I found The Queen’s Assassin to be a typical fantasy that fans of Throne of Glass may enjoy. The story centers on Shadow, destined to take her mother’s side at court but wishes to train as an assassin, and Cal, bound by oath as the Queen’s Assassin. As they set off together as assassin and apprentice, they uncover truths about their country’s past, reveal traitors to the throne, and complicate matters with budding feelings for each other.
I thought the characters and story were engaging but pretty average. Shadow was a determined and reckless heroine, but I sometimes thought she didn’t act realistically or consider the situation she was in. Cal’s character was not as well developed because the perspective constantly switches between Shadow’s first person point of view and Cal’s third person point of view. Although I generally like having multiple perspectives, I felt that this sometimes ruined the flow of the story and didn’t allow the reader to understand the characters as well as they could have.
Mostly focused on Cal and Shadow’s growing love, the story was slow at times, but eventually picked up speed and was engaging. I thought the background and history for their world was interesting but I wanted specifics of their magical world. There were some major plot twists at the end; however, they weren’t very surprising and were predictable from the very beginning.
The book altogether was enjoyable and I read it in one day. There were some things that could have been improved, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I think it made for a good read but does not specifically stand out from other YA novels.
★★★★☆
Amelie, 15.
