Book Spotlight: The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Ananna of the Tanarau abandons ship when her parents try to marry her off to an allying pirate clan: she wants to captain her own boat, not serve as second-in-command to her handsome yet clueless fiance. But her escape has dire consequences when she learns the scorned clan has sent an assassin after her. 

And when the assassin, Naji, finally catches up with her, things get even worse. Ananna inadvertently triggers a nasty curse — with a life-altering result. Now Ananna and Naji are forced to become uneasy allies as they work together to break the curse and return their lives back to normal. Or at least as normal as the lives of a pirate and an assassin can be.
From Goodreads.com

Born and raised in the world of pirates, Ananna is not your typical girl. In the first pages, Ananna is being set to marry a son from an allying pirate clan. But being who she is, Ananna doesn’t want to be a wife to a pirate, she wants to run her own ship. So instead of being pulled into a life she doesn’t want, she runs away. However, there are consequences to her actions and the pirate clan will have none of it. They send an assassin after her, but he is not what she expects.
Naji has a job to do. He must bring the runaway back to the clan, but everything changes when he meets Ananna. Together they embark on a journey neither one of them ever expected. And that’s where the fun begins.
To tell you the truth, I had no idea what to expect from this story. I was going through (and still kind of am) a fantasy kick, and I was desperatly searching for a book that would help with my slight obsession. Well, this book kind of intensified that obsession just a bit.
The story blew me away. I was pulled in from the first pages, eagerly reading each word. Ananna is one of my favorite heroine’s right now. She’s strong, smart, and knows exactly what she wants. I loved how from the very beginning she stood up for her own beliefs. I was routing for her to win the whole deal! Then comes in Naji. And let me tell you, Naji? A-freaking-mazing. I adore him to pieces and I’m not ashamed to say it. He was a fabulous character to read. Not only is he swoon worthy, he’s smart and super skilled to kick anyone’s butt that stands in his way. And once Ananna is in his life, he’s also super protective.
The chemistry between these two is fabulous. I loved how we get to see their necessity turn to friendship and then...that’s right I just left that blank. Don’t assume anything by those dots people. Trust me, this whole book, make no assumptions.
I have to mention the ending. The ENDING! Seriously, I was very unhappy. There were lots of words spoken in fast succession. At work. With people staring. I want the next book RIGHT now. I’m not even kidding. That is all.
Seriously though, Cassandra created a beautiful picture of a world that is ruled by magic. Her characters are real, intense, and just plain amazing. I really felt like Cassandra had a good grip on her story and she showed it in this wonderful debut. This book comes out October 2, 2012. Buy it, read it, love it!

Happy reading, 
Valia