The Assassin's Curse (Book 1)

The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Rating

3 stars+

Date Read

23/6/15 - 26/6/15

Age Group

13+

General thoughts

Pretty.

Pretty cover, pretty characters. Quick, fun. A summer read.



The Assassin's Curse is the story of Ananna, a defiant and independent young pirate that runs out on her parents, her fiancee and the arranged marriage that would have determined her future, and runs off into the sunset on a camel's back. Not very ladylike, I know. But ladylike isn't one of the words you'd ever use to describe Ananna. And she's happy about keeping it that way.

In her desperation for freedom, she stumbles upon blood magic and dark intentions, gets herself tangled up in curses she can't even comprehend. Saving a Jadorr'a's, an assassin's, life, sets an impossible curse in motion, impossible in that it cannot be cured. He has to protect her, put her well being above his one. Anything else inflicts physical pain on him.

Travelling with an assassin, a blood magician, through dry, hot deserts, infinite, blue oceans and cold, misty northern islands, she must find a way to untangle herself from this mess, untangle herself from him, break his impossible curse.

Even though it bothers her that he doesn't really see her, doesn't really care.

Writing

I got the distinct impression that Cassandra could write normally if she wanted to. The writing is easy, fluent. The weird idioms and the too-pirate-y voice (didn't really know how else to describe it, see teaser below) are probably part of the atmosphere she wants to create for Ananna to act.

Narrating

The narrator is Ananna. Her voice is strong, confident, independent, honest. She isn't too relatable to me, at least at first, because her character is so very different from mine, her ερεθισματα are different, a pirate from the cradle, but it wasn't especially hard to get in the book and have fun with her adventures.

Main Characters

Ananna

Ananna is impulsive, hot-tempered, impatient and occasionally childish. She's also smart, strong, independent, real, honest and fierce. She also has a few trust issues (she doesnt trust beautiful people, as she makes sure to τονισει from the very first line of the book, but she's usually right not too. And anyway, I'm the complete opposite, trusting everyone, so who am I to judge?).

Naji

In arabic, Naji means survivor. Dark, mysterious and impatient, Naji sounds like every and any other young man in Y.A. books. But he's also sensitive in a way I didn't expect, and also self conscious, not in the feeling bad in his skin, annoying way, but in a occasionally doubting himself, especially around his ex love interest, in a way that was inflicted by his scars, covering half his face. Making him, in addition to his profession, consider himself a monster. Incapable of being loved. Of course he hides his self consciousness well enough through most of the book, so don't you dare consider him any less bad ass than he is, blood magician and murderer on call and all considered.

Leila

Naji's ex and a magic practitioner. Beautiful. Terrible. Self assured, confident, cruel. One- dimensional, developed skin deep, just enough to look awful and insensitive, just enough to hurt Naji and make Ananna (and me) wanna punch her square in her pretty face.

Plot

The main characters are always in the move, always looking for the next place to go, the next step to take to break the curse. That leads to enough action, which fits in greatly with the bigger picture the book creates. There is information withheld and secret fears and steady back plot that keeps the pages turning. Of course, nothing is actually solved in the first book but doesn't keep the reader from getting to know the protagonists and their predicaments and wanting to continue reading all the way to the end. The part I liked a lot was Ananna's falling in love. It wasn't love at first time and they didn't hook up halfway through. They fought and bickered and laughed, they had meaningful talks and long silences. Unlikely allies, bound together by greater forces and not their own free will. And yet...


"I had handed my heart over to him, a damned blood-magic assassin, without ever realising it"

All in All

The Assassin's Curse is a fun, quick read with satisfying backplot, heavy focus on the main characters and little to no sub plots, and enough action to keep you reading and certainly look for the sequels!

XOXO

Aggie Pearson