As I was reading this sampler of Melissa de la Cruz’s The Queen’s Assassin I was thrust into a world of magic, kings and queens, and assassins. After a brief history of the world, we are introduced to Caledon Holt, the queen’s assassin, formerly the king’s assassin before his death in battle, who must make an impossible vow to the queen. He must find the Deian Scrolls, which is the source of all magical history and knowledge, that was stolen and presumed lost. He will have to team up with Shadow, who longs to be a part of the guild after being taught by her two aunts while her mother serves in the Queen’s court. The writing in this book was beautiful and really well depicts this world of danger and magic. I cannot wait to read the rest of it and be brought on Cal and Shadow’s secret and lie revealing journey to find the Deian Scrolls and hunt down a threat to the kingdom of Renovia.

There was a lot of explanations concerning the history and the set up of the story within this sampler. It felt a bit info-dumpy at times and it doesn't leave as much room for the author to introduce the characters. However, I do have to say that my interest was piqued and that I would like to read the full book one day !

This preview of The Queen's Assassin starts off with a war and just how Cal entered the blood promise. Years later, we meet Shadow who is traveling through the forest and stumbles upon something forbidden and meets Cal. I'm sorry for the lackluster review but the sample didn't give me much to work with. I wasn't captivated like I had hoped. I grew up reading Blue Bloods so I had high hopes for this series. Granted, I am fourteen years older and much more critical of novels than my preteen self. However, the characters didn't grab my attention. I didn't care much for them at all, despite their unfortunate backstories. Maybe once the full book is released, I'll try again but I don't have much anticipation.

First off, I only received the first few chapters to give me an idea...and supposedly hook me...about the novel's writing. So, this 'review' is going to be relatively pin-pointed and only based on a glimpse.
But what I saw didn't overly impress me or make me dislike it, either.

The tale starts out with enough action. There's a war going on, hints at dark secrets, danger, tension, and all sorts of those types of things. The writing is in first person and, from the technical side, done  well enough. The thoughts from the characters run deep and do draw in. If I had the entire novel, I would have kept reading...and that's why I'm giving it 3-stars. Because to say it was not worth a read would be wrong. It is a tale to enjoy. I think.

But I can't say I was horribly hooked, either, and won't be picking up the book when it comes out because, despite those first chapters, I honestly didn't care about the characters enough to fever for them. Although written from the character point of view, there wasn't enough heart to really develop tons of empathy.  The tale might get better as the story goes on...there was plenty of room for amazing moments to come, but just from my glance, I can assume it will be a good read, just not great.

I received several chapters through Netgalley and am leaving my honest thoughts.

I want to believe that the rest of the book is better and I will read it (sooner or later). However, this is the sample I'm reviewing and I didn't like it. The most important thing you have to know about this sneak peek is that it is all info-dump. Was it really necessary to have the explanation of the history of the kingdom all together in the prologue? Furthermore, it completely destroyed that little "surprise effect" that there might have been when the protagonist true identity is going to be revealed (I'm totally convinced they pulled a "Sleeping Beauty" on her and sent her living in the forest with the three "aunts" while in truth she is the princess, hidden for her protection... and seriously, I've had enough of princesses whose identity has been hidden for protection. I'm pretty sure she would not have risked her life like that and would have been a lot safer if she had known she was the princess.)
As I said, before, I will read the rest of the book, but not thanks to this sneak peek.

I read a lot by this author as a teen like I remember positively binging her Blue Bloods series in high school and waiting for each new installment to come out eagerly. It's because of that that I picked up this sampler. Her writing made me very nostalgiac for those days. I do think her writing is best for binging and perhaps a younger audience as I'm now a lot older but it was still an enjoyable sampler. i could definitely see me running through this very quickly as an audiobook but it might be a slower read than I used to do for her writing.

I love this snippet. I want to keep reading. It has all the makings of an immersive fantasy with fun characters and high stakes adventure. If this sounds like something you like, I highly recommend reading this sneak peak.

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

I read a sampler of The Queens Assassin and it sounds rather interesting. I actually have it coming to me here next week. It has been added to my to be read pile. I actually really like the writing style of the book and how she worded it. It is really well written just based off what I read.