The Assassin's Curse

Author:  Cassandra Rose Clarke

Publication Date:  October 2, 2012

Publisher: Strange Chemistry

Pages: 188

Source: NetGalley

Ananna is the daughter of a high ranking pirate in the Confederation. Her parents have arranged a marriage for her that will be beneficial to both families; however, at the last minute, Ananna runs away. Unfortunately for her, the jilted groom's family sends an assassin to kill her. In this world, assassins aren't Mission Impossible type people. Instead, they're more grim reaper with lots of magic. But when Ananna unintentionally saves his life, she binds them together in an impossible curse and they're stuck with each other until they can find a cure for the curse. FYI: what happens in the curse is that every time Ananna is in danger, the assassin (whose name is Naji by the way) has to protect her. If he doesn't protect, he experiences unbearable pain that wears away at his magic and his life.

This was an enchanting read. It had that Middle Eastern Aladdin feel but in this case the heroine was the thief pirate. Ananna is kick butt. She doesn't need anybody to take care of her. In fact, she spent was very protective and always trying to take care of the assassin sent to kill her! She is a super strong heroine in the vein of Katniss from The Hunger Games. The story never lagged. Clarke took her time and built up the romance. It was like a slow-kindling fire. 

I do wish Clarke would have given us a little more background on her world and the mythology and origins of it. I'd like to know more about how the pirate rankings work and just how important is Ananna's family in the pirate nobility. Also, where do the assassins come from? What is the Mist? How does the magic work? I'm assuming these are all questions that will be answered in the following books. Unfortunately, it'll be quite a while before I get to read the next book.