Lies and intrigue are ever the fashion in royal courts. But when your own deceptions begin to define and entrap you, who can you trust when you don't even trust yourself? The protagonists, Shadow and Cal, are both bound by fates not of their own making - Cal by a magical vow his father made to the Renovian queen, and Shadow by her mother's ties to the court. But when a chance encounter leaves one rescued from certain death and the other sentenced to die, both must take up the challenge to take their lives back from the powers that be.

I greatly enjoyed reading this story. While Cal is skilled and Shadow powerful and confident, they never stop being what they truly are - young adults on an adventure with something to prove and many things to learn. The dialog is genuine and the flow of the story is well paced. However. . . I found the ending to be a bit rushed and contrived in an I-refuse-to-be-a-standard-happily-ever-after sort of way. But I am also aware that this is not the conclusion to the entire story. I am not sure where the second half of this duology will lead, but I am eager to find out.

* I received an eARC from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review *

This book has a slow muddled beginning but picks up from there. Shadow, young girl trained in fighting and herb lore and magic, tries to rescue Cal assassin for the Queen, not knowing that he is undercover. Romance and fighting ensue as they travel to an enemy kingdom to see if they are plotting war. Shadow turns out to be more than just an excellent fighter, mage and other things, she is bound for greatness.

Even though there were some reviews that tore this book to shreds, I still enjoyed it. Yes, it’s YA and yes it’s a romantic fantasy, but it was still entertaining. Just because the main character is a female running away from her “destiny,” who meets the man of her dreams while he saves her life, argues with herself constantly about why she can’t fall in love with him and that he probably doesn’t like her either; it doesn’t mean that the story can’t be entertaining. Without spoiling things, there is a cliffhanger at the end paving the way for a sequel. I do want to thank Netgalley for an opportunity to read this arc and give an unbiased review.

I had such high hopes for this book. I'm not regularly one to right negative reviews but I just couldn't get into this book. The entire time. I DID enjoy the characters. But it basically ended there. The world building felt awkward and sporadic. With that being said, the characters were enjoyable enough that I need to know what happens next so I may still continue on with the series.

I really wanted to like this book but I was honestly not a fan.
The characterization was very inconsistent. In one scene, the character is a naive, sheltered girl, in the next she is an expertly trained fighter with absolutely nothing happening to change that in the middle.
The story is alternating perspectives, but when the narrator changes, so does the POV. I found it very annoying.
Many aspects seemed like ripoffs of Maas's stories.
The sexual tension between the two characters just came off as awkward.
The 'twist' was not at all shocking.
I did like a few things, though!
The customs of different countries were interesting.
There was a well thought out history.
I love some good betrayal.
I liked the ending.
it was a clear setup for a sequel.

The Queen's Assassin is a fun YA fantasy filled with secrets, lies, royalty and forbidden romance. The story has a fast-pace with a slow-burn romance you can't help but root for featuring an assassin and his mysterious apprentice. The magical system is well-thought out. This is a solid start to a new fantasy series. Highly recommended to readers who enjoy YA fantasy. Be sure to check out The Queen's Assassin today!

This is the first book by this author that I have read. I have always heard good things about her books, so was excited to read this new one. I was a little disappointed in the world building and the story was just ok, but I loved the two characters and their budding relationship enough to finish the book and want to read the next one.

Shadow is a pretty tough young lady who has her own opinions and dreams. She also has a secret about who she is, that was pretty obvious, but what came as a surprise when it was revealed was that she already knew it. She was pretty mature for the most part, but also seemed immature at times too. For example, her feelings of jealousy when Cal flirted with other women, as part of his job, which he explained to her. Shadow’s magical ability is similar to elemental magic and was interesting. But the magical system was not explained well or why she had it and Cal did not.

Caledon was also a well developed character, and I actually liked him a bit better than Shadow. He is blood bound to serve the Queen until he has completed a certain mission for her. Does he want to be her assassin forever? Nope, he also has some dreams that take him away from his duty. His perception and feelings for Shadow were nicely done and believable.

The world building was sort of all over the place. I had a hard time keeping the different warring factions apart and what exactly they were fighting over wasn’t totally explained either. The magical system was just there, with no rhyme or reason to it. I did like the short historical vignettes that showed up a couple of times in the narrative, but they didn’t help with the world building as much as they could have. The plot on the whole was also nothing new, it was pretty easy to guess what was going to happen before it did. In the last half of the book the pacing picked up quite a bit and there were some amusing things that happened between Shadow and Cal. The ending is a bit of a cliff hanger though.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book. There is room for growth in the characters for the next book and hopefully things that were a bit problematic will get fixed. I probably will be picking up the next book and perhaps checking out some of this author’s other works.

I had a difficult time getting into this book. I kept going hoping it would get better, but it never really did. I think perhaps it could have used some more editing to help with the uneven pacing and possibly work out a more fluid plot.

I see this author's name on our book shelves quite frequently at the library, but I have never before read any of her books. When I saw this ARC being offered up by NetGalley, I decided to give her a try. To summarize my thoughts on this story: it was utterly predictable. In general this story went from plot point A to plot point B with little fanfare or complexity. For a book that is advertised as "perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas," this was rather disappointing. The only thing I thought unique about it was that the author wrote one POV in first person, and the other in third person. I can't recall ever seeing this done before, and I could not decide whether or not I liked it. It is unclear to me why the author made this stylistic choice, because it didn't seem to add anything special to the narrative.

In short, it certainly wasn't the worst YA fantasy fiction book I have ever read, but it didn't interest me enough to want to continue onto the next book.

This book was received as an ARC from PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group - G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am a fan of Melissa de la Cruz and her work so I had really high expectations coming into this book and it did not disappoint. The Queen's Assassin told the story of Caledon Holt being the deadliest weapon and bound to the Queen as her assassin. Shadow is an up and coming star destined to be in the guild but her family destines her to be the lady of the court not an assassin. Cal and Shadow paths cross and just when all was set, their journey takes a whole new turn. Shadow and Cal bond together like never before and their attraction is limitless. Being bound to the queen and bound to the court, their love is at risk and they will stop at nothing to be together once and for all. This book was a fantasy Romeo and Juliet but with more action and drama. Our teen book club will sure to love this book and I know will be talking about it for a long time.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

I received an advanced reader's copy of the book from NetGalley.

***Overall, it was an easy flowing read. Being familiar with the author's previous works, and having enjoyed them, I expected the same for this one.
However, I could easily predict the plot twist and how things would end.
The ending, itself, was abrupt and the characters aren't quite what they were before the big reveal. I guess you could attribute it to what needed to be clarified and to solidify the twist, but it diminished them for me.
That being said, I am still curious about what happens next.

A boy who is trained in the art of death, sent to kill the enemies of the Queen of the Kingdom and a girl who appears as nothing more than a country girl but has been training to become apart of the Guild for years. They embark on a journey to save their kingdom from another magical war and on the way encounter friendship, deception, love betrayal and that's just between the two of them.

➽ Cal - The Queen's Assassin due to a blood oath passed from his father to him. He serves the Queen well and is accomplished in the Guild. One fatal error lands him in hot water with the general public though and he is sent to Deeria prison on a top secret mission. The kingdom of Montrice is thought to be aiding the Aphrasian uprising and it's up to him to figure out who. The stakes are high and if caught the Queen will not come to his aid.

➽ Shadow - A country girl who lives in the outskirts of the kingdom with her adoptive aunts who are Guild members like her mother, who she rarely sees due to her work at the palace. She wants nothing more than to be a Guild member, a top assassin like Caldon Holt, but her mother has other plans for her at court. While out exploring the Aphrasian Abbey one day she discovers they are once more at large and is witness to Cal's crime against the kingdom. He is sent to the top prison for his actions, which Shadow deems cruel since he was only saving her. To repay his actions and make her own dreams come true, she sets out to Deersia to help Cal escape and become his apprentice.

The Queen's Assassin was odd for lack of a better term. It felt like an attempt at a debut novel, someone just getting into writing (no offense to debut authors I've read some of the best novels from debut authors). The book is told in a dual-POV, which I usually love because it's nice to know how both characters feel or what they're thinking. That being said Shadow's POV is in first person while Cal's is in third person? It kind of felt like two different books. It was jarring and made it very hard to get into the book.

I've seen multiple reviews where the pacing was described as an issue, but I didn't have any problems with it. There were action scenes where there needed to be and there were quite a few slow moments, but they're on a top secret mission, there is bound to be a ton of reconnaissance. The information they found did seem to fall right into their laps though. I'd say it was more spy than assassin. There was a lack of killing and blood shed for an assassin novel. The romance had the priority here, which is fine but it should have been marketed as a romance then versus an assassin fantasy novel.

The romance was front and center for the entirety of this novel. There is no hate to love trope here, but instead Cal always admires Shadow and her skills which I appreciated. It was a bit of insta-love, but I thought they had good chemistry. They were constantly teasing one another, both stubborn as hell with how they felt. They each had their own missions that held no room for love, which just caused more tension. They had some steamy moments, but it was a lot of innocent and jealous moments as well. I found Cal and Shadow endearing, I stayed for the romance plot and their interactions which I thoroughly enjoyed. The romance plot was strong while the rest of the story seemed to fall apart.

The main plot of The Queen's Assassin is supposedly the Aphrasian uprising, a group of people with extra special magic hidden away from the rest of the world. They are out to kill the Queen and Princess, the why is unknown, and have a foothold in the Queens' home kingdom of Montrice. The Aphrasians need to be stopped before they rise again and start another war. We really don't know anything about the magic they wield, how it is different than that which Shadow wields, or what the scrolls they hide contain. The magic system is not explained at all. No clue how it works. There's also some super special family line that is important but I'm unsure why. Also, were the Aphrasians bad people? Did they hurt people beyond killing the King in a war he declared? Unknown. Maybe that will be the focus of the second book, but I felt like, beyond the info-dump journal entries which sucked to get through and were the only parts that explained anything important, it should have been more of a focus.

There was a plot twist at the end that I saw coming from miles away, but it still managed to trip me up. I'd guessed it within the first few pages on the novel, a secret about Shadow, that I was unsure if she knew or not. Cruz did a good job making a predictable twist not so predictable if that makes sense. I don't want to give spoilers or anything though so I'm cutting myself off there.

Overall while I was unimpressed with a lot of the book, I enjoyed the romance and really liked Cal and Shadow. There is a second book, since this is a duology, but I think the romance portion was sufficiently wrapped up at the end of this book and I'm happy leaving it where it ended. I don't think I'll pick it up unless the rest of the plot is overhauled and either first or third perspective is used throughout the whole book.

Shadow is the main character, really, in this book, although the title suggests it might be more about another character (to be fair, he does feauture promininently). This book was not as suspenseful as I expected, although the ending was indeed a surprise. This volume is just the first in a series, and while I would not recommend against it, I would not suggest it for those who have very selective tastes or have a limited number of books they can fit into their schedule.

I love the way Melissa de la Cruz writes, but for me, this book fell short. It didn't really draw me in and I felt a bit frustrated reading it. I do think that there were some good points, but just not my favorite. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was really slow to start and it took a long time to pick up. Once the story got going, I was really invested in the romance aspect, but the world building wasn't that great. I would be bored and confused, but then really excited when the romance picked up more. It was a weird balance, enough to make it to the rushed ending, but still leaving me thinking that something big was missing. This was probably an even 2.5, right down the middle rating.

The Queen's Assassin is a marvelous piece of young adult fantasy. Shadow and Cal are two characters you are going to want to get to know and when the book is over, who you will miss spending time with.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Caledon is bound to the Queen by a blood vow. He must find the missing Deian Scrolls that were taken many years ago. He is also the best at what he does, which is why he is the one and only Queen’s Assassin. Shadow wants to join the Guild. She has been training her entire life and wants to follow in the footsteps of the strong women who raised her. Because magic is now forbidden, she has learned to control her powers and keep them secret. After events bring Shadow and Cal together, they forge an alliance as assassin and apprentice to bring down this new threat to Renovia. In a world full of secrets, who can they trust? What truths will they uncover along the way?

The Queen’s Assassin is the first book in the Queen’s Secret series. This fantasy-romance will grab reader’s attention at the start and de la Cruz has crafted characters that are easy to love and hate. I must tell readers that the romance portion is not overwhelming, so if you are looking for more of a fantasy, this book will still satisfy. It has action, adventure and a lot of intrigue. The story is told in alternating voices of the two main characters, yet readers will find the story more full from this experience and it will be enjoyed by readers who enjoyed Maas’ Throne of Glass series. I appreciated this first book and look forward to the next book in the series. Too bad we must wait for a title and release date.

I'm sure there are readers out there that will love this book, but in my opinion is was just trying too hard to be a YA pleaser. I am usually a big fan of de la Cruz's work, but there were many parts of the book that were troubling to me. I appreciate the effort and will wait for the companion novel to make a final opinion.

This book is amazing! It is a must read. I am a school librarian and I will definitely add it to the collection. It keeps you hanging until almost the end. The ending left me wanting more. Shadow is just a simple girl that wants to be in the Guild. Cal is the kings assassin. Lilac is the princess and she wants freedom. She goes to great lengths to accomplish her goals. Shadow and Cal work together to save the princess and kill a spy. But is there a happily after?

I first read books by Melissa de la Cruz back when Blue Bloods had just come out. She's grown a lot since then and overall I enjoyed this book.
Initially, I was thrown off by the long back history in the beginning that didn't quite stick because, at the time, you don't know what's important to remember and what isn't because you haven't met the characters yet. When the novel officially started, I had a hard time getting invested and it took a good portion of the book to figure out why. The back history makes you feel as if you know the characters before you meet them as it causes the reader to formulate and predict what will happen to them and the choices they will make based on everything previous people have done in the history of the kingdom. I found myself not getting invested in the characters for so much of the first half as a result and it broke my heart. So much of the back history was also conveyed normally throughout the story to where it feels almost unnecessary to even have it there. My recommendation is to skip all the lore and dive in, I think it'll help with reading the first half and enjoying it more.

However, the second half has wholly redeemed much of the first half for many reasons, but primarily because Shadow and Cal fully blossom and become full fledged characters with internal struggles I will gladly get behind. I don't know if it was some of my favorite tropes or if it was because I wanted to cheer them on, but I enjoyed so much all the subtleties they each have and the way they portray it. My absolute favorite scene is the breakfast scene and you'll know which one I'm talking about when you get there. God, I'd read the scene every day for the rest of my life, I loved it so much. It still brings joy to my heart to read it. I very much think I'll get it printed and hung in my office somewhere. Despite not feeling it the first half, I'm anxiously awaiting a sequel just to know where this all goes. If you struggle in the beginning: hold out. It's worth it, trust me.

I'll end this review with a quote, because I'm still swooning! (Shortened to remove spoilers)
"A promise between two souls," he says.
"A promise can be broken," she replies.
"Not mine," he says.
"Nor mine,"she says.