Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
Lu is the firstborn of the Emperor and hopeful that her father will make her his heir. She is brave, impulsive, honorable and fair-minded...but no woman has ever ruled the Empire, and there are political forces at play that want to see her cousin Set on the throne instead. (Making Set a member of a minority ethnicity conquered by the Empire makes their rivalry a bit more interesting.) When Lu is forced on the run, she takes with her an old acquaintance from childhood, a shapeshifter named Nok. Meanwhile, Lu's younger, more retiring sister Min stays behind to try to carve a space for herself at court.
I really like Lu and Min, and enjoyed the chapters from their perspectives. They come at the world in such different ways, and even remember the same events differently. I only wish there was more from them and maybe even them interacting a bit more, and waaaay less of Nok. Nok's chapters are always some combination of: Nok flashing back to traumatic moments, Nok feeling unworthy of his magical powers, or Nok getting magic and theology explained to him. For whatever reason I was very bored by the gods and did not care about Nok.
I really like Lu and Min, and enjoyed the chapters from their perspectives. They come at the world in such different ways, and even remember the same events differently. I only wish there was more from them and maybe even them interacting a bit more, and waaaay less of Nok. Nok's chapters are always some combination of: Nok flashing back to traumatic moments, Nok feeling unworthy of his magical powers, or Nok getting magic and theology explained to him. For whatever reason I was very bored by the gods and did not care about Nok.
The Girl King grabbed my attention the moment I stumbled upon it, promising the something different I’m always searching for in my fantasy reads. I jumped in excited, quickly found myself addicted, but in the end it was lacking.
I enjoyed The Girl King, I cannot claim otherwise, and I’m interested in seeing where the second book takes us, but I had been hoping for a wee bit more. It was a fun read, but it felt too much like other books I have read, and it prevented me from loving it in the way I could have.
The Girl King gives us a unique world, introduces us to mythology and lore that will leave you wanting more. There are plenty of things introduced to us, many characters and storylines we want more of, and such will leave you turning the pages rapidly. The more you read, however, the more you realise a lot of the things in the book have been done before. It is the typical formula for such novels, and it never gave me the thing to make it stand out.
I have high hopes for the second book, however, as there is the potential for the second book to wow me. With the interesting things we were introduced to, with the possibilities made apparent in this one, there is the chance for the next book to deliver the things that prevented this book from being the four-star read I had been hoping for.
Overall, The Girl King wasn’t quite what I was hoping for but it was an addictive read.
I enjoyed The Girl King, I cannot claim otherwise, and I’m interested in seeing where the second book takes us, but I had been hoping for a wee bit more. It was a fun read, but it felt too much like other books I have read, and it prevented me from loving it in the way I could have.
The Girl King gives us a unique world, introduces us to mythology and lore that will leave you wanting more. There are plenty of things introduced to us, many characters and storylines we want more of, and such will leave you turning the pages rapidly. The more you read, however, the more you realise a lot of the things in the book have been done before. It is the typical formula for such novels, and it never gave me the thing to make it stand out.
I have high hopes for the second book, however, as there is the potential for the second book to wow me. With the interesting things we were introduced to, with the possibilities made apparent in this one, there is the chance for the next book to deliver the things that prevented this book from being the four-star read I had been hoping for.
Overall, The Girl King wasn’t quite what I was hoping for but it was an addictive read.
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Infertility, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Drug use, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder
I should stop using the star rating because I rate everything three stars lmao
This felt like an introductory book, the plot only really kicked in half way through. However, reading through the reviews, I wouldn't be as harsh. I liked the writing, the characters weren't too grating well, they weren't because they had barely any character at all, and in hindsight I did kinda hate Min's constant fear and meekness but I get it was meant to contrast her and her sister. but nothing really jumped out at me in terms of plot or setting. I won't read the sequel, but I'll keep tabs on this author as I feel she can only get better from here.
This felt like an introductory book, the plot only really kicked in half way through. However, reading through the reviews, I wouldn't be as harsh. I liked the writing, the characters weren't too grating
all hail the girl king because this book took my heart and stomped all over it. The writing is so beautifully atmospheric and luscious and the women!! what queens, literally!! min and lu were the absolute stars of this book and I loved how they grew over the course of the book, finding themselves beneath the masks and chains placed on them at birth of royalty. Lu from a sheltered, naive and spoilt princess to a queen worthy of her peoples loyalty, and min from a malleable shadow to an empress who demands to be seen for who she is and take up the space she has long been denied, shedding the skin of the small princess forever. I love that the women in this book could be anything. They can be cold and ambitious and brighter than the sun with all the rage of a wildfire and unfeeling as stone without automatically being a villain for it. I love that Lu got called out on her privilege - just because her heart is in the right place doesn’t mean she’s not still benefiting from a system of oppression against the people she claims she cares about.
Min broke my heart. I love how she came into herself and claimed her power and her space, how she grew from a shadow to a girl who thought if she did everything right if she married Set and gave him sons she would get the love she deserved, to an empress who realised she doesn’t need anyone else’s love to be given the respect she deserves. I feel like Min is relatable in the sense that women are so often denied their right to take up space and how that hurt nestles in you and the bitter taste it leaves it your mouth. Also the sisterly jealousy, the guilt for being jealousy, the hurt that you’re not good enough that you’re the lesser sister? Also relatable. I really loved her arc and her development from a self pitying waif child to a rightfully vengeful queen who will live life on her own terms for once.
Really enjoyed the girl king in all its painful, messy glory. More books focusing on family dynamics please!
Min broke my heart. I love how she came into herself and claimed her power and her space, how she grew from a shadow to a girl who thought if she did everything right if she married Set and gave him sons she would get the love she deserved, to an empress who realised she doesn’t need anyone else’s love to be given the respect she deserves. I feel like Min is relatable in the sense that women are so often denied their right to take up space and how that hurt nestles in you and the bitter taste it leaves it your mouth. Also the sisterly jealousy, the guilt for being jealousy, the hurt that you’re not good enough that you’re the lesser sister? Also relatable. I really loved her arc and her development from a self pitying waif child to a rightfully vengeful queen who will live life on her own terms for once.
Really enjoyed the girl king in all its painful, messy glory. More books focusing on family dynamics please!
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
i've had this on my shelf for like two years now and I was hesitant to pick it up because of its length and also I could never get past the first page lmao
but!! and this is a big but
I ended up really enjoying it? I've been in a bit of a reading slump since like January but here we are now finishing two 'proper' books in a month so go me.
The Girl King is a bit of a slow burn, like things happen and keep moving the plot forward but considering it was 488 pages not a lot actually happened if you look deeply into it? I also thought this was a standalone so I was like a hundred pages from the end going 'how the fuck is this going to be wrapped up????' but nah it's a duology (I believe).
I really loved the characters, which surprised me. Initially I thought I would be annoyed at Lu and Min because of various character traits, but they ended up being so loveable and there were some bits which I found quite funny which is nice.
If I look too deeply at the romance in it it's a bit odd? Like I can understand why it happens and stuff but there are a few things that make me go 'ummm would he be able to put that behind him just because he's a bit horny??' who knows man, they're young
But I would recommend this book and I wish more people talked about it.
but!! and this is a big but
I ended up really enjoying it? I've been in a bit of a reading slump since like January but here we are now finishing two 'proper' books in a month so go me.
The Girl King is a bit of a slow burn, like things happen and keep moving the plot forward but considering it was 488 pages not a lot actually happened if you look deeply into it? I also thought this was a standalone so I was like a hundred pages from the end going 'how the fuck is this going to be wrapped up????' but nah it's a duology (I believe).
I really loved the characters, which surprised me. Initially I thought I would be annoyed at Lu and Min because of various character traits, but they ended up being so loveable and there were some bits which I found quite funny which is nice.
If I look too deeply at the romance in it it's a bit odd? Like I can understand why it happens and stuff but there are a few things that make me go 'ummm would he be able to put that behind him just because he's a bit horny??' who knows man, they're young
But I would recommend this book and I wish more people talked about it.
This book reminded me of a lot of other stories, and it feels like potential, in the way that debuts sometimes do. There's a feeling of almost-there-ness that makes reading a bit frustrating.
In terms of plot, this book feels like a return to a classic formula- or, at least, a return for me. I'm not sure if there was a departure, or if I've just been reading other things. The scaffold it's built on is familiar- heir to a kingdom denied what they've always assumed was theirs by right, now in exile, magic which has been all but eliminated by an empire that hunts those gifted with it, the overshadowed younger sibling of the heir with darkness growing in their heart, pretender to the throne with a shadow adviser... And while The Girl King doesn't totally subvert or breathe completely new life into the old story, it at least does a good enough job of treading that path.
The main deviation from the traditional recipe I've listed is Lu's gender. In a lot of the stories of this kind that I'm accustomed to (although not all of them) feature a male hero attempting to reclaim his throne. In The Girl King, as the name suggests, Lu is faced with her gender as- if not a barrier, then at least a significant hurdle. While she fully expected to be the heir to her father, the idea of a woman emperor (i.e. a woman playing a role typically only inhabited by men in this world) was not an entirely popular one. "Better him than the Girl King" was a not uncommon reprise throughout the novel. For me this was one of the most interesting parts of the story- the way Lu's cousin, who has taken the throne, feels that, not only is he entitled to it, but that she is not- because of childhood enmity, and because he feels her an unnatural thing, that such ambitions are unnatural in a woman. He at times, seems more obsessed with her lack of right to the throne; than his own right to have it. This insecurity means that even when he could consider himself cemented as emperor; he does not, fixated instead the specter of The Girl King, somehow simultaneously believing her a significant threat to him, and underestimating her in a lot of ways.
While the novel ostensibly has both Lu and Min set up as main characters, according to the synopsis, Lu gets more screen-time, as it were, more focus, and more development. Nokhai's story and Lu's intertwine pretty early on, shortly after Lu and Min's stories diverge from each other, the result being that the reader winds up spending a lot more time with Lu and Nokhai than with Min, getting to know them both through their own eyes, and through each other's, as the narration switches between Lu, Nokhai, and Min.
This might have contributed to my lack of equal investment in the sisters' stories, although it's also possible that I just don't find Min terribly compelling. I'm still trying to decide if the fact that it felt like she was supposed seem like she was gaining agency and coming into herself, without giving me the feeling that any of that had actually happened was on purpose or not. So it is entirely possible I'll appreciate her story line more as the story continues.
The romance between Lu and Nok honestly felt rushed and a bit out of place within the story. I know I'm not very romantic and so possibly a bad judge but just. With so much else going on and also the baggage between them, it just seemed improbable that it would move forward with so little communication having happened?
The other deviation from the traditional formula is the world. There is an opportunity to create a world drawing on other influences. I found that on the world-building front, the structure of the world was vague, I had some sense what it looked like, a sense of a few significant events in it's history, and even some of the traditions of the various peoples. Somehow, though, not really a sense of what the world felt like to be in.There was a little more telling than showing, which took me out of the story a bit.
So much of this story felt like a sketch of a story. Partly because it does tread the lines of familiar archetypes closely, but also because the characters didn't really resonate with me, and the novel didn't really create a strong sense of place. I enjoyed the action scenes, and I really do think that there's a lot of potential as the story finds its feet. Despite the falterings, I still enjoyed reading it, and plan on picking up the sequel, especially with how it ended. The last 10% or so of the story was by far the strongest for me, and I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next!
In terms of plot, this book feels like a return to a classic formula- or, at least, a return for me. I'm not sure if there was a departure, or if I've just been reading other things. The scaffold it's built on is familiar- heir to a kingdom denied what they've always assumed was theirs by right, now in exile, magic which has been all but eliminated by an empire that hunts those gifted with it, the overshadowed younger sibling of the heir with darkness growing in their heart, pretender to the throne with a shadow adviser... And while The Girl King doesn't totally subvert or breathe completely new life into the old story, it at least does a good enough job of treading that path.
The main deviation from the traditional recipe I've listed is Lu's gender. In a lot of the stories of this kind that I'm accustomed to (although not all of them) feature a male hero attempting to reclaim his throne. In The Girl King, as the name suggests, Lu is faced with her gender as- if not a barrier, then at least a significant hurdle. While she fully expected to be the heir to her father, the idea of a woman emperor (i.e. a woman playing a role typically only inhabited by men in this world) was not an entirely popular one. "Better him than the Girl King" was a not uncommon reprise throughout the novel. For me this was one of the most interesting parts of the story- the way Lu's cousin, who has taken the throne, feels that, not only is he entitled to it, but that she is not- because of childhood enmity, and because he feels her an unnatural thing, that such ambitions are unnatural in a woman. He at times, seems more obsessed with her lack of right to the throne; than his own right to have it. This insecurity means that even when he could consider himself cemented as emperor; he does not, fixated instead the specter of The Girl King, somehow simultaneously believing her a significant threat to him, and underestimating her in a lot of ways.
While the novel ostensibly has both Lu and Min set up as main characters, according to the synopsis, Lu gets more screen-time, as it were, more focus, and more development. Nokhai's story and Lu's intertwine pretty early on, shortly after Lu and Min's stories diverge from each other, the result being that the reader winds up spending a lot more time with Lu and Nokhai than with Min, getting to know them both through their own eyes, and through each other's, as the narration switches between Lu, Nokhai, and Min.
This might have contributed to my lack of equal investment in the sisters' stories, although it's also possible that I just don't find Min terribly compelling. I'm still trying to decide if the fact that it felt like she was supposed seem like she was gaining agency and coming into herself, without giving me the feeling that any of that had actually happened was on purpose or not. So it is entirely possible I'll appreciate her story line more as the story continues.
The romance between Lu and Nok honestly felt rushed and a bit out of place within the story. I know I'm not very romantic and so possibly a bad judge but just. With so much else going on and also the baggage between them, it just seemed improbable that it would move forward with so little communication having happened?
The other deviation from the traditional formula is the world. There is an opportunity to create a world drawing on other influences. I found that on the world-building front, the structure of the world was vague, I had some sense what it looked like, a sense of a few significant events in it's history, and even some of the traditions of the various peoples. Somehow, though, not really a sense of what the world felt like to be in.There was a little more telling than showing, which took me out of the story a bit.
So much of this story felt like a sketch of a story. Partly because it does tread the lines of familiar archetypes closely, but also because the characters didn't really resonate with me, and the novel didn't really create a strong sense of place. I enjoyed the action scenes, and I really do think that there's a lot of potential as the story finds its feet. Despite the falterings, I still enjoyed reading it, and plan on picking up the sequel, especially with how it ended. The last 10% or so of the story was by far the strongest for me, and I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next!
"I wasn't made for you at all. I was made for me."
DISCLAIMER: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
EXPECTED JANUARY 9, 2019
4.5 STARS
TW: child abuse, family death, PTSD, animal death, gore, attempted sexual assault, addiction, violence
Listen. If you're going to pit characters in competition for a throne, I am HERE FOR IT. Which of course meant that I had to request The Girl King from NetGalley, and man, imagine my surprise when they actually granted the request! (I never expect to get the ARCs I request, which makes getting them so much better.)
And imagine my surprise when it was even better than I was expecting, when I already had pretty high expectations.
Seriously, this book was a delight. For starters, I loved the setting and the history that propped it up. It gave the world a lived in feel and a sense of long-standing conflict, and it also meant that the descriptions were lush and lively. I loved the comfy but confined air of the palace, the sheer opulence of it. I loved how the city felt expansive and crowded and admittedly a little like Ba Sing Se with its divisions. I loved how the wilderness felt dangerous and overgrown and untamed. I loved how the mountains felt towering and majestic and downright enchanting.
The Girl King does not mess around with setting. Not one bit.
But as always, my greatest love is the characters. I'm predictable like that, and I'm especially predictable in deciding Lu is my favorite. She's ambitious and fierce and uncompromising. Sometimes, it works. Sometimes, it lands her in trouble. Either way, she holds to her ideals, and for all her abrasive edges, she aims to do the right thing. She's forced to confront her privilege as a princess, to confront her family's history in the land's bloody past. And she wants to make a change going forward, a change for the better. Lu is exactly the sharp, furious sort of female character I can't help adoring.
And Nokhai, Nok for short, is her polar opposite. Wounded but wonderful, he's had his life ripped out from under him by the actions of Lu's family, and trauma has shaped so much of his life since. He's also one of the Gifted, from a clan of people who can turn into wolves so long as they have the Gift. He is the last, though, and with no connection to the knowledge that should have led him to his Gift long ago. He's defensive and cautious, and his loyalty is unquestionable once earned. I enjoyed his chapters in part because he fits the trope of reluctant hero so well; there's something so compelling about a character who can make a great change, but fears what it will take to do so. It's a human conflict, that's for sure.
And I liked Min to start, Lu's little sister. She's young and sheltered, never expected to be out of Lu's shadow, and then she ends up in over her head. She was the one frustrating part of the book for me because I wanted to like her, and I certainly pitied her. She'd never been prepared for any degree of power, not in the way Lu was, and when things change so suddenly, placing her at the forefront of efforts to take control, she's drowning in so much she doesn't understand. It made her easy to manipulate, shaped her into something darker than a girl like Min ever should have been.
And at the same time, I'm a tiny bit irritated by how flat she felt. Everything else about the novel was wonderfully done, but Min sticks in mind as that half star taken away. She was reactive, not proactive, and when you set her up against Lu, it gets harder and harder to enjoy her POV, especially with Lu doing her utmost to do the right thing, even if she's not exactly tactful about it or fully understanding all the time. I want to hope she'll be more interesting, that she'll have more agency in the next book, but I'm not sure if she will. It's too early to say, but I want her to change, because in contrast with literally EVERYTHING ELSE, I just couldn't bring myself to maintain any interest in Min as the story went on.
Min aside, The Girl King was riveting, with fascinating magic, immersive settings, and POVs that absolutely delighted me, along with a few twists that had me on the edge of my seat, waiting for the consequences. And that epilogue?
Oh boy. Now that was a phenomenal epilogue. Make sure you preorder The Girl King, because it comes out on January 9th, and you're going to want to get your hands on this one!
DISCLAIMER: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
EXPECTED JANUARY 9, 2019
4.5 STARS
TW: child abuse, family death, PTSD, animal death, gore, attempted sexual assault, addiction, violence
Listen. If you're going to pit characters in competition for a throne, I am HERE FOR IT. Which of course meant that I had to request The Girl King from NetGalley, and man, imagine my surprise when they actually granted the request! (I never expect to get the ARCs I request, which makes getting them so much better.)
And imagine my surprise when it was even better than I was expecting, when I already had pretty high expectations.
Seriously, this book was a delight. For starters, I loved the setting and the history that propped it up. It gave the world a lived in feel and a sense of long-standing conflict, and it also meant that the descriptions were lush and lively. I loved the comfy but confined air of the palace, the sheer opulence of it. I loved how the city felt expansive and crowded and admittedly a little like Ba Sing Se with its divisions. I loved how the wilderness felt dangerous and overgrown and untamed. I loved how the mountains felt towering and majestic and downright enchanting.
The Girl King does not mess around with setting. Not one bit.
But as always, my greatest love is the characters. I'm predictable like that, and I'm especially predictable in deciding Lu is my favorite. She's ambitious and fierce and uncompromising. Sometimes, it works. Sometimes, it lands her in trouble. Either way, she holds to her ideals, and for all her abrasive edges, she aims to do the right thing. She's forced to confront her privilege as a princess, to confront her family's history in the land's bloody past. And she wants to make a change going forward, a change for the better. Lu is exactly the sharp, furious sort of female character I can't help adoring.
And Nokhai, Nok for short, is her polar opposite. Wounded but wonderful, he's had his life ripped out from under him by the actions of Lu's family, and trauma has shaped so much of his life since. He's also one of the Gifted, from a clan of people who can turn into wolves so long as they have the Gift. He is the last, though, and with no connection to the knowledge that should have led him to his Gift long ago. He's defensive and cautious, and his loyalty is unquestionable once earned. I enjoyed his chapters in part because he fits the trope of reluctant hero so well; there's something so compelling about a character who can make a great change, but fears what it will take to do so. It's a human conflict, that's for sure.
And I liked Min to start, Lu's little sister. She's young and sheltered, never expected to be out of Lu's shadow, and then she ends up in over her head. She was the one frustrating part of the book for me because I wanted to like her, and I certainly pitied her. She'd never been prepared for any degree of power, not in the way Lu was, and when things change so suddenly, placing her at the forefront of efforts to take control, she's drowning in so much she doesn't understand. It made her easy to manipulate, shaped her into something darker than a girl like Min ever should have been.
And at the same time, I'm a tiny bit irritated by how flat she felt. Everything else about the novel was wonderfully done, but Min sticks in mind as that half star taken away. She was reactive, not proactive, and when you set her up against Lu, it gets harder and harder to enjoy her POV, especially with Lu doing her utmost to do the right thing, even if she's not exactly tactful about it or fully understanding all the time. I want to hope she'll be more interesting, that she'll have more agency in the next book, but I'm not sure if she will. It's too early to say, but I want her to change, because in contrast with literally EVERYTHING ELSE, I just couldn't bring myself to maintain any interest in Min as the story went on.
Min aside, The Girl King was riveting, with fascinating magic, immersive settings, and POVs that absolutely delighted me, along with a few twists that had me on the edge of my seat, waiting for the consequences. And that epilogue?
Oh boy. Now that was a phenomenal epilogue. Make sure you preorder The Girl King, because it comes out on January 9th, and you're going to want to get your hands on this one!
This book is one continuous roller-coaster in the best way. I loved the secrets and family dynamics in this one. A really clever fantasy.