On every front—characters, world, and plot—The Perfect Assassin was everything I'd hoped for and more. The premise of an assassin (Amastan) trying to absolve himself and his fellows of unsanctioned murder drew me to the book, but it was the addition of supernatural elements that made this a "just one more chapter before bed" kind of story.

From the first page, the pace is breakneck in the best sense, giving readers their own dose of the way the main character's world has been turned upside down, leaving him unable to find a foothold. Amastan's routines tidily reveal some elements of the setting, but his first encounter with the unquiet spirits called jaan is as much a learning experience for him as it is for the reader. This unfamiliarity—and the whole concept of the vengeful jaan—lends underpinnings of horror and suspense to this richly detailed fantasy.

On a more personal note, I was pleased with the author's handling of LGBT+ characters. I've never read a story in which queer people felt so thoroughly woven into the fabric of the world. Just as in real life, these characters' sexualities sometimes affected their lives, but were components in the much larger and more complex whole.

For me, one of the most telling moments of this story's success was that when the antagonist was revealed to be a queer woman, I didn't feel the knee-jerk distaste I've experienced in similar past situations. The difference was that in The Perfect Assassin, there were enough other gay characters, both main and background, that I knew having the antagonist be gay wasn't a case of unfortunate implications.

Very well executed!

The Perfect Assassin is an incredible debut for K.A. Doore and I'm eagerly anticipating a return to Ghadid in the sequel!