This book was not as good as the first one in my opinion. There was just too much focus on the romance and not enough focus on what could have made this book totally badass like the first one! But that’s just me maybe. I was slightly disappointed in this book.

No review really, just know I'm happy it's over and I can see why it has the average it does. I gave this a 3 star because I feel like it's very mid. The first book was also mid. The magic system didnt make the most sense, the only thing that kept me going was the romance.

thanks to netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

so overall, this was fine. i didn't hate it but i didn't thoroughly enjoy it. i don't blame the author for this at all, as she can write, but i feel like i perhaps am just not super into the YA genre as much. the writing felt a bit too juvenile at times, which again, is not really the fault of the author as the target is teens and i am definitely not a teen.

the story itself was still good! while there were some pretty common tropes, there was still some twists and turns i hadn't seen coming, which still made the reading a pleasant experience. this was definitely a more character and plot driven story without as much in depth world building as i would typically like to see to keep me hooked line and sinker.

despite the issues i had with it personally, i still think that there readers out there that would love this book!

3 stars

This book was just sadly not for me! I was hoping for something different but it turned out to be something I was not expecting, which is okay and I'm sure someone else would love it!

I so appreciate being sent this arc and it’s prequel but I struggled to find my momentum to keep on reading. I know I’ll have students who will enjoy it though.

I love this series. This is the conclusion to part 2. It picks up where book 1 leaves off. It's very fast paced. It you love book one you're not going to put this one down

I am definitely a fan of this author and I Will continue to read whatever they write.

I absolutely LOVED the first book, and while I did love this book I wish the ending had been different. It felt rushed I was getting to the end and I’m like no no no there are not enough pages left for everything that must happen!

But All in all a great read!

Thank you to PenguinTeen for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wished we got more of Cal and Lilac. Feel like this story was wrapped up to quickly. Since I enjoyed the first book I went in thinking the best of this book just to be let down a bit. It was still an entertaining read I'll give it that.

This was a solid duology, nothing special but delivered well! the main relationship is delved into deeper which was enjoyable, but other than that and the fun plot, the writing wasn’t my favorite.

I will not be giving feedback on this book. I started it, and was not in the right mindset for reading it. When/if I do pick it up again, I will definitely leave a thoughtful review.

Loved this book. Took me awhile to get to it because I had to reread the first book so I would remember what was going on. As per usual Melissa de la Cruz did not disappoint and I felt like this was the perfect sequel. Don't want to give anything away so just go read it!

I wasn’t a huge fan of the previous book, but I wanted to see where the story went.

Unfortunately, it’s always the writing style that I struggle with.

I’ll definitely recommend this to fans of enemies to lovers, but this one isn’t for me.

Overall, The Queen's Secret was an entertaining and satisfying conclusion. It was full of forbidden romance, drama, adventure and some dark magic.

Up until the two thirds mark, things got so complicated that I was starting to wonder how it'll all resolve, but it wrapped up perfectly, maybe a bit too neatly but I was perfectly okay with it.

I enjoyed the reading experience and would recommend it to YA readers looking to binge a quick fantasy duology.

I really enjoyed book 1 when I read it, and didn't really feel like this was a great continuation of it.

I thought the book was okay, but didn't super love it. I thought that the storyline felt a little disjointed with a lot of different parts of the story thrown in, and it just felt not as smooth as book 1. I thought as a whole this duology might be good for someone who was a new fantasy reader, or a younger aged fantasy reader, like early high school aged.

While I mostly enjoyed The Queen's Assassin, The Queen's Secret ended up being more of a disappointment than anything. I was excited to see the romance plot flourish between Lilac and Cal especially since it's a forbidden romance. The worldbuilding still pulled me in. However, I felt like so much of this story was just a filler that didn't come together until the end, which was then abrupt and unsettled.

This book left me irritated. It started off well enough. I liked the premise of Lilac having to juggle her love for Cal and her duty to her country and her husband. I loved the forbidden romance between Lilac and Cal and all of the tension it caused both for them and for the plot as a whole. Also, De l;a Cruz's writing style and her worldbuilding are both pretty solid. But other than that? Well, I was left wanting more from this book. This book reads so dang rushed, like the author was just trying to finish it without tying up all the loose ends, of which there were an abundant amount come book's end. Not just that, but the characters themselves were just awful. Hansen was ugh. Even Lilac and Cal had their self-pitying moments of miscommunication that was just so grating to read. And all that rushing through the plot left me with an ending I found to be utterly inconsistent with the character development of the first book. I don't want spoilers, so I won't elaborate on that but I just did not love that ending. I'm really tired of conclusions of duologies being so rushed and not getting the ending that characters or readers deserve. With a little more consistency in character development and more development of the plot itself, this could have been a decent read. But alas, it left this reader wanting.

THE QUEEN'S SECRET was an good conclusion to this duology. Cal and Lilac are back for an entertaining sequel about the continuation of their romance but also the escalation of some dark magic in the kingdom. I really liked being back in this world, it's really simple to understand and the world itself is really immersive. There were a few things I didn't love (but didn't really hate either) about the book: One is that I didn't love what happened between Cal and Lilac and their relationship. I get that it was likely to happen but I also wish it hadn't just because I dislike that trope. I also think the ending was kind of convenient; it something that was trying to be prevented the whole book but it ended up wrapping up that way and everyone was mysteriously okay with it. I just think in general things weren't as developed as I wanted them to be, from characters to relationships etc. I almost believe that this would have been best off as a longer standalone book. I preferred the first book in the series but overall this was a pretty satisfying ending.

The Queen’s Secret is the finale to the duology of the same name and picks up right where The Queen’s Assassin left off, right after Shadow (who turns out to actually be a princess named Lilac) is forced to marry King Hansen. When female characters are barred from making their own decisions about the direction of their lives, it makes me feel this sort of righteous anger, and I remember feeling that way at the end of book one. This being said, I liked how Lilac attempted to regain control over her life by continuing to meet with Cal secretly, even as she tries to keep things civil with Hansen for everybody else’s sake.

I really like the way that de la Cruz writes relationships (I think I’ve said that before, but it’s worth reiterating), and in The Queen’s Secret, she takes a romance that was initially rather tentative and deftly turns it into something much more intense and passionate. Lilac and Cal spend so much of this book pining after each other even as circumstances keep them apart, and the love that they have for each other is so palpable!

Like its predecessor, The Queen’s Secret is also pretty dramatic; in this second installment a number of inexplicable murders are commited. It isn’t a murder mystery story per se, but Cal and Lilac still need to figure out what’s going on. We also get a more in-depth glimpse into Lilac’s complicated family dynamics, as well as the introduction of new characters who further add to the drama.

Overall, this was a great (if short) series with some great fantasy and romance elements.

This second book in a brand new duet is full of secrets, deceit, and romance. An unlikely duo pairs up to save the magic in their kingdom. This sequel suffers from the same mid-read slump as The Queen’s Assassin. My bigger concern with this book is that it is marketed to teens rather than young adults. The main focus was the Queen’s desire to *uh-hmm spend quality time with her MISTERess. Then at the end of the book the author suddenly remembered a villain needed to be defeated. So the last couple of pages rushed through a list of falling actions rather than a detailed description of what happened. Just my opinion but if the book is going to focus on sex, then it should be marketed to young adults or adults. This was a really a romance novel under the guise of a teen fantasy.

Okay, I'm going to be honest about something: I remember enjoying the arc I read of The Queen's Assassin last year but, before reading this book, I couldn't remember anything that happened. In fact, I wasn't sure I was going to continue with the duology. When I was lucky enough to get an arc of this sequel, I figured I'd just give it a shot.

And it all came flooding back to me in a stream of drama, action and royal manipulations! It makes me sad to think I might not have continued with this series and missed out on a lot of enjoyment.

I find myself remembering why I enjoy Cruz's writing so much. Her descriptions of the setting are detailed and stunning. She really captures the place where the story is set. She's one of those authors who makes every scene feel a little bit magical, even when nothing supernatural is happening.

A very engaging, fun, action-packed fantasy sequel. Cruz's future in YA looks set to follow writers like Bardugo and Maas: a balance of magic, drama, action and romance that is a guaranteed bestseller.