The Perfect Assassin

[psocoptera]

The Perfect Assassin, K.A. Doore.

Disclosure: I came into this with a bias towards liking this book, because Doore is the wife of the little sister of one of *my* little sister's best friends when she was small. Not exactly a personal acquaintance - I wouldn't recognize her in a room (I really wouldn't recognize her, because when I got the book I flipped to the back to see the author bio and the library had put their security sticker right over her photo. I know she has a left shoulder but that's not a very distinguishing feature) and I'm sure she's never heard of my existence, but she still falls under the umbrella of "younger people I feel vaguely avuncular about", by virtue of being married to someone I remember as an adorable toddler. (I believe they now *have* an adorable toddler - my mom is still good friends with my sister's friend's mom, and I always get to hear who has new grandchildren.)

Anyways. I really liked the worldbuilding - a neat setting on giant platforms up above a desert, a water-based economy, men who wear face veils and have emotions about revealing their faces (I was so there for this aesthetic). And I also really liked the main character, who is an assassin-in-training who enjoys being part of a secret parkour-and-weapons club but has some reservations about actually murdering people, which felt like a very relatable emotional take on the assassin trope. The plot was a little convoluted - a lot of backstory, and a lot of people saying things like "you need to solve this" but then withholding illuminating information - but had a couple of good action sequences. Apparently the next one in the trilogy switches viewpoint characters and jumps forward in time, and it sounds like the third one will again, so it's more like three related standalones than a obligate trilogy. I would like to read the next one - it's also apparently f/f, so, hey.

(Is there a thing now of m/m first books getting f/f sequels, or is it just this and Witchmark? I should note that while there is some UST in this, the protag is mostly ace/aro, so don't take the comparison to Witchmark to mean that you'll get realized m/m romance.)

Comments

[psocoptera]

Possibly "avuncular" isn't quite right - Doore's wife can't be more than eight years younger than me, so assuming Doore is around the same age these are competent adults in their thirties who likely have their lives together far more than I do - and yet, I don't know, what *is* the word for people who are perpetually slightly junior to you in your head, like people who were frosh when you were a senior? Or maybe other people don't have that?

[jedusor]

I've noticed the same thing with f/f following m/m--Casey McQuiston debuted with Red, White, & Royal Blue and then announced an unrelated f/f subway time travel story as their upcoming sophomore novel, and I believe Gentleman's Guide to Vice & Virtue has an f/f sequel centering the sister. I'm pretty sure m/m is easier to get published, so maybe queer authors often start with that and switch to f/f once the first one is successful enough that they have more freedom to do what they want?

[psocoptera]

Ooh, good examples, thank you! I think I actually have both of these on my maybe-read list but they didn't spring to mind when I was trying to come up with examples. That makes a lot of sense about what's easier to sell.

[psocoptera]

I just learned the interesting fact that in Doore's case, the second (f/f) book was actually the one she wrote first, but the publisher wanted a trilogy and so she wrote the first one to go in front of it. No idea if they suggested the male protag or that was her idea.