Name: Death Sworn
ISBN: 9780062221216

Leah Cypess

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?

Death Sworn

Amanda Kordeliski

3.5
Great fantasy, strong female character.

Aleena Korell

I like this book because it's no more than it needs to be. 

This was my second time reading it, and my feelings are unchanged. There's nothing too complicated. The writing is simple, straightforward, and effective. And the characters are interesting and likeable without any added drama overtop the already compelling storyline.

It's really a great story. 

A young sorceress is sent into a cave where assassins are trained, in order to become their new magic tutor after her predecessor's death. But she has a secret: despite her high skill level, she doesn't actually have much magic anymore. Her power is draining away, almost gone. She has resigned herself to her fate, suspecting that the previous tutors' deaths were not accidental. But before she too is killed, she aims to find out exactly how they died.

The assassins have an agenda of their own, though, and-- shocker--they are portrayed as you'd actually expect assassins to act. 

It's a quick, unique, exciting, and underrated read-- would recommend!

Kristen

When I first finished this book, I LOVED it. It was fun, quick, engaging, and interesting.

After more reflection, I realized this was an excellent story that suffered from segments of poor execution. 

Ultimately, I enjoyed the story and I don't regret having read it. It's a short and easy read, and it is interesting. The main character is pretty awesome (a badass), even if she is a bit hypocritical at times. And I actually loved the tiny scope of the book. The intimacy allowed you to really get to know the characters and the dynamic with the assassins. 

Unfortunately, I think it would have been much better suited as a New Adult or Adult novel than a YA novel. Ileni being such a powerful, accomplished sorceress who is already losing her magic at only 17 (which would theoretically be the beginning of her physical prime) and having already had a full romantic history that has left her broken doesn't make a whole lot of sense. 

I honestly think most of my problems with this book stem from that it was an adult story forced into the young adult genre, and as a result, it couldn't delve as dark or deep as it needed to and the story really suffered. It tried, it really did, but it was limited by the YA target audience and couldn't quite go as dark as it needed. It was almost innocent in its execution, which definitely reduced the impact. At the end of the day, this series will be forgettable, and that makes me kind of sad. There was so much potential here.