Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Kashina does an excellent job working backstory into this installment, giving those who haven’t read the first book a strong understanding of the unfolding events. Strong female characters, imaginative world building and a unique approach to the usual love triangle combine to make The Guild of Assassins a highly entertaining and sexy read. I truly enjoyed this unique story and look forward to reading more of her work.

Opening Sentence: Prince Kythar Dorn narrowed his eyes watching the lonely rider approach the castle at a slow walk.

The Review:

The Guild of Assassins wastes no time diving into the action. Oden Lan is still reeling from his order to have Kara assassinated for defending Prince Kythar Dorn from an earlier attack by the mind-controlling Kaddim Brotherhood. His conviction that Kara’s actions stemmed from her lovey feelings towards the Prince is intolerable because 1) Majat warriors are not allowed to have warm gushy feelings for anyone, and 2) despite rule #1, Oden Lan suddenly started having funny (read lustful) feelings toward Kara. If he – a man more powerful than any King – couldn’t have her then no one would! Oden Lan’s only comfort was knowing that Mai, the Majat’s most highly respected and deadly Diamond, killed her quickly with a signature move called the “Viper’s Sting.” Or so Oden Lan believed until a mysterious stranger brings him unwelcomed news. The stranger, whose knowledge of the internal operations of the Majat is eerily accurate, shocks Oden Lan by claiming that Kara is still alive. He states this is possible because Mai used the “Viper’s Kiss” – a move which mimics the effects of the Sting by instantly incapacitating its victim. It does not, however, result in immediate death.

Incensed beyond reason at Mai’s deceptive betrayal, Oden Lan issues an ultimatum – either Mai turn himself in for a creatively detailed tortuous death that only begins with impalement; OR be hunted for the rest of his days by other Diamond-level warriors (and then be tortured to death). Either way Mai chooses to play it, Oden Lan is intent on sending another assassin to finish Kara (for reals this time).

Kara’s fear that Oden Lan will punish Mai for his decision to spare her life is realized when another Diamond arrives at Castle Dorn. Mai, who’d been assigned to lead Dorn’s Royal Guard, has been relieved of duty and recalled to the Majat headquarters. Knowing that she will be killed once they’ve reached their home, Kara nonetheless vows to accompany Mai in the hopes of lessening his punishment. Guilt may have been a factor in her decision to accompany Mai, but this decision is the first glimpse at Kara’s strength. She’s not content to let others suffer for her mistakes nor will she shy away from her responsibilities. She acknowledges her feelings for Kyth (Prince Kythar’s nickname) played a role in her decision to defy Oden Lan’s orders, but realizes those feelings may not mean she’s in love with Kyth. His attention flattered her, as he was the first guy to treat her like a desirable woman and not simply a trained killer. It was exhilarating, the first true emotions Kara allowed herself to feel, but Kyth’s adoration cannot change the fact that she’s a Majat Diamond. Her banishment from the Guild (if that’s what you can call being on the receiving end of an assassination attempt) has shaken her to the core, yet she refuses to let Kyth become her whole world. Returning with Mai – even if it’s to face death – is acknowledging who and what she is even if the Guildmaster doesn’t.

Which is a serious pain in Mai’s toned buttocks. Majat warriors – Diamonds in particular – are obedient to their leader’s orders. It wasn’t an easy decision for Mai to question Oden Lan’s erratic behavior and willingly choose to defy his direct orders to assassinate Kara. It’s clear he knew his defiance would bring severe punishment, but he also believed Kara made the right decision to save Kyth’s life. He accepted whatever consequences his actions would bring, even if a paranoid psychopath would mete out those consequences, the moment he chose to use the Viper’s Kiss. But he cannot bare the thought of Kara following him to her death. Even though he is one of the most disciplined and honorable Diamonds in Majat history, Mai has broken the first rule by falling in love with her. Mai does everything possibly to dissuade Kara from turning herself in. He tries to fight her, purposefully downplays the descriptive missive outlining Oden Lan’s plans of torture and even sneaks out while she is still preparing her supplies. Yet she finds a way to be by his side when he faces the wrath of their Guildmaster and uncover the hidden threat to the Empire.

Something that definitely did not make Kyth happy. Granted, I did feel pretty bad for the guy. He’s hopelessly in love with a woman who has broken up with him in order to follow another (extremely good-looking and powerful) man to certain death. I think Kashina did a fantastic job translating the insecurities of first love – and a first broken heart – as Kyth begrudgingly realized his own mistakes. However, I was a little disappointed with his secondary position in this book. Learning how to control his resistance to the Kaddim Brotherhood’s mind control, noticing Lady Celana’s blush, killing Mai with his eyes and pining after Kara sums up his entire role in this story.

Yet I highly enjoyed the approach Kashina took for her love triangle between Kyth, Kara and Mai. Kyth was obviously a very sweet guy who would do anything for Kara. Sadly, his immaturity and feelings of a “claim” on her was a stark contrast to Mai’s approach. That said, the number of times Mai looked at Kara with longing in his eyes came close to crossing from sexy to restraining-order-needy. Of course neither could resist getting into a pissing contest whenever the opportunity presented itself, but they eventually came to an understanding that kept their angst to a minimum. I was happy Kara had an active sex life minus the slut shaming. She was honest with both men about her feelings and actually took the time to reflect on what she wanted in life for herself before thinking about what either of the guys wanted – a refreshing character trait in a world of Bellas.

The Guild of Assassins is an all-around entertaining read for fans of most any genre. It has the drama and heat to keep Romance fans happy, the mystical action Fantasy readers enjoy and enough mystery to keep a reader’s interest to the satisfying conclusion.

Notable Scene:

“Like I said,” Mai continued,” none of your business. No offense, Aghat Kara.”

Kara nodded with the grim expression of one whose worst fears had been confirmed. “I’m coming with you.”

“No, you’re not.”

She lifted her chin. “Is there anything you can do to stop me?”

Mai’s eyes flared. His hand darted to this back, flicking his double-bladed staff out of its sheath. Almost simultaneously, Kara drew her two narrow swords with a long silken sound.

Before anyone else could react, Raishan darted forward, throwing himself between Mai and Kara. In the ensuing silence, the three Diamonds glared at each other.

“Stand down, both of you,” Raishan said. “You’re not planning to fight each other, are you? Not in the presence of the King and royal heir I hope?”

Mai held still for a moment. Then he slowly sheathed his weapon. His eyes slid over Kara, who stepped back and withdrew her swords. For a brief moment Mai’s gaze softened before resuming its tranquil, impenetrable expression.

“You’ll have to kill me to stop me, Aghat Mai,” Kara said.

FTC Advisory: Angry Robot provided me with a copy of The Guild of Assassins. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

This series is of to a fantastic pace! Anyone in the mood for a fast pace action book with a little love triangle should take a peak ( )

The Guild of Assassins by Anna Kashina is the second book in The Majat Code series. I read and reviewed the first book, Blades of the Old Empire, earlier this year. Unfortunately, while I enjoyed book one, book two didn't really do it for me. Note that this review contains spoilers for the ending of book one.

The story follows the same group of characters from book one, although with some emphases shifted. Ellah and Alder were point of view characters in the first book but in The Guild of Assassins they are merely background characters. The point of view focuses strongly on Prince Kyth, Kara the highly trained assassin and, somewhat unexpectedly, Magister Egey Bashi. Lady Celana, who was a minor character in book one, plays a more visible role in book two.

Egey Bashi gets a surprising amount of point of view time for someone who's less directly involved in the action than some of the other characters. I suspect that might be because he's the only sensible adult around (well, Mai, a central character who doesn't really get point of view sections, is in his early twenties, but...) and is a useful tool to explain why other characters are doing silly things, or why those things are silly, and to fix some of the problems they cause. Unfortunately, that didn't make him a terribly exciting character. I didn't have strong feelings about him in book one and I still don't. Unfortunately, he plays such a large role in book two that I probably should have had a stronger reaction to him.

The first thing that bothered me was actually a holdover from Blades of the Old Empire. Towards the end of that one it's revealed that Mai is in love with Kara and that storyline is explored extensively in The Guild of Assassins. It wasn't a storyline that I found worked for me very well and I didn't find it very interesting. It also meant that the relationship aspect of the story turned into a love triangle which I felt, again, pretty ambivalent about. But at least it wasn't like a cliched YA love triangle.

What really bogged down the story for me was the copious introspection of all the characters. I think this existed in the first book but, for whatever reason — more interesting personal problems? A broader range of characters? — didn't bother me then. Here it often felt repetitive and I found myself skimming over a lot of inner monologue. Most of it was either about the love triangle from Kyth and Kara or about other characters' actions/motivations/mistakes from Egey Bashi.

On the bright side, that made it feel like a quicker read than it otherwise might have. And I should add I wasn't bored or annoyed enough to stop reading the book (I considered it, but ultimately decided it wasn't that bad). I am not sure if there is a sequel (my guess would be yes) and, if there is, I don't know that I'll be reading it. The plot of The Guild of Assassins very much centred around defeating the evil brotherhood that had taken over a monastery (and was trying to take over the world) without very many side plots (other than the relationship one). By contrast, there was more mystery in Blades of the Old Empire, since we didn't know anything about the evil brotherhood, which kept things interesting. Given a sufficiently interesting plot, I might be tempted to have a go at a book three.

If you enjoyed Blades of the Old Empire, then give The Guild of Assassins a go, particularly if you thought Mai and Kara together would be an interesting story. If you felt more meh about the first book, probably give this one a miss.

3 / 5 stars

You can read more of my reviews on my blog. ( )

I would like to thank NetGalley & Angry Robot for granting me a copy of this e-ARC to read in exchange for an honest review. Though I received this e-book for free that in no way impacts my review. Normally I'd give this book 3.5 stars, but since I'm required to give full number rankings, I'm rounding it up to 4 stars, based upon the first book and potential of the story line.

Kara has achieved something that no Majat has ever managed – freedom from the Guild!

But the Black Diamond assassin Mai has been called back to face his punishment for sparing her life. Determined to join his fight or share his punishment, Kara finds herself falling for Mai.

But is their relationship – and the force that makes their union all-powerful – a tool to defeat the overpowering forces of the Kaddim armies, or a distraction sure to cause the downfall of the Majat?

Picking up essentially where the first book left off, the story seamlessly moves forward. Mai is struggling to retain his poker face after receiving a letter from the Guildmaster himself. A letter ordering him to return to the Majat stronghold, most likely to face his punishment for disobeying his previous set of orders. At least that is what everyone is speculating about, including the lovely, and lethal, Kara.

However Kara is determined to share Mai's fate, as he put his life on the line to save hers. Since Mai won't share the contents of his letter she assumes the worst - that he is heading back to face his death. But it's in the journey back that things become more complicated for Kara, as she struggles with feelings for Mai that she didn't know she possessed - or at least had never acknowledged before.

Meanwhile Crown Prince Kythar is struggling with his own feelings, or feeling. He is suffering from raging jealousy, for he's seen how Mai looks at Kara. And Mai is older than Kyth, more cosmopolitan, and seems to have a glamor about him that draws women to him like a Christian Louboutin sample sale.

At the heart of the story is the larger picture of a power struggle between good and evil, and on a more personal level there is a love triangle. Though the ages of those involved are relatively similar their responses are not. One is dealing with their first serious infatuation/love, as well as the first person they've been sexually involved with. Another has sexual experience but previously no emotional experiences to go with the physical. And the third is the most mature about this, having the most experience with those of the opposite gender. They are also simply more accustomed to not exposing any emotion, and they want the person they love to be as free to choose as possible - even if that choice has the power to shatter them.

Yet as the arc of the story peaks, so too does the love triangle and emotions of those involved. They have all made strides in maturing, and to some extent or another they are all ready for the situation to be resolved. Of the three I found the response of one to be particularly surprising, but in a positive way, giving me hope for their life's choices in the future. Each will have the power to shape countries, if not the known world, so it is crucial that they put this tangle of emotions behind them and look forward to the time when they can mutually work together for the benefit of all.

I found the end of the story to be rather surprising. It almost seemed to be the end of the series, yet the major conflict has yet to be resolved. Maybe it is simply because so much of the time in this book was expended on the love triangle. But then again maybe not. It almost felt as if Ms. Kashina had run out of steam for this story line, though she ended talking about the unresolved issue, so hopefully she'll put pen to paper (not literally!) and write the conclusion to this entertaining story. ( )