Two of them already this year:
In Grave Mercy, Ismae Rienne puts her natural immunity to poison, her super-fast healing abilities, and her Internal Impending Death Radar to good use in serving Mortain, the god of Death. Intrigue, romance, mystery, and excitement: this one's got it all. And on top of all of that, it's fabulously well-written and plays with genre conventions and is just all-around awesome. Easily one of my favorites of the year.
In Throne of Glass, meanwhile, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is coerced into competing in a winner-takes-all contest between warriors and criminals. It's great fun, though your suspension-of-disbelief muscle will get a serious workout, and you'll need to ask your cliche-meter to take a nap while you read.
I didn't add Graceling, because I don't really think of Katsa as an assassin. What do you think? Should I? And are there others?
I think Katsa is muscle, she is an enforcer. Randa wants her to be an assassin but she avoids death to such a degree I feel like you can't truly call her an assassin. I feel like there must be more... but I honestly can't think of any.
Posted by: Stephanie Jobe | 02 August 2012 at 09:35 AM
Completely agreed, re: Katsa. I just wanted to see if other people felt differently! :)
Posted by: Leila | 02 August 2012 at 10:24 AM