Markswoman ~ Review

Title: Markswoman
Series: Asiana #1
Author: Rati Mehrotra
Release Date: January 23, 2018
Genres: YA Fantasy/Romance
Pages: 371
Publisher: Harper Voyager

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Blurb:

Kyra is the youngest Markswoman in the Order of Kali, one of a handful of sisterhoods of highly trained elite warriors. Armed with blades whose metal is imbued with magic and guided by a strict code of conduct, the Orders are sworn to keep the peace and protect the people of Asiana. Kyra has pledged to do so—yet she secretly harbors a fierce desire to avenge her murdered family.

When Tamsyn, the powerful and dangerous Mistress of Mental Arts, assumes control of the Order, Kyra is forced on the run. She is certain that Tamsyn committed murder in a twisted bid for power, but she has no proof.

Kyra escapes through one of the strange Transport Hubs that are the remnants of Asiana’s long-lost past and finds herself in the unforgiving wilderness of a desert that is home to the Order of Khur, the only Order composed of men. Among them is Rustan, a disillusioned Marksman whose skill with a blade is unmatched. He understands the desperation of Kyra’s quest to prove Tamsyn’s guilt, and as the two grow closer, training daily on the windswept dunes of Khur, both begin to question their commitment to their Orders. But what they don’t yet realize is that the line between justice and vengeance is thin . . . as thin as the blade of a knife.

Amazon

B&N

Book Depository

Goodreads

*****My Review*****

Prior to @DesertAThon this book wasn’t even on my radar. I don’t recall ever seeing it before, but after I read it I’m just not sure why that is.

I didn’t love Kyra from the beginning, but I felt for her and her struggles. But, you get to watch her grow in wisdom, and she fully won me over. Then we have Rustan, and he just had me right from the start. While there is a bit of romance blooming in the end, it really isn’t a major point in the plot. That being said, y’all know I’m all about a romance, and I appreciated the bit of chemistry blooming. I’m looking forward to seeing how things pan out for them in the next book!

I also really enjoyed the fact that they were assassins and seeing the struggles that arose with that. There a lot of interesting side characters, too, that play into the story.

My daughter asked me what the book was about when I was close to wrapping it up, and I found I was having a hard time explaining it. I realized it was a complex plot, but it’s also easy to follow all that’s happening. While I wouldn’t call this book fast-paced, it was never slow for me, and I think all of the complexities in the plot kept things moving along at a good pace. And it kept me intrigued wanting to know what was coming next.

The world building was done well enough for my tastes, and I enjoyed how the desert setting played into the story rather than just being background.

*Please check out trigger warnings elsewhere if you have triggers. I tend to overlook adding them in my reviews.*

***********************************************

Have you read Markswoman? Are you planning to?

Happy Reading,

Alison