Wednesday, June 5, 2013

The Pirate's Wish by Cassandra Rose Clarke [ARC REVIEW]

TITLE: The Pirate's Wish
           (The Assassin's Curse #2)
AUTHOR: Cassandra Rose Clarke
PUBLISHER: Strange Chemistry
PUB DATE: Jun 4 2013

Summary from Goodreads:

"After setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword, their wits, and the secret to breaking the curse: complete three impossible tasks. With the help of their friend Marjani and a rather unusual ally, Ananna and Naji make their way south again, seeking what seems to be beyond their reach.

Unfortunately, Naji has enemies from the shadowy world known as the Mists, and Ananna must still face the repercussions of going up against the Pirate Confederation. Together, Naji and Ananna must break the curse, escape their enemies — and come to terms with their growing romantic attraction."


Rating:


Ananna and Naji just couldn’t catch a break, can they? It seems the curse brought upon Ananna saving Naji’s life during the events of The Assassin’s Curse has just made things more complicated than it already was...

In The Pirate’s Wish, we find our protagonists trapped on an island where no man dares to venture into. While waiting for help to arrive, Ananna and Naji are living off in a small shack not far from the wizard they visited recently who told them about the secrets to breaking the curse. As if Naji’s enemies from the Mists, and the Pirate Confederation on Ananna’s tail isn’t enough trouble for them, they come across a creature – a deadly, vicious, yet graceful manticore named Ongraygeeomryn (And no, I did not randomly press letters on my keyboard, nor did I just make that up, I swear that’s a name) to top it all off.

And if that wasn’t too much to handle already, we have Ananna and Naji’s relationship to add up to all the complications involved to breaking this damn curse. And have I mentioned how infuriating the personalities of these two are? And yet, I couldn’t deny how much fun it was to watch them tick off one another – Wow! What is wrong with me? Haha!

Oh, Naji, Naji, Naji. You should know by now that Ananna would never keep still even if you ask nicely. I mean, since when does she ever stay put? LOL. If I thought Ananna was aggravating in book one, she a little more unnerving here. She’s always been hot-headed but she wasn’t this tense before. Maybe it’s because of all the confusion going on in her head? I feel sorry for her though, even I couldn’t figure out if Naji’s feelings towards her are true or not. I can definitely understand the doubt building inside her.

The shifting and build up of the romance seemed kind of off to me: first they’re fighting, then there’s some spark-ish love interest scene, then the next thing I see they’re making out – and maybe more! It’s kind of uncomfortable that they hadn’t bothered with talking about their feelings for each other, or maybe they have with the whole blood-bond thing?

There is truly never a dull moment with these two. Whether it’s seeing them getting pissed at each other, trying to solve the puzzle to break the curse, or fighting for their lives, there’s always something to keep you on the edge of your seat. I honestly thought this was a trilogy though. And with the ending part, I kind of felt it wasn’t enough to give me the kind of closure I expected for any story.

*Thank you Angry Robot, Strange Chemistry and NetGalley for the copy of The Pirate's Wish.