Book Review and GIVEAWAY: The Queen's Assassin, by Melissa de la Cruz {ends 3/12}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

There are no books to read, and no letters arrive in the post. He has no idea what’s happening outside the prison walls, no way of knowing when he will be released. It’s maddening.

He examines the handkerchief over and over again. Holds it up to the bit of sunlight that streams in the tiny cell window every morning, in case there’s something he missed, perhaps a secret message written in milk or lemon juice – but there’s nothing.

Maybe the handkerchief itself was the code, and her words: You’re not alone. He may be reading too much into the encounter – she could have merely been a sympathetic bystander. But there was something familiar about her…When – if – he finishes the task in Montrice, he decides he’s going to find her.

This was my favorite sort of fantasy book. It felt kind of medieval-ish, with kingdoms and royalty and such. And of course people learning magic – I always love people learning magic!

Official synopsis:

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.

We’ve got warring kingdoms, spies, history, and tangled family lineages. What could be better? Shadow has been raised to join the court, but what she really wants is to fight with the Guild. When she finally arranges to meet the best person to help her learn to fight, she doesn’t bother telling him she’s supposed to join the court – then he might not help her follow her dreams!

There’s risk at every turn, and luckily Shadow seems to be a bit of a natural with the whole fighting thing, or else the book would have ended much earlier, and she would probably be dead. Not to be a spoiler, but the main characters we meet make it to the end. I enjoyed hanging out with Shadow and Cal. Shadow’s aunts were especially endearing, although we don’t get to spend a lot of time with them.

Overall, I’d give this book 3 out of 5 stars, and I’d definitely considering what comes next in the series. I’d recommend this one to fans of young adult fantasy books. Some adult fantasy readers may enjoy it as well, as long as their main motivator for reading isn’t steamy stuff – none of that here!

{click here to purchase}

Becki Bayley is a mom of two baton twirlers, who enjoys the hurry-up-and-wait time at competitions to get extra reading done. She also blogs at SweetlyBSquared.com.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of The Queen's Assassin!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Thursday, March 12th, at 11:59pm EST, and winner will be notified via email the next day, and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

The Queen's Assassin, by Melissa de la Cruz