The Queen's Assassin

By: Melissa de la Cruz

Narrated by: Sarah Mollo-Christensen, Will Damron, Hillary Huber

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.

Critic reviews

“de la Cruz’s trademark tight construction, detailed world building, and action-packed romance are all at work in this sure-to-be-popular new series.” --Booklist

"A classic plucky heroine fantasy in the vein of Tamora Pierce and Kristin Cashore." --Kirkus Reviews

“The action-packed narrative captures readers’ attention from the start, expertly weaving plot twists, betrayal, magical elements, and traces of humor throughout.” --School Library Journal

loved it

From the beginning I was wrapped up in this story. The characters are likeable and the plot is solid. I love a story where you think you know what's going to happen and it seems inevitable, but then a twist is thrown at you and your mind is blown!

Good Story

It was a little bit predictable, but overall a good book.
There was something wrong with the recording.

Overall Pretty Enjoyable

This is the first book I've experienced from Melissa de la Cruz and it was generally pretty enjoyable. I have mixed feelings about the main characters, on the one hand they were definitely realistic for their ages but they were both a little foolish and a lot prickly. The female character - Shadow - tends to snap to the most negative assumptions possible but by the end you sort of get a feeling on why she acts the way she does.

The magic system is 'soft' in that it's not well defined but I think that adds to the story since magic isn't a common thing in the world setting anymore.

I enjoyed it but if you're looking for more hard spy/assassin/intrigue over social intrigue and the politics of nobility maybe reconsider this one. I love courtly politics and that style of intrigue however, but it was unclear from the book summary that it was going to be the case.

LOVED

loved it so much! Can't wait for the next book to hear more about Shadow and Cal. such a suspenseful, sweet and intriguing story.

YA Romance

I appreciated the level of detail used to establish the kingdom and its world-building—everything felt well thought out and cohesively connected. While the story was entertaining, the ending was fairly predictable. The female lead’s performance stood out and felt stronger than the male lead’s. I believe this story would have benefited from a duet narration, along with a third-person narrator to set the broader scenes, which could have significantly enhanced the listening experience.