Book Review: The Pirate’s Wish (The Assassin’s Curse #2) by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Publication Date: June 18, 2013

Publisher: Strange Chemistry

Synopsis: After setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword, their wits, and the secret to breaking the curse: complete three impossible tasks. With the help of their friend Marjani and a rather unusual ally, Ananna and Naji make their way south again, seeking what seems to be beyond their reach. Unfortunately, Naji has enemies from the shadowy world known as the Mists, and Ananna must still face the repercussions of going up against the Pirate Confederation. Together, Naji and Ananna must break the curse, escape their enemies — and come to terms with their growing romantic attraction.

Ananna is a feisty yet often frustrating character.  She is so stubborn and childish at times.  For a pirate, she gets into trouble way more than she should. I would have thought that with everything she has experienced firsthand, she would be more cautious of her surroundings and possible danger, but she wasn't. With that said though, I did enjoy the story and felt that it was a nice sequel to The Assassin’s Curse.

Ananna and Naji begin the story stuck on an island waiting to hopefully be rescued soon. While there Annana encounters for the first time a haughty manticore. They develop an interesting and unexpected type of friendship. Once rescued by Marjani, Naji and Ananna’s main goal is to get through the three impossible tasks in order to lift the curse that bind these two together.

If you’ve read the first book, then you know that there wasn’t that much romance in the story, I was happy to discover that in this story there was a bit more romance/romantic tension.  

I enjoyed The Pirate’s Wish a little more than I did The Assassin’s Curse, but they were both fun and quick reads. Pirates, magic, fights, curses, a manticore, and some romance….all mix together to create one heck of a supernatural adventure. Fans of YA Fantasy and Pirates might find this book right up their alley.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

**I received this book on behalf of Strange Chemistry/Angry Robot in exchange for nothing, but my honest opinion only. Thank you.**

 

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E-Book Short Review: The Witch's Betrayal by Cassandra Rose Clarke

The Witch’s Betrayal is a short story involving Naji before he met Ananna in The Assassin’s Curse. During this point in time he is trying to complete an assignment to kill Lisim Sarr, a dangerous man who practices powerful dark magic. 

While he is in search of Lisim, he crosses paths with Leila, the river witch. He soon discovers that this assignment is not as simple as he once thought and to accomplish his goal he will need to utilize more than just his magic skills.

This story gives the reader a little more background on Naji as well as shows the complexity of his relationship with Leila. I enjoyed it a lot. And I cannot wait to read The Pirate’s Wish when it releases on June 4, 2013. 

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Ananna is a seventeen year old girl has lived the life of a pirate alongside her parents. She has plans of her own. And those plans do not include marriage to a son from a low ranking Pirate clan. She wants to be captain of her very own ship one day. Being forced into marriage by her parents, she does what any independent, strong-willed teenager would do….she steals the nearest camel she can spot and hightails it out of town before someone catches her.

During one of her nights of hiding out in a nearby town she encounters an assassin (Naji). Not just any assassin, but one who can blend into the night and use magic to overtake his victims. For the assassin things do not go as planned on his attempt to kill Ananna. While trekking through the desert Naji has another opportunity to kill her this time, but ironically she is the one who ends up saving his life, from a snake no less. It is because of this, that a curse is set into motion and things at least for the moment will not be the same for these two. 

Together they embark on a journey that will hopefully lead them to a cure that will break the curse and hopefully restore their lives back to they way they were. Of course they will have to watch their backs as the pirate clan Ananna escaped from come looking for revenge of their own.

“I can't believe this," I muttered, cradling the skein of water up close to my chest. "Two weeks in the desert all on account of some assassin who doesn't know how to look out for snakes."    

"If you hadn't killed that snake," Naji said calmly, "I would have killed you." 

-Cassandra Rose Clarke, The Assassin’s Curse

The banter between these two was cute. I think their personalities help to balance each other out.

Naji's unwillingness to answer Ananna's questions or let her in on the whole situation that they were facing together irked me at times. He seemed to act like he is in this predicament alone and Ananna was not with him. And for all of Ananna's feistiness and attitude, she sometimes gave up a little too quickly in her quest for answers.

I had wanted to read this book for months and I finally bought it…so glad I did. This was such an enjoyable read. I hadn't read a good pirate story in years. There are no big twists and turns in this story, but I was still entertained by the adventure that occurred during their time together and read the book in the course of a day.  The Assassin’s Curse is a story filled with adventure, magic, romance, and a good old fashion pirate fight or two. The ending leaves room for the second book in the series, The Pirate’s Wish set to release on June 4, 2013. I cannot wait to see what will happen next with Ananna and Naji. If you are into fantasy, pirates, and assassin’s then this book may just be what you are looking for. Happy Reading! J

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

 

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Cover Reveal!! - The Pirate's Wish (The Assassin's Curse #2)

For those of you who fell in love with The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke, here is the cover reveal for the sequel, The Pirate's Wish!!

I love the cover for the Assassin's Curse, and this one is equally gorgeous. I am excited for this book to be released. Strange Chemistry will be releasing The Pirate's Wish in June 2013, so make sure to mark it on your calender and on Goodreads!

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