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A Born Assassin #0.5
Helpless
Helpless is a Born Assassin prequel novella set twenty years before the events of Merciless and may be read in any order.
After the sudden death of beloved King Alaric, Prince Ghyslain is thrust before the eyes of the nation in an unexpected--and undesired--coronation. With the future of his new kingdom resting heavily upon his shoulders, Ghyslain wants nothing more than to do the one thing his father never dared during his rule: to free the elven slaves. In a city plagued by racial tension, opposing the demanding, cutthroat advisors and courtiers seems an impossible task until Ghyslain meets Liselle, the one woman who is brave enough to stand against them all.
80 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 11, 2019
1 person is currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline Pawl
15 books75 followersJacqueline Pawl can be most often found reading, writing, or shopping for even more books to add to her ever-growing ‘to-read’ pile. (She swears, someday she’ll get a chance to read all of them.) MERCILESS is the first book in her Throne of Glass-esque fantasy series, complete with tough-as-nails assassins, snarky blacksmiths, a dreamy prince, and a mad king.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 4, 2020
(I'm sorry I'm so late with this review! I forgot to review this and I'm so ashamed! So, here goes!)
In the prequel, which in my opinion is not necessary as a first book and can be read anytime, we learn about Tamriel's father, King Ghyslain, before he was king.
There is so much behind the way his father was. Ghyslain the prince was a good prince, but definitely not ready to become king when he did. He loved his kingdom and wanted to do so many good things for the people. Including the elves. To him, the treatment of elves was abominable, and he was determined to free them...until he realized just how much trouble that would cause him and anyone he loved.
It tells of his early life, his marriage, Liselle and what happened to her. There is a ton of information in this shorter novella that isn't necessary to know before you start the series, but is something you'll question later and want to look into at that time. I love that Jackie made this available to us so we could see what started the whole business that Tam found himself mixed up in, and what drove his father through Tam's entire childhood.
However, as I've said, it is not a necessity to read before Merciless. If anything, I'd say don't read it until maybe after book 2 or 3. Or wait until the end, for that matter. The story of Mercy and Tam, and related company, is too powerful to breakup with shorter stories about past background. I think you may not want to break the flow of the actual full series of A Born Assassin. As good as this novella is, and it really is excellent in the way it explains so much, it could very well interrupt the flow, so I'd read it after the series if I were you guys.
All that aside, these are questions you're going to ask through the entire series. What was wrong with Ghyslain? How did he become like that? Who exactly was Liselle to Ghyslain, and to Mercy? And other questions that if I ask them here I'd be giving away spoilers, and I don't do that. All these questions and more are answered for you in Helpless. It tells us so much of the why's and the who's and the when's. And even the how's.
Wonderfully written background story, Jackie Pawl! I thoroughly enjoyed knowing about all those guys that were mentioned but maybe not explained much in the body of the series. Thank you for filling us in on Tam's daddy and the kingdom he ruled before Tam was born. Wonderfully written indeed!!
In the prequel, which in my opinion is not necessary as a first book and can be read anytime, we learn about Tamriel's father, King Ghyslain, before he was king.
There is so much behind the way his father was. Ghyslain the prince was a good prince, but definitely not ready to become king when he did. He loved his kingdom and wanted to do so many good things for the people. Including the elves. To him, the treatment of elves was abominable, and he was determined to free them...until he realized just how much trouble that would cause him and anyone he loved.
It tells of his early life, his marriage, Liselle and what happened to her. There is a ton of information in this shorter novella that isn't necessary to know before you start the series, but is something you'll question later and want to look into at that time. I love that Jackie made this available to us so we could see what started the whole business that Tam found himself mixed up in, and what drove his father through Tam's entire childhood.
However, as I've said, it is not a necessity to read before Merciless. If anything, I'd say don't read it until maybe after book 2 or 3. Or wait until the end, for that matter. The story of Mercy and Tam, and related company, is too powerful to breakup with shorter stories about past background. I think you may not want to break the flow of the actual full series of A Born Assassin. As good as this novella is, and it really is excellent in the way it explains so much, it could very well interrupt the flow, so I'd read it after the series if I were you guys.
All that aside, these are questions you're going to ask through the entire series. What was wrong with Ghyslain? How did he become like that? Who exactly was Liselle to Ghyslain, and to Mercy? And other questions that if I ask them here I'd be giving away spoilers, and I don't do that. All these questions and more are answered for you in Helpless. It tells us so much of the why's and the who's and the when's. And even the how's.
Wonderfully written background story, Jackie Pawl! I thoroughly enjoyed knowing about all those guys that were mentioned but maybe not explained much in the body of the series. Thank you for filling us in on Tam's daddy and the kingdom he ruled before Tam was born. Wonderfully written indeed!!
February 20, 2019
While this is the prequel to the series, and I read it first before hitting book one, it doesn't need to be read first.
Prince Ghyslain is devastated at the death of his father, King Alaric. Although he is about to be crowned king, it's not something he's ready for. He's not even through processing his father's death. But duty calls, and with his mother's loving help, he pulls through as well as possible. Unlike his father, he has different views, especially about the elf slaves. When he runs across Liselle, the slave of his future wife, everything changes.
This book sets the background for a side character and one aspect of the situation the kingdom finds itself in for book one. While interesting, the information is by no means necessary to enjoy book one and offers simply some insight which helps explain certain characters' feelings and opinions. I read it before diving into the first novel but don't believe it changed my reading experience much.
This novella centers around Prince Ghyslain, who comes across as a lost and helpless young man, who has wonderful ideas but isn't very experienced in life. He has a good heart and enough determination that he'll pull it through. When a problem hits, it's easy to root for him attitude and stand behind him as future king. And the situation with the elves grabs sympathy right away. Even though short, emotions in both directions develop strongly, especially for the side characters which are to love or hate.
The writing is well done and scene descriptions smooth. It's slower paced and has a different atmosphere than book one, which surprises when diving from one into the other. This left a little confusion on my side as it isn't clear how the novella fits with into book one until about 20 percent through the main novel. Even then, I missed the rest of Liselle's story since the novella cuts off and concentrates only on the Prince. Still, it's an easy read and does offer a little more depth for the next book.
I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed the read enough to want to leave my thoughts.
Prince Ghyslain is devastated at the death of his father, King Alaric. Although he is about to be crowned king, it's not something he's ready for. He's not even through processing his father's death. But duty calls, and with his mother's loving help, he pulls through as well as possible. Unlike his father, he has different views, especially about the elf slaves. When he runs across Liselle, the slave of his future wife, everything changes.
This book sets the background for a side character and one aspect of the situation the kingdom finds itself in for book one. While interesting, the information is by no means necessary to enjoy book one and offers simply some insight which helps explain certain characters' feelings and opinions. I read it before diving into the first novel but don't believe it changed my reading experience much.
This novella centers around Prince Ghyslain, who comes across as a lost and helpless young man, who has wonderful ideas but isn't very experienced in life. He has a good heart and enough determination that he'll pull it through. When a problem hits, it's easy to root for him attitude and stand behind him as future king. And the situation with the elves grabs sympathy right away. Even though short, emotions in both directions develop strongly, especially for the side characters which are to love or hate.
The writing is well done and scene descriptions smooth. It's slower paced and has a different atmosphere than book one, which surprises when diving from one into the other. This left a little confusion on my side as it isn't clear how the novella fits with into book one until about 20 percent through the main novel. Even then, I missed the rest of Liselle's story since the novella cuts off and concentrates only on the Prince. Still, it's an easy read and does offer a little more depth for the next book.
I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed the read enough to want to leave my thoughts.
November 23, 2019
After reading this book, I wanted to write and post this review to share my honest experiences toward the story.
A short, quick backstory about King Ghyslain as he is crowned king, after the death of his father, King Alric. This takes place a couple of decades prior to the Born Assassin series, and offers some unique insight into some characters you may have already formed opinions of throughout the story. If you are reading this prior to reading the series, the information from this companion novella will be referenced throughout the story and should be noted. Personally, I read this after reading the three books so far in the main series, and thoroughly enjoyed the flow of the story based on what I had read. As usual, it is excellently written with amazingly developed characters. The only thing is as a novella, there is not much time to develop a really complex and intricate plot, so it seemed a bit basic compared to the others, but it definitely clears up a few loose ends from the main series.
A short, quick backstory about King Ghyslain as he is crowned king, after the death of his father, King Alric. This takes place a couple of decades prior to the Born Assassin series, and offers some unique insight into some characters you may have already formed opinions of throughout the story. If you are reading this prior to reading the series, the information from this companion novella will be referenced throughout the story and should be noted. Personally, I read this after reading the three books so far in the main series, and thoroughly enjoyed the flow of the story based on what I had read. As usual, it is excellently written with amazingly developed characters. The only thing is as a novella, there is not much time to develop a really complex and intricate plot, so it seemed a bit basic compared to the others, but it definitely clears up a few loose ends from the main series.
May 25, 2019
I really enjoyed reading this prequel. I read this after reading the first book Merciless and think you could read this either before or after and still understand. As I read it after I found the insight into how things started really interesting especially Callums dad (Drake) characters development.
Although it was short it still held great insight into the characters of Merciless parents and their relationships and how the story begun. To me it really filled in the gaps and was a quick and easy read that still captivated my attention.
*Full disclosure I was provided a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own .
Although it was short it still held great insight into the characters of Merciless parents and their relationships and how the story begun. To me it really filled in the gaps and was a quick and easy read that still captivated my attention.
*Full disclosure I was provided a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own .
February 21, 2019
As an advanced reader of this new and upcoming book I am giving my honest opinion.
I found the story to be interesting, however I was very off putt by the tense it was written in. Throughout the book I found myself rereading passages to make sure I had followed the right character and action being taken.
The characters were developed well enough but needed definition throughout the story to allow readers to move from character to character without having to study the words.
I enjoyed the story but am only giving it three stars because of the difficulties I faced reading the book.
I found the story to be interesting, however I was very off putt by the tense it was written in. Throughout the book I found myself rereading passages to make sure I had followed the right character and action being taken.
The characters were developed well enough but needed definition throughout the story to allow readers to move from character to character without having to study the words.
I enjoyed the story but am only giving it three stars because of the difficulties I faced reading the book.
May 13, 2019
What a delightful prequel to what promises to be an outstanding fantasy series.
A young king wants to champion the cause of freedom for elf slaves and unlike previous kings or nobles sees a person rather than merely a slave.
Even in this episode is a hint of the turmoil that is to follow.
Excellent start and I will be reading the first full book in the series very soon.
Looks like I’ve found another great author.
A young king wants to champion the cause of freedom for elf slaves and unlike previous kings or nobles sees a person rather than merely a slave.
Even in this episode is a hint of the turmoil that is to follow.
Excellent start and I will be reading the first full book in the series very soon.
Looks like I’ve found another great author.
June 9, 2019
I really liked it. Like book 1 it took me a little to get into it, maybe 1/3 way, and I enjoyed what I read. I just expected more, I want more.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
October 22, 2019
This novella was very enjoyable to read. I normally find most novellas to be a bit boring and lacking but this was a great sneak peak into Ghyslain's life and mindset. You're introduced to his mother, friends and fiancée. I am now very excited to start the next book Merciless!
February 16, 2019
Jacqueline Pawl has herself a winner here it draws you in and makes you to read more and more ,now I can't wait for the next book 😁😁😁
December 18, 2025
the fact that drake hasn’t changed since growing up is insane. he is an AWFUL man.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews