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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
This book was absolutely so fun to read. I enjoyed it so much! I devoured it so quickly, to be honest.
In this book, every year, a human girl gets picked to go to the fae realm and be their next mortal queen. We follow Althea, our FMC, who is a human who gets picked as the fae's next mortal queen. But after a couple of years, the previous queens are no longer seen visiting the human islands. Althea starts trying to uncover what is really going on in this world and what is happening to the other girls. Thea is an inspiring painter and starts to put hidden messages within her painting and learn secrets of the original queen in return.
I really liked the world building of the fae realm, but i can't wait to see more of it in book 2. It is different from most that I have read, and that was so fun. The characters were also so enjoyable to read, Thea may have been a bit frustrating with how she acted, but she definitely had a lot of development by the end. We have a great magic system as well.
We get such a twist at the end, and im excited to see how book 2 goes!
I received this as an ARC, and this is my honest opinion! Thank you so much, Victoria, for this opportunity.
In this book, every year, a human girl gets picked to go to the fae realm and be their next mortal queen. We follow Althea, our FMC, who is a human who gets picked as the fae's next mortal queen. But after a couple of years, the previous queens are no longer seen visiting the human islands. Althea starts trying to uncover what is really going on in this world and what is happening to the other girls. Thea is an inspiring painter and starts to put hidden messages within her painting and learn secrets of the original queen in return.
I really liked the world building of the fae realm, but i can't wait to see more of it in book 2. It is different from most that I have read, and that was so fun. The characters were also so enjoyable to read, Thea may have been a bit frustrating with how she acted, but she definitely had a lot of development by the end. We have a great magic system as well.
We get such a twist at the end, and im excited to see how book 2 goes!
I received this as an ARC, and this is my honest opinion! Thank you so much, Victoria, for this opportunity.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
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
“Strategize with your head, never your heart.
Your head can save you.
Your heart will only lead to him, and ruin lies there.”
Embark on a fun and thrilling journey of a human queen trying to survive in a realm of mischievous and deceptive Fae.
Mortal Queens is recommended for those who enjoy:
• Forbidden romance
• Clean fantasy
• Puzzles and riddles
• Epic world-building
I absolutely enjoy seeing Althea learn her way around the Fae with the help of Talen and Odette (my fav side characters!)
She learns to differentiate who is sincere and who is hiding something up their sleeves.
She becomes stronger and clever enough to evade traps/curses through hard lessons which open her eyes and build a stronger character.
The world-building is captivating, but danger lurks in every corner. There is a dark mystery, especially relating to the history of the mortal queens.
There are still many unanswered questions that left me wondering, and it felt like we barely scratched the surface, so I’m hoping we get some answers and more exploration in the next book.
Overall, this is a well-written YA fantasy with lots of twists and turns!
I’m excited to pick up the sequel to see whether Althea will succeed in her mission.
Thank you to Book of Matches Media and the author for giving me an e-ARC of the book and for having me on this book tour. I’m leaving this review voluntarily!
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a unique and elegant rendition of fae. They live on islands in the night sky & their culture is focused on thimblerigging (yea, I did find that with a thesaurus) for more and more power.
Every year, a new young mortal is chosen to be queen. The latest choice is our protagonist, Thea. She wants to seek out the queens chosen in the past years, but can only find one. She is worshiped, she is adored, but she’s also questioning if it’s worth the price. Does she want to remain in luxury, like she’s never seen on earth, or return to her family. All she knows is that she wants to live.
Thea is not at all like me. Well, we are both mortal, but I’d buy my time in the palace, instead of diving into the games of intrigue that they fae are all about. Still, I couldn’t help rooting for her. She’s intelligent, determined, compassionate and loves her family, dearly. I look forward to Lethal Kings, to see if she ends up in the fae realm, or return the human realm, if she can.
Every year, a new young mortal is chosen to be queen. The latest choice is our protagonist, Thea. She wants to seek out the queens chosen in the past years, but can only find one. She is worshiped, she is adored, but she’s also questioning if it’s worth the price. Does she want to remain in luxury, like she’s never seen on earth, or return to her family. All she knows is that she wants to live.
Thea is not at all like me. Well, we are both mortal, but I’d buy my time in the palace, instead of diving into the games of intrigue that they fae are all about. Still, I couldn’t help rooting for her. She’s intelligent, determined, compassionate and loves her family, dearly. I look forward to Lethal Kings, to see if she ends up in the fae realm, or return the human realm, if she can.
4.5 Stars ✨
"Strategize with your head, never your heart. Your head can save you. Your heart will only lead to him, and ruin lies there."
Every year a girl is picked from the center island by the Fae, to be the next Mortal Queen. The mortals are obsessed with the Fae and love everything about them. Althea is a mortal girl who loves the Fae, she has plans to be an artist- until the day she gets picked to be a Mortal Queen. She never thought she’d be chosen. She is the whisked away into a glittering world she only ever dreamed of. A world of luxury, where the Fae hide their faces with masks, power is acquired by trickery and deals. All while 7 Fae Kings are competing for an alliance. It’s not at all what she had expected, but she’s ready to dive in…
Writing this review is a little tricky because I don’t want to give anything away. It’s best, in my opinion- to go into it blind. I enjoyed this one so much! I didn’t want to stop reading it, but I drug it out to savor and enjoy the ride. It’s a clean read and that’s super hard to find these days when it’s a book about the “Fae World.” Parts of It reminded me of the capital from Hunger Games and the imagery from Caraval. So if you liked either of those books, I think you’ll enjoy this.
The world was immersive and as Althea was transported, I felt like I was entering this lavish paradise along with her. My only complaint would be, I wish it would have been longer. Even though it was great, I would have liked to have gone a little deeper with the lore, it seemed surface level at best. I wanted more history and a deeper look into the makings of this world. Regardless, I enjoyed it and had so much fun reading it!! I cannot wait for the next in the series to come out- I have a feeling it’s going to be even better than this one. Highly recommend!
"Strategize with your head, never your heart. Your head can save you. Your heart will only lead to him, and ruin lies there."
Every year a girl is picked from the center island by the Fae, to be the next Mortal Queen. The mortals are obsessed with the Fae and love everything about them. Althea is a mortal girl who loves the Fae, she has plans to be an artist- until the day she gets picked to be a Mortal Queen. She never thought she’d be chosen. She is the whisked away into a glittering world she only ever dreamed of. A world of luxury, where the Fae hide their faces with masks, power is acquired by trickery and deals. All while 7 Fae Kings are competing for an alliance. It’s not at all what she had expected, but she’s ready to dive in…
Writing this review is a little tricky because I don’t want to give anything away. It’s best, in my opinion- to go into it blind. I enjoyed this one so much! I didn’t want to stop reading it, but I drug it out to savor and enjoy the ride. It’s a clean read and that’s super hard to find these days when it’s a book about the “Fae World.” Parts of It reminded me of the capital from Hunger Games and the imagery from Caraval. So if you liked either of those books, I think you’ll enjoy this.
The world was immersive and as Althea was transported, I felt like I was entering this lavish paradise along with her. My only complaint would be, I wish it would have been longer. Even though it was great, I would have liked to have gone a little deeper with the lore, it seemed surface level at best. I wanted more history and a deeper look into the makings of this world. Regardless, I enjoyed it and had so much fun reading it!! I cannot wait for the next in the series to come out- I have a feeling it’s going to be even better than this one. Highly recommend!
Mortal Queens is the first in a YA fantasy duology set in a world where seven fae kings rule under mortal queens. These girls are chosen each year to become the next ruler of the fae. While I’m not a Fae lover, I know that Victoria McCombs was the author to enjoy them. Her writing is splendid, and paints this magical fae world filled with wonder and intrigue. Thea was the perfect main character for this story, learning how to navigate the high stakes fae world alongside the reader. Her friendships with Talen and Odette were both sweet and fun. Like any good book set in a court, there’s so many twists and turns and alliances that constantly change and evolve throughout the story. No to mention that the ending served its fair share of twists, tension and enough plot to hook you for the next book. The ending has me very excited to start the sequel.
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Thank you to Book of Matches Media and the author for an e-book of the book in exchange for an honest review.
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Thank you to Book of Matches Media and the author for an e-book of the book in exchange for an honest review.
For my first Victoria McCombs book, I was completely invested in the summary and cover but the inside story certainly wasn't anything less.
It was delightfully descriptive with intricate world-building systems based on several things including: ranking system of society, the knowledge or cleverness based design of survival, trickery amongst peers, and several fascinating pieces of the worlds themselves.
It felt like a complex situation of conflict.
Want. Don't want. Should want or not.
No spoilers here though.
It was an ARC copy and my opinion is my own voluntarily left.
It was delightfully descriptive with intricate world-building systems based on several things including: ranking system of society, the knowledge or cleverness based design of survival, trickery amongst peers, and several fascinating pieces of the worlds themselves.
It felt like a complex situation of conflict.
Want. Don't want. Should want or not.
No spoilers here though.
It was an ARC copy and my opinion is my own voluntarily left.
THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD!!
I am so grateful that i received an ARC copy. This is a YA book with zero spice.
This is a fast pasted book with so many twists and turns. This book is about a girl who is chosen to be the mortal queen to the fae. It is an honor to the mortals to be chosen. Their family receives money, and they get to be a queen. Each year, a new mortal queen is chosen. When she gets to the fae lands, she realizes that not everything is as she believed. She and all fae wear masks, deals are currency, and tricks are up everyone's sleeves. There are 7 fae kings, different fae houses, faes have glass hearts that can be broken, and some paintings have messages.
This book kept me entertained, and I could not put it down. There is some romance sprinkled in, and definitely deciet and betrayal like any good fae book. I can not wait for the next book. I have so many unanswered questions.
I am so grateful that i received an ARC copy. This is a YA book with zero spice.
This is a fast pasted book with so many twists and turns. This book is about a girl who is chosen to be the mortal queen to the fae. It is an honor to the mortals to be chosen. Their family receives money, and they get to be a queen. Each year, a new mortal queen is chosen. When she gets to the fae lands, she realizes that not everything is as she believed. She and all fae wear masks, deals are currency, and tricks are up everyone's sleeves. There are 7 fae kings, different fae houses, faes have glass hearts that can be broken, and some paintings have messages.
This book kept me entertained, and I could not put it down. There is some romance sprinkled in, and definitely deciet and betrayal like any good fae book. I can not wait for the next book. I have so many unanswered questions.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This might be my favorite read of the year so far! 🫢 When the blurb for Mortal Queens was first released, I was HOOKED. A magical fae world with kings with glass hearts and a girl who must outwit them all? Count me in.
The world McCombs has created is mesmerizing. The story reminded me of the Netflix film Damsel (except I liked this book a lot better) and the description and imagery reminded me a little of Caraval—I swear I could almost taste everything. While the world-building didn’t go super in-depth, I felt enchanted in this world.
If you will happily devour a book for the vibes, then I think you’ll love this one. My husband can attest, I just kept telling him how good “THE VIBESSS 🤌🏻” were. 😆
The plot felt a little meandering at first, but again, the vibes were so delicious that I didn’t mind. Things start speeding up after a while and when you get into the final several chapters, it is a RIDE. The ending was SO GOOD. It is a massive cliffhanger but luckily you’ll only have to wait until November for book two! 🙌🏻 I guessed some of the plot twists but they didn’t feel too predictable to me (and I love trying to guess plot twists anyway).
As for the characters, I loved them all so much. Even the side characters had so much personality. That being said, I hope we get to know everyone a lot better in book two (there’s so much backstory just waiting to be told).
I don’t want to say much more because this is a book you have to just experience for yourself, but if you’re a fae or fantasy lover, I highly recommend this one. And if you read it please feel free to freak out with me 😱
The world McCombs has created is mesmerizing. The story reminded me of the Netflix film Damsel (except I liked this book a lot better) and the description and imagery reminded me a little of Caraval—I swear I could almost taste everything. While the world-building didn’t go super in-depth, I felt enchanted in this world.
If you will happily devour a book for the vibes, then I think you’ll love this one. My husband can attest, I just kept telling him how good “THE VIBESSS 🤌🏻” were. 😆
The plot felt a little meandering at first, but again, the vibes were so delicious that I didn’t mind. Things start speeding up after a while and when you get into the final several chapters, it is a RIDE. The ending was SO GOOD. It is a massive cliffhanger but luckily you’ll only have to wait until November for book two! 🙌🏻 I guessed some of the plot twists but they didn’t feel too predictable to me (and I love trying to guess plot twists anyway).
As for the characters, I loved them all so much. Even the side characters had so much personality. That being said, I hope we get to know everyone a lot better in book two (there’s so much backstory just waiting to be told).
I don’t want to say much more because this is a book you have to just experience for yourself, but if you’re a fae or fantasy lover, I highly recommend this one. And if you read it please feel free to freak out with me 😱
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood
🌶️ brief kisses, longing
⚠️ a few semi-graphic descriptions of blood/injury
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes