THE BLOODLESS ASSASSIN by @CelineJeanjean #YA #Fantasy #Steampunk #BookReview

The Bloodless Assassin by Celine Jeanjean
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Bloodless Assassin is book #1 in The Viper and The Urchin series and has been re-launched under its new title. I felt this book was a mix of fantasy and steampunk.

The Viper is Damsport’s deadliest assassin, but he also a poet, a writer and an alchemist. However he has a serious flaw, he can’t stand the sight or smell of blood, which is why his chosen weapon is poison.

Rory is a teenage girl, a street urchin and thief. For two years she has been saving all her money to pay to be Master Xian’s pupil. Inspired by the meeting of a scarred female warrior she wants to learn the art of sword-fighting to take her away from life on the streets and enable her to protect herself and in time become, perhaps, a hero.

When Rory loses her savings, she must find her own luck. She chances upon a street brawl and helps save a man who might just teach her how to swordfight if she can just blackmail him. The gentleman she saves is Longinus aka The Viper.

However Rory’s training becomes interrupted by a copy cat murderer who is impersonating The Viper. Just how far will someone go to make The Viper take the blame for the murder of a very important dignitary? Can Rory and The Viper get over their differences in time to solve the puzzle?

There are some great characters and dialogue in this book, the steampunk machines are lightly sprinkled with a higher emphasis on the fantasy world setting. Book #2 in the series is already available to readers.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

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