A Conjuring of Assassins

Chimera, Book 2

By: Cate Glass

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

A Conjuring of Assassins is Cate Glass' second adventure with the Chimera team, a ragtag crew who use their forbidden magic for the good of the kingdom.

Romy and her three partners in crime - a sword master, a silversmith, and her thieving brother - have embraced their roles as the Shadow Lord's agents, using their forbidden magic to accomplish tasks his other spies cannot.

Now, the Shadow Lord needs them to infiltrate the home of the Mercediaran Ambassador and prevent him from obtaining information that would lead to all-out war with Cantagna's most dangerous enemy.

To succeed, they will have to resurrect long-buried secrets, partner with old enemies, and once again rely on the very magics that could get them sentenced to death.

©2020 Cate Glass (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Wow~~!

The tale woven in this book was even more exciting than that in the first installment of this series!! New characters and an intense, more intricate plot than our first adventure! The stakes are higher than ever and I was so swept up in the story that before I knew it, I was at the ending. I can't wait for the next book!!

Another excellent performance by Saskia Maarleveld!! She breathes life into every word, making the danger feel real. My blood was definitely pumping hard at certain points!

Better the the first one

I enjoyed the story, the rhythm of the tale was good, and the performance very pleasant .

not as good as the first one but I still enjoyed i

I loved the first book but this one was a bit slow for me in the start. I adore the new character tho. Theo is peak himbo.

Wonderful sequel to An Illusion of Thieves

"Chimera: 1. a mythical creature, a fire-breathing female with face, body, and limbs of three different beasts. 2. something that exists only in the imagination and is not possible in reality."

A Conjuring of Assassins finds Romy, Neri, Placidio, and Dumond further developing Chimera, their magical espionage squad in service to the Shadow Lord, Alessandro di Gallanos. They have a current mission to intercept a prisoner going by the name of Cinque, a man with assets that include the Assassin's List. It's a list that Sandro says must not fall into the hands of Mercediaran Protector Vizio and so he activates Chimera for the job. But does Romy already know this Cinque in a different context? And while walking home, Romy encounters a mysterious drowning man, Teo. Teo has the ability to heal himself rapidly and is covered with odd markings on his skin that change and darken. Who is he really and where is he from? Chimera's mission is complicated enough already but can Neri hold it together to do as he's told, will Placidio survive a vendetta he's involved in, and will Romy be safe with this Teo hidden in her home in Lizard's Alley? As the days to the prisoner transfer count down, the Chimera band's challenges mount but they rise to them.

A Conjuring of Assassins is even more enveloping than the first book in the Chimera series. I found myself happily lost in this magical world. I am heartily looking forward to the third book in the series, tentatively titled A Summoning of Demons.

I also enjoyed the audiobook, which is marvelously narrated by Saskia Maarleveld.

I received a Digital Review Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Narrator saved the story

I enjoyed the first vook but this one..I got lost in the tall grass. So many words, so little happening. So many characters, all needing a physical image to round out the presentation here. A bit more style than substance sometimes.

Tediously Slow

I often give reviews that cover story arc, character development, etc. I can’t give a fair opinion on those topics because I tuned out the excessive minutiae. This book plods like a sick elephant.
By the way, I also listened to the first book with a similar experience. I falsely hoped for a little improvement. Nope.
On the other hand, the narrator was quite good.

Agree with others, not as good as the first

The performance of the reader was amazing, but the story left ALOT on the table and was mostly filler. Which is hard to say becuase there were elements there, new characters--- the idea of a countdown before the prisoner exchange, and the climax was satisfying. The issue is, we hardly got development or backstory to the characters we have come to know and love from the first book. The new characters were barely developed so while interesting, I dont know if there is "enough" there for me to care. However, I liked that the author did not go into graphic detail re: torture, etc.. but liked that the focus was on the gravity of injuries and healing from them.