Death Sworn by Leah Cypess

Ah, Leah Cypess, first you mess with my mind with all the intrigue and then you stomp on my heart at the end. This woman is one of all time favorite authors, and she keeps proving that she is incredibly talented. This book has it all - intrigue, danger, magic and assassins. Need I say more? Yet even with all the florishes, Leah manages to make real characters with real flaws. As always with Leah's books, you never know who to trust or who is the real villain. By the end of the book, you are all topsy turvy. Illeni is one tough cookie even if her magic is waning. I thought the struggle she is going through was realistic. The only thing left to say is how magical the world is written. The opening chapters are brilliant because there is subtle references to the construct of the world, but there is no info dump at any point. The complexity of the world is given to you as it is blended into real thoughts and conversation. I thought the beginning of this book was a near perfect as you could get. But did it have to end that way? I certainly hope that Leah is hard at work on the next one because I need it ASAP. I think I would buy any book that this woman has written.

There is violence in the book, but no swearing.  There is a scene where the protagonist reflects on a situation with a male character, but nothing inappropriate.