Death Sworn

By: Leah Cypess

Narrated by: Cris Dukehart

When a young sorceress is exiled to teach magic to a clan of assassins, she will find that secrets can be even deadlier than swords. Teen Vogue proclaimed, ""It's impossible not to fall deep into the dark yet alluring world of sorcery and secret assassins."" A dangerous and eerie fantasy about murder, shocking discoveries, and fiery star-crossed romance that readers of Cinda Williams Chima and Robin LaFevers won't be able to put down.

Ileni is losing her magic. And that means she's losing everything: her position as the rising star of her people, her purpose in life, and even the young man she loves. Sent to the assassins' cave hidden deep within the mountains, she expects no one will ever hear from her again. The last two sorcerers sent died within weeks of each other. Accidents? Or something more sinister? As Ileni navigates the dangers—both natural and human—of the caves, she'll discover secrets that have been kept for decades. And she'll find an ally in Sorin, the deadly young man who could be the assassins' next leader. With Sorin determined to protect her, sparks—magical and romantic—will fly. But will even he understand the choice she must make in the end?

Meh - fans of Throne of Glass might enjoy

I’m not quite sure how I feel about Death Sworn. I enjoyed it (kind of) – and the mystery around the murders kept me guessing, though admittedly, I’m never very good at figuring out the whodunit type of stuff (some people are really good at it!). Overall, this book just felt kind of “meh”. I didn’t dislike it nor did I find myself nitpicking, but I wasn’t gushing over it either.

I guess that, for me, there wasn’t enough world building. The reader learns that sorcerers can wield their power/magic to do spells, but there wasn’t any detail about the spells themselves. Only that a fire spell was cast or a water spell was cast – no actual incantation mentioned – and that made it feel less real.

Also, the entire book takes place in one setting – underground with assassins. There’s no change of scenery and I think I got bored by the end of the book. Plus the love interest just didn’t feel right to me – it felt too forced.

Fans of fantasy lite a la Throne of Glass might enjoy this if they’re okay without a love triangle and a little less action.