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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
I love Zen Cho: https://blogendorff.com/2019/08/30/book-review-the-true-queen/
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Another lovely little magic adventure in the Sorcerer to the Crown universe. I loved this one’s take on Fairy and it’s snarky sense of humor. It was like all the good parts of Jane Austen with magic and dragons. It was especially strong in the way it approached Eastern magic. Also, the romance!
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
very fun, & doesn't shy away from horror elements - cho is REALLY good at those
adventurous
fast-paced
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review
A worthy sequel to Sorcerer to the Crown. Just a warning Prunella and Zacharias do make an appearance but in a very limited capacity, which actually bodes well for the story. Instead, this novel opens with two sisters, Muna and Sakti, washing up on the sores of Janda Baik with no memory of who they are. To make matters worse, Sakti seems to be under the effects of a curse and her body slowly disappears. Muna on the other hand possesses no powers. Mak Genggang, the witch of the island, decides to send the two sisters to the Royal Sorceress, who since the last novel has established an academy to teach thaumaturgy to women. However on route to the academy, Sakti and Muna are separated and Muna is forced to venture into England alone.
This wouldn't be a problem except that Muna has no magical capabilities to speak of. Unable to contact Mak Genggang, Muna desperate to find her sister pretends to have magical abilities. Of course this deception would have been discovered if it wasn't for the Queen of Fairy, who stirs up some trouble by threatening to kill all the magic users in England. Unfortunately, someone stole an important amulet and the queen believes that an English magician is the culprit. As the story progresses, Muna realizes that the amulet and the disappearance of Muna's sister are more closely tied together than she originally thought. So, she must track down this amulet, pretend to wield magic and uncover a forgotten secret.
Like the first book, I think this novel illustrates Colonial England in way that is subtle but also powerful. Muna and Sakti are both Malaysian and this of course means that Muna is often viewed as exotic in England. For example, Henrietta's mother is immediately fascinated with a foreign sorceress and wants to touch/introduce her to all of society. These type of situations perfectly illustrate how seemingly innocuous behavior is still an issue. My only complaint is that these types of incidents/behaviors could have featured more prominently and perhaps been commented on. Lastly, the ending of this book sealed it's four star rating. The romance that ensues is absolutely expected and unexpected in an adorably hilarious way. As usual, I cannot wait to see what the third book holds.
A worthy sequel to Sorcerer to the Crown. Just a warning Prunella and Zacharias do make an appearance but in a very limited capacity, which actually bodes well for the story. Instead, this novel opens with two sisters, Muna and Sakti, washing up on the sores of Janda Baik with no memory of who they are. To make matters worse, Sakti seems to be under the effects of a curse and her body slowly disappears. Muna on the other hand possesses no powers. Mak Genggang, the witch of the island, decides to send the two sisters to the Royal Sorceress, who since the last novel has established an academy to teach thaumaturgy to women. However on route to the academy, Sakti and Muna are separated and Muna is forced to venture into England alone.
This wouldn't be a problem except that Muna has no magical capabilities to speak of. Unable to contact Mak Genggang, Muna desperate to find her sister pretends to have magical abilities. Of course this deception would have been discovered if it wasn't for the Queen of Fairy, who stirs up some trouble by threatening to kill all the magic users in England. Unfortunately, someone stole an important amulet and the queen believes that an English magician is the culprit. As the story progresses, Muna realizes that the amulet and the disappearance of Muna's sister are more closely tied together than she originally thought. So, she must track down this amulet, pretend to wield magic and uncover a forgotten secret.
Like the first book, I think this novel illustrates Colonial England in way that is subtle but also powerful. Muna and Sakti are both Malaysian and this of course means that Muna is often viewed as exotic in England. For example, Henrietta's mother is immediately fascinated with a foreign sorceress and wants to touch/introduce her to all of society. These type of situations perfectly illustrate how seemingly innocuous behavior is still an issue. My only complaint is that these types of incidents/behaviors could have featured more prominently and perhaps been commented on. Lastly, the ending of this book sealed it's four star rating. The romance that ensues is absolutely expected and unexpected in an adorably hilarious way. As usual, I cannot wait to see what the third book holds.
The True Queen is a solid sort-of-sequel to Cho's first book, Sorcerer to the Crown, with roughly half the book following some of the characters from the previous novel and the rest following new characters. So it's not quite a stand-alone book and also not quite a true sequel, but it is a fun if somewhat predictable read. The new characters, especially Muna, are fun additions to the cast.
"'Her Glorious Majesty the Fairy Queen desired me to send you her best compliments,' said the Duke, 'and explain that she means to kill all English magicians, burn your spell books and sack your miserable country. Her hunger for revenge will only be sated by the wholesale destruction of English thaumaturgy....May I take a message back to my mistress, madam?'"
Muna is unnecessarily dense about her identity, but otherwise this is a fun mashup of regency England, Malaysian magic, Edmund Spenser and Harry Potter.
Muna is unnecessarily dense about her identity, but otherwise this is a fun mashup of regency England, Malaysian magic, Edmund Spenser and Harry Potter.
This is another delightful book in the series. I love how it really opens up the world, which was already pretty open. I love getting to see beyond England and the magicians and thaumaturges of the first book, expanding our viewpoints. And the characters continue to be wonderful; I like that we start getting to know more of them.