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anni_swanilda's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Murder, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, Vomit, Child death, Confinement, and Grief
Moderate: Chronic illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness
Minor: Death of parent and War
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: Pregnancy, Death, Child death, Murder, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Alcohol
katiefronk's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, and Grief
Moderate: Medical content, Animal death, Cursing, Gore, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Child death, Rape, Sexual content, Drug use, and Death
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