The Queen's Assassin (Queen's Secret)

That ending was so much more than I expected! After the king dies in battle, his best friend makes a bonding vow with the queen to protect her and the royal heir, as well as search for the magical documents and sacred scrolls that have been missing. He has pledged his life and his heir’s life to the queen until the scrolls are found and returned. Eighteen years later, we meet Shadow and Caledon Holt (he’s the best friend’s son, the kingdom’s deadliest weapon and the Queen’s assassin). Shadow is exploring around the Abbey when Caledon saves her life by killing her would-be assassin. The bad thing is that the man Caledon kills is the queen’s brother-in-law, Prince Alast. Alast proves himself a traitor, which is shocking to Caledon. The Queen sends Caledon to Deersia Prison to appease the public and keep the traitorous evidence secret. She wants Caledon to spy and find out where the traitors stem from. Shadow catches a ride to Deersia prison as a stowaway and finds Cal and helps him escape. They move onto Montrice to discover if there’s a spy conspiring against their kingdom and Queen. Shadow and Cal are fun, dynamic characters that work together well but drive each other crazy too. I enjoyed the humor in this book as well as the intrigue and magic. The ending left me ready to read the sequel! 5 stars!

The last time I read a Melissa de la Cruz book was back in high school (so it's been awhile), but her new book did not disappoint. Melissa de la Cruz delivers a fantastical story with unforgettable characters and a plot that keeps thickening. I enjoyed the characters' backstories and seeing how each character came to be who they were in the present time of the story. When Shadow and Caledon interacted, it was like the story was coming to life; their interactions (and romance) brought a fun and enjoyable aspect to this story, and I'm excited to see what happens in the sequel. If you're a fan of world building, then you will love the world created here! Melissa takes her time describing the world and the magic system. It was unique, and everything came together well with the plot. I will admit, the first few chapters were slightly confusing, so it did take me a bit to get a grasp on the story and the characters (and for the story to really take off). But, overall, I was very pleased with Melissa's new book. If you're looking for a new YA fantasy book with two strong-minded characters and a beautiful storyline, then definitely check out this book!

At first I thought this book was about an annoying and arrogant little girl. I thought it would be like every other YA book I had ever read. However as you get into the book and begin trusting the same plot line you have read a million times, something changes. You begin to realize what you thought was mundane was ripe and full of life. This book will change all your assumptions and lead you on a few far off trails that you NEVER expected.

This book was better than I thought it was. It is pretty slow at first, but in the middle, it picks up with some witty banter and comedic romantasy. The development between the two characters are deepened and while I thought I knew what was going to happen, I did and I didn’t. Plot twist was predictable but the ending was most assuredly NOT what I had in mind. Had me laughing with tears and blushing like a tomato.

This is such a good read. I found the second book in the series once I read some more books I'll move on to that one

I was looking forward to the Queen’s Assassin. And it definitely didn’t disappoint! I might have figured out some things. But it was still a great story. Like 5 star worthy. Can you say, “I ❤️ Cal and Shadow?” Come on book 2!

A story of magic, assassins, royalty, and love. An adventurous story perfect for the YA audience. The romance is definitely in the forefront of this story. A girl who wants to make her own path, goes to save an assassin that is meant to find the conspirator against the crown and find the hidden magic scrolls that will return magic to all the common people. The journey is dangerous but it brings the two young people closer together. The characters were pretty good. I did like Cal better than Shadow. He seems more focused on his task and his own beliefs. While Shadow who seemed so determined in the beginning half way through the book lost her own beliefs and became a bit childish with her behavior. Now the story itself is intriguing, the re surging magic, the history of the powerful first mage, and what has become of him as well as the evil force that wants to control it all. And I want to see what happens to the main characters in the future. It seemed like the story was to be wrapped nicely, but it did end with an open end and kind of a cliffhanger.

My wife loves this book. She said she couldn't wait to read the next book.

I really enjoyed reading The Queen's Assassin and I find myself reading it multiple times, but I will say it did take me longer than most books to finish, but that was mostly because I was always busy. I found Shadow smart and enjoyable to read about, and I admired Caledon's bravery to speak about what his father promised the queen, while they were in that cave. Their bond is unique, but I loved that part of it. I would recommend reading it, and I can't wait to read the second one. 5/5

Love it. Can’t wait to by the next one just have to wait to find the money to buy the hardbacks too

I was quite disappointed by this book. I gotta say I had very high expectations but now I regret it because this book is one of my least rated books, ever, and I don't enjoy rating books badly. The story is not at all bad in any way, everyone has their own opinion and I support them. It's just the way the book was written was fine, and the story plot is normal, and feels recycled to me. It is a very basic story. I usually finish books this length in 2-3 days, but this book took me time because I became less intrigued and un-interested as you move to the middle. The ending to me was a surprise I did not expect, so it kind of fixed the story for me. The characters: The characters are quite fine. You don't feel a great love connection which I gotta say, made me mad. I really love a book were you feel swooned, and I heard that this book is a romance, but the romance was quite dull and boring therefore, if you love romance and YA fantasy.... this book is not for you at all. I am sorry but this book is written in a way that I would think is for middle grade and not YA.

Der Klappentext und das schöne Cover haben mir richtig Lust auf die Geschichte von Shadow und Cal gemacht. Der Anfang war auch gleich packend und ich wollte mehr. Leider flachte die Spannung recht schnell ab und erholte sich bis kurz vor Schluss kaum von ihrer Flaute. Aber erstmal zum Positiven: Cal und Shadow sind liebenswerte Charaktere, auf die ich stets neugierig geblieben bin. Ihre Lovestory entwickelte sich zaghaft, aber süß und glaubwürdig. Auch die Geschichte als solches fand ich toll. Ein alter Orden, die Suche nach einer Schriftrolle über geheim gehaltenes magisches Wissen, höfische Verwicklungen und eine süße Liebesgeschichte zweier sympathischer Protas. Es hätte alles so schön werden können... Leider hatte ich ein großes Problem mit der emotional flachen Schreibweise von Melissa de la Cruz. Das Buch blieb fast durchgehend auf dem selben niedrigen Spannungslevel, war eher berichtsmäßig als gefühlsbetont. Es gab viel Nebensächliches und kaum Wechsel im Tempo oder der Action. Es dümpelte so vor sich hin und leider gab es keinen Zeitpunkt, an dem ich das Buch nicht hätte aus der Hand legen können. Gefühlt schrieb die Autorin immer am Kern der Dinge vorbei. Als Beispiel: Während Cal in einer komplett beängstigenden Situation steckt, beschreibt die Autorin ausführlich, welche Klamotten er trägt, dass sein Badewasser lauwarm war und wie der Raum dekoriert ist. Wen interessiert das bitte in einer solchen Situation? Ich hätte lieber erfahren wollen, welche Ängste er aussteht, welche Hoffnungen er hat etc. Es fehlten mir auch essentielle Erklärungen zur Magie. Welche Arten von Magie gibt es? Wer kann sie wirken? Wie wird sie angewendet? All diese und mehr Fragen blieben offen oder zu vage. Obwohl einiges etwas zu konstruiert war und sicher auch nicht unvorhersehbar, wurden die letzten Kapitel dann aber tatsächlich noch aufregend und gefühlvoll, schade, dass das erst so spät kam. Ich hätte mich von „The Queen’s Assassin“ gern mehr packen lassen, weil ich die Idee so toll finde und die Charaktere ins Herz geschlossen habe. Mehr als 3 Sterne sind aber für den Auftakt-Band der Dilogie leider nicht drin.

I thought that this book started off well and built up the story. Enjoyed the chemistry between the main characters.