The Witch's Betrayal

The Assassin's Curse #0.5

by Cassandra Rose Clarke

An ebook original short story set before The Assassin's Curse.

You’ve read The Assassin’s Curse. You’ve met Naji. Now go back in time and see Naji in his earlier years, as he seeks a target and ends up clashing with Leila, the river witch.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Short Stories, Magic, Novella, Pirates, Adventure

28 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Cassandra Rose Clarke is a speculative fiction writer living amongst the beige stucco and overgrown pecan trees of Houston, Texas. She graduated in 2006 from The University of St. Thomas with a bachelor’s degree in English, and in 2008 she completed her master’s degree in creative writing at The University of Texas at Austin. Both of these degrees have served her surprisingly well.

During the summer of 2010, she attended the Clarion West Writers Workshop in Seattle, where she enjoyed sixty-degree summer days. Having been born and raised in Texas, this was something of a big deal. She was also a recipient of the 2010 Susan C. Petrey Clarion Scholarship Fund.

Reviews

[Nina]

Leila...

[Ronak Gajjar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just because of Assassin Naji's POV I read it to mess my mind more before I start the second part of the series!

And as for Leila:

Ughh! Selfish manipulative bitch, may you rot in hell!

[starryeyedjen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, my poor Naji.  It's no wonder he seems so hard and distant in The Assassin's Curse .  He's suffered, been betrayed by someone close, and he believes he's becoming the monster everyone already sees him as.  I knew there was more to him, but now I think I have a better understanding of his character and therefore a better understanding of his intentions.

All the while Ananna was taunting Naji in The Assassin's Curse, you could see that he was truly hurt and disparaged by some of the comments she made.  It took time for her to see the man beneath the cold, calculating exterior of an assassin.  I could tell he wasn't what he seemed from the moment they met, but getting this peek at who he was before their encounter cemented my earlier impressions of him.

If you were as intrigued by Naji as I was, I definitely recommend picking up this short story.  And if you despised Leila as I did in The Assassin's Curse, you'll definitely enjoy seeing her put in her place in this prequel story.  I'm hoping Ananna will one day learn the history between these two and know that although she may not be stunning like Leila, she is still a far better woman, even if she is a pirate.  :)


This review can also be found at The Starry-Eyed Revue as part of my Short Story Sundays series.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, Naji... le sigh...

Fantastic and meaty little short story -- narrated by Naji -- that gives the reader extra background info about his relationship with the river witch Leila as well as just being a great little character-development piece. Was wonderful to be reminded just how lovely and sophisticated Clarke's writing style is, and also to be reminded just how much I love Naji's complexities and internal conflict. I cannot WAIT for The Pirate's Wish!

[Esmay · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I passed through the walls of the house. 
I pulled myself out of the darkness. 
Something was wrong."

4 Stars.

I had never read Leila and Naji's backstory, or parts of it that is and I really enjoyed it. It's a nice shortstory to add to the collection and I figured that if I'm re-readed the duology, I might as well read the two shortstories too.

[Lidia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Witch's Betrayal is a short story that takes place before the main story and is told from Naji's point of view. The main focus of this short story is how Naji obtained that scar on the left face and in a way it lets us the readers find more about his character and his relationship with Leila.

[Angelica · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG!!! Naji I love you!!!! He was definitely on my list of book boyfriends back in The Assassin's Curse but now he has gone to my top ten. It makes me sad that he seems to have such a low self esteem and a bit of self hatred and yet he is such a good person. He deserves someone to love him for who and what he is and also despite of what he looks like. This is why he and Ananna are a good pair, she doesn't see a monster inside or outside of him. Oh and Leila, you can go jump of a bridge. Better yet, go jump into the fire yourself you horrible, heartless person. Can't wait for The Pirate's Wish!!!!

[Asia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Well, now we know how he got his scars.

[Rahaf Alghamdi · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5

I just randomly really missed Naji :///

[Azbaqiyah · Rating 5 out of 5]

~♥~ Naji ~♥~

~♥~ I think I just found a new man! ~♥~

[Kimmm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit sceptical about this short novella but it was pretty good. I liked being inside Naji's head, also getting to know him more and how he got the scar. He felt like a very different person in the Assassin's curse. I hope we get to see this side of him in the next book.

Rating: 3,5 stars.

[jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so grateful for this little short story. While reading The Assassin's curse, I was craving something, anything, from Naji's point of view. After reading The Witch's Curse, I love Naji even more and officially hate Leila. LEILA. The conniving, self centered asshat. I'm glad we were able to learn the story behind Naji's scars, as I was extremely curious throughout the entire first book. It was also interesting to see Naji actually completing his job. It now makes more sense as to why Naji was hesitant in killing Ananna.

[A Voracious Reader (a.k.a. Carol) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

*Book source ~ Purchased at Amazon

Naji is an assassin and the target he’s after has been aided by Leila the river witch. Forced to get creative in his tracking he ends up paying a huge price for his diligence.

Not having read The Assassin’s Curse series this short tale is interesting enough that I really want to dive into it and see what Naji’s future holds. I can’t say I like Leila, but then again, she’s trying to survive. And Naji’s creative tracking, while finding him his target, ends up costing him dearly. I’m looking forward to reading more.

[Bethzua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ay, pobre Naji. Aunque tiene un pasado muy triste, me encantó poder indagar en él. Desde que comencé los libros me había dejado intrigada este personaje, y ahora que pude saber más de él, comprendí muchas de sus reacciones y razones para actuar como lo hizo en la historia principal. Es una lástima que esta novella haya sido demasiado corta, pues la narrativa de Clarke es maravillosa.

[Katherine B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Naji! My dear boy. We love seeing origin stories!

[Tiara · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was disappointing, not going to lie. I know it's a novella but it's extremely short. I mean, it does the job of filling in the blanks of this guy that's supposed to be mysterious but there's nothing shocking here. Everything that happens, you could pretty much have guessed from the first novel so I just didn't really see what the purpose of the novella was... Maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm disappointed because the POV narration isn't as unique as it was in the Assassin's Curse. But really there's no big revelation here, at least not for me. I might have felt like it was a waste of time if it had taken me longer than 30 minutes or so.

[Amy (Sun) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, poor poor Naji. I just want to cuddle him, gah. It was really interesting getting to read this short story from his perspective. It let you see how he got damaged the way he is, and makes you realize how hurtful some of the things Ananna said to him in The Assassin's Curse might have actually hurt him. And Leila, ugh. It was interesting seeing her from Naji's perspective, but I still don't like her. Especially after the way she betrayed him, and didn't want to be with him anymore once he was disfigured. UGH.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent prequel to The Assassin's Curse, telling the story of Naji's disfigurement and where things went wrong with Leila. I'm soooooo looking forward to the second full-length book in this series; something about this world and the characters just really grabbed me. Hurry up, June!

[Princette de Genovia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guao. Me sorprende lo mucho que me ha gustado esta historia corta. Es verdad que se escurre entre los dedos como la arena de la playa, se acaba de un momento a otro, pero nos permite conocer un poco mas de Naji, no deja entender un poco mas su personaje, su fortaleza y su debilidad. Excelente historia de verdad. Me ha encantado.

[Shambhawi P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, short read. Gives us better insight into Naji and his insecurities and how he got the scars. It also shows us a particularly venomous side of Leila, whom we met in first book briefly.

But truly, this raises more questions about the Assassins' blood magic than it answers them.

[Lucia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cuenta como Naji obtuvo sus cicatrices, y muestra un poco más de su relación con Leila. Tiene una trama y un poco de accion y misterio, que es más de lo que puedo decir de muchas de las historias cortas que estuve leyendo, así que se merece mas estrellas.

[Ahnya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a short novella to go along with the Assassin's Curse Duo. It is a story about one of Naji's assignments before he meets Ananna. Provides a little more background on Naji, and a little more color in this beautiful world Clarke created.

[Anastasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. It was kinda nice to read from Naji's perspective, but the story was too short to care. I thought we'd know more about him and Leila, but we just got to see one fifth of their relationship. Though I probably shouldn't've expected much from the short story.

[Natalie Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

As good as The Assassin´s Curse. Wish it was longer though.
I like Leila even less now. Which wasn´t high to begin with.

But Naji, come here!

[ekarifin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I don't like Leila and this short story just makes me hate her more.

e

[gold]

Things I want:
-Naji's backstory. I know this is suppose to be that but it wasn't, really. I want to know more about his family and his training and the order and how he met Leila and their relationship (I would appreciate more info about Leila in general, actually).
-A reunion in which Naji goes back to the dance hall and tells that woman the job is done and she smiles at him unlike what he thought. I need this to happen so bad. Maybe in the Pirate's Wish? A girl can dream!!

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Witch's Betrayal

My second Cassandra Rose Clarke book, but it will not be the last. The book is well written with characters that are interesting, developed, and believable. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys scientific fiction with action. I look forward to reading the next book. Enjoy!!!!! 2014
Edit Review

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Witch's Betrayal provides a an elaboration on events hinted at in The Assassin's Curse. There really isn't anything special about the story, how it's told or how it unfolds, and given that one knows how it ends, it makes for a fairly average reading experience.

[Aileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just more of making me want to SLAP Leila.

[Cee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poor Neji... just trying to do the right thing.