It wasn't for me. Although the blurb sounded interesting, the sampler didn't manage to hold my interest into this book. I couldn't really get into the story and the characters weren't interesting enough to consider giving this book a go. The writing and pacing felt a bit off to me and I wasn't interested in finding out anything else about this book or the characters. The cover looks interesting, but the content doesn't match up for it.

I received a free sampler by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Queen's Assassin // by Melissa de la Cruz (Sampler)

The Queen's Assassin has a very intriguing premise and starts out really well in the way the book is set up at the start. I like that we immediately learned about the history of the country as well as about some of its key players. I also like how we get to hear about the thoughts of the characters rather than only looking in as outside observers. But while the story itself seems very interesting and I like how there is action right from the start, I still struggled to stay engaged and lost focus easily during Shadow's first adventure. This is a fast-moving story though so far so it is possible that I could get pulled in more deeply a little further along in the book, though I am not sure if at this time, that is something I want to wait for.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with this sampler in exchange for an honest review.

I quite enjoyed this little intro into The Queen's Assassin. You get a look at one of the main characters, Shadow, and an understanding of the world and her motivations. I will say there was probably a bit too much world building going on at certain points, it started to get a little info dumpy.

There is definite promise here though and it succeeding in piquing my interest into reading the entire book.

Positive reviews and the colorful cover drew me to THE QUEEN’S ASSASSIN (sampler), a fine preview of this YA fantasy/romance now out in paperback. I found it an engaging escape during the current pandemic. Book 2 in the series, THE QUEEN’S SECRET, comes out next March. Happy reading!

4 of 5 Stars

Pub Date 02 Feb 2021

Thanks to the author, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

#TheQueensAssassinSAMPLER #NetGalley

Many years ago, Avantine was ruled by a Tyrant King. Rather than solidify the bond between the four regions, the death of the King fractured Avantine into four separate kingdoms. Peace treaties were made between Renovia, Montrice, Argonia, and Stavin, but chaos and war still ensued.

Centuries later, Shadow ventures into a long abandoned abbey. While there, she discovers not only that the people who killed the beloved Renovian king, but that they seem to be chasing her.

I was only able to review a sample of The Queen's Assassin, but it was enough to make me anxious for more! I am looking forward to reading more of Shadow's tale!

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review a sample of "The Queen's Assassin" by Melissa de la Cruz. I really enjoyed the sample and I wish it would have been longer. The sample centers around Shadow, an eighteen year old girl, trying to find her place in the world. Shadow explores a forest area and stumbles upon an area she shouldn't be in but she is drawn to it Shadow is nearly attacked by a panther and someone else is following her as well. She is saved from the human attacker by the Queen's assassin, Cal.. The sample ends with Shadow being invited to royal court, where her mom works. Shadow had more hopes for herself but will try to use this summon to court to her advantage. Honestly, I can't wait to read the rest of this I am hooked!

This was a nice introduction to the book. There’s was a lot of information crammed into the first bit of it, so it was kind of dry at times. But the story seems to have promise so I’ll definitely get it so I can read the entire book.

Oh wow I love this book! I had to go out and get it!! I can’t wait for the next one! It was so worded wonderfully it just flowed!!

The snippet of The Queen’s Assassin was a good read. Since only a few chapters were made available, providing a summary will be futile. I would of like to continue reading on so purchasing the novel will be my next step.

The sample gives you the introduction to the story and the point of view of one of the main characters Shadow. She lives with her aunts and sometimes have visions of the past; she wants to experience the thrill of being a spy. She does not want to work at the Royal Court as her mother, but a letter arrives requesting her presence. She second guesses going, but this could be an opportunity to work in the Guild she has been dreaming of her entire life as an apprentice.

I cannot truthfully say if I would or would not enjoy the book; from what I have read that was available, it does seem promising as I like the storyline thus far. I hope when I do get around to purchasing the book, I would not be disappointed.

I am not rating the novel because it was only a sample and I like to rate novels when I have completed it. If I were to rate what I have read so far, it would be 3 out of 5 stars; this is not the actual rating of the book but what I think about the story given in the sample.

I thought this was a very great tease at the actual book! Hinting to the intricate world of fallen magic and kingdoms! I will definitely be picking this book up.

This was a good opening but at times it felt like I was reading a parody of a fantasy novel. It hit all the obvious points: girl lives in cottage. Girl loves the forest and the animals. Girl wants a life she cannot have. It wasn’t bad but there was nothing that really stood out to me. I’m interested to read the rest but I could live without it.

I have been seeing this book everywhere in the virtual world with various reviews so I have been on the fence on whether I should purchase and commit to reading it now or just wait and read it later on in life. I saw this and found an opportunity to read some of it, making my decision that much easier. Unfortunately, it was not what I expected and just wasn't for me. I can see why people love it, but i don't see myself wanting to finish this book. Time may change my mind but only time will tell

Disclaimer: I got this ARC from @NetGalley

I'm a huge Melissa de la Cruz fan and this did not disappoint me!

This books is going to be so good. I wish I could have read the whole thing. That was a bit of a let down. But looking forward to reading the rest.

Since I've been reading more ya fantasy this year, I was interested to see if this sampler would pull me on.

It took me a little bit to get into what was going on and it's tough to make any strong opinions with what we've read.

I'm definitely intrigued with the characters and storyline, but not sure how I feel about the alternating 1st and 3rd narration.

Not quite high on my TBR, but plan to read it.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

*** SAMPLER COPY - NOT WHOLE BOOK ***.
The beginning of this book is amazing and has left me desperate to carry on reading the rest of the book. Such a fantastic introduction to the story that had me visualising the story like a movie!
A great introduction and teaser of the characters in the book and lots of mystery and intrigue to grab your attention.
I really want to carry on reading this book as soon as it comes out!

I looooove this book. I read it first when i came out and fell in love with the story. I would recomend it to anyone

This was a fleeting look into the world of The Queen’s Assassin. Given that this was a chapter sampler, much of the time was spent on world-building and setting the scene. I would be interested in learning where the story goes from here! It seems like there will be an epic quest of some kind, with Shadow summoned back to her mother’s side. I’m curious as to how her relationship with Caledon will change with this new development. This book seems like it would be a fun adventure! The Queen’s Assassin is out now. Thank you to Melissa de la Cruz, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Netgalley for a free chapter sampler in exchange for honest feedback.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a sample of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book sample is pretty good! The author did a great job with the setting of this book, and I can't wait to get my hands on the full version of this book! I think the only issue I have (It's a big one) is the gigantic info dump in the beginning. It almost convinced me not to finish the rest of the sampler. I think that maybe the author could have spread that information out a bit. Overall, I enjoyed the rest of this sampler, and I'm still going to read the rest of the book cause I want to see how it ends.

This was my first experience with the author but when I read the blurb, The Queen’s Assassin sounded right up my street!

It didn’t start off well for me, there was a big info-dump at the start that immediately had my eyes glazing over and my concentration wavering but I pushed on.

The plot seemed interesting enough but the writing style irritated me, it was quite jarring to read. I’m not sure in this moment if I would read the full book or not, I’m quite torn. I’ve had experiences in the past where a story has taken me a few chapters to really get in to but then I’ve ended up loving it so I wouldn’t necessarily judge this book purely based on the few chapters I read. I think I’d definitely need to read a bit more to make my mind up.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.