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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
Sisters Muna and Sakti awaken on the beach of fictional island of Janda Baik, with no memories except for their names and that they are sisters. They are taken in by the witch Mak Genggang, who teaches the magical Sakti while the magicless Muna does housework. But an ill-advised adventure to break the curse that robbed them of their memories brings Sakti and Muna into conflict with the British, leading them to flee to the academy of Sorceress Royal Prunella Wythe (née Gentleman) via the Unseen Realm, also known as Fairyland. On their journey Sakti disappears completely, and Muna is left trying to fake her way through magic school - and British society - until she can find a way to rescue her sister.
There's a fair bit of drama and tension in the story outlined above, but The True Queen falls into that wonderful niche where a genuinely interesting adventure/rescue story also involves Regency English manners and delightful comedy. As Muna tries to make her way in Prunella's Academy without revealing that it was her missing sister, Sakti, that was the magical protegé of Mak Genggang, not her, that she in fact has no magic at all, all the while becoming closer friends with Academy teacher and Prunella's friend Henrietta Stapleton, the story contains mishaps, misunderstandings, and genuine peril. It was mostly toward the end of the novel that I actually laughed-out-loud, but I was engaged throughout.
Mostly, this is because of the characters. It has been a while since I read Zen Cho's [b:Sorcerer to the Crown|25615305|Sorcerer to the Crown (Sorcerer Royal, #1)|Zen Cho|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1434730004s/25615305.jpg|43548024]; long enough that a few details have faded from memory (and my copy remains in the UK, so I didn't re-read it). But as I thought of that novel (according to my Goodreads review) Cho has a skill at writing wonderful characters and Muna and Henrietta are no exception. There are perhaps a few things that I, reading the story, figured out long before Muna did, but this, too, is part of her character and I believe entirely intentional on Cho's part, because it works right up to the end.
I hovered between four and five stars for this book. It's the kind of book that, while I had a few problems with the story throughout, the end really makes me forget them and just enjoy everything that has happened. But you know what? Books deserve to be rated well because they are fun, enjoyable, and delightful, and this book is all of those things.
There's a fair bit of drama and tension in the story outlined above, but The True Queen falls into that wonderful niche where a genuinely interesting adventure/rescue story also involves Regency English manners and delightful comedy. As Muna tries to make her way in Prunella's Academy without revealing that it was her missing sister, Sakti, that was the magical protegé of Mak Genggang, not her, that she in fact has no magic at all, all the while becoming closer friends with Academy teacher and Prunella's friend Henrietta Stapleton, the story contains mishaps, misunderstandings, and genuine peril. It was mostly toward the end of the novel that I actually laughed-out-loud, but I was engaged throughout.
Mostly, this is because of the characters. It has been a while since I read Zen Cho's [b:Sorcerer to the Crown|25615305|Sorcerer to the Crown (Sorcerer Royal, #1)|Zen Cho|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1434730004s/25615305.jpg|43548024]; long enough that a few details have faded from memory (and my copy remains in the UK, so I didn't re-read it). But as I thought of that novel (according to my Goodreads review) Cho has a skill at writing wonderful characters and Muna and Henrietta are no exception. There are perhaps a few things that I, reading the story, figured out long before Muna did, but this, too, is part of her character and I believe entirely intentional on Cho's part, because it works right up to the end.
I hovered between four and five stars for this book. It's the kind of book that, while I had a few problems with the story throughout, the end really makes me forget them and just enjoy everything that has happened. But you know what? Books deserve to be rated well because they are fun, enjoyable, and delightful, and this book is all of those things.
The most interesting aspect is the double-vision of Faerie/Unseen World from both Western (British) and Malay tradition. I also enjoyed the gradual reveal that this is a lost-ruler story with a twist that beats Baum's [b:The Marvelous Land Of Oz|1052042|The Marvelous Land Of Oz (Oz, #2)|L. Frank Baum|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1180539580l/1052042._SX50_.jpg|21430714]
adventurous
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism
Very charming. Like if Jane Austen wrote fantasy novels. Like the first novel in this world..I loved the world building and magic...and I loved the humor.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Took me 200 pages to get into the story, and while I enjoyed it, it probably isn't leaving a lasting impression. I liked the dragons/naga best, and they're not a massive part of the story, and I'm not the greatest fan of the Jane Austen-like writing style. The book is okay though.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
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:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
THE TRUE QUEEN by Zen Cho introduces Muna, a young woman venturing to foreign Britain to obtain magical help in rescuing her vanished sister.
Where SORCERER TO THE CROWN dealt specifically with racism and misogyny, THE TRUE QUEEN is more about misogyny and the particular combination of racism and xenophobia that is exoticism. I love the book's overall tone, it has relentlessly upbeat feeling, a kind of optimism borne out of either not understanding how grave the danger might be or from understanding the risks and persevering anyway. Which one is happening shifts throughout the story and from narrator to narrator as characters other than Muna briefly lend their points of view. Even though it was several chapters in before I came across characters I recognized from the first book, this upbeat style was recognizable and immediately make it clear that the books were connected. It didn't retread much ground from the first book in terms of worldbuilding, only re-explaining as much as was immediately necessary, preferring instead to focus on Muna's perspective and the parts of the setting which affected her directly. It's the same way that the worldbuilding was handled the first time around, but seeing the effect centered around a different character made it more noticeable.
As a sequel this was very self-contained. THE TRUE QUEEN is unmistakably part of the same world as SORCERER TO THE CROWN due to the tone, characters, and magic system, but as a story it didn't need the first book at all to be understood. It doesn't really wrap up anything left hanging from the first book, but it does involve characters from there in ways that advance their personal storylines. In particular I appreciate seeing a lot more of Henrietta, and some updates on Zacharias and Prunella. The main storyline follows a new character, Muna, and her story is introduced and resolved here. How this was handled as a sequel makes me think that there's room to cover a lot of kinds of characters who have been marginalized from magical society in this version of England. I also need to see more of Muna, given how the book ends. The main character, Muna, is newly introduced here. Some characters like Prunella briefly reprise their role as narrators, and everyone has distinct narrative voices while keeping an overall tone to the book that works well. Someone could absolutely read this without having read the first book, as relevant information is briefly explained. I had a gap of over a year between reading each book and while there could be more reference I'd catch if I'd read them closer together, that helps me be more sure that someone who enjoys historical fantasy could pick this up at random and have a good time.
Where SORCERER TO THE CROWN dealt specifically with racism and misogyny, THE TRUE QUEEN is more about misogyny and the particular combination of racism and xenophobia that is exoticism. I love the book's overall tone, it has relentlessly upbeat feeling, a kind of optimism borne out of either not understanding how grave the danger might be or from understanding the risks and persevering anyway. Which one is happening shifts throughout the story and from narrator to narrator as characters other than Muna briefly lend their points of view. Even though it was several chapters in before I came across characters I recognized from the first book, this upbeat style was recognizable and immediately make it clear that the books were connected. It didn't retread much ground from the first book in terms of worldbuilding, only re-explaining as much as was immediately necessary, preferring instead to focus on Muna's perspective and the parts of the setting which affected her directly. It's the same way that the worldbuilding was handled the first time around, but seeing the effect centered around a different character made it more noticeable.
As a sequel this was very self-contained. THE TRUE QUEEN is unmistakably part of the same world as SORCERER TO THE CROWN due to the tone, characters, and magic system, but as a story it didn't need the first book at all to be understood. It doesn't really wrap up anything left hanging from the first book, but it does involve characters from there in ways that advance their personal storylines. In particular I appreciate seeing a lot more of Henrietta, and some updates on Zacharias and Prunella. The main storyline follows a new character, Muna, and her story is introduced and resolved here. How this was handled as a sequel makes me think that there's room to cover a lot of kinds of characters who have been marginalized from magical society in this version of England. I also need to see more of Muna, given how the book ends. The main character, Muna, is newly introduced here. Some characters like Prunella briefly reprise their role as narrators, and everyone has distinct narrative voices while keeping an overall tone to the book that works well. Someone could absolutely read this without having read the first book, as relevant information is briefly explained. I had a gap of over a year between reading each book and while there could be more reference I'd catch if I'd read them closer together, that helps me be more sure that someone who enjoys historical fantasy could pick this up at random and have a good time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent
Such a wonderful book with so much feeling and wonderful world building. I love the triple cultures in the book and how they intermingle