Queen’s Secret (Queen’s Secret #2)

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Queen’s Secret (Queen’s Secret #2)

Melissa de la Cruz

Lilac’s birthright makes her the Queen of Renovia, and a forced marriage made her the Queen of Stavin. But being a ruler does not mean making the rules. For Lilac, taking the throne means giving up the opportunity to be with love of her life, the kingdom’s assassin, Caledon Holt.

Worse, Cal is forced to leave the castle when a horrific set of magical attacks threatens Lilac’s sovereignty. Now Cal and Lilac will have to battle dark forces separately, even though being together is the only thing that’s ever saved them.

In the riveting conclusion to Melissa De La Cruz’s fantasy duet, love and magic are at war, and victory rests on a knife’s edge.

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.

My Opinion

(3.5 / 5) This starts out with the two love interests regularly being forced apart. It’s essential for the story and builds interest as it progresses. Many more elements are added and the drama builds.

The premise of the story is built on a marriage needing to start a family and their lovers opposing this decision. It made for an interesting story and the need to see the ending kept me interested throughout.

The end was wrapped up almost too well. It was too unrealistic to me. However, the story didn’t present a clear ending. There wasn’t a best scenario. Even if it ended differently, I don’t know if I would’ve been satisfied. However, when it ended, it was over quickly and was anticlimactic. This happened with the climax of the story also.

The POV’s are once again in 1st and 3rd person, however, it didn’t bother me this time. It flowed well without any problems.

Content Summary: The main character is 19 but I refer to her as a young woman for fluidity from book 1. The premise of the book is a married couple needing a child but needing to keep their lovers away so there is no question as to whose child it is. There were not many details with intimacy but some may be uncomfortable with the continuous thoughts or fights the characters have over who is sleeping with who. There are also a few scenes with black magic that may be intense for younger readers.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. This book releases March, 2. 2021.

Detailed Content Review

Language 

F***-

H***- 

S***-

A**-

B****-

D***- 4

Bas****-

Religious Cursing

J****-

Chr***-

G**-

L***-

Derogatory terms etc-

In the name of Deia!

Alcohol, Drugs, Smoking

A man has been drinking. 

A young woman and woman drink wine.

A man is flushed pink from drinking too much wine. 

A man drinks wine. 

A young woman has been drugged and cannot move. 

Many birds are poisoned. They convulse and die. 

Intimacy, Sex, Immodesty

*Very minor LGBTQ+ aspects included*

A young married woman has an affair. 

A man and young woman kiss on a bed. 

A husband talks of having a child and making other lovers leave so there is no question as to whose child it is. This is a large portion of the book.

Two women are married.

A man and young woman kiss. 

Violence, Weapons, Crime, Blood

A man is attacked by an animal in a mine. His face is bloody and his words are unintelligible from his injuries. One eye was gouged and a hand was missing. 

A large Jaguar attacks a woman. Two men attack it as they all fight it with weapons. 

**SPOILER** A horse turns into a tornado and rips skin and more from another horse. The horse is decapitated and lands at the feet of a woman. It’s heart lies on the ground still throbbing. 

A man has been found dead. He appears to have been poisoned and his throat was cut. 

A young woman fell or jumped and her head is smashed in, killing her. She was poisoned and frothing black from her mouth. 

A man and woman fight with swords. He plunges a sword into her chest. 

A large demon creature has claws and a black fog. He throws a soldier against the wall. A young woman shoots an arrow at him. 

Potentially Intense Themes

A storm brings snow to cover houses. Kids play on a frozen lake. Then a storm melts the snow causing rivers and floods of water to drag people away. The ice melted and kids fell in and drowned. 

A young woman finds the body of a man. It is suspicious but he has been dead for hours.  

A city and palace have been burned. 

Many men die from poison. They have taken different forms with black magic. 

**Any quotes from the book are taken from the advanced copy and therefore may not be fully accurate or correctly compare to the final copy of the book.

**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.