Book Review: Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer
Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer
Published: August 12, 2025
Series: Braided Fates #1
Genres: Adult // Fantasy, Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Open Door)
Quick Thoughts: Warrior Princess Assassin was such a good time! If you're looking for complex characters, genuine emotional connections, and are open to a poly romance, definitely give this book a shot.
Amazon (Available on KU) | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org
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Blood/Violence
Assassination Attempts
Past Sexual Abuse
Past Trauma
Past Torture
Death of Parent
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Multi-POV
Poly-amorous Relationship/"Why Choose?"
Arranged Marriage
Politics Between Kingdoms
Royal Court Settings
What is Warrior Princess Assassin About?
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 secret: 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.
My Initial Take
Once again, I was sucked in by a pretty cover, but after reading the synopsis, I knew I had to read it. I’m no stranger to a romantasy that involves an arranged marriage between royalty from two kingdoms, but the introduction of a childhood friend turned assassin intrigued me.
Warrior Princess Assassin Review
Some of my favorite books are "backpack fantasies" – those books where the characters are traveling from point A to point B. There's something so satisfying about that slow-burn character development that can only happen when people are stuck together over the course of a long journey.
Warrior Princess Assassin is the perfect example of what I'm talking about.
For most of the book, our three main characters are on a journey from one kingdom to another, which makes this book heavily character driven. If you're used to reading action heavy romantasys, the pacing might feel a little slow, but I felt this time with the characters was necessary for the romance to make sense later in the book.
Characters
Our three main characters are, you guessed it, a warrior (Ky), a princess (Jory), and an assassin (Asher). The author did a great job creating complex characters, all with believable flaws and character growth, and this book is multi-POV so we got to know what the characters were thinking throughout the story.
Princess Jory starts out sheltered and frustratingly naive about the reality of her own kingdom, but by the end of the book, she's beginning to step into her own power as a princess. King Ky completely won me over with his unexpected tenderness. He's caring and intuitive, seeming to know exactly what everyone around him needs.
Asher is the one who stole my heart. I wanted him to find happiness so badly. Throughout the book, the author uses his backstory to tackle themes of trauma, healing, and privilege in a way that feels authentic to the story. There were moments where his trauma, his inner dialogue, and the way he gradually reveals the truth about his life to Jory brought me to tears. The author never makes it feel forced or heavy-handed, which is pretty commendable because these are all hefty topics.
Lastly, the communication between Jory, Ky, and Asher deserves a round of applause. They actually talk to each other like adults. No frustrating miscommunication trope. Love that for them (and us).
Romance
Originally, I went into this book thinking the romance was a love triangle, and I was not emotionally prepared for either Ky or Asher to get their heart broken – both of them seemed so vital to the storyline that I couldn't imagine how it would work with one of them missing. I was relieved to find out this was a "why choose" instead!
This was my first poly book, and the author won me over with the depth of emotional connection between all three characters. Because she invested so much time carefully building the connections between each character, the chemistry and trust felt real between all three of them. They all complement each other so well and becoming a throuple felt natural.
So, should you read Warrior Princess Assassin?
This book was such a good time! If you're looking for complex characters, genuine emotional connections, and are open to a poly romance, definitely give this book a shot. However, if you want a more plot heavy fantasy, you'll likely want to skip this one.
Check out this review on Goodreads or Storygraph.
Happy reading!
Kim
Warrior Princess Assassin FAQs
Some of the answers may be spoilers if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution!
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Yes, Warrior Princess Assassin is the first in the Braided Fates trilogy.
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Yes, Warrior Princess Assassin is poly or “why choose”. This is different from a typical love triangle because in this book all three characters are involved in the romance.
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Yes, Romance.io rates this as 3🌶️, which is “Open Door”. This means readers are present for at least once spice scene but we’re spared from too many explicit details.
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There is a mix of steamy scenes and spice scenes in Warrior Princess Assassin. The steamy scenes are marked with a green pepper.
Chapter 29 🫑
Chapter 32 🫑
Chapter 33
Chapter 34