Warrior Princess Assassin is a deeply character driven romantasy that had me utterly hooked. I went in blind, expecting the usual fare, but what I found was an unexpected gem that quietly stole my heart.

It’s the richly drawn characters that bring this story to life. Each one is distinct and multidimensional, with relationships that evolve in subtle, often surprising ways. Watching the dynamics shift, alliances deepen and tensions simmer was half the thrill.

The plot itself doesn’t gallop off at breakneck speed. It’s more of a slow burn, letting the characters take centre stage, and I was absolutely here for it. The story may not stray far from its starting point, but the emotional depth and character growth make every page worth savouring.

All in all, I devoured it. Sometimes it's the quieter tales that leave the loudest echo.

A perfect read for fans of slow burn romantasy with complex characters and simmering tension.

This is my first Brigid Kemmerer title, though I have seen her books around for a long time! Mostly, I enjoyed this book. I liked how the characters felt mostly individual and each of their chapters held my attention. The story was simple and easy to follow
I do feel like this story still feels a bit juvenile despite it being her branch out into adult (if I’m remembering correctly?) though there are some darker backstories and subjects touched on, the characters felt a lot younger than their ages, during their interactions and inner monologues
There wasn’t a lot of depth to the story, it’s okay for the general reader and honestly sometimes you’ll need a book like that but I’m not gripped enough with the information we were given
Honestly, I would not pick up the second book if it wasn’t for the romance, the story is pretty vague, and predictable, I believe this is going to be a trilogy and I could map out basically where the story is going (unless the author does a complete 180 on us)
I’m not 100% sure I’ll pick up the next one
Thank you for this arc!

Slow burn? More like slow torture—in the best possible way.

Rating: 4.5/5 🌟
Thank you HarperCollins UK for the eARC ❤️‍🔥

Warrior Princess Assassin delivers a triple threat: a fire-wielding king with secrets, a runaway princess with a spine of steel, and an assassin ex-bestie with killer instincts (and maybe feelings 👀). The tension? Immaculate. The angst? Delicious. And when the spice finally hits—it hits.

Brigid Kemmerer gives us a romantasy that’s equal parts magic, betrayal, and steam. The political drama had me hooked, the emotional buildup had me screaming into a pillow, and the chemistry between these three? Let’s just say if “Why Choose?” ends up on the menu... I’ll be seated.

Knocked off half a star only because I wanted a little more oomph earlier on—but by the end? I was fully feral.

Read this if you're into slow-burn longing, morally gray chaos, and a trio that makes you forget how to breathe

A fantastic new offering from Brigid Kemmerer!

As she so often does, Kemmerer transports us to a kingdom on the brink of collapse - where civil unrest is rising, treachery is rife and our characters must decide the sacrifices they're willing to make to save their people.

Princess Jory is expected to wed a King from the neighbouring land, known for his ferocity and the brutality of his fire magic. Having been excluded from the marriage negotiations, she has been left in the dark as to the expectations of the King, but her own cruel brother expects her to dutifully play her part and accept his proposal regardless.
Faced with the prospect of leaving behind her childhood best friend, now an assassin, she dreads the arrival of the fire king and her removal to a foreign kingdom.

Secrets, betrayals, hidden motivations - there are tonnes of twists in this one - and none of the characters are sure who they can trust.
It's a very character led book - while there are outside influences, its really the dynamics between the three leads that are propelling the story. With POVs from all three of them, it's interesting to see their motivations at play, and how their distrust of each other creates conflict.

This is an adult offering from Kemmerer, despite having similar themes to her earlier fantasy books. There are trigger warnings - frequent mentions of torture and injury, sexual abuse, slavery - as well as a steamy sex scene (though not particularly graphic in language). Definitely not recommended for younger YA readers.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from Harper Collins - so thanks to them, to Kemmerer and to NetGalley for the chance to read ahead of release.

3⭐️(being generous bc the setup had potential and I loved the concept)
🔥 Spice: slowwwwwww burn, low on-page steam
🗡️ Tropes: arranged marriage, love triangle (ish) ( WHY CHOOSE) , political intrigue, morally gray assassin ex

Okay. So. I wanted to love this. I really did. The concept? Chef’s kiss. Fire magic, fading weather powers, a marriage alliance with ✨tension✨, and a morally gray assassin who’s clearly still in love with his childhood bestie? GIVE IT TO ME.

But this book… dragged. Like DRAGGED. Like, I was mentally speed-walking while the plot was taking a slow horse-drawn carriage through molasses. It’s the slowest of slow burns and not in the delicious “oh god just kiss” way. More like, “are we… still in act one??”

Now let’s talk about the FMC. Jory. BABE. You are a princess, a diplomatic chess piece, and yet somehow?? SO NAIVE. I mean… painfully inexperienced in literally everything. I get the sheltered thing, but this felt like a grown woman written with the brain of a 15-year-old. I wanted to root for her, I really did, but I was too busy yelling “girl, PLEASE” into the void.

As for King Ky? Hot, broody, tragic backstory. Fire magic daddy vibes. Carried most of this book on his back, tbh. And Asher, the assassin ex-bestie, was probably the most interesting character and he wasn’t even on page that much until way later.

The last 5%??? Absolute chaos. All the action, the emotions, the secrets, the spice (ish?) finally hit. Like someone slammed the gas pedal after idling for 400 pages. WHY wasn’t this energy sprinkled throughout??

Will I read book 2? I might, just to see where that ending goes. But you bet your ass I’ll be skimming like my life depends on it.

Thank you @netgalley & Harper Collins for the e-ARC of this book. The opinion i leave is my own

It is an interesting read that combined magic, political scheming, betraying, and complex emotions all in one.
The story is told via multiple POV's that catches perfectly the plethora of emotions and decisions by the characters.
— Jory is a princess who is bound to her duty to save her people by marrying and making a profitable alliance with a king notorious for his ruthless reputation. But things are not what they seem, and under that hard exterior, she is surprised by what she finds when she meets him.
— King Maddox will do anything to save his kingdom from hunger and his alliance with princess Jory and her kingdom should be the answer until secrets, political scheming, and complications get in the way of his plans.
— Asher is a former nobleman with a tough past that leaves him no choice but to become a paid assassin so he can survive the harsh reality surrounding him. The only bright light in his world is his love and friendship with Jory. I swear his story crushed me and made me so fond of him.
So different from one another, and yet, they fit so perfectly together like pieces of a puzzle that cover the complex emotional needs and complete each other and were intriguing to witness.
The way Maddox and Asher bonded through understanding trauma and the way Asher and Jory bonded through purity and what he is in her eyes no matter what. Ending with how they both not only didn't chastise her for being shielded all her life, but protected and loved her instead. I haven't read a polyamorous book until now, but I was surprised how well it was made.
Still plenty of questions to be answered and both their kingdoms in danger, it will be interesting to see how the story will unfold.

(More links to reviews and social media post will be added here near release date)

Thank you to Brigid Kemmerer, HarperVoyager, and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for a honest review.

This is what I call ‘fairyloot fodder’ - it’s a poorly executed ‘adult’ fantasy with an oversimplified YA writing style and smut thrown haphazardly in. Characterisation made no sense, pacing was non-existent, and the plot was bad.

So, I couldn’t put this book down but I also feel that not a lot really happened 😂
As hinted by the title, this is a very character led book. Most of the book is moving from one place to another but through the different perspectives of the titular characters Warrior, Assassin, Princess.
I found the concept really compelling with an unexpected but welcome why choose element, which surprised me as I’m not usually a fan of why choose.
The star of this book for me is Asher who i just want to wrap up and keep safe at all times. I really liked Jory, but found the constant referring to her innocence a bit jarring. It made sense in the story but it didn’t sit well with me. Ky is intriguing and it was interesting see his character develop and learning how he ticks. All three are flawed and deeply loving characters, which I think is a winning combo!
I really enjoyed the experience of reading this hence the 4 stars but I do feel some bits were lacking. Saying that, I will most likely definitely read book 2!

ᴅɪᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ʙʀɪɴɢ ᴀ ʜᴀɪʀᴘɪɴ?
ᴏʀ ᴀʀᴇ ᴍʏ ᴇʏᴇs sᴀғᴇ ᴛʜɪs ᴛɪᴍᴇ?

❓ What’s the last Romantasy you’ve read?

Thank you so much to @harpervoyager_uk @brigidkemmerer for the arc of this book which I totally loved.

I was kinda in a slump mainly due to work but I decided to read this on holidays and guys I devoured this book.

The tension. The romance. The characters. The bickering. Are we really enemies trope. Why choose

I loved this. The 3 characters are so different in their own way with their personal traumas and they need each other to overcome their struggles.

The princess. She’s a force. She doesn’t know how strong she is until she leaves the palace and a certain king kinda of push her to be rebellious 😂

The king and the hunter my babies. They are perfection 💖 the understand each other perfectly and she needs both of them at the same time for different reasons.

Pheeew, the tension between the three main characters was scorching.

I really enjoyed the characters, their connections and the slow burn romance. The plot was fifty-fifty for me. Sometimes I was really invested and loving it, then the next I was bored which upset me because this has so much potential. The writing was beautiful but I think there was too much detail in scenes and not actually a lot happening and as we got closer to the end, there was a lot of repetitive sentences and it ended so abruptly?

I mean, obviously we're getting a second book and yes I will be reading it because I need to know what happens next, and also I found the budding romance between the three of them so intriguing and hottt!! I will be on that next book like Ky, Asher and Jory are on each other *wink wink*

Really enjoyed this. The world building was pretty vague but the storytelling was good enough that it didn't overly matter. Looking forward to book 2.

Warrior Princess Assassin is an adult romantasy debut by Brigid Kemmerer, following the story of Princess Jory, her childhood best friend Asher and Ky, the king she has been promised to. I think that it is very important to know going into this book that it is a poly romance, which is the main reason why I was so excited to read it!

The only Brigid Kemmerer fantasy book I had read prior to starting this one was A Curse So Dark and Lonely, which I DNFed, so I was somewhat sceptical going into Warrior Princess Assassin. I am so glad that I gave it a chance because I was hooked from the very first chapter! I cannot stop thinking about this book even days after finishing it and I am already so tempted to go back to the beginning and read it again. Warrior Princess Assassin is officially my favourite book ever!

I love literally everything about this book! The romance was full of angst and had me on the edge of my seat. The magic system was very intriguing and I am looking forward to it being expanded on in the sequel. The world building was not too intricate but kept me fully engaged and excited to find out more. The characters were beautifully written and I really enjoyed their growth throughout the events of the book.

There are not enough words in the English language for me to express how much I adore this book! I want to give it a thousand stars out of five!

I am beyond excited for the sequel but in the meantime, I fully intend on reading Warrior Princess Assassin again at least ten more times!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The characters are written so well I fully feel connected to Asher, Ky and Jory. I love all three separately and together and I absolutely cannot wait to read more about them in the next book.

Asher's story is heart breaking but seeing him heal is beautiful. Ky is going through so much its great to see him finally get help. Jory is sheltered but clearly has fight in her that I cannot wait to see come out.

This was a great first book in the series, I am invested in these characters and I cannot wait to see where the story takes them and how they each continue to work well together as a trio 😍

I usually don't enjoy a why choose, but usually it's because the characters have no depth. That is not the case here, all three of them clearly need and help each other. I want all three of them to be happy and I'm so glad I gave this a try 🥰

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

BRIGID! I am a melted puddle on the floor clutching my pearls.

When I say this was un-put-downable that is not just hyperbole, I devoured this book in hours of picking it up. The pacing was super fast, the tension was high and those inter character relationships were spicy even when they weren't being ✨spicy✨ (iykyk)

This book comes with a few TWs, I did feel they were explored well though, personally but at the same time with that exploration they were realistic, so just check those out if you need to and read safely.

I liked the princess, although not being my particular type of FMC I appreciated the journey she went on in the plot of this book. She genuinely seemed to grow...in some ways!

The two MMC's in my opinion are my stars. I'm a sucker for true enemies and these two really like to go at each other at times. Just adds great contrast to the other half of the enemies to lovers coin. 🤌

The time frame is short across the book, which if you like a slow burn, might not be your initial thing, but again, it's fantasy, they are at peril, you gotta crack on with your life! It didn't hinder my enjoyment of their journey and discoveries as they unpick the dangers they're all in together.

In conclusion, you get messy chaotic poly relationships, stabby feral but secretly soft cinnamon rolls and commanding HOT bossy royal alphas, what's not to love?!

Full reviews posted to GR, Amazon and Retails upon release.

Omg I had such a fun time reading this book! This book features one of my favourite things in romantasy, polyamory/throuple so I knew instantly that this is that kind of book I will absolutely love and enjoy. I mean so many times love triangles should just not exist and they should all be together, and this book is the perfect execution of that.

I loved everything about this and I devoured it in one sitting! The characters, the relationships, the tension and the chemistry: the romance side of this book was absolute perfection and I wouldn't change a thing. We had tender and loving moments and also so much heat, ah everything was just so good, and then when we started to get more spicy towards the end of the book, everything just felt right. (to be fully honest, they don't go pretty far in this book, but I have high hopes for next one!)

On the world building and plot side this book may not be as strong, but I did not mind that one bit. I was here for the romance. But we still got lots of fast paced action scenes, bit of politics, and magic systems that seems pretty cool, and I can't wait to find out more about in the next book.

More thoughts about the characters:
- I don't usually like that the woman is the naive one who has never had sex, but in this setting it definitely worked!
- I loved the complexity of both mmc:s and how they could offer each other something the fmc couldn't, it made me really think that there is something between them
- I loved how different all three main characters were, they clearly all had their weaknesses but also strengths!

more about hot moments:
- bath and kissing <333
- riding together on a horse, ahh
- sharing warmth when sleeping <3
- fake fighting turning into almost kissing <3
- "we are not competing"

5 stars <3

I do love me a bit of Brigid Kemmerer’s storytelling. The worlds she creates are fleshed out and never quite what they initially seem. She treads the ‘three sides to every story’ masterfully, somehow making you root for the character introduced as the ‘villain’, and making you question what is good and what is evil. All her characters are well-developed, they have positive and negative traits, come with (often a huge amount of) baggage. But never seen like caricatures. I find myself struggling in the murky middle ground, especially when a character I love does something terribly awful.

Warrior Princess Assassin definitely met my expectations. This is definitely an adult book (many of Kemmerer’s books are YA with any romance hidden behind a closed door). I really enjoyed the characters being more adult in their relationships, although I feel the love ‘triangle’ might have benefited from a bit less time all together, and a bit more one to one time between the pairings. That’s just a person preference though and it didn’t detract anything from the story or the writing.

A fantastic story and I really don’t want to have to wait so long to find out what’s next 💕

3.5⭐️

This book follows three POV’s of the warrior, the princess, and the assassin. It is packed with complex emotions and the dynamic between these characters are ever-changing.

Whilst this is a why-choose, there is so much depth and history behind each of the characters that it is done so tastefully and unlike anything I’ve read before.

I loved how this was an introduction into fantasy without being overbearing, it set up the characters, the plot and the magic without dedicating the whole first book to complex world building. It alleviates the pressure of needing to memorise multiple key aspects of the magic systems and intricate politics, it instead focused on the characters and their relationships.

There is a lot of common microtropes woven into the plot but they weren’t overbearing: knife to throat, one horse, forced proximity… all the beloved tropes.

A few things I didn’t like was that it felt like not much was happening after 60%. The sense of urgency was lost and the plot lacked a linear focus. The chapters ended up feeling repetitive and focusing on introspection and internal monologues, repeatedly referring the other MC’s complex push and pull. Whilst I loved having a deeper insight into their emotions, I wish there was more plot and context to back them up. It got a bit tiring reading the same thoughts repeated from a different POV.

At times I did find the writing a bit clunky, especially at the beginning. It was clear the author was trying to add context seamlessly to set up the story but I found that it really brought me out of the story with the constant flashbacks.

I also found the plot twist at the end quite underwhelming and predictable, the villain was obvious from the start.

Overall, this was a fun and fast paced romantasy with political tension, magic, betrayal and a complicated romance. I will be picking up the next one to see how the plot develops and to see more of their relationship grow and adapt.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC 🫶🏻

This one surprised me in the best of ways. A fairytale story with a really sweet queer romance.

Let's address the title first: as much as it has a weird 90s Xena vibe, once I started reading, I couldn't imagine any other title. It's exactly what it is: Warrior, Princess, Assassin. The second has to marry the first for an alliance, the third is sent to kill the first, they get bound together, and suddenly at the halfway mark, things get really sweet and sexy because they're all hot for each another, but in a heartwarming way.

There's realms and wars and threats, but Brigid Kemmerer really takes her time in this first book to explore the world and bury the characters deep in our hearts. All while maintaining a perfect pace and not a second of boredom.

I seriously can't wait for book two and being back in the company of our sweet and sexy throuple.

5/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollina for the eARC!

#WarriorPrincessAssassin #Netgalley #ArcReading #Bookstagram

ARC Review: Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer

Brigid Kemmerer has been one of my auto-buy authors ever since A Curse So Dark and Lonely and Defy the Night, so I was incredibly excited to dive into Warrior Princess Assassin. Unfortunately, despite a promising premise and a few shining moments, this one didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

What’s it about?
Told through three interwoven points of view — the Warrior, the Princess, and the Assassin — this book follows Warrior King Maddox Kyronan, whose fire magic is as dangerous as it is uncontrollable. In an effort to save his burning kingdom, he agrees to a marriage alliance with the royal family of Astranza, known for their weather magic.
Princess Jory, shy and sheltered, carries the heavy burden of knowing her family’s magic is fading. When she meets her intended, sparks fly — but she’s hiding a truth that could ruin everything.
Meanwhile, Asher, once Jory’s childhood friend and now a trained assassin, accepts a high-paying mission… only to discover his targets are Jory and Maddox. Torn between duty and love, he must make an impossible choice.

My thoughts:
I went into this book completely blind, simply trusting the author's name. At first, I was intrigued — the setup had so much potential! But around the halfway mark, I realized the story wasn’t working for me. The pacing dragged, with very little actual plot progression. There were extensive internal monologues, pages of introspection, but not much happened. I usually prefer fast-paced books with a strong storyline, and this felt more like a slow character study than a fantasy adventure.

The worldbuilding was very minimal — I still don’t know much about the kingdoms, their history, or even the stakes of the looming war. The magical elements, while interesting (especially the fire vs. weather contrast), were underused and left me wanting more. As a romantasy reader, I expected a better balance between romance and fantasy, but here the romance completely dominated the narrative.

That said, the romance was intense. This is a highly character-driven love story, filled with tension, yearning, longing stares, accidental touches… all the classic tropes. What initially seemed like a love triangle quickly turned into a "why choose" situation — and let me tell you, I was giggling and kicking my feet at times! The spice level is way higher than in Brigid’s previous books, and I was speechless — in a good way. It was very well written and undeniably entertaining.

As for the characters:
• Ky was a standout. Complex, confident, yet deeply compassionate — he was definitely swoonworthy.
• Asher had real depth as a traumatized assassin shaped by loss and grief. His internal struggle felt raw and believable.
• Jory, however, didn’t work for me as much. I usually enjoy fierce, bold heroines, and Jory was more soft-spoken and sheltered. While she had brave moments, I couldn’t fully connect with her.

In the end, I’m conflicted. On one hand, the romance was fire — full of angst and chemistry — but on the other, I was honestly bored at times. A stronger plot, more worldbuilding, and a compelling villain could have made a huge difference.

You’ll love this book if you enjoy:
• Slow burn and romantic tension
• Love triangles (or why-choose!)
• Elemental magic
• Assassin tropes
• Arranged marriage dynamics

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
While it didn’t fully work for me, I’m sure many readers will fall for this steamy and emotionally intense romantasy.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for this eArc in exchange for an honest review <3

Yeah okay, the title is giving Wattpad-core, but don’t let that stop you — this book? Absolutely slapped.

I braced for a classic love triangle (aka the love V where one guy is just cannon fodder for angst). But Brigid said NOPE and gave us a real triangle. Emotional tension. Actual bonds between all three characters. Zero second-lead disrespect. I was thriving.

👑 The FMC? A little tropey — pampered princess one moment, “formidable opponent” the next. But somehow it still worked. She grew on me, and the relationships carried the story.

🗡 The two love interests? Ohhh the pain. Tragic backstories, complicated layers, and yes — undeniable chemistry with each other too 👀💔

💫 Instead of picking one and crushing the other, the story goes full healing-journey mode. And honestly? That ending left me feral for the sequel. Brigid, ma’am, I need more immediately.

✨ If you’re into fantasy with emotional stakes, actual triangle dynamics, and characters trying to heal not just hook up — this one’s for you.