Curse is an adventure story filled with pirates, magic, assassins, curses, and a new world that will intrigue you and keep you turning pages. It's written from first person perspective, but the language and slang really throws you into the story. If you're a fan of good ol' fantasy, then you'll probably really enjoy this book!

I have to say, when I read this book, the Goodreads blurb was different. It actually contained spoilers about the book. It was written as a summary of the entire story from start to finish, rather than a quick intro/teaser. So when I read the book, I was expecting something more to happen, and instead, just got the blurb but in more detail. That really ruined my reading experience and didn't make it as enjoyable as it could have been otherwise. So really, my four star rating is because I know the book would have been better if it hadn't been spoiled to me first.

The book starts off with Ananna, the daughter of a pirate family. Her parents are about to marry her off to a man she barely knows and already dislikes. To save herself from this fate, she runs away. This results in the would-be-groom's parents hiring an assassin—Naji— to murder her. But in this world, assassins aren't just normal sword-wielding fighters; they deal in the darkest magic — blood magic. They creep through the shadows — literally invisible, cast complex spells, and are expert swordsmen.

Ananna is an awesome character! First, she's a pirate. That's immediately awesome. But she's also really smart, fierce, and brave. Ananna is a really strong lead character who isn't afraid to back down from a fight, even when she knows she's outmatched.

I have two main issues with the book though. First: Naji. At first I was pretty interested in him. He's a really mysterious character and I wanted to learn more. Unfortunately we never really learn that much about Naji, even by the end of the book. We do get a really vague backstory but I feel like he's still kind of a mystery to me. And furthermore, as the story goes on, he kind of becomes an annoying, weak character. Ananna is constantly having to save his life while he moans uselessly. I mean it makes sense — he's usually extremely weakened because he performed a complex spell that drains him of his energy — but it still bothered me. I guess I just like reading about a strong, noble male character to stand on level with a strong female lead, and this story doesn't quite deliver that for me. And, Naji got to be super bossy as well — always telling Ananna what she could and could not do. It just built up over time and got on my nerves!

A romance does start to brew between Naji and Ananna, but it's very subtle, and because of my issues with Naji I wasn't all that into it. I wasn't falling for him, so I didn't want Ananna to.

As I said, if you're into fantasy and magic, you're bound to enjoy this book! The pirates are a really interesting touch and I loved learning about their culture and traditions. This book has several intense battles and interesting characters. The second book sounds like it will be quite interesting, and I'll definitely keep an eye out for it!