I’ve read a few books by Brigid Kemmerer that I’ve really enjoyed, so when I saw Warrior Princess Assassin, I knew I needed to read it. This is her adult fantasy romance debut and it was quite the ride! Today I want to tell you all about the book and what I thought.
A big thank you to Netgalley and Avon for providing me with an eARC to read and review. This doesn’t affect my opinion in any way!
New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer makes her adult debut with this irresistible and steamy fantasy about three characters whose paths will collide in surprising ways – two royals pushed into a political engagement, and the assassin tasked with hunting them down.
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 secret: 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.
A tale of three complex characters torn between chasing, betraying, and falling in love with each other, Warrior Princess Assassin marks the beginning of a thrilling new fantasy trilogy filled with enchantment, adventure, and passionate romance.
Once I picked up Warrior Princess Assassin and read the first chapter, I knew I wouldn’t be able to put it down. I read this book in one sitting and I’ve thought about it often since I read that final page. Brigid Kemmerer made the right decision to right an adult fantasy romance. I hope she writes many more.
I will say that this book seems a bit more character driven than plot driven, but that didn’t bug me at all. Some things were also predictable, but again, that just works for this story. We do learn about the world our characters live in, but that’s not the main focus of this story. Princess Jory has been very sheltered growing up and is pretty naive at the beginning of the story. Believe me when I say that changes and she gets quite a few wake up calls. Because of that she grows a lot in this story and I can’t wait to see how this continues in the sequel.
Ky is a King and everyone sees him as some brutal man who is very evil. Except he’s one of his people and doesn’t necessarily act better than any of them. There’s so much more to Ky than meets the eye and I just wanted to hug him near the end. He’s protective of the one he loves and his own people. The bond with his soldiers gives me all of the found family feels. Their banter but also the loyalty that’s clearly there was done so well.
We also have Asher the Assassin. It’s clear from the start he hasn’t had an easy life at all. He seems very arrogant in the beginning and tries his best to protect Jory. The fact is though that no one was there to protect him. We learn some horrific things and him opening up really brought tears to my eyes. I’m really excited to see how his journey continues.
Even though I really enjoyed the political aspects of the story and seeing more of the world, the relationship developing between our three characters was the most important part for me that I became really invested in. These three all start growing really close together and believe me when I say the tension of this slow burn is very real. I’m so invested in these three and I need more of them. I really hope we get more information about the next book soon.
