I listened to the audiobook version of this book and I think that the different audio voices helped to make the story more interesting than it might have been had I read it in print.
(Random question for all books of this nature. Why is it that English actors always seem to use French English or UK English accents to talk for people from the middle ages? As though that is even close to how people spoke back then when English was so distinct from what we speak now and if they were in another country like France they would have spoken an ancient French...)
This is a predictable, easy read. There are definite questions that I have about the book, and hope that the sequel will answer. But it is likely that the gaps in the story (such as Shadow going from one role to another without any issues, no one suspecting her hidden role, and the ignorance that is expressed at the beginning of the book of what her role is) will not ever be flushed out. But that's okay.
The story follows Shadow and Cal as they join forces to accomplish an assumed task laid out by the Queen. But neither truly knows what the Queen wants them to accomplish. Shadow has been raised to know how to live in the castle and be a noblewoman, but she has always wanted to be in the Guild and to become an assassin. Meanwhile, Cal is the son of the Queen's assassin and took over the role when his father died. He just longs to settle down and have a family.
There are holes in the plot. There are characters that are not fully developed. There are lots of questions that the book left me with. BUT I enjoyed it. It was an easy, enjoyable, fluff read and it would be attractive to young teens or reluctant readers who just want something easy to get through.
(Random question for all books of this nature. Why is it that English actors always seem to use French English or UK English accents to talk for people from the middle ages? As though that is even close to how people spoke back then when English was so distinct from what we speak now and if they were in another country like France they would have spoken an ancient French...)
This is a predictable, easy read. There are definite questions that I have about the book, and hope that the sequel will answer. But it is likely that the gaps in the story (such as Shadow going from one role to another without any issues, no one suspecting her hidden role, and the ignorance that is expressed at the beginning of the book of what her role is) will not ever be flushed out. But that's okay.
The story follows Shadow and Cal as they join forces to accomplish an assumed task laid out by the Queen. But neither truly knows what the Queen wants them to accomplish. Shadow has been raised to know how to live in the castle and be a noblewoman, but she has always wanted to be in the Guild and to become an assassin. Meanwhile, Cal is the son of the Queen's assassin and took over the role when his father died. He just longs to settle down and have a family.
There are holes in the plot. There are characters that are not fully developed. There are lots of questions that the book left me with. BUT I enjoyed it. It was an easy, enjoyable, fluff read and it would be attractive to young teens or reluctant readers who just want something easy to get through.