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Daindreth's Assassin #1
Daindreth's Assassin
An assassin falls for the archduke she was sent to kill, but killing him might be the only way to save his soul.
Magic has two immutable rules—every spell requires a sacrifice and every curse can be broken.
Amira Brindonu is a sorceress turned assassin, bound in a curse that forces her to obey her father, even to the point of high treason. When he orders her to kill the future emperor, she fails, but discovers a secret that could bring the whole of the empire to its knees.
The archduke is stricken by a curse that could sentence him and his people to damnation, but Amira could be the only key to breaking it. In a desperate last-ditch effort, the archduke takes Amira prisoner and makes a pact to protect her from her curse if she will help free him of his own.
As time begins to run out, Amira soon learns that there are enemies that blades can’t touch and there are fates worse than death. Caught in a web of sorcery, intrigue, and her growing feelings for the archduke, the assassin must decide just how much she is willing to give to save the only man she’s ever loved.
Every curse can be broken, but can two cursed people save each other?
Beauty and the Beast meets The Witcher in this Fantasy Romance that is sure to delight fans of Sarah J. Maas, Kristin Cashore, and Leigh Bardugo.
Magic has two immutable rules—every spell requires a sacrifice and every curse can be broken.
Amira Brindonu is a sorceress turned assassin, bound in a curse that forces her to obey her father, even to the point of high treason. When he orders her to kill the future emperor, she fails, but discovers a secret that could bring the whole of the empire to its knees.
The archduke is stricken by a curse that could sentence him and his people to damnation, but Amira could be the only key to breaking it. In a desperate last-ditch effort, the archduke takes Amira prisoner and makes a pact to protect her from her curse if she will help free him of his own.
As time begins to run out, Amira soon learns that there are enemies that blades can’t touch and there are fates worse than death. Caught in a web of sorcery, intrigue, and her growing feelings for the archduke, the assassin must decide just how much she is willing to give to save the only man she’s ever loved.
Every curse can be broken, but can two cursed people save each other?
Beauty and the Beast meets The Witcher in this Fantasy Romance that is sure to delight fans of Sarah J. Maas, Kristin Cashore, and Leigh Bardugo.
283 pages, ebook
First published May 23, 2021
1091 people are currently reading
16906 people want to read
About the author
Elisabeth Wheatley
34 books4,420 followersElisabeth Wheatley is a fantasy author because warrior princess wasn’t an option. She loves tea and asking questions.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 909 reviews
August 9, 2023
Anyone else feel like you're saying "dangerous" with a heavy lisp evey time you read Daindreth. Or just me?
January 26, 2024
I found this author through her fun videos on social media. I decided to try her book because she subtlety promotes it a lot and I've never been more disappointed to be disappointed.
The writing is unpolished, cliche bordering on cringe and the dialogue felt stilted.
While there were aspects of the book that I think had potential, the magic system was interesting, and the characters all felt distinct and well thought out, the execution failed to manifest these elements into a quality novel.
If there's one thing I hate it's the "power of love" cop-out plot resolution. Three magic words and the impossible is suddenly conquered. It's more egregious when the love doesn't feel believable. What was actually written was love at first sight cliches, teenage lust and shallow dialogue. The lack of time spent developing a depth of relationship between the main characters makes the true love and devotion plot resolution seem far fetched.
The book needed a lot of editing, malapropisms, missing words and spelling errors all over the place.
This may seem nitpicky but I personally can't picture a red-headed Amira.
Overall a nice premise that fell flat on poor writing.
The writing is unpolished, cliche bordering on cringe and the dialogue felt stilted.
While there were aspects of the book that I think had potential, the magic system was interesting, and the characters all felt distinct and well thought out, the execution failed to manifest these elements into a quality novel.
If there's one thing I hate it's the "power of love" cop-out plot resolution. Three magic words and the impossible is suddenly conquered. It's more egregious when the love doesn't feel believable. What was actually written was love at first sight cliches, teenage lust and shallow dialogue. The lack of time spent developing a depth of relationship between the main characters makes the true love and devotion plot resolution seem far fetched.
The book needed a lot of editing, malapropisms, missing words and spelling errors all over the place.
This may seem nitpicky but I personally can't picture a red-headed Amira.
Overall a nice premise that fell flat on poor writing.
June 1, 2021
4.5 stars.
It's been a long time since I've read a story this well-written in the expositionary department. Exposition the second toughest thing to write about. (The first being intimacy.) Within two chapters, I knew who these characters were like, how they walked, how they talked, the generalized location, the political atmosphere, plus a ton more additional world-building points. Superb!
This is fantasy novel with a paranormal romance twist. High magic is involved in which the writer did spend a good deal of time with its system creation. Everything asked for demands a price. The gods and goddesses require sacrifices when angered. NOTHING is for free.
The characters involved were very three-dimensional and grew and matured throughout the book. I was extremely pleased with how Ms. Wheatley manipulated her characters within her world, making it all that much more exciting! There was so much suspense in some parts, I had to stop reading for a day before I could resume! What a change of pace compared to the last ten books I've been reading!
My only reason for not giving this book that additional half-star is that there were still quite a few stupidly missed mistakes. Missing words. Words that should had been cut. Considering that the grammar was quite good, even to my persnickety editorial lifestyle, they should had been easily "heard" during a final few verbal read-throughs. (The best way to pick up on these snarky little problems. Our eyes too easily bounce right over these important details.)
Yes, this is part of a series, but it doesn't end in a cliffhanger... not if just barely escaping with your life is considered a cliffhanger which I do not. I have already signed up with her newsletter in order to be notified of her next book's release. This series is definitely worth the investment, believe you me.
It's been a long time since I've read a story this well-written in the expositionary department. Exposition the second toughest thing to write about. (The first being intimacy.) Within two chapters, I knew who these characters were like, how they walked, how they talked, the generalized location, the political atmosphere, plus a ton more additional world-building points. Superb!
This is fantasy novel with a paranormal romance twist. High magic is involved in which the writer did spend a good deal of time with its system creation. Everything asked for demands a price. The gods and goddesses require sacrifices when angered. NOTHING is for free.
The characters involved were very three-dimensional and grew and matured throughout the book. I was extremely pleased with how Ms. Wheatley manipulated her characters within her world, making it all that much more exciting! There was so much suspense in some parts, I had to stop reading for a day before I could resume! What a change of pace compared to the last ten books I've been reading!
My only reason for not giving this book that additional half-star is that there were still quite a few stupidly missed mistakes. Missing words. Words that should had been cut. Considering that the grammar was quite good, even to my persnickety editorial lifestyle, they should had been easily "heard" during a final few verbal read-throughs. (The best way to pick up on these snarky little problems. Our eyes too easily bounce right over these important details.)
Yes, this is part of a series, but it doesn't end in a cliffhanger... not if just barely escaping with your life is considered a cliffhanger which I do not. I have already signed up with her newsletter in order to be notified of her next book's release. This series is definitely worth the investment, believe you me.
September 25, 2023
GOD if I read ONE MORE BOOK with a badass FMC that turns into a doormat as soon as she meets a mediocre dude, I will throw up
+ I'm sorry but if she's called "Amira", I can't picture her red hair
+ I'm sorry but if she's called "Amira", I can't picture her red hair
November 9, 2023
3.5 stars
I enjoyed this book, overall. It needed a little more polish, deeper world building, and editing.
I'll pick up the next book.
I enjoyed this book, overall. It needed a little more polish, deeper world building, and editing.
I'll pick up the next book.
January 19, 2024
I adore the author's comedic sketches - her love of fantasy, romance, and their many sub-genres is a delight. I went into this book wanting to love it because of those sketches but felt this was just... okay. I can see how hard she's worked to avoid many of the irritating issues "romantasy" suffers from and I'd therefore still recommend it as an antidote to the absolutely juvenile mysogynistic rubbish this genre usually puts out.
I suspect other readers actively seek the very thing that didn't work for me. I don't want anything I read to be "cosy" or low key or low stakes, but I think other people like that sort of thing. For me, the stakes were just so low that I was bored rather than soothed.
I loved that the hero needed her but quickly realised he wasn't behaving like a gentleman about it and apologised I quite literally rolled my eyes when she figured out the secret to her curse (sis, that curse made you slaughter people wholesale, but you only figure it out because you have a crush on a boy?)
There were only 2 things I really, really didn't understand: (a) names like Lars and Corbin when the other names are not contemporary European ones and (b) hesitating to remove her clothes to access a stab wound she's been bleeding from long enough to pass out from blood loss. Are we... are we sexualising medical care here? He's getting possessive about another man being there and is uncomfortable not having her permission to get rid of her blood soaked shirt? What?
I suspect other readers actively seek the very thing that didn't work for me. I don't want anything I read to be "cosy" or low key or low stakes, but I think other people like that sort of thing. For me, the stakes were just so low that I was bored rather than soothed.
I loved that the hero needed her but quickly realised he wasn't behaving like a gentleman about it and apologised I quite literally rolled my eyes when she figured out the secret to her curse (sis, that curse made you slaughter people wholesale, but you only figure it out because you have a crush on a boy?)
There were only 2 things I really, really didn't understand: (a) names like Lars and Corbin when the other names are not contemporary European ones and (b) hesitating to remove her clothes to access a stab wound she's been bleeding from long enough to pass out from blood loss. Are we... are we sexualising medical care here? He's getting possessive about another man being there and is uncomfortable not having her permission to get rid of her blood soaked shirt? What?
May 27, 2024
Wow I didn’t realize that romantasy is a good genre when you LIKE THE PROTAGONIST AND SHIP HER WITH THE DUDE. Making her be the conflicted angry one and him be the soft one? Obsessed. Anyway loved this and highly recommend so so so good
March 7, 2025
Amira Brindonu is an ex-princess turned assassin, magically compelled to fulfill her master's (a.k.a her father's) orders. After failing to kill the future emperor/her sister's husband-to-be, the protagonist finds herself betrothed and magically linked to said guy.
Not an ideal situation, but Daindreth himself is surprisingly chill and even kind about the whole assassination thing. Amira is definitely weirded out by it all, but she's also very much starved for affection, sooo... *wink-wink nudge-nudge*
I haven't read a heterosexual romance story for quite a while, and I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by how decent I found it. Don't get me wrong, I won't be abandoning my M/M romances any time soon, but I enjoyed the protagonist's interactions more than I thought I would. To be fair, their chemistry still feels kind of... cheesy, possibly due to the YA vibes, but I loved to see their relationship evolve from the initial physical attraction to deeper feelings.
I was quite interested in the world building, and loved how flawed every single character is. Especially because I tend to be used to people who're insanely talented at this one specific thing that let's them get away with any other weakness. In here, most people were just very very good at stuff, but not so much that it would compensate for all their other shortcomings.
I am having a bit of trouble keeping the various names of people, places, races and occupations straight, but I'm hoping to get past that by the next book. Plus, continuing to reading things, as opposed to listening, tends to help as well.
Score: 3.7/5 stars
There are plenty of things I found questionable, but for the most part I'm really enjoying the story and the cast. Especially Thadred, who is basically the epitome of the flawed rake, i.e. the type of guy I love to salivate over in historical romances.
Not an ideal situation, but Daindreth himself is surprisingly chill and even kind about the whole assassination thing. Amira is definitely weirded out by it all, but she's also very much starved for affection, sooo... *wink-wink nudge-nudge*
I haven't read a heterosexual romance story for quite a while, and I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by how decent I found it. Don't get me wrong, I won't be abandoning my M/M romances any time soon, but I enjoyed the protagonist's interactions more than I thought I would. To be fair, their chemistry still feels kind of... cheesy, possibly due to the YA vibes, but I loved to see their relationship evolve from the initial physical attraction to deeper feelings.
I was quite interested in the world building, and loved how flawed every single character is. Especially because I tend to be used to people who're insanely talented at this one specific thing that let's them get away with any other weakness. In here, most people were just very very good at stuff, but not so much that it would compensate for all their other shortcomings.
I am having a bit of trouble keeping the various names of people, places, races and occupations straight, but I'm hoping to get past that by the next book. Plus, continuing to reading things, as opposed to listening, tends to help as well.
Score: 3.7/5 stars
There are plenty of things I found questionable, but for the most part I'm really enjoying the story and the cast. Especially Thadred, who is basically the epitome of the flawed rake, i.e. the type of guy I love to salivate over in historical romances.
March 6, 2024
This was unexpectedly really good. The beginning gripped me and pulled me into the story.
I think I love this as a fantasy romance. Daindreth and Amira are sweet together and I can't wait to see how their relationship continues to grow.
I like to stakes that are in this book. There is a lot to be explored in this world and the plot to unfold as we find more about Daindreth and Amira's background story.
I just wish there was assassin stuff which is what drew me in with Amira's character. She presented herself as very meek and docile with no fight in her. You don't get to see her skills as an assassin until closer to the end of the book. Which I was hoping for more but willing to see how it will go in the other books.
This is a great new start to series and can't wait to continue.
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I think I love this as a fantasy romance. Daindreth and Amira are sweet together and I can't wait to see how their relationship continues to grow.
I like to stakes that are in this book. There is a lot to be explored in this world and the plot to unfold as we find more about Daindreth and Amira's background story.
I just wish there was assassin stuff which is what drew me in with Amira's character. She presented herself as very meek and docile with no fight in her. You don't get to see her skills as an assassin until closer to the end of the book. Which I was hoping for more but willing to see how it will go in the other books.
This is a great new start to series and can't wait to continue.
Connect With Me:
BLOG ⟫ INSTAGRAM ⟫ PODCAST ⟫ TIKTOK ⟫ YOUTUBE
March 4, 2023
I really enjoyed the first 75% of this book, but the twist just didn’t work for me, I’m not a fan of the “loves fixes everything” plot device. Also, Amira started out as such a cool, bad ass assassin character, but ends up a silly girl with a crush who becomes OP for no reason. It sure if I’ll read the rest of the series.
February 15, 2025
Confession time: I read this book because I like the author’s Instagram. I’ve never read romantasy before but her upcoming book intrigued me so I thought I’d read this one before it came out.
As for this book, well…I heard she wrote it when she was very young and so I hope the most recent one feels more mature. Apparently Amira can only be described by her name or “the assassin,” which got irritating real quick, and maybe it’s because I never read fantasy but I understood nothing about the magic of the world. I still have no idea what the villain’s plan was or even really how it got subverted. Also Amira falling in love with Daindreth felt a little fast and a little hard.
Seriously, what was the plan? What was supposed to happen, villain?
As for this book, well…I heard she wrote it when she was very young and so I hope the most recent one feels more mature. Apparently Amira can only be described by her name or “the assassin,” which got irritating real quick, and maybe it’s because I never read fantasy but I understood nothing about the magic of the world. I still have no idea what the villain’s plan was or even really how it got subverted. Also Amira falling in love with Daindreth felt a little fast and a little hard.
Seriously, what was the plan? What was supposed to happen, villain?
February 20, 2025
3.25*
Picked this up after stumbling onto the author's shorts on youtube and vibing with a lot of their takes - particularly the one linked below & obvs Book Goblin lives in all of us 🙃
I also will not pretend that the newer covers totally sealed the deal for me & muchas gracias to the super helpful friend who got them added to GR so I could have them on my shelves 🤩🤩
*Gollum-voice* such pretties
The story itself gave strong ToG vibes but thankfully far less YA-coded and a really cool magic system is present from the start.
Our FMC is a set-aside princess born of a sorceress mother & trained secret assassin who cannot disobey her father. In the first chapter he sets her a treasonous task, that she fails, yet during which makes a life altering discovery and sets her on a totally new path weirdly possibly putting her in more danger than she had previously been...do I have your attention yet? 😇
If not, it is worth mentioning that there are curses to be broken, snappy interactions with new frenemies(?), stolen horses, magical discoveries, sticky court politics to navigate, potentially prickly in-laws that are enigmatic and have my whole attention as I try to suss their true intentions/endgame including an equally confounding righthandman burdened with same curse as our FMC.
The only downside really were some instalovey interactions made me 🙄 but for the most part the ways the MCs navigated the predicaments they find themselves in were well handled and have me reaching immediately for book2 🤗
One thing I will recommend is NOT reading the novella before book1.
It is so rewarding to read it after book1 to revisit many of the early interactions from an alternative PoV with the knowledge we have learned from the first book 🤓
*******
Pre-review
Did I twist @Franlopedia's arm to join me on a BR based entirely off this youtube short about loathing 3rd act break ups & the author's Book Goblin bit...mebbe 😈
🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼 we're not sorry 🫠
PS - is now a good time to admit I haven't read the blurb & don't really know what I've gotten us into 😅
Picked this up after stumbling onto the author's shorts on youtube and vibing with a lot of their takes - particularly the one linked below & obvs Book Goblin lives in all of us 🙃
I also will not pretend that the newer covers totally sealed the deal for me & muchas gracias to the super helpful friend who got them added to GR so I could have them on my shelves 🤩🤩
*Gollum-voice* such pretties
The story itself gave strong ToG vibes but thankfully far less YA-coded and a really cool magic system is present from the start.
Our FMC is a set-aside princess born of a sorceress mother & trained secret assassin who cannot disobey her father. In the first chapter he sets her a treasonous task, that she fails, yet during which makes a life altering discovery and sets her on a totally new path weirdly possibly putting her in more danger than she had previously been...do I have your attention yet? 😇
If not, it is worth mentioning that there are curses to be broken, snappy interactions with new frenemies(?), stolen horses, magical discoveries, sticky court politics to navigate, potentially prickly in-laws that are enigmatic and have my whole attention as I try to suss their true intentions/endgame including an equally confounding righthandman burdened with same curse as our FMC.
The only downside really were some instalovey interactions made me 🙄 but for the most part the ways the MCs navigated the predicaments they find themselves in were well handled and have me reaching immediately for book2 🤗
One thing I will recommend is NOT reading the novella before book1.
It is so rewarding to read it after book1 to revisit many of the early interactions from an alternative PoV with the knowledge we have learned from the first book 🤓
*******
Pre-review
Did I twist @Franlopedia's arm to join me on a BR based entirely off this youtube short about loathing 3rd act break ups & the author's Book Goblin bit...mebbe 😈
🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼 we're not sorry 🫠
PS - is now a good time to admit I haven't read the blurb & don't really know what I've gotten us into 😅
April 28, 2024
I follow the author on social media (she's fantastic) so I REALLY wanted to like this book. But I did not. It is full of excellent ideas, but it is in desperate need of a good editing- it very much reads like an Early Work (my experience was probably not helped by reading it immediately after finishing Leigh Bardugo's The Familiar). I will read the next one to see if the author's craft improves (she writes such funny skits! She's obviously very talented!) because I do like the story.
(Spoilers hereafter)
Some of my issues can be directly tied to expectations, however. This series was sold to me as:
-"Real" enemies-to-Lovers
-Slow burn romance
-Morally gray protagonist
It was not those things:
-They are never "real" enemies or even sort of enemies (or people who are competing or don't get along). She tries to kill him in the opening scene only because she's under a magical compulsion. Then she hates that he's a threat to her sister, but once he decides to marry her instead that conflict is gone. He NEVER considers her to be his enemy
-This is damn near insta-love, and they definitely kiss like halfway through the book. They don't consummate, however, so maybe that's what the author thinks is meant by a slow burn?
-She is definitely not gray. She is tortured by the murders she was (again) magically compelled to commit (nightmares, etc). The only hint of moral gray is when she beats the crap out of her abusive step mother, but that is the ONLY moment of "Is this really how a hero behaves?"
(Spoilers hereafter)
Some of my issues can be directly tied to expectations, however. This series was sold to me as:
-"Real" enemies-to-Lovers
-Slow burn romance
-Morally gray protagonist
It was not those things:
-They are never "real" enemies or even sort of enemies (or people who are competing or don't get along). She tries to kill him in the opening scene only because she's under a magical compulsion. Then she hates that he's a threat to her sister, but once he decides to marry her instead that conflict is gone. He NEVER considers her to be his enemy
-This is damn near insta-love, and they definitely kiss like halfway through the book. They don't consummate, however, so maybe that's what the author thinks is meant by a slow burn?
-She is definitely not gray. She is tortured by the murders she was (again) magically compelled to commit (nightmares, etc). The only hint of moral gray is when she beats the crap out of her abusive step mother, but that is the ONLY moment of "Is this really how a hero behaves?"
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2024
(Sigh) I’m a little tired of under developed, under edited books with a decent idea. I had hopes for this book, but it fell flat for me for a number of reasons.
First, I couldn’t get over some of the name issues. “Daindreth” sounds like “dangerous” with a lisp; just call the man Dain and move on. And why the h*ck is the author still referring to Amira as “the Assassin” in the last chapter? It’s unnecessary and puts an emotional gap between the reader and the character, since the title makes us feel like we’re still not on first name basis with a character even after seeing into her psyche. It also felt strange that the chapter from Dain’s point of view called her “the Assassin.” Is this how he refers to her? Probably not, but that’s what it feels like when he’s (apparently) referring to her as “the Assassin” in his thoughts.
Second, the enemies to lovers trope—while a trope I usually like—went from enemies to lovers WAY too quickly. Amira tried to kill Dain in chapter one, and within a chapter or two, she’s falling for him. I think it’s because the author loved Dain so much, she wanted him everyone else to see how great he was too. But in doing so, she sacrificed the natural evolution of Amira and Dain’s feelings for each other. Also, I don’t feel like Amira ever really respected Dain’s choice to not have sex. Like, I get it, she felt hurt by his decision, but he clearly said no and gave his reasons, and then she tried to purposefully turn him on because she didn’t want to be the only one feeling that way. That’s just selfish.
Third, the Empress’s whole arc, motivations, goals, character, etc, made no sense. The author tried to hide the fact that the Empress was the bad guy until the very end, but in doing so, she diluted the Empress’s impact as a villain.
Fourth, the whole scene where Amira broke her curse didn’t work for me. That curse made her do TERRIBLE things, but somehow she couldn’t get together the strength to break it until she fell in love? It worked when Ella broke her curse for love in Ella Enchanted, because Ella had never really had a motivation to break her curse outside of herself until she met Char and realized that she could be used not only against him, but the entire country. But Amira had plenty of motivation to find a way to break the curse. She was murdering people, for crying out loud. If that’s not a good enough reason, nothing is.
There were probably other issues, but I’ll leave it there. It wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read, and I would probably reread the book if it went through a few more drafts and edits, but as it stands, I’m not planning to go on with the series.
First, I couldn’t get over some of the name issues. “Daindreth” sounds like “dangerous” with a lisp; just call the man Dain and move on. And why the h*ck is the author still referring to Amira as “the Assassin” in the last chapter? It’s unnecessary and puts an emotional gap between the reader and the character, since the title makes us feel like we’re still not on first name basis with a character even after seeing into her psyche. It also felt strange that the chapter from Dain’s point of view called her “the Assassin.” Is this how he refers to her? Probably not, but that’s what it feels like when he’s (apparently) referring to her as “the Assassin” in his thoughts.
Second, the enemies to lovers trope—while a trope I usually like—went from enemies to lovers WAY too quickly. Amira tried to kill Dain in chapter one, and within a chapter or two, she’s falling for him. I think it’s because the author loved Dain so much, she wanted him everyone else to see how great he was too. But in doing so, she sacrificed the natural evolution of Amira and Dain’s feelings for each other. Also, I don’t feel like Amira ever really respected Dain’s choice to not have sex. Like, I get it, she felt hurt by his decision, but he clearly said no and gave his reasons, and then she tried to purposefully turn him on because she didn’t want to be the only one feeling that way. That’s just selfish.
Third, the Empress’s whole arc, motivations, goals, character, etc, made no sense. The author tried to hide the fact that the Empress was the bad guy until the very end, but in doing so, she diluted the Empress’s impact as a villain.
Fourth, the whole scene where Amira broke her curse didn’t work for me. That curse made her do TERRIBLE things, but somehow she couldn’t get together the strength to break it until she fell in love? It worked when Ella broke her curse for love in Ella Enchanted, because Ella had never really had a motivation to break her curse outside of herself until she met Char and realized that she could be used not only against him, but the entire country. But Amira had plenty of motivation to find a way to break the curse. She was murdering people, for crying out loud. If that’s not a good enough reason, nothing is.
There were probably other issues, but I’ll leave it there. It wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read, and I would probably reread the book if it went through a few more drafts and edits, but as it stands, I’m not planning to go on with the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2023
Не можна мені вестися на відеорекламки фентезі, нічого мене життя не вчить. Я знайшла цю книжку, бо в Елізабет Вітлі дуже кумедні рілзи про різні піджанри романтики, а сама вона написала цю фентезійну серію про принцесу-асасинку Аміру, яка скута прокляттям коритися батьку. Одного разу він засилає її вбити імператора, який має одружитися з її молодшою сестрою, і їй це не вдається, бо тіло імператора ділить демон. Але імператор, Дейндрес, вражений тим, що їй вдалося прижучити його демона, який є його родовим прокляттям, і він вирішує одружитися з Амірою замість молодшої сестри. Батько Аміри змушений коритися імператору і несвідомо передає контроль над нею її нареченому. Аміра і Дейндрес хочуть скинути з себе свої прокляття, закохуються одне в одного, але нинішня імператриця заради процвітання (?) імперії хоче, щоб демон і далі сидів в її сині і обміняти це на певні вигоди. Все дуже заплутано)
Найбільший мінус для мене тут — недоточений стиль, слабкуваті описи й діалоги. Я не зрозуміла, як ми прийшли до того, що Дейндрес, виявляється, насправді дуже добрий і чуйний, і яким чином між головними героями спалахнуло кохання. Текст більше ставить перед фактом, аніж показує це на прикладах. Привабливість Аміри як персонажки також мені не дуже зрозуміла. Цей сюжет міг би справляти набагато краще враження, якби він був розказаний сильнішим авторським голосом. Тобто сама по собі книжка непогана, вона радше стандартна, але я мала більші очікування.
Далі серію читати не буду.
P.S. Фінт зі скиданням прокляття нагадав мені фінал "Зачарованої Елли". :)
Найбільший мінус для мене тут — недоточений стиль, слабкуваті описи й діалоги. Я не зрозуміла, як ми прийшли до того, що Дейндрес, виявляється, насправді дуже добрий і чуйний, і яким чином між головними героями спалахнуло кохання. Текст більше ставить перед фактом, аніж показує це на прикладах. Привабливість Аміри як персонажки також мені не дуже зрозуміла. Цей сюжет міг би справляти набагато краще враження, якби він був розказаний сильнішим авторським голосом. Тобто сама по собі книжка непогана, вона радше стандартна, але я мала більші очікування.
Далі серію читати не буду.
P.S. Фінт зі скиданням прокляття нагадав мені фінал "Зачарованої Елли". :)
October 15, 2023
Amira was once a princess, but after her mother's clan of sorceresses were branded as traitors and banished, she was removed from the line of succession and now, thanks to a curse that forces her to obey her father's every command, she works for him as an assassin. Amira's sister is betrothed to the archduke, the next emperor, who is on his way to finalise the marriage agreement. Despite knowing that what she has to do amounts to high treason, Amira has no choice when her father sends her to kill the man. If she tries to fight the curse, she herself will die. Amira fails to kill Daindreth, the archduke, because he turns out to be possessed by a demon, which takes control and fights Amira. She only barely escapes, and has to admit her failure to her father.
Once Amira realises the archduke's dark secret, she is determined to stop her sister's wedding to the man, which turns out to be easier than she anticipated, as the archduke demands that Amira be the promised bride instead. For reasons unclear to both of them, it seems the demon inside Daindreth is pacified when she is near. He hopes this means she may help him fight and maybe break the demon curse somehow. In return, he promises to help her break her own curse - which conveniently transfers control over Amira to Daindreth the instant Amira's father signs her over to him as his bride.
Due to her curse, Amira now can't disobey any direct command Daindreth gives her, and hence can't fight him or escape, despite knowing about the demon inside him. He seems very wary of abusing his control over her, however, and never orders her to do anything that takes away her agency. The more she spends time in his company, the more she discovers what a good man he actually is. He desperately wants to be rid of the demon inside, and it doesn't take long before Amira is willing to risk her own life to save the man she was once going to kill.
About a month ago, I had never even heard of Elisabeth Wheatley. I was made aware of her existence because of a blog post by [author:Ilona Andrews|, highlighting some very funny Instagram videos she'd posted, and I immediately followed her for more amusing content. Ms. Wheatley does an excellent job promoting her books, and it took less than three weeks before I gave in and bought the first four books in the series, determined to find out more about this assassin sorceress and her softboi demon duke. The author herself promises that this is a book where the heroine doesn't need any rescuing, in fact she rescues both herself and her love interest, and that as opposed to the "Touch her and die!" trope that is so common in a lot of fantasy and romance novels, this is more of a "Touch HIM and die" story.
Amira is determined and capable and does her best to fight the curse that forces her to kill people at her father's bidding. She certainly doesn't expect to fall for the heir to the imperial throne, a demon-possessed man she was once sent to murder. While their engagement might seem like one of pure political expediency, time spent with Daindreth makes Amira gradually hope that their relationship might become something more than a marriage of convenience. As long as they actually rid Daindreth of the demon, of course. He more or less refuses to touch her otherwise, since even when the demon seems quiet, it still watches everything the archduke does.
It's not like Daindreth is completely useless, he just hasn't been trained in combat since he was very young. Being the heir to the throne, he's rarely ever alone. He does his best to be a good person, even though he's had to fight the demon inside him since he was eleven years old. Even though he's of age, his mother, the dowager empress, rules in the empire, as he is terrified of what will happen if the demon is given more power. Daindreth is pretty much always accompanied by Thadred, his cousin, who acts as the archduke's bodyguard, but also seems to see it as his sacred duty to sleep with as many ladies as possible. He finds Daindreth's decision to not only spare Amira's life, but to pick her as his fiancée, very confusing, but he and Amira learn to work together once he realises Amira also wants to protect the archduke.
There are four books out in the series so far and the fifth and final novel, Daindreth's Empress, will be out in January. By then, I will probably have caught up and finished the four I already own. These are by no means the best fantasy out there that I've read, but they're inventive and entertaining, and the curses that both Daindreth and Amira struggle with are based on the author's own battles with PTSD and anxiety, so they feel very visceral and real. I don't regret supporting this author, and based on her writing and excellent social media videos, wish her a lot of success.
Judging a book by its cover: I will freely admit that I don't think I would ever have picked up this book (or the sequels) based on the cover. This is a pretty generic fantasy cover, lady with a big sword and dark clothing. Still, it gives a certain impression of what the story is about.
Once Amira realises the archduke's dark secret, she is determined to stop her sister's wedding to the man, which turns out to be easier than she anticipated, as the archduke demands that Amira be the promised bride instead. For reasons unclear to both of them, it seems the demon inside Daindreth is pacified when she is near. He hopes this means she may help him fight and maybe break the demon curse somehow. In return, he promises to help her break her own curse - which conveniently transfers control over Amira to Daindreth the instant Amira's father signs her over to him as his bride.
Due to her curse, Amira now can't disobey any direct command Daindreth gives her, and hence can't fight him or escape, despite knowing about the demon inside him. He seems very wary of abusing his control over her, however, and never orders her to do anything that takes away her agency. The more she spends time in his company, the more she discovers what a good man he actually is. He desperately wants to be rid of the demon inside, and it doesn't take long before Amira is willing to risk her own life to save the man she was once going to kill.
About a month ago, I had never even heard of Elisabeth Wheatley. I was made aware of her existence because of a blog post by [author:Ilona Andrews|, highlighting some very funny Instagram videos she'd posted, and I immediately followed her for more amusing content. Ms. Wheatley does an excellent job promoting her books, and it took less than three weeks before I gave in and bought the first four books in the series, determined to find out more about this assassin sorceress and her softboi demon duke. The author herself promises that this is a book where the heroine doesn't need any rescuing, in fact she rescues both herself and her love interest, and that as opposed to the "Touch her and die!" trope that is so common in a lot of fantasy and romance novels, this is more of a "Touch HIM and die" story.
Amira is determined and capable and does her best to fight the curse that forces her to kill people at her father's bidding. She certainly doesn't expect to fall for the heir to the imperial throne, a demon-possessed man she was once sent to murder. While their engagement might seem like one of pure political expediency, time spent with Daindreth makes Amira gradually hope that their relationship might become something more than a marriage of convenience. As long as they actually rid Daindreth of the demon, of course. He more or less refuses to touch her otherwise, since even when the demon seems quiet, it still watches everything the archduke does.
It's not like Daindreth is completely useless, he just hasn't been trained in combat since he was very young. Being the heir to the throne, he's rarely ever alone. He does his best to be a good person, even though he's had to fight the demon inside him since he was eleven years old. Even though he's of age, his mother, the dowager empress, rules in the empire, as he is terrified of what will happen if the demon is given more power. Daindreth is pretty much always accompanied by Thadred, his cousin, who acts as the archduke's bodyguard, but also seems to see it as his sacred duty to sleep with as many ladies as possible. He finds Daindreth's decision to not only spare Amira's life, but to pick her as his fiancée, very confusing, but he and Amira learn to work together once he realises Amira also wants to protect the archduke.
There are four books out in the series so far and the fifth and final novel, Daindreth's Empress, will be out in January. By then, I will probably have caught up and finished the four I already own. These are by no means the best fantasy out there that I've read, but they're inventive and entertaining, and the curses that both Daindreth and Amira struggle with are based on the author's own battles with PTSD and anxiety, so they feel very visceral and real. I don't regret supporting this author, and based on her writing and excellent social media videos, wish her a lot of success.
Judging a book by its cover: I will freely admit that I don't think I would ever have picked up this book (or the sequels) based on the cover. This is a pretty generic fantasy cover, lady with a big sword and dark clothing. Still, it gives a certain impression of what the story is about.
January 1, 2024
The story is very intriguing. I want to keep reading because of the story. But the writing of it, the dialogue, the maturity is just not there yet. Some of it is cringy.
August 17, 2024
The premise had promise. Unfortunately I couldn’t get past the juvenile word usage and the excruciating accents. Honestly thought I would have to drop it after chapter 4 and the father’s brutal pseudo-Scottish accent. Luckily they left that country.
As to the grade-school use of English:
“He constantly scintillated between overly formal and overly familiar.” Scintillated between??
Then a bit later one she used the word sureptidiously, then sureptidious.
I wondered what copy writer had let those gems pass. Then I realized it was self-published. And narrated by the author.
Note to author - please pay someone to edit and narrate. I didn’t hate the story, mainly the execution.
As to the grade-school use of English:
“He constantly scintillated between overly formal and overly familiar.” Scintillated between??
Then a bit later one she used the word sureptidiously, then sureptidious.
I wondered what copy writer had let those gems pass. Then I realized it was self-published. And narrated by the author.
Note to author - please pay someone to edit and narrate. I didn’t hate the story, mainly the execution.
January 6, 2024
Do you like a cinnamon roll MMC?
Do you like a badass bitch FMC?
Do you like snark?
Do you like magic?
Do you like court intrigue?
Do you like stabbing?
Then this is the book for you!
Can't wait to hop on into book 2!
Do you like a badass bitch FMC?
Do you like snark?
Do you like magic?
Do you like court intrigue?
Do you like stabbing?
Then this is the book for you!
Can't wait to hop on into book 2!
August 7, 2021
For a while, I had trouble figuring out how to start this review. I’m still reeling quite a bit from this story, even though I’ve taken a full 24 hours to process.
Our main character is Amira. She is badass, as Wheatley’s female heroines always are. She is cursed to live as her father’s Kadra’han, made to obey every command he gives her. She is not the only one cursed, though. Her love interest is Daindreth, the archduke, and he is cursed in a much worse way. Something sinister lurks underneath his cool demeanor… Can all curses be broken? At what price?
The plot was seamless and smooth, a rollercoaster of emotions. The characters were easy to love and connect with. The romance was clean but there was quite the steamy tension, my favorite kind to read. There’s magic, underworldlings, family issues, love and loyalty.
I loved all parts of the book, and it will be a definite re-read for me in the coming years (I hardly ever re-read anything). Wheatley is an incredible writer and storyteller. This book deserves all five stars and maybe even more. I am super anxious to get my hands on the next book in the series!
Our main character is Amira. She is badass, as Wheatley’s female heroines always are. She is cursed to live as her father’s Kadra’han, made to obey every command he gives her. She is not the only one cursed, though. Her love interest is Daindreth, the archduke, and he is cursed in a much worse way. Something sinister lurks underneath his cool demeanor… Can all curses be broken? At what price?
The plot was seamless and smooth, a rollercoaster of emotions. The characters were easy to love and connect with. The romance was clean but there was quite the steamy tension, my favorite kind to read. There’s magic, underworldlings, family issues, love and loyalty.
I loved all parts of the book, and it will be a definite re-read for me in the coming years (I hardly ever re-read anything). Wheatley is an incredible writer and storyteller. This book deserves all five stars and maybe even more. I am super anxious to get my hands on the next book in the series!
September 24, 2023
Fun premise. I liked the characters.
But the Worldbuilding was thin, so the machinations didn’t fully make sense. The descriptions took up space more than doing their job of setting the scene, tone, or whatever. Some elements needed to be set up properly and weren’t.
But I am intrigued enough to read the next book.
But the Worldbuilding was thin, so the machinations didn’t fully make sense. The descriptions took up space more than doing their job of setting the scene, tone, or whatever. Some elements needed to be set up properly and weren’t.
But I am intrigued enough to read the next book.
January 7, 2024
honestly i don’t have much to say about this book. it was a solid 3 star experience (though my rating is 2.8 but you get what i mean, it’s the vibe in the end).
ignoring everything else, the plot points were definitely up my alley, but the writing style! it was definitely not my cup of tea. in fact i think objectively the whole novel was probably at a first draft level; there was a whole lot of room for improvement. the dialogue between the characters didn’t match the (weak) world building that had been going on and speech patterns were inconsistent and confusing. sentence structures and phrases were dull and repetitive, and even in highly intense scenes, i found that i felt nothing for any of the characters. even the main ship, which objectively should have been something that made me scream and cry, was such a disappointment.
there were some quotes that were rather jarring to read: “She didn’t know what she would do, but she had to do something.”, or “This reminded Amira of that.” that stupid competition in the middle had so much exposition and an in-depth explanation of the points system which had nothing to do with the plot whatsoever. i physically screamed with frustration and at that point began to (gulp) skim a little. generally, the whole book was just a lot of ‘telling you what’s going on’. it’s hard to immerse yourself in a book when the writing is like this:
even at the end of the book i felt like i didn’t really know amira as a character. the person she was at the start compared to who she was at the end felt like completely different people, except there was no cohesive character arc or development. one second she was a typical ‘kickass girlboss’ and then she “cried on the floor […] for the better part of an hour” after dain left the room. and no, i’m not saying that those are mutually exclusive because that would be promoting toxic femininity and we don’t do that here 🤪 but for amira it was just really jarring and as the reader we didn’t get to see that development from her.
the ending, again, should have been impactful and angsty and emotional but honestly i didn’t care at all (to quote my highlight note, “ma’am i’m not even sad in fact i don’t actually give a crap though i wish i gave a whole lot of craps”).
that being said, am i reading book 2? yes. because it has a lot of potential and i really hope it gets better.
edit: so somehow when i opened my kobo i realised i’d actually not finished the book; i’d skipped the last four chapters. however, after now finishing it, my review still stands. i’m especially annoyed that amira’s curse . but instead the book offered no explanation and just expected me to go along with it?? hmmm nope.
also, why was there an entire page of dain crying about having to take off a bit of amira’s shirt to tend to her chest wound (described as just above her ribs) that was quite literally killing her. dain you are engaged to her and you are a doctor and the best medical help she has and she is ABOUT TO DIE. 😒😒
ignoring everything else, the plot points were definitely up my alley, but the writing style! it was definitely not my cup of tea. in fact i think objectively the whole novel was probably at a first draft level; there was a whole lot of room for improvement. the dialogue between the characters didn’t match the (weak) world building that had been going on and speech patterns were inconsistent and confusing. sentence structures and phrases were dull and repetitive, and even in highly intense scenes, i found that i felt nothing for any of the characters. even the main ship, which objectively should have been something that made me scream and cry, was such a disappointment.
there were some quotes that were rather jarring to read: “She didn’t know what she would do, but she had to do something.”, or “This reminded Amira of that.” that stupid competition in the middle had so much exposition and an in-depth explanation of the points system which had nothing to do with the plot whatsoever. i physically screamed with frustration and at that point began to (gulp) skim a little. generally, the whole book was just a lot of ‘telling you what’s going on’. it’s hard to immerse yourself in a book when the writing is like this:
The two horses stepped out of the city’s shadow and their horses plodded on. Anger, hurt, and some other heavy emotion pressed Amira’s chest, making it hard to breathe.
even at the end of the book i felt like i didn’t really know amira as a character. the person she was at the start compared to who she was at the end felt like completely different people, except there was no cohesive character arc or development. one second she was a typical ‘kickass girlboss’ and then she “cried on the floor […] for the better part of an hour” after dain left the room. and no, i’m not saying that those are mutually exclusive because that would be promoting toxic femininity and we don’t do that here 🤪 but for amira it was just really jarring and as the reader we didn’t get to see that development from her.
the ending, again, should have been impactful and angsty and emotional but honestly i didn’t care at all (to quote my highlight note, “ma’am i’m not even sad in fact i don’t actually give a crap though i wish i gave a whole lot of craps”).
that being said, am i reading book 2? yes. because it has a lot of potential and i really hope it gets better.
edit: so somehow when i opened my kobo i realised i’d actually not finished the book; i’d skipped the last four chapters. however, after now finishing it, my review still stands. i’m especially annoyed that amira’s curse . but instead the book offered no explanation and just expected me to go along with it?? hmmm nope.
also, why was there an entire page of dain crying about having to take off a bit of amira’s shirt to tend to her chest wound (described as just above her ribs) that was quite literally killing her. dain you are engaged to her and you are a doctor and the best medical help she has and she is ABOUT TO DIE. 😒😒
September 30, 2024
It had such a good premise... Then the execution just went downhill. Boring romance, unearned ending.
March 8, 2024
First of all, the audiobook narration is really not good and nearly always emotionless. I would highly recommend reading in paper or kindle instead of listening. None of the accents are very good, the protagonist randomly has an American accent while everyone else has Scottish or English, there are a lot of background noises from the mic not being very good at all, and she often mispronounces words (such as viscount, pronouncing the s).
I really don’t believe the romance, unfortunately. By the end of the book, I believe that the characters have crushes on each other but I really don’t feel anything beyond that.
There’s a lot of redundant exposition that slows down the flow of the narrative and makes everything less exciting. I also found a lot of the similes forced and that they didn’t make a lot of sense.
I appreciated that the protagonist thought of her sister as an accountable adult and not some innocent, guiltless child that is too sweet and soft to have any expectations for (ahem, Elaine).
I loved the little details of world building, but too often the story was paused to give a clumsy amount of backstory for random characters that were thought of or interacted with, and it was just too much detail, in places where I wished we could have just continued the action. But then in the ending I felt like the characters’ actions were under explained and I wasnt following why they weren’t just taking different actions…it was a little strange.
Now, I think this really is a good book, just a little unpolished. All of my complaints are just things that I think would be better cut out of the book, not that the writing is bad by any means.
I really don’t believe the romance, unfortunately. By the end of the book, I believe that the characters have crushes on each other but I really don’t feel anything beyond that.
There’s a lot of redundant exposition that slows down the flow of the narrative and makes everything less exciting. I also found a lot of the similes forced and that they didn’t make a lot of sense.
I appreciated that the protagonist thought of her sister as an accountable adult and not some innocent, guiltless child that is too sweet and soft to have any expectations for (ahem, Elaine).
I loved the little details of world building, but too often the story was paused to give a clumsy amount of backstory for random characters that were thought of or interacted with, and it was just too much detail, in places where I wished we could have just continued the action. But then in the ending I felt like the characters’ actions were under explained and I wasnt following why they weren’t just taking different actions…it was a little strange.
Now, I think this really is a good book, just a little unpolished. All of my complaints are just things that I think would be better cut out of the book, not that the writing is bad by any means.
January 15, 2025
A solid 4.5 stars. I found the author through my Instagram feed and her videos are so funny I decided to read her book. While I agree with reviewers that she could have used another round of editing, this book is heads over heels better than most of the booktok books I’ve read lately. This series needs more love and I’m here to give it.
January 11, 2024
A charming story with a lot of potential.
I enjoyed the characters and world building (which could have been even more fleshed out) and unlike some other commenters I never got the impression that Amira turned "weak" after meeting Daindreth. She never wanted to be an Assassin and she has been neglected and abused all her life, basically enslaved. Of course she's going to have a hard time adjusting and be super obsessed with her first love, ever. And she still kicks ass when she has to.
The love story isn't inventing anything new, but it doesn't have to. It's solid, charming and refreshingly wholesome, curses and potentially problematic character traits on both sides be damned.
I agree the twist could have been foreshadowed/built in better, though I did call something of that nature was going to happen about midway through. Learning more about both of their curses, their backgrounds, their trauma throughout the story would have been great and led to more emotional weight during their respective impactful moments.
I'm reserving judgment on the shifting power levels as of now and will wait to see if they are indeed overpowered in the long run. I hope they won't lower my sense of urgency or my ability to feel for the characters in the sequel. I didn't hate what's in this book, even if it could have been hinted at better to make the change less unexpected.
The writing style was nice but not really outstanding. The book commits some of my pet peeves, including calling people by arbitrary titles all the time instead of their names ("the assassin", "the archduke"). Titles like that should be used for impact like stressing a difference in rank, an emotional state, a sense of distance, etc., not to avoid saying "he", "she" or a name twice in a row. It sounds more natural to just repeat names, trust me.
I would have loved to see more of the world and its people in general, not just nobles, but I'm hopeful that's in store for the next part in the series. What we saw of the court was very interesting and I enjoyed it.
Normally with the amount of things I would have changed or didn't enjoy as much as I could have, I would give it 3 stars. Yet I find myself very interested in the story to come and drawn to many characters, both adversaries and allies, so the book must be doing something right. Therefore I'm going to give it 4 stars.
I enjoyed the characters and world building (which could have been even more fleshed out) and unlike some other commenters I never got the impression that Amira turned "weak" after meeting Daindreth. She never wanted to be an Assassin and she has been neglected and abused all her life, basically enslaved. Of course she's going to have a hard time adjusting and be super obsessed with her first love, ever. And she still kicks ass when she has to.
The love story isn't inventing anything new, but it doesn't have to. It's solid, charming and refreshingly wholesome, curses and potentially problematic character traits on both sides be damned.
I agree the twist could have been foreshadowed/built in better, though I did call something of that nature was going to happen about midway through. Learning more about both of their curses, their backgrounds, their trauma throughout the story would have been great and led to more emotional weight during their respective impactful moments.
I'm reserving judgment on the shifting power levels as of now and will wait to see if they are indeed overpowered in the long run. I hope they won't lower my sense of urgency or my ability to feel for the characters in the sequel. I didn't hate what's in this book, even if it could have been hinted at better to make the change less unexpected.
The writing style was nice but not really outstanding. The book commits some of my pet peeves, including calling people by arbitrary titles all the time instead of their names ("the assassin", "the archduke"). Titles like that should be used for impact like stressing a difference in rank, an emotional state, a sense of distance, etc., not to avoid saying "he", "she" or a name twice in a row. It sounds more natural to just repeat names, trust me.
I would have loved to see more of the world and its people in general, not just nobles, but I'm hopeful that's in store for the next part in the series. What we saw of the court was very interesting and I enjoyed it.
Normally with the amount of things I would have changed or didn't enjoy as much as I could have, I would give it 3 stars. Yet I find myself very interested in the story to come and drawn to many characters, both adversaries and allies, so the book must be doing something right. Therefore I'm going to give it 4 stars.
April 29, 2024
2.5 Stars.
I got close but didn't finish it. I really enjoy the concept and I can see what the author was going for, but I don't think she achieved it.
The world building was barely there and none of the characters had much depth. Elisabeth Wheatley is trying to make me feel bad for this girl because she has no choice but to follow the orders of people who just want to use her but.... I'm not sure what it is but I don't feel anything for these characters. Really all it says about Amira (mc) is that she wishes she didn't have to kill people. But then she goes ON AND ON about how she could kill the love interest if she wanted to.
There is some conflict but the author doesn't do much about it.
!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!
When I talk about the conflict I mean when she's been given a direct order by her 'master' which means, according to her curse, she shouldn't be able to disobey his orders. But because of the curse, 'folding back on itself' everything is fixed and she's free of the curse. Like surely, if it was that simple, there would have been some instance with her father that the curse contradicted itself? And the other Kadra'han of the world would have also discovered this loophole of sorts?? This CANNOT be the first instance of someone breaking the curse like that.
I don't have anything against the author, in fact I like her content and watch it all the time, I just don't think this is a book I would bother myself to read again.
I got close but didn't finish it. I really enjoy the concept and I can see what the author was going for, but I don't think she achieved it.
The world building was barely there and none of the characters had much depth. Elisabeth Wheatley is trying to make me feel bad for this girl because she has no choice but to follow the orders of people who just want to use her but.... I'm not sure what it is but I don't feel anything for these characters. Really all it says about Amira (mc) is that she wishes she didn't have to kill people. But then she goes ON AND ON about how she could kill the love interest if she wanted to.
There is some conflict but the author doesn't do much about it.
!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!
When I talk about the conflict I mean when she's been given a direct order by her 'master' which means, according to her curse, she shouldn't be able to disobey his orders. But because of the curse, 'folding back on itself' everything is fixed and she's free of the curse. Like surely, if it was that simple, there would have been some instance with her father that the curse contradicted itself? And the other Kadra'han of the world would have also discovered this loophole of sorts?? This CANNOT be the first instance of someone breaking the curse like that.
I don't have anything against the author, in fact I like her content and watch it all the time, I just don't think this is a book I would bother myself to read again.
May 19, 2024
I liked the magic system and the idea of the sorceresses exiled into a forest, but the world still felt very distant to me. The political intrigue was interesting. The dialogue was cringey and there were many slow parts of the book that didn’t feel like they added to the story. The main character being called “the assassin” throughout the entire story made me feel very distant from her and that I couldn’t truly feel like I knew her.
November 20, 2024
I enjoyed the idea of the story, but the execution needs some work. The worldbuilding wasn't enough to fully understand what was going on or how their magic worked. Their relationship seemed to spring up out of nowhere. And weirdly, the author keeps referring to Amira as "the assassin" til the end of the book like she's some unnamed character creeping around.
Also, for the audiobook - there were a lot of mispronounced words that dragged me out of the story every time.
Also, for the audiobook - there were a lot of mispronounced words that dragged me out of the story every time.
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