Caledon Holt is the best, and most dangerous, assassin in the Kingdom of Renovia. There is no other being that can match his wit and prowess. Bound by a blood vow to the Queen of Renovia, Cal is powerless to leave her service until he has completed the dangerous and difficult task she has assigned him. The same holds true for his potential heirs, should he fail to complete this labor within his lifetime.  

Becoming an assassin with skills to rival those of Caledon Holt is the dream of Shadow of the Honey Glade. Unfortunately, her mother and aunts have other plans for her future, ones that involve her serving the monarchy as a proper lady.

When an unplanned ambush pairs Cal and Shadow up for a perilous mission, they discover a dark network of mystery, deceit and betrayal that threatens the existence of the entirety of Avantine. With imminent conflict between kingdoms, Shadow and Cal struggle to balance their feelings for one another and their respective obligations to the Crown and state.

The primary reason this novel only received 3 out of 5 stars, was that the story lacked depth. Although I enjoyed the read, I feel like Ms. de la Cruz could have expanded on some of the aspects that enhance the quality of a story, such as dialogue, character development, vocabulary and setting. None of the supporting characters were developed and even the main characters were missing that element that brings the reader into the book. For a novel that is recommended for individuals ages 14-17, the vocabulary was not as advanced as I had expected. 

Despite some of its shortcomings, I enjoyed the Queen’s Assassin. Ms. de la Cruz did a fine job weaving the themes of love and moral values into multiple layers of the story. There were several plot twists throughout the novel that kept the reader interested and engaged. While I appreciated the writing and the storyline of this piece, I was just expecting a bit more. Hopefully the upcoming sequel will add to the story.

No previous knowledge of the included content is required before reading it. Although this book contains romance, I would still recommend it to those who are not a fan of this genre (such as myself). While love is one of the central themes, romantic scenes within the novel are kept to a minimum.

Overall, I found this novel to be an entertaining read and easy to get into. While it was a bit shallow at times, the Queen’s Assassin was genuinely a good story. I would recommend this book to teens who love plots filled with action, adventure and a touch of fantasy and romance.

If you enjoyed this read, I would recommend checking out the sequel, the Queen’s Secret, that is to be released on March 2, 2021. Other similar novels include All the Stars and Teeth, Onyx and Ivory and the Crown of Oblivion.