Book Review ~ "Knight Assassin" by Rima Jean

Knight Assassin by Rima Jean
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source:  Netgalley ~ review
Genre: Historical Fiction with Supernatural Elements

Book Description: Seventeen-year-old Zayn has special powers she cannot control—powers that others fear and covet. Powers that cause the Templar Knights to burn Zayn’s mother at the stake for witchcraft. When a mysterious stranger tempts Zayn to become the first female member of the heretical Assassins, the chance to seek her revenge lures her in. She trains to harness her supernatural strength and agility, and then enters the King of Jerusalem's court in disguise with the assignment to assassinate Guy de Molay, her mother’s condemner. But once there, she discovers Earic Goodwin, the childhood friend who still holds her heart, among the knights—and his ocean-blue eyes don’t miss a thing. Will vengeance be worth the life of the one love she has left?


My thoughts: Knight Assassin was different from what I expected. There was more depth to the story and the plot had a few interesting aspects that I enjoyed.

Zayn has lived a simple life with her mother. After refusing the chief's son, her world is turned upside down when her mother is accused of witchcraft, burned, and Zayn brutally raped by her mother's murderer. She is offered the opportunity to seek revenge and learn the ways of the assassin.

The man who murdered her mother was a Templar. I have always been fascinated with the Templar Knights. The book is set in Jerusalem, after the Templar's have the city. Zayn's mission is to kill the knight who ruined her life. She takes intrigue to a wonderful level. She plays the part of both a lady in waiting and an assassin well. She waits and bides her time, until she can strike.

Zayn is deadly. She has otherworldly powers, she's smart, a quick. She has a weakness, her capacity to love. Eadric is a boy that she knew as a youth. He has been her champion when he rescued her as a child. They cross path's again, but are on opposite sides. She is an assassin, he is a knight. Her heart tells her that neither matter.

Zayn goes through many situations in this story. I loved seeing her growth as a person. She learns that life is not simple, there is not one side that is completely right. She sees the hate that comes in the name of religion, the intolerance of the time period. I liked the message that there is good in the different cultures. That even though people may be of different religions, they don't have to hate each other because of it. She grows to love Franks, Assassins, and Templars. She was raised as a Muslim.

I would not recommend this book to younger readers. There is violence. There is sexual innuendo, and there is a rape. The book doesn't describe the events in detail, but because of the material, it may be difficult for a reader who is not mature.

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