Brigid Kemmerer's adult debut is the first book in the new Braided Fate trilogy. I was instantly hooked by this book - it had me tearing up at only 7% in because of the relationship between Princess Jory and assassin Asher. And then the warrior King Ky entered the picture and I loved him as well! The plot hooked me for sure, but it was the relationships between all three main characters that had me absolutely inhaling this.

I couldn't pick a favourite if I tried. Jory, Asher and Ky are all complex characters rather than stereotypes, and they have distinct relationships with each other, each providing something different and essential to the other. None of the relationships seem lesser than or more than the others. I just found this beautiful. Their relationships make so much sense because of the darker themes that affect the characters, such as trauma, slavery, sexual abuse and war. It was balanced so well and didn't feel surface level in the slightest. It really did feel like these characters were leading the story rather than the plot sort of placing them in position.

I know I'll be desperate to get to the sequels because there was just something about this story and these particular characters that instantly clicked with me. I loved every minute of Warrior Princess Assassin, and although I've read a lot of books already this year, I think this one might be my favourite. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it, desperate to get back to these characters. It's going to be a long, impatient wait for book 2, but until then, there's always a reread waiting for me!

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley, but this is my voluntary and honest review.

Wow I absolutely loved this book! I got the impression very early on that it would be a five star read and it didn’t disappoint!

The story explores the developing relationship between a sheltered princess, her childhood best friend - now a skilled assassin, and the king of a neighbouring kingdom she’s betrothed to against her will.

Brigid Kemmerer keeps it simple in the best way. It’s very low fantasy and the world building isn’t complex which made it a really easy read and kept the focus on the characters and their interesting relationship dynamic. The plot definitely isn’t the main focus here but there’s enough going on that I was never bored and couldn’t put the book down.

All the POVs were equally interesting and contributed to the story, I wasn’t rushing through one to get to another. I absolutely adored our three main characters, especially Asher. His backstory is heartbreaking and I was so happy to see the relationship going in a direction that included him. The romance is very slow burn and builds up to a couple of spicy scenes towards the end. There was also a really well done one horse moment so if you’re a fan of that trope this book is for you.

Warrior Princess Assassin was the perfect setup for this series and I will be picking up book two as soon as it’s available!

** spoiler alert **

this was fast-paced and engaging but there was hardly any plot! 99% of the book is all about them lusting over each other! this thing ruined the book for me! i can’t even call it romance! after reading the synopsis, everyone thought there was going to be a love triangle but it was anything but! i’ve never read something like this and honestly, i didn’t like it at all! their feelings changing in seconds from one to another was not only weird but also very annoying! two couples would have been so much better! i would rather have a love triangle (which i despise) than whatever this was! and because of this, i couldn’t like the characters as well! even the side characters were not likeable!

and now let's talk about that 1% plot! so the king’s people are starving and he has to marry the princess so that her father can help him and his people! but what did he do? he went ahead and delayed marriage for a month 😃 that made no sense to me! i don’t know how the other two books are going to be like because of the lack of plot!

thanks to the publishers and netgalley for the copy!

Warrior Princess Assassin is an adult romantasy featuring an arranged marriage between princess Marjory and a fire-wielding warrior-king of a neighboring kingdom, Maddox, and Marjory's childhood friend turned assassin, Asher, hired to kill them both.

Asher doesn't want to kill the princess, whom he secretly loves but thinks she's way out of his league, and the princess doesn't want him to kill her fiance, because he impressed her at first sight. She also doesn't want Maddox to kill Asher, because she's very attached to her childhood friend. This leads to a dramatic impasse where the trio have to reluctantly tolerate each other. But when further attempts at their lives are made, reluctance turns into cooperation and alliance turns into burgeoning attraction.

Marjory is torn between the two men she realizes she loves both. Asher is attracted to both other protagonists, but because of his past trauma, tries to repress his feelings as he has a hard time trusting anyone, and also believes he's not worthy of love, and doesn't want to upset the political marriage between Marjory and Maddox. The king himself originally vied for the marriage simply as a political alliance, but when he notices Marjory and Asher are attracted to one another, is torn between stepping aside and letting them be happy, and his own attraction to both of them.

This leads to a lot of angst and pining, which we learn about from all the 3 points of view, and that should already hint how will this romantic plot be resolved. Reading a romantasy, I expect a "happily ever after" solution, and this book didn't disappoint. It warmed up my heart how wholesome all their interactions turned out to be.

There are some dark subjects in this book. Maddox is a war-hardened veteran and saw a lot of cruelty and death, including having some of his friends-in-arms captured and tortured. Asher was a prisoner and a slave before he became an assassin and he carries a lot of trauma from it. The princess serves as a stark contrast to the men, by being wide-eyed naive and while she has a kind heart, she struggles with understanding the depth of their suffering. Yet she offers a ray of sunshine in this otherwise aloof and somber relationship, making her a perfect addition to the mix of character dynamics.

Even though the characters aren't unique in the romantasy genre, where men are strong but mysterious and with a dark past, and the princess is a previously sheltered, suddenly fish out of water character, I couldn't help but fall in love with them, how they tried their best to be considerate and fair even when their impulses told them otherwise.

The worldbuilding was sparse, but easy to understand, creating a perfect stage to enact all the romantic drama. The side cast of characters didn't detract from the main trio, but some of them, especially Maddox's honor guard, were a welcome addition to the team. The plot was fairly simple, but engaging and had enough twists to keep me turning the pages, while it didn't steal the spotlight from the romance. It's obvious that Brigid Kemmerer is an experienced author who knows how to tug at the reader's heartstrings and craft a book where the romance can shine but all other elements support it rather than crowd it out or clash with it.

I would recommend it to adult readers of "why choose" romantasy who don't shy from narratives tackling darker subjects, and who like slow burn with explicit spice. While still written in an accessible style, contrary to other Brigid Kemmerer's books this is not YA, and features open door mature scenes.

I received an ARC from Netgalley & HarperVoyager for the purpose of leaving a honest review.