What do you think?
Rate this book
The Witch Stone Prophecy #1
Assassin's Curse
When elite assassin Jeda DeLongo received his assignment to kill a witch and deliver her twin daughters to the Countess of Berkshire, he had no idea it would be his last. The witch stuns him with an elemental blast, but not before he's able to throw his knife. When Jeda regains consciousness, the dying witch is performing a compulsion spell between him and her daughters. Now bonded to the girls, Jeda's old life is forfeit. His only thought is to take the girls and run as far away as he can. He has no idea that the twins are the ones spoken of in the long-lost prophecy of The Witch Stone. Forces are the white witches want to teach them; the black witches want to use them; the Countess wants her grandchildren back, and the guild has sent their best assassin to bring them back. Jeda must use all of his skills to stay one step ahead of them all, but will it be enough to save himself and keep the children of prophecy alive?The adventure continues for Jeda and the twins in book 2, Witch's Curse.
262 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 2, 2012
29 people are currently reading
547 people want to read
About the author
Debra L. Martin
28 books250 followersDebra has been writing fantasy/science fiction with her co-author, David W Small, since 2010.
An elite assassin, children of prophecy, and a Black Witch Coven who wants to control their magic is the theme in the WITCH STONE PROPHECY trilogy--ASSASSIN'S CURSE, WITCH'S CURSE, and the final book, STONE'S CURSE.
If you like paranormal vampire romance, THE SILVER CROSS (Vampire Nightlife) along with the exciting conclusion, SILVER DOUBLE CROSS are available on amazon. Detective Lacey Gardner is the best vampire hunter on the Boston Fringe Team. When she meets hunky bartender Damon Harte, she feels she's met her soul mate until she learns his devastating secret. Now she knows what she must do--kill the man she loves.
They have published 2 novels, QUEST FOR NOBILITY and THE CRYSTAL FACADE in the "Rule of Otharia" series. The 3rd and final book, THE KING'S LAST WORD is due to be published in 2025.
Debra also writes romance under the pen name, Debra Elizabeth.
She lives in the Greater Boston area with her husband and enjoys gardening, motorcycle rides, and playdates with her granddaughter.
An elite assassin, children of prophecy, and a Black Witch Coven who wants to control their magic is the theme in the WITCH STONE PROPHECY trilogy--ASSASSIN'S CURSE, WITCH'S CURSE, and the final book, STONE'S CURSE.
If you like paranormal vampire romance, THE SILVER CROSS (Vampire Nightlife) along with the exciting conclusion, SILVER DOUBLE CROSS are available on amazon. Detective Lacey Gardner is the best vampire hunter on the Boston Fringe Team. When she meets hunky bartender Damon Harte, she feels she's met her soul mate until she learns his devastating secret. Now she knows what she must do--kill the man she loves.
They have published 2 novels, QUEST FOR NOBILITY and THE CRYSTAL FACADE in the "Rule of Otharia" series. The 3rd and final book, THE KING'S LAST WORD is due to be published in 2025.
Debra also writes romance under the pen name, Debra Elizabeth.
She lives in the Greater Boston area with her husband and enjoys gardening, motorcycle rides, and playdates with her granddaughter.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 26, 2012
What do you get when you have a witch with twin girls hiding out from a killing she didn't do, along with an assassin hired to kill her and return the twins to their grandmother? Add in the witch binding the assassin to her daughters before she dies forcing him to care for and raise them as his own daughters. Add in The White and Dark witches covens, the Assassin's Guile and the grandmother all trying to find the girls and/or the assassin and what do you have? You have a very good book with a lot of plot twist and plenty of action and yes, even love.
This book, the first, I think, of a series was one of those that once picked up and started was hard to put down till you finished. Hopefully book 2 will be out soon.
This book, the first, I think, of a series was one of those that once picked up and started was hard to put down till you finished. Hopefully book 2 will be out soon.
June 26, 2013
Assassin's Curse is the first installment in an epic fantasy series about two female witches, twins whose destiny is bound up in prophecy. The story opens when the twins are just babies; their mother and father are slain by the head of a witch coven that wants to control the fate of the twins herself.
Enter our unlikely hero, Jeda, an assassin with questionable morals. He has been assigned by the assassin's guild to find and kill the mother, who is already nearly dead, and bring the twins back alive. The mother, also a witch, bonds him to the twins magically so that he is compelled to keep them safe and secure.
Jeda takes the twins, flees the city. At this point the coven, the twin's grandmother and, by extension, the assassin's guild (the grandmother took out the contract to find and return the babies in the first place) are all hunting for Jeda and the twins... and the plot is set.
This is an excellent story with a great deal of depth to the plot. So many novels fall flat when there are so many characters involved in a complex storyline, but this one manages to hold it together.
There could be more emphasis on the flow, in the writing itself. There is a great deal of repetition of words, which makes some of the description and dialogue fall a bit flat, especially when read out loud.
I enjoyed the characters, but I did not feel like I ever really got know them personally; I only knew what was happening to them. I did not feel myself invested in them as people, only in their plight. Ironically, it was the 'cameo appearance' characters that I felt most attached to; Miriam - the mother of the twins, Clara - the bread girl the wagon.
This is definitely an adult fantasy. There is a lot of unexpected shock value; lots of profanity (a lot), rape, torture, murder. Most of it revolves around the actions of Mave, the story's main villain, but some of it is very nasty, something that is normally toned down for books of this genre. With that being said, I believe that it actually added to the story. This will set this story apart from the multitude of other epic fantasies out there. I know there will be some who will be disgusted by some of the things that happen - if you're that kind of person, this isn't the book for you.
All in all, I enjoyed Assassin's Curse and would recommend it to any serious fantasy reader. Due to the strong plot and the way the story has been lined up and left to be finished, I feel confident that the second book in the series will be just as good or better.
I give Assassin's Curse, Book One of the Witch Stone Prophecy a solid 3.75 out of 5 stars.
Enter our unlikely hero, Jeda, an assassin with questionable morals. He has been assigned by the assassin's guild to find and kill the mother, who is already nearly dead, and bring the twins back alive. The mother, also a witch, bonds him to the twins magically so that he is compelled to keep them safe and secure.
Jeda takes the twins, flees the city. At this point the coven, the twin's grandmother and, by extension, the assassin's guild (the grandmother took out the contract to find and return the babies in the first place) are all hunting for Jeda and the twins... and the plot is set.
This is an excellent story with a great deal of depth to the plot. So many novels fall flat when there are so many characters involved in a complex storyline, but this one manages to hold it together.
There could be more emphasis on the flow, in the writing itself. There is a great deal of repetition of words, which makes some of the description and dialogue fall a bit flat, especially when read out loud.
I enjoyed the characters, but I did not feel like I ever really got know them personally; I only knew what was happening to them. I did not feel myself invested in them as people, only in their plight. Ironically, it was the 'cameo appearance' characters that I felt most attached to; Miriam - the mother of the twins, Clara - the bread girl the wagon.
This is definitely an adult fantasy. There is a lot of unexpected shock value; lots of profanity (a lot), rape, torture, murder. Most of it revolves around the actions of Mave, the story's main villain, but some of it is very nasty, something that is normally toned down for books of this genre. With that being said, I believe that it actually added to the story. This will set this story apart from the multitude of other epic fantasies out there. I know there will be some who will be disgusted by some of the things that happen - if you're that kind of person, this isn't the book for you.
All in all, I enjoyed Assassin's Curse and would recommend it to any serious fantasy reader. Due to the strong plot and the way the story has been lined up and left to be finished, I feel confident that the second book in the series will be just as good or better.
I give Assassin's Curse, Book One of the Witch Stone Prophecy a solid 3.75 out of 5 stars.
April 21, 2022
What a great novel, action all the way and more twists than a liquorice stick.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
The good news is there is more to come.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
The good news is there is more to come.
January 28, 2012
I don't know where to begin about how amazing this book is! Multiple layers of intrigue and suspense going on in this book. Martin and Small have done a superb job keeping track of all the layers, making everything relate and serve a purpose.
I'm the type to read entire books in a single day, and this one was no exception. I couldn't put it down! I was caught right from the beginning with the character of Jeda. He definitely held my attention as a character and I fell in love with him. An assassin turned Daddy? Truly amazing. And his transition was handled well - gradually rather than all at once. Martin and Small amazed me with how well they developed Jeda as a character. I was impressed how they managed to get him to go from trained killer to being a caring father type. The other characters were just as well developed - the twin girls, Kara and Kala, among others - but Jeda was definitely my favorite.
I only had one issue with the characters, is at one point the twins, at about the age of 10, actually start fighting in a rather cruel and almost sadistic-like manner. It was to protect their father, but I just don't see a 10 year old, realistically doing such things. I know Jeda trained them in combat, but actually doing the things one is trained in - without any sort of reaction from the twins, just seemed a bit out of place to me. I wonder if this will be fleshed out more in the next book - perhaps a late reaction from the girls? A bit of it did come out in one of the twins towards the end, but I still felt that the development in this part was a little off. Especially since the other twin didn't seem to have any reaction at all.
I was also interested in the world of the guild of assassins and the coven of witches. Both groups were well developed with their own mix of personalities and rules. Again, the authors developed these well in the story - not giving everything away at once.
This is just the beginning of the Witch Stone Prophecy series and I can't wait to read the next one. Even though the beginning of a longer plot, this book stands on its own two feet with its own plot as Jeda tries to protect the twins from the assassins and the dark side of the witches' coven.
I'm the type to read entire books in a single day, and this one was no exception. I couldn't put it down! I was caught right from the beginning with the character of Jeda. He definitely held my attention as a character and I fell in love with him. An assassin turned Daddy? Truly amazing. And his transition was handled well - gradually rather than all at once. Martin and Small amazed me with how well they developed Jeda as a character. I was impressed how they managed to get him to go from trained killer to being a caring father type. The other characters were just as well developed - the twin girls, Kara and Kala, among others - but Jeda was definitely my favorite.
I only had one issue with the characters, is at one point the twins, at about the age of 10, actually start fighting in a rather cruel and almost sadistic-like manner. It was to protect their father, but I just don't see a 10 year old, realistically doing such things. I know Jeda trained them in combat, but actually doing the things one is trained in - without any sort of reaction from the twins, just seemed a bit out of place to me. I wonder if this will be fleshed out more in the next book - perhaps a late reaction from the girls? A bit of it did come out in one of the twins towards the end, but I still felt that the development in this part was a little off. Especially since the other twin didn't seem to have any reaction at all.
I was also interested in the world of the guild of assassins and the coven of witches. Both groups were well developed with their own mix of personalities and rules. Again, the authors developed these well in the story - not giving everything away at once.
This is just the beginning of the Witch Stone Prophecy series and I can't wait to read the next one. Even though the beginning of a longer plot, this book stands on its own two feet with its own plot as Jeda tries to protect the twins from the assassins and the dark side of the witches' coven.
April 13, 2014
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.
This is the first book in The Witch Stone Prophecy series. I loved it!
Jeda is an assassin, trained in the art of stealth and death from being a young boy. He is extremely efficient and dangerous. Sent on a mission, he doesn't realise how quickly fate will change his life forever! I really liked this character. I don't normally empathize with killers, but Jeda is a product of a harsh environment and is really a scared and lonely boy underneath his tough exterior.
I love fantasy novels, but I was a bit unsure of this one at first. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy a story about an assassin, but as I started to read this story, I was completely swept away. The story is told from several points of view, which is quite interesting, as each character has their own story to tell. Set over a 10 year period, the reader gets to follow the growth of the characters and experience the changes within the various lives as they occur. The two girls, Kala and Kara, grow up with a father who loves them and teaches them how to be just as skilled with the blade as he is, but they are also very powerful witches. However, they are being hunted, and the assassin that has been sent to track them is not as nice as Jeda. Mave has no conscience and is a cold and deadly killer, who will stop at nothing to get to Jeda and the girls.
The story has several twists and turns, some of which surprised me and I never saw coming! The fight scenes are described with amazing detail and are definitely intense! There is also a lot of violence, including abuse and mutilation, which may be upsetting to some readers. The ending left a bit of a chill climbing my spine, and made me wonder what is in store for Jeda, Kala and Kara in their future. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series to find out.
The authors' Debra L. Martin and David W. Small have written a fantastic fantasy novel full of danger and adventure. The story was fast paced without being rushed, and flowed beautifully from beginning to end.
Due to the violence, I do not recommend this book to younger readers. However, I highly recommend this book if you love action, adventure, thriller or fantasy genres. - Lynn Worton
This is the first book in The Witch Stone Prophecy series. I loved it!
Jeda is an assassin, trained in the art of stealth and death from being a young boy. He is extremely efficient and dangerous. Sent on a mission, he doesn't realise how quickly fate will change his life forever! I really liked this character. I don't normally empathize with killers, but Jeda is a product of a harsh environment and is really a scared and lonely boy underneath his tough exterior.
I love fantasy novels, but I was a bit unsure of this one at first. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy a story about an assassin, but as I started to read this story, I was completely swept away. The story is told from several points of view, which is quite interesting, as each character has their own story to tell. Set over a 10 year period, the reader gets to follow the growth of the characters and experience the changes within the various lives as they occur. The two girls, Kala and Kara, grow up with a father who loves them and teaches them how to be just as skilled with the blade as he is, but they are also very powerful witches. However, they are being hunted, and the assassin that has been sent to track them is not as nice as Jeda. Mave has no conscience and is a cold and deadly killer, who will stop at nothing to get to Jeda and the girls.
The story has several twists and turns, some of which surprised me and I never saw coming! The fight scenes are described with amazing detail and are definitely intense! There is also a lot of violence, including abuse and mutilation, which may be upsetting to some readers. The ending left a bit of a chill climbing my spine, and made me wonder what is in store for Jeda, Kala and Kara in their future. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series to find out.
The authors' Debra L. Martin and David W. Small have written a fantastic fantasy novel full of danger and adventure. The story was fast paced without being rushed, and flowed beautifully from beginning to end.
Due to the violence, I do not recommend this book to younger readers. However, I highly recommend this book if you love action, adventure, thriller or fantasy genres. - Lynn Worton
April 17, 2012
I had a great time with this. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. The story captured me. There's a point in the story where the main character meets up with a band of gypsies. From this point on I didn't want to stop. The only thing that I could say was a sore spot for me was the use of foul language. There wasn't a lot of it, and I'm absolutely not opposed to it, but it seemed slightly out of place in the setting of this book. The good news is that I enjoyed the story so much that it didn't cause a real problem. I would definitely recommend this and am looking forward to book two.
February 7, 2013
This is old-fashioned Fantasy at it's best. There is the Guild of Assassins, the Witches Covens (Black & White), the Wilding ones, nobility - all tied together with a prophecy. There are heroes, villains, double agents (so to speak) and pretty much anything you can think of.
A brilliant book - very well written, excellent pace, characters that are not only believable but become more rounded the more you know them.
Can't wait for book 2.
A brilliant book - very well written, excellent pace, characters that are not only believable but become more rounded the more you know them.
Can't wait for book 2.
Read
August 12, 2020Awesome
Awesome read with more twists and unexpected turns as the journey combines with treachery and finding of relations is intertwined throughout.
Awesome read with more twists and unexpected turns as the journey combines with treachery and finding of relations is intertwined throughout.
September 6, 2014
Assassin's Curse (The Witch Stone Prophecy) by Debra L. Martin & David W. Small
Jeda is an assassin, he is supposed to kill a witch and bring her twin daughters to the Countess of Berkshire. But before she dies she blasts him, and casts a spell on him. He has no memory of what happened and he believes the twins are his daughters and he must protect them from any one evil.
He soon learns they are the chosen ones in the Prophecy of The Witch Stone. The White Witches want to teach the twins their powers, the Countess wants her grandchildren, and Jeda is on the run to keep the girls safe.
An action filled adventure with witches, an old legend and danger around ever corner. I liked Jeda he is a bit of a loner, but his new bond to the twins is heart warming. There are many secrets that surface, which makes Assassin's Curse even more exciting. I feel that those who love fantasy/adventure & witches, will love this story (Adults and Young Adults as well). I also recommend the second book Witch's Curse.
Jeda is an assassin, he is supposed to kill a witch and bring her twin daughters to the Countess of Berkshire. But before she dies she blasts him, and casts a spell on him. He has no memory of what happened and he believes the twins are his daughters and he must protect them from any one evil.
He soon learns they are the chosen ones in the Prophecy of The Witch Stone. The White Witches want to teach the twins their powers, the Countess wants her grandchildren, and Jeda is on the run to keep the girls safe.
An action filled adventure with witches, an old legend and danger around ever corner. I liked Jeda he is a bit of a loner, but his new bond to the twins is heart warming. There are many secrets that surface, which makes Assassin's Curse even more exciting. I feel that those who love fantasy/adventure & witches, will love this story (Adults and Young Adults as well). I also recommend the second book Witch's Curse.
April 14, 2014
This was a good read filled with murder, mystery, suspense, fantasy with just a dash of romance thrown in. The assassin, Jeda, goes from cold-blooded killer to ... well, you'll just have to read that for yourself.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to those who can tolerate typos. With the pace of the book they aren't too obtrusive after a time. A second printing will more than likely take care of that and, in the meantime, keep your eyes open for this author's next book. Her creativity will be sure to please.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to those who can tolerate typos. With the pace of the book they aren't too obtrusive after a time. A second printing will more than likely take care of that and, in the meantime, keep your eyes open for this author's next book. Her creativity will be sure to please.
Read
April 6, 2012the problem I have with this book is that the supposedly master assassin main character repeatedly makes some pretty stupid mistakes like using his real name, and no one bothers to ever ask who put out the original hit on the twins mother
September 23, 2012
A very solid 4 Stars. Can't wait to read the next in the series.
Full review is listed at Pure Textuality website:
http://puretextuality.com/2012/09/04/...
Full review is listed at Pure Textuality website:
http://puretextuality.com/2012/09/04/...
Read
November 21, 2012Awesome book suspense
June 16, 2012
3.5 - I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to the sequel.
June 20, 2018
Pretty good. Imaginative, with a turn to a darker end than suspected.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews