I very much enjoyed the beginning and the end, but the middle slowed down for me. Christophe was not present enough to spend so many pages on Gray’s training. Seemed to be more on the training than on the final battle. Still, I’m glad I read it. ( )

This review contains spoilers.
I was disappointed in MIA, after really enjoying the first two books in the series.

Will there be a crisis and a resolution for the larger arc [conflict between the mages and the demons]?

I am tired of the plot line, "We must bind our magic together to overcome our enemies!" It's like Love At First Scent in Shapeshifter romance. Jewel has used this "forced marriage" of magic in all 3 books.

Jewel missed opportunities to develop the Grey's character. We never really understand that she has endured hardship, suffered and sacrificed for her art. I felt that more foreshadowing of her Svangeli would have been an ominous parallel to her relationship with Durian. For example, when Durian asks her to swear fealty to him, she could have reflected that her one-sided relationship with her mentor was a form of fealty.

I suspected that the mentor held a creepy mage pact with Grey's father, but no such thing. I was disappointed that Jewel didn't develop those 2 male characters; they were introduced and then pulled offstage.

The relationship between Gray's sister and the mage Christian was super creepy and very wrong. I was completely satisfied with the resolution of that plotline.

I wish that Jewel had explored Gray's fealty to Durian more thoroughly. Was it appropriate or disloyal for Durian to bond Gray to him? When Gray was bound to Nikolas, was her loyalty divided?

The romance, where Jewel normally shines [heh heh] was somewhat weak. Durian told us several times that he allowed Grey to "see all of him," or that he had "shared more with her than any other." But this didn't come across clearly. Grey's motivations were murky. She passively accepted her circumstances in order to get revenge on Christian. Halfway thru the book, I was not aware that Gray and Durian had actually 'sealed their relationship.' I thought they were just kissing and making out. Normally, I notice things like that!

All things considered, if you like this world, if you enjoy Carolyn Jewel's writing, this is an OK read. But it doesn't significantly advance the plotline of the series, and the character development and romance are weak. ( )

The world building is very good, but maybe a little too complex for me. It’s a little confusing at times and I had some trouble keeping the facts, terminology and relationships straight, but it did pique my curiosity enough that I kept reading to learn more. After finishing the book, I’m still not entirely sure I grasped enough to explain how everything works, but I did enjoy the story.

Apparently this book is part of a series (though I didn't see any indication of this on the book itself), so maybe I would have had a better understanding from the start if I'd read the previous books as well, but My Immortal Assassin is good enough to stand on its own and I don't think you have to read the others.

I read this book at a slower-than-usual pace because while I did want to keep reading it, I wasn't dying to know what would happen next. I'm not sure exactly why that is, maybe it's a lack of connection with the world dynamics or perhaps it was the pacing of the story itself, but I did like the plot and the characters, and - although I wouldn't recommend it to everyone - I think a lot of fans of paranormal romance would probably like it, too. ( )

Anna Grayson Spencer, now known as just Gray, is seeking revenge on the mage who ruined her life and killed her sister. While attempting to murder the mage responsible, she is intercepted by Durian. Durian is an assassin who works for a powerful warlord. Durian takes Gray in and in return she swears fealty to him. They begin to find themselves the target of attacks, and set out to find who is responsible. The attraction between them grows as the action builds, and Durian discovers he might be falling for the girl he initially deemed not his type.

My Immortal Assassin takes readers into a very complex world. The author does provide a glossary in the front which I referenced on more than one occasion. While I don’t think you must read these in order, I do think it would give readers a clearer take on the magic and characters the series contains. Even with moments of confusion over the terminology, I still really liked this one. Solid writing with loads of action.

The characters were strong and well developed. Gray was a spunky female heroine even though she had faced many tough situations in her recent past. Durian was the classic damaged hero that I’ve come to love so much. I loved watching the characters overcome not only present obstacles, but also past ones that were haunting them. I also enjoyed how well the main characters complimented each other. Gray’s sense of humor started to bring out a side of Durian that I’m not even sure he knew he had. Another huge win with me was the lack of angst in the relationship between Durian and Gray. The typical power struggle that seems to be present in so many romance novels wasn’t there. The characters trusted each other, and were willing to take a step back when the other advised it was best. While I admit angst is good for building the sexual tension, the lack of conflict between these two main characters definitely didn’t have a negative effect. It was present and intense.

This book does contain some dark moments, but Gray’s sarcastic wit does an excellent job of lightening the mood. I’m really excited to backtrack and read the first two books of this series, and continue with the next. ( )

My opinion: Ok to start out I'll give you a little insight into the "beings" in this book. First there are demons (no explanation needed really there). Fiends are a subspecies of demon. A mage is a male who practices magic. Magekind refers to people who practice magic. There are also those called Mageheld, who are fiends (or other demons) who are basically enslaved by the magekind. Also notable in this book are warlords, fiends who have other fiends that are loyal to them.
Grayson Spencer is determined to kill the mage, Christophe dit Menart, the man who ruined her life. She lost her sister and Tigran, who was mageheld to Christophe but transferred his magic to her at the moment of his death to make sure she survived. Their deal was that she was to destroy Christophe by any means necessary. Durian is an assassin who swore fealty to Nickodemus, a powerful warlord. He stops Gray from killing Christophe (there is a certain treaty present and Durian has swore to protect the mages from harm) and knows that he should kill her. But he just can't bring himself to do it. He doesn't like Christophe any more than she does, however he has to have a sanction from Nickodemus to be able to do anything about it. So until Christophe screws up and they can get proof, they can't do anything to him. Gray and Durian form an unlikely alliance, as he tries to help her harness her new magic powers and learn how to fight. As they work together, their passion for each other rises. Christophe is determined to get Gray back; she stole some of his magic when he killed Tigran and he wants it back. Will Durian be able to protect Gray, or will their feelings for each other make them both vulnerable.

It is so hard to explain this book, there are a lot of details that would take too long to go into, you just have to go read the book because it is awesome! I was worried when I started reading this book because it is #3 in a series, but luckily it stands alone just fine! Gray is one tough cookie, she has been through a lot. But there isn't anything she won't do to get revenge against Christophe. Durian sounds smoking hot, and right away she has trouble resisting him (who wouldn't?). Some of the things he asked of her, such as swearing an oath to him and becoming blood twins I thought she would rebel against because she wouldn't want anyone to control her, but I think she figures she doesn't have anything to lose. Plus I think somehow she knew she could trust Durian; he was like the lesser of two evils. There are a lot of other characters in this book, it kind of reminds me of the Demonica and Black Dagger Brotherhood series; each book follows a different characters journey. I like reading series like this because they also follow characters from past books as well, so you can find out what happens to them. I definitely want to read books 1 and 2, and look forward to the next book coming out! If you liked those other series I mentioned, then definitely check these books out. You won't be disappointed! ( )