Assassin’s Heart by Sarah Ahiers | Book Review #341

This review contains spoilers.

In the kingdom of Lovero, nine rival Families of assassins lawfully kill people for a price. As a highly skilled member of one of these powerful clans, seventeen-year-old Lea Saldana has always trusted in the strength of her Family. Until she awakens to find them murdered and her home in flames. The Da Vias, the Saldanas’ biggest enemy, must be responsible—and Lea should have seen it coming. But her secret relationship with the Da Vias’ son, Val, has clouded her otherwise killer instinct—and given the Da Vias more reason than ever to take her Family down.

Racked with guilt and shattered over Val’s probable betrayal, Lea sets out to even the score, with her heart set on retaliation and only one thought clear in her mind: make the Da Vias pay.

Assassin’s Heart is my first Sarah Ahiers read, and I’ve got to say that I’m very pleased with her writing, and with how everything turned out in the end.

I am so happy that I stumbled across Assassin’s Heart at the library. What drew me in to reading this story was that this was a story about revenge. So I picked it up. Boiii, I am SO glad I borrowed Assassin’s Heart from the library.

What I didn’t like about Assassin’s Heart was that there were certain things here and there –little details– that were completely predictable. I predicted that Emile was probably still alive, but held captive by another family. I also predicted that the Da Via’s family will paaaay (I mean, that’s the whole part of the book) What I actually predicted was that Matteo (Lea’s second youngest brother) would be the one who betrayed them all cause he wanted power and whatnot.

It was incredibly interesting seeing how a God would take her revenge through the actions of her disciple, against a family, who had for generations, prayed to Her and worked in Her honour.

What I like about this story was that the main character, Lea is underestimated by so many people, and she proves them wrong. I like that Lea has things happen to her that she herself cannot even explain. Geting to know Lea and her faith to her God, Safraella, was very interesting to me.

I revel in the fact that one of the bad guys got a fitting death. Actually, a lot of the antagonists ended up dying. But I’m glad the two main antagonists died, and in such a fitting way, too.

I’d actually first heard of Assassin’s Heart back in 2016. I marked is as TBR on my GoodReads account and then completely forgot about this book. When I stumbled upon it at the library, I ended up taking it home that day. A week later when I sat down to read Assassin’s Heart I genuinely did not know what to expect. I read that Assassin’s Heart was a revenge story and read a bit of the synopsis–just to figure out that it was a Fantasy story– and was finally looking forward to reading a book.

‘But I’d stood before Safrella, felt the divine pain when She’d kissed me back to life. Whoever said death wouldn’t hurt? She’d asked me. And truly, whoever said life was supposed to be free of suffering?’

I love the fact that Assassin’s Heart is a Young Adult Fantasy. I also love the fact that the main character, Lea, has so much faith in her God, Safraella, that when Lea needs Safraella the most, She answers. — I always end up liking Fantasy novels where the main character vehemently follows a God, and They end up answering.

Assassin’s Heart is a stand alone novel. However, there is a companion novel to Assassin’s Heart is titled Thief’s Cunning. I’m looking forward to reading Thief’s Cunning whenever I get the chance to!

I give Assassin’s Heart 4 stars. — I know I said that I found Assassin’s Heart to be predictable. That aside, I genuinely adore this novel.

Have you read Assassin’s Heart?

Happy Reading!
— Adele