The Cursed Assassin

Daniel Wisniewski’s performance is the reason *The Cursed Assassin* works as an audiobook. He nails Eris’s voice—a mix of exhausted fury and dark amusement—but it’s his handling of secondary characters that steals the show. The King’s court, for instance, drips with aristocratic venom, each noble’s voice dripping like honey laced with poison. Wisniewski also does something rare: he makes the curse itself a character. The way he stretches vowels in Eris’s moments of pain, or sharpens consonants when the curse tightens its grip, turns what could’ve been a gimmick into something visceral. The pacing is relentless, but wisely, Karevik doesn’t rush the quieter scenes. Eris’s internal monologues—full of self-loathing and dark humor—are where the story lingers longest, and Wisniewski sells every syllable. That said, the audiobook isn’t without flaws. The twelve-year time jump midway through feels abrupt, and some side characters blur together despite Wisniewski’s best efforts. A few fight scenes also rely too much on sound effects without enough vocal distinction between combatants, making them harder to follow than they should be. Still, these are minor quibbles in an otherwise stellar production. If you love antiheroes who are as broken as they are lethal, and a narrator who treats your ears like a battlefield, this is the audiobook for you. Just don’t listen before bed—you’ll be up all night, plotting revenge.