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britt93's review
5.0
I was so honored and excited to receive an ARC of this amazing book! All of the different point of views were a bit confusing at first, but I grew to love each and every one of these amazing, strong, and powerful women in this book! I immediately fell in love with Almira, Hira and the rest of the Red Guard! I love that Almira surrounded herself with a group of powerful women and rules like a true queen. The ending did not leave on this huge cliffhanger, which I really appreciate. However, it still left me super excited for the next book! I can't wait to see how the ladies will win back their kingdoms and win vengeance for all. Thank you Isabelle, I can't wait to read whatever you write! It gave me big Game of Thrones vibes with all of the different kingdoms and houses, which was really good world building!
bookedwith_caffeine_and_smut's review
5.0
Cheese and rice!! I AM OBSESSED. I don’t even know where to start!
First of all, love these covers
First of all, love these covers
gina_newt's review
5.0
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book was wonderful. It's hard to believe that this the author's debut novel, as it was so beautifully written. I thoroughly enjoyed Almira and Alton and found them to both have such depth to their characters. I also loved Saana and hope we get some more backstory and development for her character in the sequel next year. Thank you for allowing me to read this ARC :)
This book was wonderful. It's hard to believe that this the author's debut novel, as it was so beautifully written. I thoroughly enjoyed Almira and Alton and found them to both have such depth to their characters. I also loved Saana and hope we get some more backstory and development for her character in the sequel next year. Thank you for allowing me to read this ARC :)
scareads's review
5.0
One of my favorite reads of 2022!
This book was phenomenally written. The tension was gripping. The political battles and maneuvering were delicious. I loved how Almira both succeeded and failed, how right was mixed with wrong, and how the characters had to live with the cost of their decisions. Almira's character was a gift - so complex, strong yet vulnerable. The worldbuilding was a delight. I felt like I was there. I can't wait to pick up book 2 when it comes out!!
Now I will say that I didn't pick this up because of the feminist sales point. In truth, that almost made me set it aside because often that kind of advertising ends up being misleading. But I was pleasantly surprised. Out of the four povs, three are women. They are each strong, opinionated, and stand their ground. It does show women standing up for themselves and striving for what they want moreso than most books I've read. And I am so glad that the sales pitch was not undersold. The only thing I found a little irksome about this was that there was only pushback from the antagonists.
I'm a firm believer that perfection doesn't exist. And there are certain things (despite me loving the writing and this novel) that I had to overlook in order to fully appreciate the brilliance of the story.
Out of all 4 povs, Almira's character is the one with the strongest arc. Second strongest would have been Alton. As Almira was the main character this worked. Unfortunately, it still left me wondering about Sanaa and Hira's pov. Sanaa's character, imo, didn't have any kind of inner journey, but we did need to experience certain things that Almira's pov could not have given us. That said, it did leave me a little ungratified. For Hira - while I understand Hira will be an important character in book 2, her pov in this story felt unnecessary as almost every scene from her pov could have been relayed by Sanaa or Almira and the other ones could have been left out. Hira's inner journey was also very abrupt from denial to acceptance. All that said, I didn't feel like those points were enough to drag me away from enjoying the story. Never once did I want to put the book down because of a change of pov.
Another thing to note was Alton's change in behavior. While I loved the evolution of Almira's and Alton's love story, I personally didn't think the explanations given later in the book complemented or corresponded to Alton's inner thoughts and behavior the first time those two characters met. But I easily overlooked that and kept reading to feed my need to know what Almira was going to do next.
Thoroughly recommend this!!!
This book was phenomenally written. The tension was gripping. The political battles and maneuvering were delicious. I loved how Almira both succeeded and failed, how right was mixed with wrong, and how the characters had to live with the cost of their decisions. Almira's character was a gift - so complex, strong yet vulnerable. The worldbuilding was a delight. I felt like I was there. I can't wait to pick up book 2 when it comes out!!
Now I will say that I didn't pick this up because of the feminist sales point. In truth, that almost made me set it aside because often that kind of advertising ends up being misleading. But I was pleasantly surprised. Out of the four povs, three are women. They are each strong, opinionated, and stand their ground. It does show women standing up for themselves and striving for what they want moreso than most books I've read. And I am so glad that the sales pitch was not undersold. The only thing I found a little irksome about this was that there was only pushback from the antagonists.
I'm a firm believer that perfection doesn't exist. And there are certain things (despite me loving the writing and this novel) that I had to overlook in order to fully appreciate the brilliance of the story.
Out of all 4 povs, Almira's character is the one with the strongest arc. Second strongest would have been Alton. As Almira was the main character this worked. Unfortunately, it still left me wondering about Sanaa and Hira's pov. Sanaa's character, imo, didn't have any kind of inner journey, but we did need to experience certain things that Almira's pov could not have given us. That said, it did leave me a little ungratified. For Hira - while I understand Hira will be an important character in book 2, her pov in this story felt unnecessary as almost every scene from her pov could have been relayed by Sanaa or Almira and the other ones could have been left out. Hira's inner journey was also very abrupt from denial to acceptance. All that said, I didn't feel like those points were enough to drag me away from enjoying the story. Never once did I want to put the book down because of a change of pov.
Another thing to note was Alton's change in behavior. While I loved the evolution of Almira's and Alton's love story, I personally didn't think the explanations given later in the book complemented or corresponded to Alton's inner thoughts and behavior the first time those two characters met. But I easily overlooked that and kept reading to feed my need to know what Almira was going to do next.
Thoroughly recommend this!!!
chelyely's review
5.0
All the feminism and queer love, and I am here for this
The clear gender expectations and role reversal becomes clear at about 21٪.
The MC is written like every fmc is in political fantasy reads.
Almira is a sovereign and learning all that being one entails. She is cunning and proud
The way the romance develops is so well timed and so real, and it moves along with the plot and character growth.
The build-up and timing of this story is impecable.
Once you reach that 75%ish mark, you'll want to get cozy and prepare to finish in one sitting. There are no breaks and no return.
While the antagonist is identified early on, it does not take away from the story. It adds that level of hatred towards them.
The revelations along the story balance the story and bring depth to the story and the characters.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story and will definitely continue.
The clear gender expectations and role reversal becomes clear at about 21٪.
The MC is written like every fmc is in political fantasy reads.
Almira is a sovereign and learning all that being one entails. She is cunning and proud
The way the romance develops is so well timed and so real, and it moves along with the plot and character growth.
The build-up and timing of this story is impecable.
Once you reach that 75%ish mark, you'll want to get cozy and prepare to finish in one sitting. There are no breaks and no return.
While the antagonist is identified early on, it does not take away from the story. It adds that level of hatred towards them.
The revelations along the story balance the story and bring depth to the story and the characters.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story and will definitely continue.
brons_books's review
5.0
Thank you so much BookSirens and Isabelle Olmo for an advanced edition of Queen & Conqueror.
This book is everything I could have wanted and more. It did take me a few chapters to get into it as it is very dense with a lot of worldbuilding and characters to keep up with. But once I got in I was HOOKED.
The series follows a series of women trying to make it in a patriarchal society. But unlike other instalments in the fantasy genre, the women actually have agency.
I would definitely compare this to Game of Thrones, with the intense political battles as well as DRAGONS. But if you are a woman you will much prefer this take on the genre. Our main characters are brave, layered, flawed and brilliant. They all in all real women.
It was such a breath of fresh air. I CANNOT WAIT to continue!
This book is everything I could have wanted and more. It did take me a few chapters to get into it as it is very dense with a lot of worldbuilding and characters to keep up with. But once I got in I was HOOKED.
The series follows a series of women trying to make it in a patriarchal society. But unlike other instalments in the fantasy genre, the women actually have agency.
I would definitely compare this to Game of Thrones, with the intense political battles as well as DRAGONS. But if you are a woman you will much prefer this take on the genre. Our main characters are brave, layered, flawed and brilliant. They all in all real women.
It was such a breath of fresh air. I CANNOT WAIT to continue!
stephawithbooks's review
5.0
If the tudors and GoT had a baby that had strong female characters, this is it. Absolutely loved it!
everythingbutthebagel69's review
5.0
Oh my goodness gracious. I enjoyed this far more than I anticipated.
Political marriage, slow burn, enemies to lovers BUT ALSO
feminism, diversity but not in a weird token gay friend way, RESPECT, power UGH SO GOOD
Political marriage, slow burn, enemies to lovers BUT ALSO
feminism, diversity but not in a weird token gay friend way, RESPECT, power UGH SO GOOD
harmless_dumbass's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
4.5