Daindreth's Assassin
The Daindreth's Assassin series, Book 1
Elisabeth Wheatley
Book Goblin Books
Fiction, Fantasy
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: Amira was born with the gifts of her sorceress mother and the birthright of her royal father... until King Hyle bent the knee to an invading emperor and the sorceresses rebelled, fleeing at last beyond a deadly forest. Those of magical blood left behind were bound by cursed oaths into slavery, granted power only so long as they obey their master, and despite her noble birth young Amira was no different. Now, instead of being the princess in waiting, she is a bastard child of an annulled union and her father's private assassin. Her latest target, though, surprises even her, for the king has sent her against Archduke Daindreth, son of the empress and the intended groom of Amira's half-sister Fonra. It seems like just another curse-compelled murder - until Amira arrives at Daindreth's tent to find a half-demonic monster in man form, which she barely escapes.
Nobody is more surprised than Amira to learn that the monster was, in fact, Daindreth himself, victim of a terrible curse... a curse that, somehow, Amira's magic temporarily counteracted in their brief, desperate struggle. Then the archduke springs the greatest surprise: a last-minute substitution of betrothal, taking not Fonra as originally planned but Amira.
Compelled by her curse of obedience, the assassin is pulled into the vipers' nest of the imperial palace, brimming with impenetrable politics and scheming courtiers and vicious rumors swirling about long before she sets foot in the royal palace. Worse, Amira begins developing feelings toward her one-time target, even as she uncovers the terrible truth of Daindreth's curse - and the doom awaiting him and the whole of the empire if that curse isn't broken soon.
REVIEW: I've watched and enjoyed the author's videos on Instagram and YouTube for a while, and finally got around to trying one of her audiobooks via Libby and my local library; I figured if anything was going to break my recent middling-rated streak, it would be Wheatley's works. Did it? As one might surmise by the near-top-notch rating, yes, yes it did.
The tale kicks off fairly fast, as Amira is about to set out on her latest hated mission, establishing the world and characters and the generalities of magic and curses. She is not a flawless assassin or person, and - like everyone, even her enemies - has more to her than is initially apparent, adding some depth and room for growth. Even bound by her curse of obedience, she struggles against her bonds, finding ways to twist and subvert commands as best she can, even if she can't keep the blood from her hands; to directly defy an order is to risk death by magical strangulation. Killing Daindreth would at least free her innocent half-sister from a future as a powerless political pawn (at least for a while), so Amira isn't entirely opposed to her latest task... until she confronts the evil entity and becomes tangled up in things far more deadly and dangerous than she understands. But Daindreth the man, when not consumed by a flare-up of his curse, is not at all the odious beast she was expecting, for all that she's too experienced (and jaded) to take him at face value. It's the first of many surprises she encounters as her unexpected and unwanted betrothal whisks her away from her father's keep, off to the distant palace of the empress and a future that might be much shorter than anticipated if Daindreth's many enemies have their way.
Amira may struggle, but always does her best to confront each new challenge, never dithering or freezing (unlike some main characters I've encountered lately... not namin' names, here...). Along the way, romantic feelings start to develop - unwelcome, given Amira's situation and less-than-idealistic notion of humanity in general, one more complication and potential liability in a situation that already threatens to overwhelm her. The tale moves fairly well, and avoids the low-hanging fruit and obvious for the most part. The main drawback is that it ends at a pause in the larger arc, leaving much still in the air; I'm not sure if my library even has the next installment on Libby, let alone when I can get to it, given the hold lists and other life complications. Dang it...
As a closing note, the author narrated the audiobook herself. She did an excellent job (again, unlike some narrators I've encountered... again, not namin' names...).
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