Viper by Bex Hogan

Seventeen-year-old Marianne is fated to one day become the Viper, defender of the Twelve Isles.

But the reigning Viper stands in her way. Corrupt and merciless, he prowls the seas in his warship, killing with impunity, leaving only pain and suffering in his wake.

He's the most dangerous man on the ocean . . . and he is Marianne's father.

She was born to protect the islands. But can she fight for them if it means losing her family, her home, the boy she loves - and perhaps even her life? {goodreads summary}

Okay, confession time - I wanted to read Viper for ages (I follow Bex Hogan on twitter and she's so lovely, and everyone kept talking about how brilliant this book is) but I kept putting it off. Why? Because I have a phobia of snakes, and I was worried reading this would give me nightmares, based on the title and cover (I'm currently avoiding Ninth House for the same reason - if someone wants to let me know in the comments if it's safe to read, I would really appreciate it!). Fortunately, I can now confirm that there are no real snakes in the book, it's just the name used for the pirates. So now I feel a little bit silly for putting it off for so long - especially as it was such an exciting story!

Viper follows Marianne, a pirate and trainee-assassin with a secret - she'd rather heal people than cause them pain. When her reluctance to kill becomes too obvious to ignore, Marianne is forced to choose between her father and her conscience. She goes on the run, and discovers that her father has been hiding secrets of his own. He is a dangerous man who needs to be stopped, and Marianne is the only person with the skills to do so.

With pirates, assassins and a healthy dose of magic (and magical monsters!) Viper has a bit of everything. Here are three reasons I loved it:

1) Magical monsters. Did I mention those yet? I don't really think I need to say anything more, but I do hope there's more from them in book two!

2) Marianne was a brilliant character who has clear goals and motivations. She thinks carefully about the decisions she makes and is constantly considering the repercussions of her actions; she isn't violent just for the sake of it. Although there are plenty of awesome, gory action scenes, they're never included at the expense of character development - they usually further it. 

3) The world building is rich and exciting. The twelve isles, with their complicated history and differing characteristics, served as a great location in this action-packed story, and I really enjoyed Hogan's vivid descriptions of the ones we have visited so far.

There is also an interesting, rather different take on a love triangle, which I can't wait to see more of in book two.