The Assassin’s Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Release date: October 2012

Borrowed from local library

My rating: 5/5 stars

“The vendor shouted behind me, angry curses that would’ve made a real lady blush. Then Tarrin joined in, screaming at me to come back, hollering that he hadn’t been joking about the assassins. I squeezed my eyes shut and tugged hard on the camel’s reins and listened to the gusts of air shoving out of his nostrils. He smelled awful, like dung and the too-hot-sun, but I didn’t care: We were wound up together, me and that camel.   I slapped his reins against his neck like he was a horse and willed him to take me away, away from my marriage and my double-crossing parents. And he did.”

After her parents attempt to force her into an arranged marriage with the son of another pirate clan’s captain, Ananna escapes and goes off into the dessert. The clan is bitter, however, and they send a deadly assassin to go after her. After finding herself face-to-face with the assassin, she accidentally activates a curse that binds them together and forces him to become her guardian. Together, they must work to break the curse.

This book has multiple aspects that make it an easy book to fall in love with. First and foremost is the protagonist. Ananna is a hard-core pirate who never backs down from a fight. She’s strong, clever, funny, and endearing. Her experience as a pirate serves her well throughout the book, and her bravery is admirable. She can be hilariously crude and waveringly stubborn at times, yet she always knows when there’s business that needs to be taken care of. I LOVE this character.

The second aspect of this book that I enjoyed is the magic. The different types of magic present in The Assassin’s Curse give the novel a mystical feeling and also add an air of mystery to it. Ananna doesn’t use magic very often herself, which makes her even stronger (in my eyes) because all of her power and strength comes from HER.

Third, I enjoyed the setting of the book, and the whole pirate theme. It was nice to read a book where the characters were something other than anglo-saxon. Also, the fact that Ananna and her people aren’t necessarily the most honest or trustworthy group makes them all the more interesting.

Fourth, I really loved the relationship that goes on between the two love interests in this novel. It’s a believable relationship that takes time to develop. Those of you who enjoy reading the whole insta-love/ love at first sight type of deal will be disappointed because *MILD SPOILER* there’s not a single kiss in this book.

Overall, I would say this is a fantastic read that everyone should try. I have now added it to my list of favorite books ever!

Guest review contributed by Batool’s Book Feels. This blog has a variety of posts to keep things fresh and entertaining. She is a self-proclaimed bibliophile and art lover.