Assassins Books
Trained killers as heroines, heroes or love interests.
Spiciest here: A Shadow in the Ember. Darkest: Nevernight.
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The books
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Throne of Glass
An assassin dragged out of a salt mine to compete for the king's favor. Book one reads young. Stick with it, because by book four it's a full-blown fae war epic.
- Assassins
- Deadly Trials
- Love Triangle
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Death of a loved one
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A Broken Blade
Keera is the King's Blade, a half-fae spy who drinks to forget what she's done for a human king. Hunting a rebel called the Shadow drags her back toward the fae lands she abandoned. Indigenous-inspired and slower than the hype. Readers rate the first two books highest.
- Assassins
- Fae
- Court Intrigue
- Enemies to Lovers
Content warnings
Self-harm, Suicide or suicidal thoughts, Drug or alcohol abuse, Murder, Sexual assault
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A Darker Shade of Magic
Four Londons, one magician who can travel between them and a thief who wants to be a pirate. Lighter than most on this list but White London is properly nasty.
- Found Family
- Morally Gray
- Assassins
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Torture
-
A Shadow in the Ember
Sera was raised to seduce and kill the Primal of Death, who was promised her as a bride and then never came to collect. When Nyktos finally shows up, the plan gets messy fast. Long and repetitive in the middle, and a prequel world for Blood and Ash readers.
- Gods and Mythology
- Arranged Marriage
- Assassins
- Enemies to Lovers
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse, Murder
-
Gardens of the Moon
Erikson drops you into the middle of an empire's war with zero explanation and expects you to swim. Sorcerers level cities, gods meddle in Darujhistan's politics, and the Bridgeburners just want to survive. Book one is the roughest. It gets much better.
- Grimdark
- Gods and Mythology
- Morally Gray
- Assassins
Content warnings
War, Graphic violence, Murder, Death of a loved one
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Grave Mercy
Ismae escapes a brutal marriage into a convent whose nuns serve the god of death, mostly with poison and knives. Then she's sent to the Breton court posing as Duval's mistress. More politics than stabbing, and the slow trust between them really works.
- Assassins
- Court Intrigue
- Forced Proximity
- Gods and Mythology
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Murder, Graphic violence
-
Lady of Darkness
Scarlett Monrhoe and her sisters were raised to torture and kill on command, and she is very good at it. Book one is long and stingy with the romance. Readers who push on say the later books are where it catches fire, in every sense.
- Assassins
- Fae
- Slow Burn
- Found Family
Content warnings
Sexual assault, Murder, Torture, Physical or emotional abuse, Graphic violence
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Lament
Deirdre, a shy harpist, plays the competition of her life alongside a gorgeous flute player named Luke, who happens to be an assassin sent by the Faerie Queen to kill her. Early Stiefvater, a bit rough, steeped in Irish folk music.
- Fae
- Assassins
- Forbidden Love
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Death of a loved one, Murder
-
Nevernight
Mia watched her father hang, so she enrolls at the Red Church, a school for assassins where failing usually means dying. The narrator talks to you in snarky footnotes, which people either adore or hate. Bloody, horny and very sure of itself.
- Assassins
- Academies and War Colleges
- Revenge
- Deadly Trials
Content warnings
Gore, Graphic violence, Murder, Death of a loved one, Harm to children
-
Poison Study
Yelena is a day from the noose when she's offered a job as the Commander's food taster. Valek, the chief of security, poisons her so she can't run. An old-school slow burn from 2005 and still one of the better captor romances out there.
- Captor and Captive
- Slow Burn
- Assassins
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Sexual assault, Physical or emotional abuse, Torture, Murder
-
Red Sister
Nona is eight, about to be hanged, and gets rescued by a convent that trains nuns to kill. Murder nuns, friendship and some very nasty politics. Gentler than Prince of Thorns but still Lawrence, so nobody is safe.
- Academies and War Colleges
- Assassins
- Found Family
- Revenge
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Harm to children, Murder, Physical or emotional abuse
-
The Bridge Kingdom
Raised to be a spy, married off to the enemy king she's supposed to destroy. Tight and fast. Great if you like your heroine competent and in over her head.
- Arranged Marriage
- Enemies to Lovers
- Assassins
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Graphic violence, War, Physical or emotional abuse
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The Court of Broken Knives
A band of mercenaries is hired to assassinate the emperor of a rotting empire, and one of them, Marith, turns out to be something much worse. The prose is fevered and fragmented, close to poetry. You either love the style or you can't get through it.
- Grimdark
- Morally Gray
- Assassins
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Gore, Graphic violence, Sexual assault, Harm to children, War
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The Kiss of Deception
Princess Lia bolts from her arranged wedding to a seaside village, and two new boys turn up: the prince she jilted and the assassin sent to kill her. The book hides which is which for a long time. That trick is the whole fun.
- Assassins
- Love Triangle
- Arranged Marriage
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Kidnapping, Graphic violence, Murder
-
We Ride the Storm
Three narrators in a crumbling empire: a princess forced to marry for alliance, a soldier from the plains, and an assassin who hears the voices of the dead. The first chapter has a severed head and it sets the tone. Starts confusing, then locks in.
- Assassins
- Court Intrigue
- Morally Gray
- Grimdark
Content warnings
Graphic violence, War, Torture, Murder
