[A quick note: As part of my ongoing research into assassin books, this was next up on my list. I had no idea what to expect going in, other than the high reviews and overall praises this series gets. Needless to say, this book was exactly what I wanted and needed for inspiration on my manuscript! I had my husband spray the edges of this book to match the font. Isn’t she a beaut?]
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒖𝒔 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒖𝒔. 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝑰 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒆. 𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒂 𝒅𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔. 𝑨 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍.” —Jay Kristoff
This is the story of a girl who suffered a great atrocity as a child and wants nothing more than revenge for those responsible. To achieve her goals, Mia must travel to the Red Church where she trains as an assassin. It’s a sweeping tale of struggle. Jay Kristoff’s writing is unique and unapologetic. I was captivated and swept into a setting chalk-full of fantastic world building. Kristoff is an author who knows his creation inside and out. The thing I found most unique was the presence of footnotes. Sometimes these were snarky asides. Other times, deeper layers to a world that felt oh-so-real. It added layers to my reading experience that I wasn’t used to and absolutely LOVED.
“𝑰 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒔 𝑰 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌.”
The story itself is compelling. I loved Mia’s character. She gives no fucks. She is unapologetic for who she is. For her vendetta. Her purpose. And she’s smart about how she does things (most of the time). Like everyone, she has her flaws. Moreover, there were a few other characters that I adored. I loved Tric. LOVED him, gentlefriends. And can we take a moment to talk about Mister Kindly?! Mister Kindly is a shadow that is a sort of demon passenger who follows Mia around. He’s partly comic relief and in a most welcome way. My best way of describing this facet of Mia’s character is BADASS! It gives her the upper hand that we love seeing in a female assassin (or any assassin character).
I want to give a nod to the assassin’s training that Mia undergoes. There’s nothing gentle or forgiving about it. Her journey is cut-throat. People die. Only the strongest survive. It was the perfect environment to watch Mia thrive.
CW: This is not for the faint of heart. Jay Kristoff’s writing is brutal and straightforward. There’s death. Blood. Sex. And plenty of swearing to keep my dark little heart happy! Even days later, I cannot stop thinking about this book!
I highly recommend this for all adult fantasy lovers. What better way to start my 2021 reading year with a book that sets the bar oh-so-high gentlefriends.
𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: 𝟱/𝟱⭐️