At seventeen-year-old, Cottia wants to distance herself from her former life as an assassin, but first, she must right old wrongs by breaking the man she loves, Prince Ezer, out of prison.
To make matters worse, mercenaries hired by her old master have taken over the Palace of Giddel and poisoned the king and queen.
With the Agata Sea Kings Assembly, Cottia and best friend must reinstall Prince Ezer back on his throne before their vengeful former master takes over their kingdom.
Reckless is the third Agata Sea Novella and like I said in my last review I would definitely advise to read the two previous novellas first, maybe even start with Unbetrothed, to which the novellas are prequels to.
This is an action packed fantasy book full of heartache and quite a lot of twists and turns. The stakes are high and the enemies stop at nothing to reach their goals.
Cottia is still struggling to trust the Ancient One and while this is mostly a battle against evil, it also is a battle against her former beliefs and Cottia’s journey to forgiveness. The faith elements are woven beautifully throughout the books and Cottia learns to trust and to let go of her guilt. I was really looking forward to Gema’s side of the story and I did love her part throughout the book. But without giving away spoilers I think I’ll finally have to read Untamed, hoping there will be some clues to the many questions the epilogue evoked…
I recommend the Assassins Rise series if you love powerful faith messages, flawed characters with beautiful redemption arcs and no spice fantasy books with rich world-building - especially if you have already read and enjoyed Unbetrothed and want to spend more time in this magical world Yamnitz created.
* Thank you to the author for letting me read an advanced copy of this book. I leave this review voluntarily and the expressed opinions are my own.
In the the final installment of the Assassins Rise series, Cottia, her sister Isabellia, her fake fiancée Cristobal, her best friend Gema, and Ezer’s brother race to free Prince Ezer and save Giddel from the evil shapeshifter who has assumed Prince Ezer’s form and is vying for the throne. The team faces a multitude of obstacles and grapples with knowing whom they can trust. This one really brings to the forefront of Cottia’s journey her struggle with trusting the Ancient One in the face of her fears and guilt, and understanding that her faith in the Ancient One and acceptance of His forgiveness truly means she no longer has to let her past define who she is.
I love the rich world-building, the maps, and the faith message in these stories. If you like suspense-filled fantasy/adventure, you really shouldn’t miss this YA Christian allegorical series! Much is wrapped up at the end of book three, but the epilogue provides a fantastic launch into Unbetrothed, which takes place some years after the events of Reckless. I am looking forward to returning to the Agata Sea with Unbetrothed and plan to do so shortly!!
A reckless maiden, and an equally rash King. Fire ignites, and there's no looking back.
First of all, WTF is that epilogue? lol! I feel sad for Gema. I legitimately wanted her to have her own happy ending. As with the previous book, the events of the story are sort of all over the place. I got confused in more ways than I could even imagine. lol Although the plot is really good. The execution leaves a lot of plot holes. Not sure if it's because of how short it is, some things just didn't have enough weight to fill the pages. But I love it all the same. The faith, not only in their God, but in each other is what made them better than any other powerful person in all of Agata Sea.
I enjoyed reading this book! The previous book ended on a cliffhanger, and I was so glad to get to read this one to find out what happens. Cottia and Ezer are in love, but she has a terrible past and can't allow herself to love him the way she wants to. She has to save him and his kingdom before the imposter in charge of the throne ruins it all. She only has one chance to make things right before everything goes terribly wrong. I became attached to all of the characters and gasped at the ending. I won't give anything away, but if you start rooting for certain characters, don't get your hopes up. Great read by Candice!
9/10 Seems like yesterday I had finished Restless & was waiting for June to show up for this book’s release. Now the trilogy is over! What a fun series this has been, getting to know all of these assassins & royals.
There wasn’t as much action as the previous two books, but there’s plenty of tension to keep things moving. I will have to revisit these five Agata Sea novels until any new additions come along, they’ve been so colorful & sweet.
This story will definitely tug on your heart strings at times but if you’ve already read Unbetrothed & Untamed as I have, you’ll see that coming in some respects.
In the meantime, I really need to check out some of her other work too!
This novella is the conclusion to Cottia and Ezer's story. Cottia finds it hard to believe that she is truly forgiven for being an assassin and that she is worthy of Ezer's love - let alone worthy to marry the prince. Now that the real prince is in prison and an imposter is on the thrown things are not looking good, however with the help of friends and the Ancient One, they do get their HEA. I received an ARC but this review is my own.
Cottia, the beautiful how she grew. And still how many things she must overcome.
I like how Candice brings in the gospel subtly but obviously. Especially to note the battle that goes on with a new born believer and how we always feel our problems are as a result of our sins.
I exhaled after reading this book because of Ezer, ok no more rant. Thank you C.
Cottia and Gema continue to fight for justice in this bittersweet end to the Assassins Rise trilogy. My heart broke in several places but sang at the end. Yamnitz should be applauded for her unique fantasy storytelling with a Latin flair. Great for teens, male and female.
I was very excited to continue the suspense filled story of the friends' fight against Whyzer Patro. The stakes have never been higher. They must save Prince Ezer and the kingdom of Giddel. Cottia is struggling to trust the Ancient One and forgive herself while their freedom is being threatened every day. This is such a compelling story that was hard to put down. Many emotions were experienced as I approached the last chapters. I didn't want it to end because of how much I enjoyed being caught up in this world and seeing beloved characters develop in books 1 to 3. Yet, I'm truly satisfied with the journey despite heartbreaking events along the way.
I highly recommend the Assassins Rise series. The storytelling is excellent. I love the characters, beautiful settings, food, and themes of friendship, sacrifice, redemption and love.
As a Christian, I was reminded that we don't need to strive to fix mistakes and earn the forgiveness we've already received from God. Life can be extremely challenging but we have hope when we trust God. Cottia learns that in trusting the Ancient One, she can release her fears and guilt, and the past doesn't define her.
I want to know so much more about the characters, especially after that epilogue. So I will definitely read Unbetrothed and Untamed prior to the next release, Unbound. I'm grateful to Candice Pedraza Yamnitz for writing this series and including me on the ARC team for Reckless. I will forever be a fan of your books.
Court life is almost as dangerous as love Facing heartache is so daunting that many people would rather avoid possible romances than to deal with potential pain. Add in all the palace politics and the court corruptions…well, I’d hesitate, too, if a Prince Charming looked my way. Cottia & Co. are soooo busy trying to save the kingdom and their own hides - how does she ever find the time for dating and romance? How does she know to trust her “wingman” when lies & spies are everywhere? My brain would be too exhausted to think beyond daily survival. But then again, Cottia has a secret strength replenisher: ‘I could go for churros.’ With caramel dipping sauce and a cuppa hot chocolate, our gal can do anything!
Readers can still enjoy this world in the Agata Sea Duology (‘Unbound’ / ‘Unbetrothed’ / ‘Untamed’).
So good! What an action packed, emotion filled end to this series! Cottia has been through so many things and really learned the meaning of repentance and forgiveness for herself and the Ancient One. Definitely give it some time to read!
As always, I love Candice’s writing! She weaves fantasy, danger, sweet romance, strong heroines, and faith together in epic tales. This story is the third installment of the Assassins rise series and will be best understood if you read the first two. This book will make you understand choices, chances, and make you want to eat churros with chocolate! No language 😱 and Sweet kisses only. ❤️ PS The maps and the artwork for this book (and really all of the books) are 🔥❤️
This story had adventure and suspense! The mix of Spanish and English words made it fun to read and added depth and color to the world that the author created. I liked the clean romance and the fast paced action that never stopped through the whole book! The ending was sad, and it hinted at more to come in a future book.