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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
I thought that this novella was a good insight into the past and why Cal and the main characters are the way they are in the "present day". Coraine's slow descent into madness is heartbreaking and you find yourself hating her murderer even more by the end of the short story. The one thing that did bother me is how she continuously justifies to herself that Tiberius' dark actions are somehow necessary and she can somehow save him of it.
Overall, a good quick read if you are reading the Red Queen Series and want some more insight of Cal's mother.
Overall, a good quick read if you are reading the Red Queen Series and want some more insight of Cal's mother.
I decided read the prequels first, and I have to say this one was pretty awesome and left me with a ton of questions. I read it in a day, but it left me wanting more in a good way, I can't wait to read the next one.
Favorite parts in quotes (2/5 spoiler alert):
I also loved her second to last entry (but it's a bit too long for me to paste here).
Favorite parts in quotes (2/5 spoiler alert):
Spoiler
"There is no greater pain or punishment than memory"
"This will be the last time I hold the arm of a prince, she thought as they walked the bridge. She thought that every time, and she was always wrong."
"But there is a difference between a single candle in darkness, and a sunrise."
I also loved her second to last entry (but it's a bit too long for me to paste here).
Una buena forma de conocer a Coriane la primera mujer del rey Tiberias
Una buena forma de conocer a Coriane la primera mujer del rey Tiberias
dark
fast-paced
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
I enjoyed this short story very much. It gave me a better understanding of Queen Coriane, who was a likable character throughout the story. It gave us background checks on some characters from the Red Queen series which was very interesting.
The character I liked best, though, was Prince Robert, who was a total sweetheart.
The story starts with Coriane's fifteenth birthday, that she's spending with her friend Sara Skonos, and her older brother Julian. Julian gives her a diary for her to write in. And although she has to pretend to be a lady for her old cousin Jessamine, who is an old drunk woman who disapproves of everything Coriane does.
By this time, Julian and Sara already had a thing for each other which was super endearing and cute.
Despite being quite handy at fixing things, Coriane feels no one really respects her abilities, her work, and her interests.
They talked about Coriane's uncle, Jared, being unwell.
Soon after, he died.
Coriane became very affected by this funeral. I can only imagine... A young girl like her being obligated to be at a formal funeral with everybody watching her grieving.
It must have been incredibly unsettling.
At dinnertime, she sees the King, Queen Anabel, and the King's lover, Prince Robert. I just loved how the Queen accepted Robert and how Tiberias did as well. It was beautiful to see the King have an open relationship with someone he loves and still have a Queen. And besides, they were both delightful.
She comes to meet Elara Merandus, whom we know from the Red Queen books for being... unpleasant. She invades Coriane's mind which forces the teenager to flee the room.
At the garden, she meets Prince Tiberias. They have instant chemistry although he is a little bit intoxicated.
They meet several times again after that night. One time, Tibe introduces Coriane to Robert, who is an absolute sweetheart to her, when he takes her to the theatre. Robert was known by the court but some houses claimed he was a "crowned prostitute" which I thought was absolutely cruel.
Sara warns her that the Court doesn't like her relationship with the Prince. That because she is a singer, they think that she sang her way to the Prince's heart.
But in the end, there was no Queenstrial. Tibe married Coriane at sixteen.
But from that night forward, she started to have nightmares and worried that Elara might have been slipping into her mind.
By the time they knew the King was sick, Coriane was pregnant for the first time. Robert was getting sick along with the King, almost like they were connected.
The saddest part of the tale was when Coriane marked the day the king died in her diary with a black page. And the day Robert died. Cousin Jessamine and her father, too.
And, last but not least, her three miscarriages, which had happened all at night, during one of her nightmares.
She had Cal when she was 21 and he was the light in her life. It was so beautiful to read about. The wrote in her diary how Tibe had changed because of the crown and how she desperately hoped that Cal wouldn't fall on the same path.
One of the things I loved about Coriane was how considerate she was of Reds and Silvers alike. Because no matter what kind of bool you had, Coriane only wanted a stop to the war.
She died by Elara's hand, who burned the Queen's diary.
One thing I noticed was how Coriane described Elara as "nothing" but in the very last sentence, it is said that Elara dreamed of nothing, when she killed the Queen.
I don't know... I just liked the detail.
On to the next one.
The character I liked best, though, was Prince Robert, who was a total sweetheart.
Spoiler
The story starts with Coriane's fifteenth birthday, that she's spending with her friend Sara Skonos, and her older brother Julian. Julian gives her a diary for her to write in. And although she has to pretend to be a lady for her old cousin Jessamine, who is an old drunk woman who disapproves of everything Coriane does.
By this time, Julian and Sara already had a thing for each other which was super endearing and cute.
Despite being quite handy at fixing things, Coriane feels no one really respects her abilities, her work, and her interests.
They talked about Coriane's uncle, Jared, being unwell.
Soon after, he died.
Coriane became very affected by this funeral. I can only imagine... A young girl like her being obligated to be at a formal funeral with everybody watching her grieving.
It must have been incredibly unsettling.
At dinnertime, she sees the King, Queen Anabel, and the King's lover, Prince Robert. I just loved how the Queen accepted Robert and how Tiberias did as well. It was beautiful to see the King have an open relationship with someone he loves and still have a Queen. And besides, they were both delightful.
She comes to meet Elara Merandus, whom we know from the Red Queen books for being... unpleasant. She invades Coriane's mind which forces the teenager to flee the room.
At the garden, she meets Prince Tiberias. They have instant chemistry although he is a little bit intoxicated.
They meet several times again after that night. One time, Tibe introduces Coriane to Robert, who is an absolute sweetheart to her, when he takes her to the theatre. Robert was known by the court but some houses claimed he was a "crowned prostitute" which I thought was absolutely cruel.
Sara warns her that the Court doesn't like her relationship with the Prince. That because she is a singer, they think that she sang her way to the Prince's heart.
But in the end, there was no Queenstrial. Tibe married Coriane at sixteen.
But from that night forward, she started to have nightmares and worried that Elara might have been slipping into her mind.
By the time they knew the King was sick, Coriane was pregnant for the first time. Robert was getting sick along with the King, almost like they were connected.
The saddest part of the tale was when Coriane marked the day the king died in her diary with a black page. And the day Robert died. Cousin Jessamine and her father, too.
And, last but not least, her three miscarriages, which had happened all at night, during one of her nightmares.
She had Cal when she was 21 and he was the light in her life. It was so beautiful to read about. The wrote in her diary how Tibe had changed because of the crown and how she desperately hoped that Cal wouldn't fall on the same path.
One of the things I loved about Coriane was how considerate she was of Reds and Silvers alike. Because no matter what kind of bool you had, Coriane only wanted a stop to the war.
She died by Elara's hand, who burned the Queen's diary.
One thing I noticed was how Coriane described Elara as "nothing" but in the very last sentence, it is said that Elara dreamed of nothing, when she killed the Queen.
I don't know... I just liked the detail.
On to the next one.
Queen song was bittersweet for me. It allowed me such a small glimpse into Cal's mother, most of which she suffered from personal losses, as well as personal demons. Written with diary excerpts of her feelings placed within those moments gives depth to Queen Coriane mental and emotional states, showing her fragility. A must read for fans of the Red Queen series.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No