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| The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clark Releases October 2, 2012 Source of my copy: NetGalley |
Ananna of the Tanarau abandons ship when her parents try to marry her off to an allying pirate clan. But that only prompts the scorned clan to send an assassin after her. And 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 curse, 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.
------Awesome things about Assassin's Curse:
Girl pirate? Check.
Kick-butt assassin? Check.
Mysterious curse that forces the assassin to protect the pirate girl he's supposed to be killing? Check. Check. Check.
All in all, it should have added up to an awesome, five-star story, but there were just some things that fell flat for me. I expected Ananna to be...I don't know...more...awesome? I couldn't find any way to connect to her character. I didn't feel as interested in her story or her mind as I could have been. There was also the problem of strange grammar and inner dialogue. Ananna being a pirate, she has some serious grammatical issues that, even though I understood were intentional, bugged me as I read.
Then there's Naji, the assassin. He wasn't as awesome as expected, either. He was supposed to be this amazingly deadly and skilled assassin, but, as I saw another reviewer mention (I'm sorry, I can't remember who), he seemed weak, and it seemed more like Ananna was protecting him than the other way around. He didn't do anything spectacular, or anything that made me particuarly enjoy his character. He was not what I was expecting, and another disappointment.
Then there was the romance--or the lack of it. I know every book doesn't need romance, or a lot of romance, but I was expecting more. I don't know if it was the synopsis or something else, but something made me expect Naji and Ananna's relationship to blossom more than it does. Besides a few hints and some events at the very end of the book, they barely even seem to scrape the stage of friendship.
That's not to say this book isn't worth reading, however. I was interested enough in the plot to continue reading, and I am curious to see what happens next to Ananna and Naji. That said, I really don't consider this book one of my favorites.
Assassin's Curse gets <*><*><*>
(:D)
~Mag
aww sorry to hear this book fell flat for you--I hate it when a book doesn't quite meet your expectations!
ReplyDeleteI'll probably end up reading this anyways because kick-butt assassin and girl pirate is motivation enough.
Great review!
Yeah...I think one of the main reasons it fell flat was that he WASN'T as kick-butt as I expected...but there were still parts of it that I enjoyed, and other people might like it more than me! You should definitely read it if you're intrigued :)
DeleteI'm sorry you found this so disappointing. I have to admit, the premise for it sounds pretty cool, so it sucks that the book doesn't quite live up to it. I love the idea of pirates and assassins! I still think I'll read this because of that, but I won't have high hopes. Lovely review, Mag! :)
ReplyDeleteAs I said to Joie up there, I'd definitely never tell anyone they SHOULDN'T read it (or anything), because of course everyone's opinions are different!
DeleteAnd there were interesting bits to it, and I am interested to see what happens next :)
What a shame about the characters, if I can't connect with them, then the books needs to work extra hard to win me over. I have a feeling I'd have the same issues!
ReplyDeleteGreat, honest review!
Yeah, it took me a while to find the words to write this review. This is really my first review for a book I didn't enjoy very much, and I wasn't sure how to phrase it properly without bashing or anything, or not saying what I'm feeling properly and then regretting it later, you know?
Delete