The Queen’s Assassin

By: Atiya Irvin-Mitchell

What do you do when parents planned out your entire life before you could even walk? In Melissa de la Cruz’s most recent novel The Queen’s Assassin while juggling espionage, magic and a chance at true love the protagonists spend a good chunk of the story trying to figure that out. In the introductory novel of the highly anticipated Queen’s Secrets series, de la Cruz spins a fun, faced paced adventure that lovers of YA and Fantasy will be certain to enjoy.

On a stroll through the woods 18-year-old Shadow is lamenting being summoned to the palace to live the life of a courtesan in the palace when she’s rescued by a dashing stranger. The handsome stranger who saves her life, Caledon Holt, happens to be the Queen’s assassin. He also inadvertently commits treason by dispatching her would-be killer. This chance encounter leads to Shadow forsaking her summons to join Cal on a dangerous mission, something that changes both of their lives forever.

After the last great war in Renovia, the story’s setting, Cal’s father made a blood oath to the Queen to find the Deian Scrolls, which hold all of the land’s magical secrets at all costs. Unfortunately, when he dies before he can fulfill the oath, it passes on Cal so he must dedicate his life queen as her assassin…or else.

The Queen’s Assassin is a thrilling story about magic, choice, fate and the sacrifices one must make for their families. With its distinctive, but not overly complicated magic system and de la Cruz gains her readers attention quickly and holds onto it with endearing protagonists. However, a potential pitfall could be that the excerpts on the history of Renovia, the continent where the story takes place, are a little hard to keep straight at times.

Additionally, in certain places the novel follows frequently seen tropes. Other times de la Cruz stands out in the matter of fact ways she made Shadow and Cal’s world diverse. What really sells the story though is Cal and Shadow through their relationship and their individual struggles. In a world with many adolescent characters easily written off as whiny, Shadow and Cal’s problems are all too real. Furthermore, de la Cruz manages to subvert and embrace the “Chosen One” trope that has become a staple in the genre.  Cal and Shadow weren’t prophesied. They’re just too young people who want to be able to make their own decisions.

Shadow and Cal make for an entertaining, but belligerent pair. The only thing they really have in common at first is their stubbornness, which makes for a great deal of amusing banter.  As any seasoned reader could guess, eventually the danger and the shared causes bring the girl who craves adventure and the boy who wishes he could make his own choices together. Of course, with at least another book planned in the series, there will be no shortage of obstacles for the pair.

The Queen’s Assassin is an entertaining, without being “Game of Thrones” gory, read that any lover who identified with Mulan and grew up with the CW’s “Reign” should enjoy. Ultimately, through flowy prose, light political intrigue and clever use of point-of-view, de la Cruz writes a modern fairy tale. The cliffhanger the novel ends on will leave fans wishing for the year to fly by until the next book.