DNF 24 percent

Boring, uneventful, just couldn't get in to it ( )

Melissa de la Cruz is an author I usually enjoy reading and this, her newest book, was a good but not a great read. In general I enjoy books told in alternating perspectives because I quite like knowing what all the characters are thinking and what motivates them but it just didn’t really work in this case. I think the biggest negative for me was the love story between Shadow and Cal which didn’t work for whatever reason. I didn’t hate the story but I do not think I will be recommending it to others. I do hope that the next book by Melissa de la Cruz is better than this one. This book does has a gorgeous cover that begs to be picked up which is why I read it in the first place but the outside was definitely better then the story inside. ( )

The Queen's Assassin is a fantasy romance geared toward the younger YA reader. It is told from the first person perspective of Shadow, who has grown up with her aunts and wants to join the Guild, an association of assassins and spies, and the third person perspective of Cal, the Queen of Renovia's assassin, dangerous, feared and highly trained. When Shadow is told she has to serve as a lady of the court to fulfil her duty, she rebels, runs away and liberates Cal, who has been imprisoned. She tells him the Queen has ordered her to become his apprentice. Together they work undercover in a neighboring kingdom to identify a dangerous enemy of Renovia. The story and characters were enjoyable, but I wish there had been less emphasis on the romance and more on the magic system. It was good, but not great. ( )

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Melissa de la Cruz for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review of The Queen’s Assassin. My thoughts and opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advance copy.

First I have to say I didn’t dislike it as much as everyone else seems to be saying, based on their reviews. Now, I didn’t love it, but I didn’t take it so personally when it wasn’t what I was hoping for. First, let me say what a fan I am of Melissa de la Cruz. She is an excellent writer. I think the issue with this is mostly the content. You have very familiar tropes with predictable outcomes and it just doesn’t make for an exciting story. Characters aren’t fully fleshed out and the romance seems forced. I do think it is hilarious that people object to the romance seemingly coming out of nowhere when literally every fairy tale, kids story, etc. all have the two people falling in love from nothing. But hey, if this is now a sign that we are fed up with this and want our romance storylines to be better, I’m all for that.

The world was interesting, but for me, not enough was done with this. There was magic all over the land. The king decided that magic shouldn’t be for everyone, and wrote all the magic down in these special scrolls. The world became four different factions who went to war with each other. A nice king finally came into power but got killed in a battle. His queen demands a blood oath of her protector, basically binding him and all his descendants to find the scrolls or die trying. Hence Cal is the son and honor bound to find the scrolls. He is the queen’s assassin and is determined to not get married or have kids because he doesn’t want to pass down what he views as a curse.

The queen has a daughter and was very concerned with her safety. She sends her to the forest to grow up with her two aunts. The girl doesn’t know she is a princess but she knows that she must go to court one day and fulfill family obligations like get married and have kids. She wants to be a queen’s assassin more than anything. Circumstances end up that the two crazy kids end up on the road to find the scrolls. Cal thinks he is training the girl, Shadow, to be his apprentice. They have the usual push pull relationship of “I Hate You” “I Love You” and finally uncover a sinister plot for the kingdom.

So the world had all kinds of potential. There are assassins, magic, things that repel magic, hidden identities, royalty, but it was really light on all the fantasy elements. The romance was manufactured and therefore didn’t come across the page as well as it could. I’m also not so interested in this trope as it has been overdone and I’m not a fan when the females have no agency. The ending was godawful. I’m not sure if it was rushed but there was a lot of information squished into the last bit. The warring factions could have been introduced earlier and would have made a more interesting story. But the actual ending betrayed all of the characters’ earlier tenets. I really didn’t understand it at all.

There is to be a second book. If, somehow, this weird ending is justified in the sequel, then maybe. But you run the risk of no one picking up the second if the first one isn’t enjoyed. There was potential, it just didn’t live up to it in my opinion. But, I wasn’t as turned off as everyone else seemed to be. I was happy to keep reading and finish it. But again, that ending - whew! ( )

I'll start by saying there's a lot of backstory to this novel that gets a bit confusing in the beginning, but Melissa de la Cruz really weaves a wonderful story!

Shadow wants to be an assassin. She is determined, witty, and self-sufficient: someone you can't help but root for.
"Do the most good"

Cal is the Queen's personal assassin bound by a blood oath made by his father.
"There is no escape from a blood vow"

Their worlds merge; creating an adventurous and sometimes humorous story.

I had no idea what to expect from this book, and I was pleasantly surprised! The flow of writing (once you get by the history) draws you in and is paced in a way that keeps you wanting to turn each page. If you enjoy royal fantasy, edge-of-your-seat action, tortured love, and sarcastic banter; this is a definite buy.

And, the twists near the end...I did not see those coming!

This book ripped my heart out, stomped on it, and left me hanging on a cliff. 😭 Need the next book now! ( )