Genre: YA Fantasy
Published: March 4, 2014 by Greenwillow
Series: #1 (Death Sworn)
Length: 352 pages
Source: Greenwillow (ARC)
“When Ileni lost her magic, she lost everything: her place in society, her purpose in life, and the man she had expected to spend her life with. So when the Elders sent her to be magic tutor to a secret sect of assassins, she went willingly, even though the last two tutors had died under mysterious circumstances.
But beneath the assassins’ caves, Ileni will discover a new place and a new purpose… and a new and dangerous love. She will struggle to keep her lost magic a secret while teaching it to her deadly students, and to find out what happened to the two tutors who preceded her. But what she discovers will change not only her future, but the future of her people, the assassins… and possibly the entire world.“
Death Sworn is a fantastic start to the series. I’m not someone who reads fantasy books often so I am surprised that I really liked this book. It is told in 3rd person point of view of Ileni, a sorcerer who was assigned to become the assassins’ teacher. One of the things I found weird was why was Ileni teaching the assassins if she was the same age as them? I just found that a bit weird and lacking details. What I loved about this book is that it’s so easy to get into the story. The writing style is really good, and I love how there is already a mystery from the beginning of the book.
The other weird thing I found in this book was the romance. It was cute at times, but it was sort of insta-lovey. It did not really bother me though because the book was focused on the mystery almost all of the time. The world building is good, but I wish there was more explanation and background. Basically these assassins and sorcerers lived in a kingdom and they are trying to overthrow the ruler. The sorcerers has their own community while the assassins also has their own community.
Overall it was a great fantasy read. If you are looking for a book that will have your nose glued on from the beginning, and some good mystery, then I highly recommend Death Sworn.
