The Queen's Assassin by Melissa de la Cruz

The Queen's Assassin (Queen's Secret, #1)

by Melissa de la Cruz

A New York Times and Indie Bestseller!

Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Red Queen, this is the first novel in a sweeping YA fantasy-romance duet about a deadly assassin, his mysterious apprentice, and the country they are sworn to protect from #1 NYT bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz.

Caledon Holt is the kingdom's deadliest weapon. No one alive can best him in speed, strength, or brains, which is why he's the Hearthstone Guild's most dangerous member. Cal is also the Queen's Assassin, bound to her by magic and unable to leave her service until the task she's set for him is fulfilled.

Shadow of the Honey Glade has been training all her life to join the Guild, hoping that one day she'll become an assassin as feared and revered as Cal. But Shadow's mother and aunts expect her to serve the crown as a lady of the Renovian Court.

When a surprise attack brings Shadow and Cal together, they're forced to team up as assassin and apprentice. Even though Shadow's life belongs to the court and Cal's belongs to the queen, they cannot deny their attraction to each other. But now, with war on the horizon and true love at risk, Shadow and Cal will uncover a shocking web of lies that will change their paths forever.

Reviewed by Baroness Book Trove on

5 of 5 stars

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The Queen's Assassin by Melissa de la Cruz does a fantastic job of taking the reader into its world.

Will Shadow become a great assassin like Cal?


Shadow


Shadow is just a nickname for the main character of this novel. She's been trained all her life for the moment she could enter the guild. However, now she's been summoned to court by her mom instead. Shadow decides to take matters into her own hands and sets off to become an apprentice to Caledon Holt. She is a fun character. I enjoyed seeing through her eyes and how she doesn't want to be in court. All of that comes to light toward the end of the book, but I can't precisely say why. Everything about Shadow is basically a big plot spoiler. She is a fantastic character, and I was right about my thoughts on her at the beginning of reading this novel.

Caledon


Caledon Holt is the son of Corydon Holt and is a great assassin. Sadly, we don't see most of that, but I think that's because he didn't want to for 1) scare Shadow more than he already did, and 2) they just need to get to the other Kingdom so they can get their assignment done. Cal may seem like he's only one-dimensional, but I think that's because he has a job in his head that he needs to get done.

As an assassin, his job doesn't allow him to show his true personality. We don't know how he trained or what his life was like. To think about the mission and how he needs to get it done. Does he need to be a nobleman? Or can he be a servant instead? Or some other profession that needs to be there at the time. Cal needs to figure all that out while also ensuring that Shadow can follow suit.

I have to say that I like Cal, and I loved how the attraction between Shadow and him started.

Five Stars


The Queen's Assassin by Melissa de la Cruz holds so much promise, and I hope for things to get taken care of in the next book in this duology. Ms. de la Cruz has done an excellent job setting up this world, and her magic system is incredible. I can't wait to read more about it in the next book, even if that means a while since I'm pretty much booked for the rest of the year, as it seems.

I love this world of Caledon and Shadow's. I am giving this book five stars and recommending it to anyone who loves a good YA Romance Fantasy.


The Queen's Assassin Duology





Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Queen's Assassin by Melissa de la Cruz.

Until the next time,



Happy Reading!

This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 16 July, 2022: Finished reading
  • 16 July, 2022: Reviewed