Warrior Princess Assassin: Characters, spice, review, triggers

Written By Esta Pinto

Here’s what you need to know before picking up Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer. 

If you’re curious about Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer, whether it’s about the characters, political intrigue or spice levels, I’ve got you covered. 

In this book guide and Warrior Princess Assassin review, I’m breaking down the spicy chapters, revealing the tropes, and flagging the trigger warnings so you can go in fully prepared. From slow-burn tension to knife-to-throat chemistry, this adult romantasy asks us, why choose?

Happy reading friends!

 

Warrior Princess Assassin synopsis.

New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer makes her adult debut with this irresistible and steamy fantasy about three characters whose paths will collide in surprising ways – two royals pushed into a political engagement, and the assassin tasked with hunting them down.

WARRIOR. King Maddox Kyronan’s fire magic has earned him a ruthless reputation on the battlefield, but now his kingdom is slowly burning. Ky’s only chance to save his people is to enter a marriage alliance with the neighboring nation of Astranza, and hope that the royal family’s power to manipulate the weather will help his land flourish once more. He just needs to ensure no one finds out how the blaze began.

PRINCESS. With war looming on the horizon, Princess Jory’s home needs the protection of the fearsome warrior king, but she is hiding a dangerous her family’s magic is fading. Tempting as it is to reject her duties and run away with her childhood friend, Asher, Jory knows that she is the kingdom’s last hope. When she meets her intended, Jory is surprised to discover that beneath Ky’s daunting exterior is a compassionate and sharp-witted man who sets her heart aflame. But what will he do when he realizes she's deceiving him?

ASSASSIN. Asher’s done what he must to survive, even if that means getting his hands dirty. Once a young nobleman in Astranza’s palace, where he and Jory caused mischief together, now he’s part of the Hunter’s Guild, employing much darker skills. When a lucrative job comes his way, Asher can’t say no—until he discovers the targets. Someone wants Ky and Jory dead. With the Guild watching, Asher must decide what he’s willing to do to protect the woman he loves.

A tale of three complex characters torn between chasing, betraying, and falling in love with each other, Warrior Princess Assassin marks the beginning of a thrilling new fantasy trilogy filled with enchantment, adventure, and passionate romance.

Get Warrior Princess Assassin here.

 

Warrior Princess Assassin characters.

Warrior Princess Assassin is told through three different perspective narrating: 

  • Maddox Kyronan / Ky(Warrior)

  • Princess Majoriana / Jory (Princess)

  • Asher (Assassin)

Below is a quick introduction to our three leads, followed by a list of the characters both major and minor that shape the world, plot and romance of Warrior Princess Assassin.

Main characters.

Maddox Kyronan, aka, Ky: Warrior.

Warrior King Ky is an interesting and mysterious character. He has a fierce reputation and he’s negotiated a marriage alliance to Princess Jory, via her brother, Prince Dane, to secure food and safety provisions for his starving kingdom, in exchange for his protection.

Princess Marjoriana, aka, Jory: Princess

Jory is very naive and sheltered when we first meet her. I must admit, I wasn’t a fan at first because her ignorance was frustrating. But she grew on me with her kind heart and her staunch defiance to do what is right.

Asher: Assassin

Asher is Princess Jory’s best friend and almost teenage sweetheart who grew up with her. He was exiled from the kingdom for reasons you’ll find out, but he still sneaks into Jory’s bedroom to visit her. We love Asher.

All characters.

Here’s a list of most of the characters in Warrior Princess Assassin including on-page characters, minor characters and the occasional off-page mentions.

  • Princess Marjoriana / Jory

  • King Maddox Kyronan

  • Asher

  • Charlotte

  • Prince Dane

  • King Theodore

  • Sevin Zale, aka, Sev

  • Roman

  • Nikko

  • Callum Garrett 

  • Master Pavok

  • Logan

  • Gunnar

  • Rachel

  • Hammish

  • Drewson

  • Princess Victoria

  • Norla

  • Hannah

  • Lady Clara (mentioned)

  • Jory mother (mentioned)

Review: Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer.

View my review and follow me on GoodReads here.

My rating: ★★★★☆

  • Spice level: 🌶 🌶🌶

  • 3/5, slow-burn, open-door explicit spice

Me: I’m done with love triangles.

Brigid Kemmerer: They all want each other.

Me: Go on...

Firstly, this isn’t a love triangle. I’m not an expert at terminology but no one is standing awkwardly in the corner twiddling their thumbs. If you’re firmly in the monogamy camp, this probably won't be your cup of tea, I'm guessing.

Secondly, I loved how the relationship dynamic between our three main characters was handled because I was concerned it would feel lopsided. Someone always feels like the extra wheel. But in this case, it works. It’s built on trust, vulnerability and mutual consent and choice which sounds like I’m a therapist (I’m not)… But it truly feels earned, despite many precarious moments.

That said, I’ll be real. If you’re expecting spice early or even midway, abandon hope. This is the slowest of slow burns and nothing spicy happens until after 90%. But it's not tacked on. It's because this book wants you to sit in the tension and wait for trust to matter. I respect that.

But let me set the stage. We start with the dynamic between Assassin Asher (Assasher? Ashassin? Let's go with Ashassin) and his friendship with Princess Jory. It’s tender, childhood-sweet and a little Dawson’s Creek coded, complete with sneaky bedroom visits. Cute. Until it’s not. Until we get to know Asher’s trauma bingo card. Mind your triggers, loves.

Princess Jory herself… She’s naive, soft, frustratingly sheltered, brandishes hairpins as a weapon. Punches people often. However I really appreciated her growth. By the end, she takes up space.

Then, there’s Warrior King Ky. He respects women and he has big “touch her and die” energy. His relationship with Princess Jory starts with kindness and disguise, both of them meeting outside the roles they were born into. That thread of anonymity gives their connection warmth before duty throws a spanner in the works.

Meanwhile, Ashassin is quietly being handed orders to kill both of them. I found the fraught relationship between him and Warrior King Ky and the way they grow to understand each other possibly the most compelling. So yes, when I say this book has layers, I mean it. It’s a cracking premise.

Beyond the romance, I felt that Warrior Princess Assassin leans towards more character-driven. It’s about feelings and relationships and emotions and unpacking trauma. There’s war, politics, magic and a whole lot of travelling across dangerous landscapes, but the beating heart of this book is emotional growth. And I liked that. The plot definitely ramps up later in the book, though, after the journey.

Moreover, what really stayed with me were the themes. The book digs into privilege and complicity without turning into a lecture, which is impressive because those are loaded topics.

Do I recommend it? If you like romance which slow cooks, simmers and then sets the kitchen on fire peppered with political intrigue, trauma and bathwater heated by a guy who can summon fire, I’d def recommend it. If you need lots of plot and instant spice, I’d look elsewhere. Be mindful of content warnings going into this, it gets dark.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | HarperVoyager for the ARC.

 View my review and follow me on GoodReads here. I chat about books a lot.

 

Warrior Princess Assassin FAQs.

SPOILER ALERT:

⚠️ Some answers may spoil the book if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution. ⚠️

Here are the answers to all your common FAQs.

Is Warrior Princess Assassin a series?

Warrior Princess Assassin is book one in the Braided Fate series, by author Brigid Kemmerer. 

Is Warrior Princess Assassin a love triangle?

No Warrior Princess Assassin isn’t a love triangle, it’s MMF, why choose and everyone gets with everyone. So throuple/polyamory. No love triangles here.

What are the content and trigger warnings?

  • Violence

  • Slavery

  • Confinemennt

  • Blood

  • Sexual content

  • Death

  • Injury and injury details

  • Cursing

  • Body horror

  • Death of parent (off-page)

  • Abuse

  • Toxic family relationships and dynamics

  • Classism

What are the tropes for Warrior Princess Assassin?

  • Why choose

  • Slow burn romance ❤️‍🔥

  • Morally grey characters 🖤

  • Forced proximity

  • Touch her & die 💀

  • Reluctant allies to lovers

  • One horse

What is the age rating for Warrior Princess Assassin?

Warrior Princess Assassin is classified as adult, so ages 18+, due to adult themes and sexual content. Please also see the trigger and content warnings listed above.

What is the Warrior Princess Assassin spice level?

Is Warrior Princess Assassin spicy? Warrior Princess Assassin’s spice levels are extremely tense and steamy and the slow burn is quite slow. However, that wait pays off because the spice levels turn right up toward the end. And it’s open door and explicit. 

Spice level: 🌶🌶🌶

3/5, medium spice, with a very slow build up of steamy tension. The couple of spicy chapters are open door.

What are the Warrior Princess Assassin spicy chapters?

🧖‍♀️ = steamy enough to fog the palace windows, but not explicit. 

🌶 = explicit, hotter than a warrior princess assassin locked in a kiss-and-knife fight. 

You get the drift. Here’s your Warrior Princess Assassin spicy chapters map and chilli rating.

  • Chapter 2: 🧖‍♀️🧖‍♀️

  • Chapter 31: 🧖‍♀️

  • Chapter 32: 🌶️

  • Chapter 33: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

  • Chapter 34: 🌶️🌶️

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Esta Pinto
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