Book Title: Daindreth’s Assassin
Author: Elizabeth Wheatley
Series Name: Daindreth’s Assassin
Book No.: 1
Genre: Adult Fantasy
First Published: May 2021
This book has been on my TBR pile ever since I came across Elizabeth’s Book Goblin content on facebook. I was hooked. The algorithm started to show me more of her content and with it, introduced me to the Daindreth’s Assassin series. Life and studies got in the way, but you know what? I eventually needed books I could comp my novel to and Elizabeth’s content made me think that Daindreth’s Assassin might be a good place to start.
Actually, I thought Bastard’s Honour would be more like it, followed by Daindreth’s Assassin, but I knew it took place in Daindreth’s world and I’m a stickler for things being read or watched in a specific order. So I read Daindreth’s Assassin and I am so glad I picked this book up. It certainly is one I’d feel I can comp but I also just really loved the story.
The blurb says “Beauty and the Beast meets The Witcher in this Fantasy Romance that is sure to delight fans of Sarah J. Maas, Kristin Cashore, and Leigh Bardugo”. And I have to say, I totally saw the Beauty and the Beast part throughout it. The Witcher, I only read a few stories but from what I read, I could agree.
Short Blurb
Amira Brindonu is a sorceress bound in a curse that forces her to obey her father, even to the point of assassination and high treason. When he orders her to kill the future emperor, she discovers a secret that could bring the empire to its knees.
The archduke is stricken by a curse that could sentence him and his people to damnation and Amira could be the only key to breaking it. Caught in a web of sorcery, intrigue, and her growing feelings for the archduke, the assassin must decide just how much she is willing to give to save the only man she’s ever loved.
Written Style of Daindreth’s Assassin
A lot of books have unnecessary scenes. Fillers that are there because time needs to move on and the filler scenes do that organically but don’t really add much to the scene. The Deathday Party in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, for example. The chapter was added so that Rowling could introduce Moaning Myrtle organically but the party itself added nothing and the reader and characters don’t fully know who Moaning Myrtle is until later. It’s filler.
Fillers aren’t necessarily bad and are indeed sometimes needed. But they should be used sparingly and only when there’s no other way to get from A to B, in my opinion. Scenes should have some kind of meaning behind them where possible.
Daindreth’s Assassin doesn’t have any filler scenes, or if it does, it is very subtle. Every seen felt like it was needed, that it added to the plot, to the characters, and to the world around them. Each had a purpose that fulfilled the plot and I loved it for this because it kept the pace of the book steady. There was no unnecessary slowing down… and there could have been. In King Hyle’s court, the Archduke was meant to stay there for three weeks but once he was able to bargain for Amira’s hand, they left her father’s court pretty much instantly.
The journey between the two castles took a week but because Wheatley doesn’t use fillers, it was told to us in a couple of well placed sentences. There was no bogged down scenes to make the journey feel like it was a week because it wasn’t needed.
World-building and Imagery
Wheatley also builds strong visuals, especially with the characters interactions. From the moment Amira met Daindreth, I could envision how their interactions went, how Amira hid in the tent. The frozen moments of shock. Part of this, I think, is because the characters act naturally for their character. There wasn’t a single moment when I thought, hold up… would that character really do something like this? I think that helped a lot.
The book is set in a medieval setting. It works well. I could not only see the castles but the differences between King Hyle’s and the Archduke’s castles. I could see the Ka as Amira saw it. And I felt the characters’ pain as they felt pain. It’s as if the pages are breathing, telling you that the story events are alive. I personally felt I was there as an aspiration. Living with the characters and empathising with their turmoil. Bringing a story to life at this level is a skill not every writer possesses.
Characterisation in Daindreth’s Assassin
As fantasy books go, the cast of characters in Daindreth’s Assassin are relatively small but I think that is because Elizabeth Wheatley has a knack of only adding what is included in the book. It is probably why the book is also small compared to other fantasy novels. The novel itself is only 330 pages. Anyways, I digress.
The characters are all believable. There are four main characters. Amira, Thadred, Vesha and Daindreth. King and Queen Hyle, and Forna are mostly background characters that I feel are going to be important later. The two other named characters are insignificant but show the difference between Daindreth and his mother, Vesha.
Amira – Aka Daindreth’s Assassin
I believed every aspect of Amira. She had no agency until her father gave her away. Every decision she made was because her father, King Hyle, commanded it. Her curse wouldn’t allow her to disobey. In the hands of the Archduke, she is initially terrified. Sometimes an evil you know is better than an uncertainty after all. But the archduke does something she doesn’t expect. He allows her to make choices but makes his preference known. When she chooses to go against his preferences, he doesn’t get mad or turn violent. He accepts it was her choice.
I think this is interesting, because what we have here is a character that is essentially escaping an abusive, controlling environment telling her that her voice matters. Of course she is going to go against his preference. She’s testing the waters, even if she’s not aware of it. But it also means that now she does have agency, she can discover who she is. Not who her father forced her to be. The Archeduke allows Amira to heal.
Daindreth – The Archduke
Daindreth is meant to be emperor but his mother is running the show. The simple reason is because he has a beast co-habiting his body. He does not trust the beast to not destroy the empire if it ever gets free. He lives in fear that one day he’ll not be able to control it and so he tries to step away from power, letting his mother take the reigns. I also think this is the reason he gives Amira agency. He knows what it is like to be held back because of something that you cannot control and he doesn’t want to be responsible for someone feeling like that.
His fear brings out flaws. The beast within has terrified him that much that he doesn’t allow people close to him. He thinks that he is protecting them when in reality he is endangering himself and others. And I think that’s true with a lot of people who have gone through trauma. They think that by not sharing the trauma they are protecting when they’re not. It’s why I believe he would command his Kadra’han to leave when he thinks he has lost to the beast within even though he tries hard not to command them at other times.
Vesha
Vesha is another believable character. She’s testing Amira at all times to see what Amira can withstand. After all, Vesha has been Empress a long time and she will not want it falling to bits when her son inevitably inherits. But Vesha also has a secret to keeping the empire strong and pays a heavy cost. I think the way that Wheatley writes Vesha, I believe the character will stop at nothing to make sure the empire never falls. Even if it costs everything there is.
Thadred
Thadred doesn’t add much to the story at the moment. His main purpose is to show that the archduke doesn’t command his Kadra’han. That is, Thadred has the same curse as Amira. He has to obey commands given to him by his master, in which case is the Archduke. But Daindreth likes to make sure that those bound to him have their own free will and that they are able to make their own decisions.
Thadred is also disabled. He has a bad leg. The book acknowledges it but he isn’t weakened because of it. The characters just ignore it on the whole and… they… treat him like a person. Imagine that! People in real life struggle with this concept! And I love Wheatley for this. He isn’t disabled because he has a bad leg. His most challenging aspect is the curse of the Kandra’han.
I think all the characters are so vivid and well put together. You can really see that each one spoke to the author. Each one wanted their story told. And Wheatley successfully manages to bring them to life in 330 pages.
Overall Thoughts
I really loved this book. It’s marked as an adult book, so I’m not sure if the book gets darker or spicier with the other series. Hoping to read them when I have the funds to buy them. The amazon prices on the ebooks are ridiculous but Elizabeth Wheatley’s own website is cheaper, especially in the UK as tax is removed from the price. You also get to choose which e-reader you want to use, which is a nice bonus.
Also a novella is included at the end of the first book. The novella is the first few chapters of Daindreth’s Assassin told from the perspective of Daindreth and it was a really interesting read and one I wasn’t expecting. I do wish I got the bundle ebooks now when I could but if I got them now I’d be buying for the first book twice. Ah well.