The Assassin's Curse Re-Read discussion

We've divided The Assassin's Curse into equal(ish!) word count sections and we're starting off by reading Chapters 1 - 3, and will be starting on 3 April!

Well, it’s finally here! The very first discussion of The Assassin’s Curse Re-read!

This thread will be discussing Chapter 1-3. Here’s a quick recap:

Chapter 1: Ananna runs away from an arranged marriage to Tarrin of the Hariri (on the back of a camel, no less!) and gets lost in the city of Lisirra.

Chapter 2: Ananna visits a mysterious woman in a dress shop, who warns her of impending danger—which comes true a few days later, when she’s attacked by one of the assassins of legend. She immediately seeks the dressmaker’s help the next day.

Chapter 3: Ananna follows the dressmaker’s instructions to meet the assassin in the desert and cast a spell that will send him away. But the spell fails, and Ananna, in the confusion, kills a snake on the verge of attacking the assassin—thus saving his life. The dressmaker is revealed to be an agent of the Mists, and the assassin takes it upon himself to protect Ananna. She also learns his name: Naji.

This thread is for discussing all your thoughts and reactions to Chapters 1-3! Favorite parts? Least favorite parts? What do you think of Ananna so far? What do you think about our first glimpses of Naji? For those of you who’ve read the book already, do you see anything you didn’t notice the before? And for those of you reading for the first time, what do you think is going to happen next?

Feel free to discuss these chapters to your heart’s content, but do remember our no-spoiler policy: only Chapter 1-3 may be spoiled in this thread! If you’d like to a more in-depth discussion about how these chapters relate to the rest of the book, head on over to the TAC spoilers thread

So Anna is a bit of an enigma. She is a captain's daughter, so she is in a somewhat privileged position, but he is a pirate. Smart but speaks in an uneducated way. Street wise, but follows implicitly a shop keepers, whom when does not fully trust, instructions leading her into the desert at night. She is impulsive (camel escape) but thinks through the various legs of her escape and executes well (knowing what to wear, how to barter and the safest sections). So does this add to the novel as a complexly rich character or distract as too hard to pin down? (I personally tend to lean to the richly complex side of things)

These first three chapters are what I LOVE about Annana:

-she makes the decision to strike out on her own knowing she can take care of herself & completely unwilling to be pushed into a life & a role she doesn't want for herself. She is empowered!

-She trusts her instincts and puts all the lessons she's learned her in her life as a Pirate of the Confederation (complete with that cool as hell tattoo). They never steer her wrong.

-I LOVED that she was like Aladdin, she's a pirate, she expertly takes what she needs, and yet there's a good bit of fate & destiny in the mix.

And then there is the PERFECTION (I am obsessed with Naji- just a warning) that is Naji. He is set up so perfectly! He is a Jadorr'a, and Annana knows the legend of them and is properly terrified that this mythic assassin will inevitably come & kill her. And he does find her; he's this dark and dangerous thing that seems to be following her. When he finally confronts her- and her spell does nothing, he's there dressed in all black with his armor, his sword, and magic that glows blue, and yet he seems to be holding back. I loved when she threw the knife at him and she says that,

"He stopped and looked at me. All I could see were his eyes, but they had a lightness in them that made me think he was laughing, which got me angry instead of scared."

But we do get to see how fearsome his power is when that damned Mists lady gets involved. We find out about his scar (and maybe because of my Prince Zuko crush I love Naji even more), and we get that first jolt of Annana's attraction to him. Yay!

And like it is fated, Annana saves him. I knew at this moment- now that they were partnered that the story was going to be EPIC. I saw them as two equally quick and smart characters- with very different skill sets- who were going to be a formidable team- if, they could work together.

I just finished the second book a few hours ago so I'm still kind of riding high from that and lost in the world of the books, so you'll have to excuse me if I go on too much.

Looking back through 1-3 of The Assassin's Curse, these are my thoughts...

The first line of the book has a lot more meaning now that I've read the rest. I didn't remember what it was until I came back to look, but wow...it's perfect. Honestly though, I wasn't sold on the book until the line where her mom jabs her in the side with her sword. That made me perk up, Mom's got a sword? What? This is promising. Funny that the first time we see Tarrin he "slunk out of the shadow" to come join them. I didn't remember that either until I looked back to reread.

I wasn't terribly sure about Ananna until she was talking to the camel. That's when I started to like her. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was showing another side to her besides the rough talking pirate side. Maybe the kindness and empathy in the way she treated him showed a hint of the more rounded, deeper character we end up knowing. I don't know, but I know I remembered that part without having to reread.

At the beginning of the book I was interested but I think at that point what most intrigued me was the setting. I was so excited to find a non-Medieval setting in a fantasy novel. I spent some time in Turkey and a lot of the details of the setting reminded me of things there. I wonder, Cassandra, what inspired you to create a setting like this? Have you been to the Middle East or North Africa? The environment in this part of the books is so wonderfully developed and described. I could easily imagine myself there.

One question I had while reading this part of the book was about the magic that the Mist woman shop keeper gives Ananna. At the end of Chapter 2 it says when she's practicing that she just throws the vials into the air and they explode and make the little gateway. Then in Chapter 3 when she does it again in the desert it says she breaks the vials in her hand and then throws them. Is that why the spell doesn't work that time? Because she messed it up? I wasn't sure if it didn't work because of that or because Naji had already protected himself from the Mists with magic.

Anyway, the moment I finally really fell in love with Ananna is when she's saved Naji's life and he's sitting in the sand moping about it and she asks him, "Are you going to kill me, or what?" And then as the narrator she says, "I figured I might as well get it out of the way." That made me laugh, and I was sold. I loved the rest of that scene too with the awkwardness between them. I didn't know what to think of Naji at first but I was definitely interested in him with the assassin stuff and the magic and the scar. I wanted to know more about him and I was not disappointed, but I guess that's for next week.

Someone once told me that you can tell whether a story is going to captivate you, just by reading its very first sentence-and I agree.

'I ain't never been one to trust beautiful people, and Tarrin of the Hariri was the most beautiful man I ever saw.' With this one phrase Cassandra sucked me right into her world, and from there on it was a sleepless night and one way ticket to the end of the book.

One of the things I like most about fantasy novels is the wondrous landscapes and places authors weave with the threads of their imaginations; and the description of Lisirra was so vivid, I was actually there walking along its streets and back alleys; sweating in the heat,appreciating a cool breeze from now and then, taking in whiffs of the city's smells.
Not mentioning the food!'The sun had disappeared behind the line of buildings, and magic-cast lamps were twinkling on one by one, bathing the streets in a soft hazy glow. I could smell food drifting out of the open windows and my stomach grumbled something fierce.' YES so did mine! I'm a sucker for that, Cassandra woman those meat pies made me so hungry!

I think the ambiance is what does it for me. You can have a set of wonderful characters, an original story, but if you don't have the scenery to go with it, the story will remain insipid.

I Love the sunrise on Lisirra as Annana heads out trying to find the day market after her night out on the streets.
That little inn at the edge of town-oh so perfect, 'It was built into the desert wall, and my room had a window that looked out over the desert, which reminded me a bit of the ocean, the sand cresting and falling in the night wind.' Sigh.

Also, I love how the theme of the Assassin is introduced: somekind of a Bogeyman that even scares pirates. "You can't escape an assassin." Annana's father used to tell her when she was a child. "Hangings, bumbling bureaucrats, dishonest crewman, jail-those you can talk your way out of, you try hard enough.But this kind of death is the only kind of death."
It is this fear that outweighs Annana's better judgement and makes her accept the 'shopkeeper's' offer. 'There was no way this was going to work. Trying to work magic in an unfamiliar language?Taking advice from a beautiful woman with weird gray eyes? But if I didn't,I'd be dead.The only kind of death.'

From then on I started getting so nervous,I wanted Annana to face that Assassin and get it over with.Her fear became mine. That's how I experienced it the first time, and that's how I did when I re-read it.
The build-up to her encounter with Naji is nerve-wrecking. And then there's that minty scent that signals Naji's presence-'Suddenly that medicine scent, the one form the night before,saturated the air.' The anguish rises slowly but surely - to the point where I thought my nerves would truly shatter- and then power cut-magical moment:'-I was plunged back into darkness and there was the assassin standing in front of me, his eyes-dark tonight,normal,not blue at all-narrowed above his desert mask.' The image of the Bogeyman shatters along with his magic, as he becomes tangible. Annana faces one of her worst fears, but she can fight him now that he is there.

Ok, it's getting to be late here- I need to go plunge into my bed! All of this just to say that the ambiance and perfectly timed rhythm in those three first chapters swept me off into the whirlwind of the adventure. Goodnight (what's left of it!) sweet dreams, don't let those bed bug bites- or goodmorning, whatever catch y'all later!

Rachael wrote: "I just finished the second book a few hours ago so I'm still kind of riding high from that and lost in the world of the books, so you'll have to excuse me if I go on too much.

Looking back through..."
The spell doesn't work because, oh wait, that's a later chapter

Rereading these first three chapters, what struck me again how immediately distinctive Ananna's voice was. I remember having the same feeling when I first read the book, but then I thought it was due to her speech patterns, however on this second read, I also think it's due to Ananna's understated wit. She's dry as the desert as Rachael already touched upon above with her mention of the "I figured I might as well get it out of the way." quote.

What I also noticed more than I did last time, was the fact that Ananna really misses her family from the start.

"Mama could do the same thing but with the waters of the ocean, and it occurred to me, as I listened to the singing and the chanting, that I missed her."

I also loved how easily and quickly Cassandra establishes the feel of her world in just three chapters. We not only get a clear idea of the sort of setting this is, but also of the different flavours of magic, which I found really fascinating.

Joe wrote: "The spell doesn't work because, oh wait, that's a later chapter"

Huh? I thought that was because of the charm he carried, the one he gives to Ananna during their fight with the shopkeeper? At least that's how I've interpreted it. Though I might have forgotten something from later in the book as it's been a while since I read the book.

Mieneke wrote: "Joe wrote: "The spell doesn't work because, oh wait, that's a later chapter"

Huh? I thought that was because of the charm he carried, the one he gives to Ananna during their fight with the shopkee..."
You are correct but I don't think that's disclosed in the first three chapters.

The first line of any book is so important - we all know that - but there's something about the opening line of The Assassin's Curse that is just perfect and for me, it's even just the "I ain't never been one to trust beautiful people". Instantly I get a feel for Ananna's spirited attitude and if she doesn't trust "beautiful people" it does paint a picture of her as a less-than-glamorous / not-interested-in-looks gal. My kind! Her language (ain't, nicked, saying 'em instead of them) portrays her immediately as a down-to-earth, unfussy, character and even re-reading it, it instantly made me smile!

Reading it again, I love how the world is set up instantly - that Ananna's not emotional about the fact she's being married off, it's part & parcel of the world she inhabits. Her independent streak is evident from the beginning and I just love how she formulates an escape plan and follows through quickly. Even after the camel escape, she is confident and clever, and uses what her father had taught her to steal clothes. There's no dallying around with this one! For me, the moment Ananna yanked her knife out of her boots and slept with it in her hadn was when I decided she had the potential to be one of my favourite kick-ass characters.

The market and the food are described so clearly - and maybe it's because I read this before lunch! - but I swear my stomach was rumbling for the wood-smoked skewers of Ananna's breakfast. The night market is so clearly depicted and this is only by page 32 that the whole world had opened up to me. The bogeyman stories of the Assassin fill in folklore and background to the pirates, and as the shadows follow her, the tension is there - who doesn't have a childhood story that would terrify them if it turned out to be true?! But again, Ananna might get scared but she stays focused and doesn't shirk away - she goes to the woman she doesn't trust, but she also isn't afraid to question her, and she certainly doesn't like not knowing who "they" are that are part of the spell. Ananna relies on her wits and messing with something she doesn't understand doesn't sit well with her.

The fight proper with the Assassin wasn't as major as I thought it would be but there are still so many aspects that are just amazing and I know I loved when Ananna wipes her knife on her dress to clean it of the snake's blood. Seriously, if I could be a pirate, I'd want to be Ananna.

Plus Ananna is funny as hell! She's been attached by an assassin, pulled into dark magic, killed some magical snake, and has been told by her wannabe killer that he now must protect her, and she's thinking of what a lucky escape she had from the Hariri clan!

Naji's introduction is mysterious, calm, and cool, and I love how that seems a paradox to Ananna's questioning, constantly-moving self.

Mieneke's mentioned it already but I also don't remember noticing the first time around that she misses her family from the beginning. It's evident that she's her father's shadow and takes pride in having learned how to sneak around, steal - not beg!, to be prepared and that she thinks of him in her actions. It makes me more sad for her than the first read but also even more proud that she's a character that doesn't succumb to this sadness but just gets the hell on with everything.

Joe wrote: "So Anna is a bit of an enigma. She is a captain's daughter, so she is in a somewhat privileged position, but he is a pirate. Smart but speaks in an uneducated way. Street wise, but follows implicit..."

I think it definitely adds to her character. I'm not sure if you could call her camel escape solely impulsive. She looks around; she leads Tarrin to the market so she can view her options. The camel, for me, is actually a well-thought out reaction. That feeds into the rest of her characteristics - quick on her feet and street smart.

Perla wrote: "These first three chapters are what I LOVE about Annana:

-she makes the decision to strike out on her own knowing she can take care of herself & completely unwilling to be pushed into a life & a r..."

I'm so glad you mentioned Aladdin! I try to put it out of my head but I always picture her as a female Aladdin - the cover is so Arabian nights and the desert, the camels. Does it explain a lot if I say Aladdin is one of my favourite Disney films ever?

Mathilda wrote: "Someone once told me that you can tell whether a story is going to captivate you, just by reading its very first sentence-and I agree.

'I ain't never been one to trust beautiful people, and Tarrin..."

I love that there's a lot of talk about the first line!

Joe wrote: "You are correct but I don't think that's disclosed in the first three chapters."

Yeah it's there in the last bit of chapter three: "The charm must have stopped the magic from before, the magic intended to suck him through the portal -- now if she tried anything, it would actually work." I remember that jumping out at me this reread, as I hadn't noticed that last bit so speciafically in my first read.

Mieneke wrote: "Joe wrote: "You are correct but I don't think that's disclosed in the first three chapters."

Yeah it's there in the last bit of chapter three: "The charm must have stopped the magic from before, t..."

Ah, good catch. I missed that. Thanks.

Caroline wrote: "The first line of any book is so important - we all know that - but there's something about the opening line of The Assassin's Curse that is just perfect and for me, it's even just the "I ain't nev..."

Joe wrote: "Mieneke wrote: "Joe wrote: "The spell doesn't work because, oh wait, that's a later chapter"

Huh? I thought that was because of the charm he carried, the one he gives to Ananna during their fight ..."

Caroline wrote: "The first line of any book is so important - we all know that - but there's something about the opening line of The Assassin's Curse that is just perfect and for me, it's even just the "I ain't nev..."

While I love Ananna and her opening line, her use of bad grammar seems a little inconsistent and artificial. I don't think it's just because I hear my inner voice either because I listed to a pretty good chunk of this via Tania Rodrigues's voice on the Audible version.

One of the things I love about Naji is that, while he is the tall, dark & hansom guy for y'all, he's also a guy's guy. He's pretty quiet until he needs to speak. He's honorable and action-oriented but not in a stupid way.

I've never heard the audiobook - would be interesting to hear it! I have to say, for me, that bad grammar works; she's not educated, she's a street kid, well a water kid! That just ties into her character.

Caroline wrote: "I love that there's a lot of talk about the first line!"

Haha, me too! I'm glad it jumped out at some many people.

I just in love with the fist 3 chapters, lots of character build up. Love Ananna for her spunky, "classy" attitude, but most of all I love the when she really sees Naji when they are fighting in the desert "He stopped and looked at me. All I could see were his eyes, but they had a lightness in them that made me think he was laughing, which got me angry instead of scared." (Just like what Perla said above)Oh love Ananna and Naji SO much! Can't wait to read more.

I find that reading this book again, I have a little bit different look on Ananna and Naji. When I first read it, I had it in my head that Ananna was young (like 16 or so) but now I have her as 20 or around there. I can't recall there ever being anything about age, other then Naji being roughly 5 years older then Ananna. Is there a time when Ananna age is brought up and I just keep missing it? If not, what was the age frame you looking for Cassandra?

Then another thing I realized was how detail everything was (when I get excited about reading, it's like I skip over words and miss out on the little things). So when Ananna got sand in her eyes, my eyes watered for her. Then her throat got dry, mine did. So I'm definitely having a way better connection with Ananna on this re-read.

Can't wait to continue.

Monicha wrote: "I just in love with the fist 3 chapters, lots of character build up. Love Ananna for her spunky, "classy" attitude, but most of all I love the when she really sees Naji when they are fighting in th..."

I'm glad I'm not the only one who does that, Monicha, skips when I'm excited! I'd love to hear about Cassandra's age frame for Ananna but don't forget we've got a Q&A with her at the end...we could always log questions in that thread for her now :)

Caroline wrote: "Monicha wrote: "I just in love with the fist 3 chapters, lots of character build up. Love Ananna for her spunky, "classy" attitude, but most of all I love the when she really sees Naji when they ar..."

Yes, I saw that after words. I will do that. Thanks :)

Pretty sure Annana is like 17-ish at the start of Assassin's Curse.

Joe wrote: "While I love Ananna and her opening line, her use of bad grammar seems a little inconsistent and artificial. I don't think it's just because I hear my inner voice either because I listed to a pretty good chunk of this via Tania Rodrigues's voice on the Audible version. "

I have to agree with Joe about the bad grammar. I will be reading along, totally absorbed, and then Ananna will throw out a line that pulls me out of the story. If it were consistently done, I don't think it would throw me like that.

Other than that, I am enjoying the book quite a bit. I was very unsure about Ananna right off the bat, as she runs away from this situation without a whole lot of explanation of why she is doing so, but as her character is more fully explained, it is clear that she felt that this was her best option.

Monicha wrote: "I just in love with the fist 3 chapters, lots of character build up. Love Ananna for her spunky, "classy" attitude, but most of all I love the when she really sees Naji when they are fighting in th..."

I do that too, skip over words and details when I'm reading! I'm glad you're getting a stronger sense of the character the second time around :)

And as Perla noted, Ananna is supposed to be around 17 at the start of the book.

Monicha wrote: "I just in love with the fist 3 chapters, lots of character build up. Love Ananna for her spunky, "classy" attitude, but most of all I love the when she really sees Naji when they are fighting in th..."

It may be their natures that makes any age gap seem wider - she seems a bit more impetuous while he's a more careful planner (based on his training as well as personality). They make a potent combo.

Cassandra wrote: "Monicha wrote: "I just in love with the fist 3 chapters, lots of character build up. Love Ananna for her spunky, "classy" attitude, but most of all I love the when she really sees Naji when they ar..."

Yeah. As I read more of the book I'm starting to picture around that age frame. Thank you Cassandra and Perla. :)

And Joe, they do make a potent combo!!

I thought that the first three chapters do set the pace and feel of the book very well. I would have liked some more context with regards to Ananna, i.e. background and family.

Craig wrote: "Joe wrote: "While I love Ananna and her opening line, her use of bad grammar seems a little inconsistent and artificial. I don't think it's just because I hear my inner voice either because I liste..."

Ok, on the issue of "bad grammer". This is Annana using slang, I use slang pretty heavily when I want to emphasize a point, but I don't use it all the time because nobody does. Annana wasn't formally educated, she grew up with a pretty salty crew, but she still knows how to speak properly if she wants to.

Perla wrote: "This is Annana using slang, I use slang pretty heavily when I want to emphasize a point, but I don't use it all the time because nobody does. Annana wasn't formally educated, she grew up with a pretty salty crew, but she still knows how to speak properly if she wants to. "

I don't know about Joe, but speaking for myself, it's not the use of the slang that is bothersome, it's the inconsistency. I can never quite get into any rhythm while reading the book because every so often something is said that disrupts the flow. More often than not, it is Annana's slang.