Title: The Pirate’s Wish
Author: Cassandra Rose Clarke
Series: The Assassin’s Curse #2
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Book received from publisher via Netgalley but all opinions are my own.
At the end of The Assassin’s Curse, Naji and Ananna are stuck on an island waiting and hoping that Marjani will return to rescue them. They’ve learned that there are three impossible tasks they must complete before the curse can be broken. Ananna knows that one of them isn’t impossible and so believes that the others must be possible somehow too. They fairly quickly make it off the island, but not before gaining a manticore as an ally. We meet up with Marjani, more pirates, Ananna’s parents AND there are talking sharks. Yes, talking sharks.
The Pirate’s Wish definitely feels like the second half of a larger book. I also wish it was just the middle. So much happens in the book and happens fast. They just bounce from one place to the next. The way that everything always works out is a bit disappointing. It just all seems too easy.
Ananna is more self-assured in this book. That is, except when it comes to Naji. Naji is almost too enigmatic. I really wish that we got into his head, but because the book is in first person, we don’t. He is a very fascinating character and I can see what Ananna sees in him. There are cracks in his armor that only she sees.
I have mixed feelings for the end. I did like that it was true to the characters and allowed them to not compromise on what was most important, but it isn’t quite a true happily ever after. While I didn’t like this one as much as the first book, I still really enjoyed it and will seek out more books by Cassandra Rose Clarke. I think there are also some short stories set in this world that I will have to pick up.
Also, is it just me or do Strange Chemistry/Angry Robot books have covers that are filled with awesomesauce?
