Warrior Princess Assassin was fun. Do I think there were some issues with pacing/storyline? Yes. Was the romance/character dynamics so worth it? Also yes. Keep reading this book review of Warrior Princess Assassin for my full thoughts.
Summary
WARRIOR. King Maddox Kyronan’s fire magic has earned him a ruthless reputation on the battlefield, but now his kingdom is slowly burning. Ky’s only chance to save his people is to enter a marriage alliance with the neighboring nation of Astranza, and hope that the royal family’s power to manipulate the weather will help his land flourish once more. He just needs to ensure no one finds out how the blaze began.
PRINCESS. With war looming on the horizon, Princess Jory’s home needs the protection of the fearsome warrior king, but she is hiding a dangerous her family’s magic is fading. Tempting as it is to reject her duties and run away with her childhood friend, Asher, Jory knows that she is the kingdom’s last hope. When she meets her intended, Jory is surprised to discover that beneath Ky’s daunting exterior is a compassionate and sharp-witted man who sets her heart aflame. But what will he do when he realizes she’s deceiving him?
ASSASSIN. Asher’s done what he must to survive, even if that means getting his hands dirty. Once a young nobleman in Astranza’s palace, where he and Jory caused mischief together, now he’s part of the Hunter’s Guild, employing much darker skills. When a lucrative job comes his way, Asher can’t say no—until he discovers the targets. Someone wants Ky and Jory dead. With the Guild watching, Asher must decide what he’s willing to do to protect the woman he loves.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Warrior Princess Assassin is the starting book of this series and it feels like it. I feel even like this seems to me even like half of book one. While the premise is pretty much an instant hook, most of the book ends up centering the character dynamics and their relationships with each other. Can they really trust each other? It’s devoted to giving us a foundation of these characters. Did I love it? Yes. Did it make the entire book feel like the part one of book one? Also yes. If you’re in this for the characters, that’s great news. But I did want to start the review with that caveat.
It’s the typical, last chapter “oh this is a book one right? Let’s bring back the plot with THE ending” feel. That can be very frustrating for readers. I was reading an e-ARC of this, so I was also pretty taken aback with the pacing and wondering when the shoe would drop. All that aside though, I really liked the character work in Warrior Princess Assassin for the characters to get to know each other more. For Jory to realize that the world is SO different than she thought and so she’s got some real learning to do. I loved witnessing the different roles they all play in each other’s life. And I genuinely enjoyed it so much that I didn’t hate the rug pull at the end.
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So writing this review was hard for me because I wasn’t sure even what to say. Warrior Princess Assassin was a lot of fun despite the title being a little generic. Our characters have a lot to learn here not only about each other, but also about themselves. Their own capacity for betrayal, cruelty, and love. I am very much interested in the sequel even though it definitely feels like this needed either more pages or a better lead up to that ending. Warrior Princess Assassin explores the value of choice and the idea that we become stronger with allies and friends. Find Warrior Princess Assassin on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.