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A Court of Thorns and Roses
Sarah J. Maas
4.6
Daindreth's Assassin
by Elisabeth Wheatley
Categories
About this book
Amira Brindonu is a sorceress shackled by a lethal curse, forced to serve her father’s dark ambitions as his most efficient assassin. When she is commanded to execute the future emperor, Archduke Valerius, her mission fails—but the discovery she makes in the process is far more dangerous than the act of treason itself. The Archduke is suffering under a soul-staining curse that threatens his entire empire, and Amira realizes that killing him might be the only way to grant him mercy.
Instead of an execution, the Archduke offers a volatile pact: he will shield Amira from the control of her father if she agrees to help him break his own supernatural affliction. As they are thrust into an uneasy alliance, the lines between captor and prisoner blur. Bound by secrets and the weight of their respective curses, they must navigate a treacherous landscape of political intrigue and ancient magic.
Amira soon discovers that some enemies cannot be fought with steel, and the cost of salvation may require the greatest sacrifice of all. In a race against time, the assassin must decide if she is willing to risk everything to save the man she was sent to destroy.
Available Formats
Audiobook: $0.00
What readers are saying
T. TruittGreat read!
"I'm here because of Book Goblin. If you know, you know. I really loved the spice level in this story. Wheatley does a great job building heat between these two and leaving the reader wanting as much as the FMC does. They still manage to keep things clean, which is a breath of fresh air from the "literotica" most stories throw at us. Not to say I don't like a good intimacy scene, but I'm happy with the break from it here. I enjoyed the laid back pace of this story - I often find myself not compelled to return to stories where there's constant war and suffering and this one was set in leisure and finery (which is nice to immerse oneself in!). While things do turn high stakes at the end, the action is engaging without being boring. I often skip pages of fight scenes because they don't feel like they're moving the story to me, but I enjoyed the action here. The MMC's "cinnamon roll" vibe is amazing - I get so tired of alpha a-holes stomping all over the page and upholding patriarchal values of what masculinity "should" look like. Give me a REAL human please - Daindreth is it. I will say that while I was totally here for his vulnerability, I wished he had a little more agency in the story. But this might be Wheatley's design, leaving room for character growth. Our FMC has a nice balance of defiance and knowing when to play the game. Her stubbornness and inborn character traits are what drive her growth in the finale, which felt real to me. She definitely has a lot of agency in the story and drives the plot beautifully without sexist tropes like "win his affection." Will I buy #2? Yes. Why? Spoiler: Virgin guy. I am completely OVER these rakish guys with a thousand conquests under their belts before they meet our FMC. It's another patriarchal value that for some reason female readers uphold? Like it means skill or something? Getting around the block doesn't mean skill. Guys who sleep with dozens of women are gross. Give me that pure, unwrapped candy of a dude who's going to have his mind blown at the levels their relationship will reach. I'm kind of hoping to find that in the next book, but we'll see. Also: Book Goblin entices me to return. Cheers, folks. ["
January 12, 2025 Verified Purchase
Kathryn GageA good book, worth a quick read
"I’ll admit it—I am not immune to propaganda. I was convinced by Wheatley’s numerous reels to read her book, and I found myself pleasantly surprised. This book is fast paced, with a stabby heroine and a softie prince. I loved both characters and found myself rooting for them before the book was even halfway through. This is a slowww burn though, and I imagine the relationship will continue to develop through the series. In this book it was a lot of tension and pining, and I ate it up. On the topic of characters, the villain reveal was well done, and the background characters are all well crafted. I also really enjoyed the magic system and the creative use thereof. This book is action packed, so not only are there good points of peril and creative escapes, but the pace stays quick throughout. I think I read this in two days. Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable fantasy with a touch of romance, fast-paced and entertaining. I appreciated call backs to older fantasy works, which Wheatley has clearly loved. This isn’t a perfect book, and I would say there’s room for improvement with the prose and overall craftmanship, but it remains a good book. I think it would be good for someone wanting a faster fantasy read or a new series to devour. ["
October 19, 2023 Verified Purchase
Amazon CustomerSo much better than I expected
"I loved this book! I usually prefer epic fantasy to romance and was skeptical, but this was much more than a love story - the fantasy plot was key to making everything work. The pacing was perfect for a novel of its size and I just kept turning the pages. Finished it in 2 days. The world building was nicely done and essential to the romantic plot, and the author avoided a lot of the tropes that drive me nuts in romance. If you enjoy fantasy and magic and a good romance at the same time, this is worth your time. I'm going to to go buy the next one now. ["
December 18, 2025 Verified Purchase
Kindle CustomerTop ten 2025
"Bad ass herione, great love story, wonderful world building, political intrigues and strategies and side characters you really like. This book has all that. But what sets this series apart from most other fantasy books is a deep understanding that the way to hell is paved in good intentions. I dont wanna write any spoilers since Im referring to the whole series so I'll be vague. This is one of the few series I've read that actually go into depth as to why the bad guys are doing bad things in such an excellent way that I at times even felt empathic towards them and their struggles. This gives a whole new dimension to the story and I really enjoyed reading it. Definately on my top ten reads 2025 ["
February 22, 2026 Verified Purchase
