Someone (on my old attempt at this blog) recommended this series to me. As the page said, I’m opened to suggestions, and so I took it. And I’m totally glad I did.

Yelena is a prisoner. She was arrested for murder and sentenced to execution. However, she has been listed as ‘next in line to be executed’, and the Commander’s food taster had just passed away. Now she has been offered the chance to live with just the CHANCE of dying instead of the guarantee. Trying to rid the ghosts (literally) of her past from her life, she finds herself stuck in the middle of an attempt to take over Ixia. Slowly growing into what she thinks are magic powers, which are forbidden in Ixia, Yelena has to decide whether she’ll run for her life, to the safety of Sitia, the southern land, filled with magicians, or work with the badass, good-looking, magician murdering assassin Valek to uncover the person behind the takeover.

Yelena is a strong willed, tough, pretty kick-ass female lead. And I really loved this book because of the action, and the connection between the characters. The mystery was pretty good too. The threat of death at any second. It was definitely a riveting book that kept me captivated (and interested) from beginning to end!

I really am glad that I took the recommendation, because I’ve found, yet another, series I like (well it’s a trilogy… eh). There’s your action fix, but there’s that hint of romance that everyone expects, but likes anyways, haha. Best book of the trilogy (in my opinion… in the other books she just wasn’t as kick-ass, but they were still good !)

Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
GoodReads Rating: 4.20/5

-review by Between Printed Pages