The Pirate's Wishby Cassandra Rose Clarke
Read: June 2-3 2013
Published: June 4, 2013 by Strange Chemistry
Source: NetGalley
Category: Fantasy, Pirates, YA
Series: The Assassin's Curse, book 2
Note: The Pirate's Wish is the second in a two book series. See my review for The Assassin's Curse, HERE. If you've yet to start the series, check out the last paragraph in this review to see how I'd recommend it. The rest of my thoughts are a bit spoilery for the first book, especially The Set-Up paragraph.
Description: After setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword, their wits, and the secret to breaking the curse: complete three impossible tasks. With the help of their friend Marjani and a rather unusual ally, Ananna and Naji make their way south again, seeking what seems to be beyond their reach.
Unfortunately, Naji has enemies from the shadowy world known as the Mists, and Ananna must still face the repercussions of going up against the Pirate Confederation. Together, Naji and Ananna must break the curse, escape their enemies — and come to terms with their growing romantic attraction. (From Goodreads)
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Aren't these covers pretty together? Also, I'm very happy that duologies are becoming a trend, because it's easier to wait for one more book, than two. This is also the first series I officially finished for the Summer Series Challenge! YAY for that. Unfortunately, I liked The Assassin's Curse much better than The Pirate's Wish.
If you don't remember what happened in The Assassin's Curse: Ananna is a pirate princess who was married off to a member of a rival clan. Only she didn't want to be married to him (plus she distrusts beautiful people and he was very pretty), so she ran away. That made her betrothed's family angry. To retaliate, they sent an assassin after her. Except when the assassin Naji finally caught up to Ananna, things didn't go as planned for either of them. Instead of an assassination they were cursed so that Naji would have to protect Ananna with his life. If she's in danger, he feels pain. The rest of the story is about the two of them dealing with the aftermath. Navigating an awkward dynamic because they're connected although they don't know or like each other, and trying to figure out how to break the curse. There's also lot traveling and pirating that makes the story a fun adventure tale. At the end of book 1, Ananna and Naji discover that there are three impossible tasks that Naji must complete to break the curse. Then the book ends.
What I liked most about The Pirate's Wish
It was a lot of fun to be back in Naji and Ananna's world. Cassandra Rose Clarke has a great imagination and her fantasy world is rich and well developed. Although there wasn't a map in the book, I could picture it all laid out in my head. I had such fun traveling and discovering new places with these characters. Ananna is definitely most at home on a ship and we get a lot more pirating action in this installment. We are introduced to a few new new characters and my unexpected favorite was definitely the manticore. I really enjoyed her addition to this story. Marjani was my favorite returning character. She is such a strong female force and a great voice of reason and influence for Ananna, who definitely needed it at times.
What I mostly liked
Although I wasn't surprised to see many characters from the first book again, I was surprised by the ones that did not show up a second time. One in particular I wish had come back, or at least been discussed by the characters. Not because I liked this person, but because their part in these characters' lives felt unfinished to me. It's person from the past that I wish was faced head on, instead of being swept under the rug. But I can see that it was likely a very conscious decision for the author to approach the situation in this way.
Another part of the book that was unexpected was how Clarke chose to break each curse. I like that the author was creative and unpredictable in how she approached each of them, especially the choice and method of the first one. However, I thought that the the breaking of the third curse was a little silly. Though I appreciated what it represented about the characters, it took the fantasy elements into a direction that was hard for me to fathom (both the nature of it and the timeline practically).
Many of the reasons why I fell in love with Ananna and Naji and their uneasy alliance in The Assassin's Curse, became irritating in The Pirate's Wish, so much so that it detracted from the action of the book. I still enjoyed being in Ananna's head for the most part. Her spunkiness, "what you see is what you get" demeanor, and distrust of attractive people made her endearing. However, her pettiness and insecurities really grated on me in this installment. Although I could understand her feelings, I thought her angst went on too long.
While in the first story, I really like that Naji was a little bit broken and unsure of himself because of his scar, I kept wanting to slap some sense into him in this book and tell him to 'speak up!' Actually, I wanted to tell that to both of them. It's like they were their own worst enemies to their own happiness, and I couldn't figure out what the problem was. Then finally they were pushed together enough times - mostly by magic - that it started sticking. In fact, I never felt like I got a true handle on what was going on in Naji's head. Although I liked how this book ended for each of these characters, I wish some of the the wisdom and clear-headedness that came at the end had come much earlier in the story.
Now that I've finished this series, would I recommend it?
Yes, for the strong fantasy world that Clarke has created. The Persian influences in the landscape and people. The pirates, deserts, islands and rich cultures that Ananna and Naji traverse. The adventure themes and Naji's blood magic. No, for Ananna and Naji's character development and frustrating behavior throughout the second book.
Love Triangle Factor: None, thankfully. These two had enough trouble getting past themselves.
Cliffhanger Scale: Series finale!
The Pirate's Wish is Summer Series Challenge Approved. I have officially completed and written a review for the final book in The Assassin's Curse series.
I'm glad you enjoyed this one for the most part, Lauren. After finishing this, I'd hardly have recommended the series since Ananna disappointed me so much. But, there were good aspects to it and I love Clarke's creativity. Fabulous review!
ReplyDeleteI am very hesitant to recommend this one as well, but I did enjoy the first half so much that I wanted to be positive overall. Yes, Ananna's behavior is frustrating here, and her constant pining and pettiness is not at all the message I wish the author had imparted. Especially, because Ananna is a kick butt pirate and had so much potential to be different and great! I think reading your negative review helped me to lower my expectations so I wasn't as heartbroken as you were! Thank you for that.
DeleteI love the sound of the fantasy aspect of this series, but it's definitely disappointing to hear that the MC was a bit of a letdown throughout. I can't stand when I lose interest in their plight because they lose their genuine nature throughout the story. I might have to try this series though...thanks for the great review, Lauren! :)
ReplyDeleteYou describe EXACTLY what happened to the characters in this book! It WAS very disappointing. I am still struggling as to whether I would recommend this to anyone, but it does have some great parts. I'll look out for your thoughts if you read it!
DeleteI've really been wanting to read this series Lauren! I love the sound of the world itself, and while I'm am bit bummed the angst is higher in this one and Ananna's pettiness detracted from the story as a whole, everything else sounds really great. I think knowing about her issues ahead of time will be helpful for me, now I know what to expect and it's unlikely her behavior will bother me as much. Thanks so much for your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteI definitely hope this review helps you face Ananna's behavior better. But as I said, the fantasy world is really fantastic, so I hope this is a series that you end up liking.
DeleteI know which character you felt was missing, and I honestly felt the same. The entire thing was left a bit unresolved, which I didn't appreciate. I was actually more frustrated by Ananna's behavior this time, although Naji was no prize either, and I thought his feelings came a bit out of the blue. After all they went through, it seemed a bit rushed, if that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteBut anyway, I still agree with your recommendation.
They BOTH drove me nuts!! Though I think I'd have felt a lot better about Naji if she had been discussed again. That missing character was such a point of contention in the first book - and even mentioned at the very end of Assassin's Curse, but barely mentioned in this one at all. It was odd. Ananna was very frustrating throughout this one. Trying to remember all the good things, though!
Deletewow! I havent heard of this series or even this author! What a great review though! I ike that, now that youve finished the whole series, you can say you are glad you read it! Makes me want to pick up these books are read them too!
ReplyDeleteI havent read anything about pirates and persian cultures, so this would be perfect!
Also, feel free to stop by my blog to enter my $100 Blogoversary Giveaway!
Not just any pirates, a kick-butt female pirate! I hope you end up enjoying this series. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteThis is a series I hope to start someday, but I just don't see it happening any time soon. I'm not exactly sure why. It's great that you found it unpredictable and surprising though. I know how you feel when you talk about falling in love with characters and then their strongest attributes becoming to bother you. I just finished Never Too Far by Abbi Glines and oh boooooyy... Blaire was innocent and different in the first book, but then she became so annyoing and thinking of herself not worthy of the love interest like.. get a damn grip already! Seriously!! And Rush was such a caveman and even more so in the sequel. I liked their dynamic at first, but it grew tiring the further I read. At least it's the series finale so you won't have to fall out of love with these characters;) The only thing I've seen related to Persian culture was that Prince of Persia movie and it didn't feature that much so it'd definitely be intriguing and different to read about this world:)
ReplyDeleteI HATE when that happens! When characters get more irritating as they go along. Though I think many of those dragged out contemporaries do not need to be so long, and they just keep adding drama to keep the story going. I may have overplayed the Persian influences, though it does feel like the Prince of Persia at times. BUT there are lots of other cultural influences. The world building is great, the characters and their love story definitely wore on me!
DeleteHmm. I am really becoming tempted here to just not finish this series. I know it's only a duology, but, still, many lukewarm reviews have me thinking about whether I really want to invest the time and money in finishing this series, especially because I didn't enjoy the first to the degree that many others seem to have. Solid, believable characterization is one of the most important factors in my enjoyment of a novel. I think I'll let this book sit for a while and see if I do feel the need for resolution or not. Sorry it didn't really live up to your expectations, Lauren!
ReplyDeleteI don't blame you for thinking this! I may not have either if I hadn't gotten a review copy that I felt obligated to read. But maybe you'll appreciate it better after some time? This was a definite bummer, though!
DeleteUgh, I'm so incredibly nervous with the knowledge that I'm going to be disappointed in this one that I almost don't want to read it--I enjoyed the first one so much! Still, it's nice to know going in not to have too high of expectations, and to focus on the action and the world more than the character development. They are absolutely gorgeous together though, and I am loving the duology trend!
ReplyDeleteI found the characters a bit disappointing, as well, but there were other elements that made up for it, at least for me. I think the issue of insecurities between the two could have ended a lot sooner, but that ending is what made everything better. It wasn't perfect, but it was perfect for them because they didn't give up who they were or their true natures to be together, as so many YA couples are wont to do.
ReplyDelete