ARC Review--Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer

 

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 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.

I received this ARC in a Goodreads contest that I won. My review is still completely honest and voluntary.

Brigid Kemmerer's adult debut, Warrior Princess Assassin is a fantasy romance novel that will keep you on your toes and having some very tough decision to make. This was a read I was very excited to read and it pretty much hit all the marks I was hoping for!

Told in three points of view from our title characters, we are given your typical fantasy setup with a princess being forced into an arranged marriage for the betterment of her kingdom and people. There's a best friend from childhood who she secretly loves and who loves her back but knows they can't be together. But that's pretty much where the typicality ends.

Our assassin, Asher picks up a new assignment but when he sees it's to kill the incoming king and his best friend, Princess Jory, he hesitates. He has no compunctions about killing the man Jory is being forced to marry but h can't kill his best friend. When he tries to whisk her away to safety she demands that they take her fiance, Ky along as well. And that's when things get complicated for kidnapping a warrior king is anything but easy.

This book was a bit of a mystery almost in terms of direction. You kept thinking where are things heading? While some things seemed clear you knew there was still an underlying mystery at hand: who ordered the hits on Jory and Ky? Who wants them dead and why? This really doesn't come to the fore right away as the characters are once again sent off in another direction.

While the plot may have seemed a little muddled at times, it was really the characters that kept me going. They were all pretty complex, from the outside you saw them as they presented themselves to others but once you got to their point of view, you got a whole other side to them.

Now you're probably wondering about the romance and boy was this one intense! I will admit that for the most part we mainly got teases and stolen kisses throughout the story at large. But by the end we get the much more intimate scene readers were craving! And yet, I feel like it was still only the preview to more things to come! I believe I heard that this book was being called a "why choose?" in terms to romance, so I will just leave it at that!

In the end, much is revealed about the threats to Jory and Ky's lives. I felt like this part was pretty obvious in the long run, but then I've been reading books with twisted mysteries like this for ages. I feel like the more seasoned you are, the harder it is to be taken by surprise. It can still happen though, I will admit that! The ending to this one leaves you with the sense that things are just getting started and I cannot wait to see what this trio will accomplish!

Warrior Princess Assassin was a fantasy read that hit all the right notes! There was action, romance, just a hint of magic, and a mystery to keep things interesting. The character dynamic though was very impactful and was definitely my favorite part of the story. Be sure to add this amazing fantasy read to your shelves in all its splendid glory!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars