Scan barcode
louisekf's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, War, and Injury/Injury detail
george_d_keaton's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Lost Queen follows the story of Languoreth as she grows from girl to woman to mother. It is a realistic look at what it was like in the dark ages to be a woman born into nobility yet is lost as time marches on.
I gave the book 3 stars. While there is romance and tragedy in the telling of Languoreth's story, the good lady does not have a whole lot in the way of agency. She is subject to the whims of whatever court she finds herself in. When she is a girl she obeys her father, when she is a woman she does her duty and marries a powerful noble, and when she is mother she has children and tries to raise them right. Languoreth is in a world dominated by kings still, and though she is the main character, it feels like she is in the backseat the entire time. She is not the driver of the story at all.
Things happen to our lady, but she doesn't do what she really wants. She is a dutiful daughter, nothing more. Reading all the way to the end, the book feels like a setup to something more. While there was conflict in this book, much of it happens off-screen, so to speak. Pendragon and his warriors sound like fascinating subjects, but their time is brief and far-between. Other characters come and go, and Languoreth watches it all more often than not. In the end, she still watches as war aka something interesting finally takes place.
The book is not short on detail and is charming in places. The romance between Languoreth and her real lover is fire. The various old ways and festivals feel bright and cheery. There is a certain reverence that one can feel when Languoreth looks to the old ways and makes a medicine or searches for a certain cure for an ailment.
Slowly paced yet not without charm, The Lost Queen is merely an okay addition to the Arthurian legends. Languoreth is a strong character that does not have a lot of choice or agency in what she does. It makes for a frustrating read as time passes by her and she cannot do much about it.
I gave the book 3 stars. While there is romance and tragedy in the telling of Languoreth's story, the good lady does not have a whole lot in the way of agency. She is subject to the whims of whatever court she finds herself in. When she is a girl she obeys her father, when she is a woman she does her duty and marries a powerful noble, and when she is mother she has children and tries to raise them right. Languoreth is in a world dominated by kings still, and though she is the main character, it feels like she is in the backseat the entire time. She is not the driver of the story at all.
Things happen to our lady, but she doesn't do what she really wants. She is a dutiful daughter, nothing more. Reading all the way to the end, the book feels like a setup to something more. While there was conflict in this book, much of it happens off-screen, so to speak. Pendragon and his warriors sound like fascinating subjects, but their time is brief and far-between. Other characters come and go, and Languoreth watches it all more often than not. In the end, she still watches as war aka something interesting finally takes place.
The book is not short on detail and is charming in places. The romance between Languoreth and her real lover is fire. The various old ways and festivals feel bright and cheery. There is a certain reverence that one can feel when Languoreth looks to the old ways and makes a medicine or searches for a certain cure for an ailment.
Slowly paced yet not without charm, The Lost Queen is merely an okay addition to the Arthurian legends. Languoreth is a strong character that does not have a lot of choice or agency in what she does. It makes for a frustrating read as time passes by her and she cannot do much about it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Alcohol
cnohero's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Powerful and well written. This is a fascinating story. It was so difficult to read. There is so much tragedy in this story I had to take a break from it and read something happy several time. I’m glad I read ir but it was heavy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, and Death of parent