Crown of Crimson Review

418 pages



First Rule of the Cannon: Trust no one.
Aerietta Elony is destined for evil.
Born into a royal family, it was quickly discovered that she bore the Jezdah mark — an intricate tattoo meant to identify the Children of the Elements. To make sure his people never knew about the danger that hid in their midst, the king had his daughter sent to the leader of the Cannon, his order of assassins, where she would learn to become one of them.
No one was ever supposed to know what Aerietta was, where she came from, or what she was destined to become. She’s never worried what would happen if someone discovered her secrets. But when a neighboring kingdom attacks, and Aerietta is betrayed and captured, keeping her secret will mean the difference between life and death.
When the king of the neighboring land enlists her services to track down one of her traitor companions, she has no choice but to accept. But in order to find her former friend and make it back to the king with her head still attached to her shoulders, she’ll have to keep the enigmatic, inhuman Swordmaster in the dark, which proves to be more difficult than she could ever imagine.
Deception abounds, danger is just as prevalent, but even in this world of demons and magic, the only thing Aerietta fears is herself.
The Queen of Crimson accepts.

Review:
This book is exciting from beginning to end. From the very first page we are drawn into Aerietta's story and able to experience the violence that comes along with it. Aerietta isn't a heroine, far from it, but she is tough and has moments when we can see her struggle with doing the right thing shines through. The world created here seems normal at first but we soon learn there is a mystical edge to it of which Aerietta is a part of. Aerietta is forced to travel with her enemies to save her life, which includes the Swordmaster. The relationship that begins to blossom between the Swordmaster and Aerietta was something of an enigma. It seems that they have both a strong aversion yet attraction to each other creating some tumultuous moments between the two. It's interesting to see Aerietta's struggle to keep her secret from him as well, despite her conflicting feelings for him.There is a lot of action and adventure in this novel as Aerietta travels with her enemies to hunt down those who betrayed her. It all concludes in a cliffhanger leaving you wondering where Aerietta's story will take her next. I definitely recommend this novel if you like fantasy adventure novels.