Assassin: The Killing Grounds by Simon Corn

[Jax14]

This is a fantasy thriller suitable for mature young adults and up.

Alara set out to be Lord Osari's spotter: one who verifies an assassin's kills. Instead she finds herself fast tracked in the final year of an assassin school as an apprentice. This is a school like no other; not everyone gets to graduate as it is up to the students to whittle down numbers to find the best of the best. As always politics and founding families have a hand in the selections and when Lord Osari goes missing she needs to find allies to help her figure out which major family house was behind it all. She is stuck in a nest of vipers so who can she trust? And are the dragon statues that weave the houses together just that: statues? It's kill or be killed in her life.

Even though I edited the book, in my opinion it is a really good book. A very interesting idea for a storyline that gives you a little taster of the books to come. Alara is a strong female character and holds her own against some of the more dominant male characters. The concept of the pupils having to eliminate class members, not just with sheer brutal force but with magical artistic abilities, is well portrayed and the action sequences exhilarating. Alliances are quickly created and as quickly destroyed and placing loyalty in someone might not be the best thing. The dragon statues play a big part in the story and I'm curious to see where this goes. I liked the idea of commerce versus old money, with rival families unearthing secrets that could destroy years of hiding indiscretions. The places are based on real towns in and around Portsmouth so a number of the forts and areas can be seen on the net.

I loved the story and can't wait for the next one!