When one of my regular customer (hi Asheona!) asked me to read and annotate Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer, I didn't know anything about it. I just opened it and hoped for the best, but I'll do my due diligence and try to summarize this book for you.
Marjoriana (Jory), princess of Astranza, is promised to Maddox Kyronan (Ky), the king of a slowly burning kingdom. This alliance is their only chance to save both their nations. However, Marjoriana is tempted to escape with her childhood best friend (now assassin), Asher. Our three protagonists will have to flee together when the latter receives the order to kill the king and the princess he's falling for.
Minimal world building and magic system
If you're an avid fantasy reader, you'll probably be disappointed. The world feels like an afterthought. Indeed, the world-building is pretty nonexistent and vague. All we know is info dumped early on. Besides, it's similar to a dozen of fantasy/romantasy books.
I had a glimpse of hope with the magic system. Marjoriana's father, the king of Astranza, is controlling the weather and soil of the whole kingdom, allowing his people to feed and prosper. But guess what? We barely see him, and he's sick (the reason why the alliance is needed is that his magic won't work anymore). He's in two or three scenes, doing nothing.
The other magic user is Ky. He can start fires. But he can't stop them. How lame is this, seriously? It doesn't matter, though. Even if they act all along like magic is crucial to their world, it's never really impactful throughout the book. You'd think Jory's kingdom would decline since her father is ill and responsible for the prosperity of the realm, but it's never threatened.
One decent, one traumatized, and one bland
The decent one is Ky. What I call decent is not being the tall, arrogant, overprotective cliché. I will elaborate more on him when I talk about their relationship because he's truly the glue.
Then we have Asher, the assassin who's been through hell. I felt for him. Even though his trauma is probably the only thing he's got going on, he's the most relatable character, and his situation compared to the royals allows a good social commentary.
The weakest link is Jory for me. Thankfully she gets some "growth" and is more likeable towards the end, but I found her quite annoying. Firstly, everyone was constantly saying how innocent (but oh so brave) she was, even her. She's got not a single personality trait in sight. The only thing she talks about is her sob story. She's totally oblivious to what's happening in her own kingdom but somehow wants to be involved in the decisions. I could go on for hours, but the real beef I have with her is how useless she is. Even in their "throuple."
Unique dynamic suffering from the bland one
This is such a bold and unique concept! I was thrilled not to read about another love triangle. However, I'm not sure the execution was the best. Jory didn't have chemistry with either of them, regardless of the fact that she literally knew one of them for ten years.
Ky, observant and wiser, will often play the mediator between Jory and Asher, who don't share the same views on life. He'll also allow Asher to finally say what he can't express to Jory, offering a listening ear at night. Therefore, their connection seems deeper, more developed than with Jory, making me think once again that she doesn't need to be here.
Besides, Ky had this complex and ambiguous role: it felt like Jory and Asher were both mesmerized by him and being with him was holding on to their dying relationship. He even had this hold on Asher because he makes him feel safe for the first time. And at the same time, it was almost like he always knew what would happen between them, that he patiently waited and got them exactly where he wanted them.
Final thoughts and rating
In my opinion, this book was enjoyable but underwhelming due to its shallow world-building and plot. Nevertheless, it was pretty unique, and I'm really interested in the sequel.
My rating: 2.75/5
Have you read the book? If you want to know what I thought about it, my fully annotated copy is available.
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