scijessreads

Pulling this one from the archives, as it is a fantasy book that I read a while ago and absolutely loved. It’s dark, layered, and has a seriously determined and strong FMC in Auset that is just. damn. tired. of having to survive. But survive she does.

This was three stories in one. A dark tale of survival as Auset lived as property to be broken down and beaten, only to find strength in the darkness and the killing to hold on and desire freedom (or at least welcome death). A story of learning to trust and accept fate and finding that the world is more than she thought with the help of her Scorpion mates. And lastly, a story of lost identity, a search for answers as to who she was, and finding that where you come from may not always be better than where you ended up.

In the beginning, Auset has been basically conscripted into a life of servitude and slavery, working toward the chance of being chosen into one of the assassin orders. But her “master” has it out for her, and it quickly turns into Auset simply hoping to survive, or at least die with some sort of purpose. Along the way, the members of the Order of the Scorpion – an order that rarely takes in new members – end up seeing Auset and realizing that she just might be worth a second look. Or at least worth saving.

In the second third of the book, we spend most of the time in a dance between Auset and the Scorpions. There is a physical attraction on all sides, sure, but for Auset it is also a measure of trying not to be stuck in just another cage. She knows her worth and wants to be a whole person that is respected for herself, and not for what she can do to serve others.

In the last third, it is a journey of discovery to find out just who Auset really is. How did she end up where she did? How do the Scorpions figure into her past? And what does she have to do to truly live in her new life?

Auset fights for everything, learns to accept that there are others that will fight by her side and learns that sometimes true freedom comes in giving yourself over to trust in fate and a trio of mates willing to kill for you. This is a long book, but it is such a world, and Auset is a complete character with an arc that is worth spending time in.