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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
Such a sorrowful disappointment. The premise--girl becomes queen unexpectedly after the ENTIRE COURT is mass murdered--was fascinating, and people have been giving it lots of praise in publishing magazines. And the premise was as good as hoped, but the execution. Ohhh no.
So, it starts agonizingly slow, with lots of information dumps about why she's a clever scientist. Then, the murders, and the book is a riotous joy to read for a good, long while, until about halfway through when we realize the slow pacing is going to maintain for the rest of the book.
It's too tame. It takes on great ideas. It's about a girl with social anxiety (kind of...for about ten pages, and then she forgets she has it), it's about mass murders (awesome, but handled so lightly that it doesn't have much heartfelt impact), it's about politics (in the kindest, quietest court ever, and extremely trustworthy apparently since it's cool with untested food trays wandering up to the new queen after everyone else was poisoned), it's about religion (but hardly developed), it's about listening to the common people (...kind of. She goes to an orphanage and one cult meeting and then everyone loves her pretty much).
The first half of the book (twenty pages in, at least, once the murders happen) is great. She's lost and confused and scared. She's trying out her rule, and the people are being abused by her decisions because she's so uninformed, and that's great. There's interesting conflict between herself and her court. But then the pace creaks to a shuddering halt around the time when Stern accuses her and rebels--which should be interesting, and yet...isn't.
The romance was unnecessary and pointless, appearing halfway along and filled with "but does he LIKE me like me, or just like me" conversations and pages upon pages analyzing a kiss. Just let them be friends, yo.
The villain was disappointingly anticlimactic, and the resolution was just miserably bad--yeah, sure, do that to your MASS MURDERING villain, that won't bite you in the butt later or anything, nooooo, just because the villain was "nice" to you. Good grief.
Lost potential. I am sad. I wanted to like you, book, but I've read too much good fantasy.
So, it starts agonizingly slow, with lots of information dumps about why she's a clever scientist. Then, the murders, and the book is a riotous joy to read for a good, long while, until about halfway through when we realize the slow pacing is going to maintain for the rest of the book.
It's too tame. It takes on great ideas. It's about a girl with social anxiety (kind of...for about ten pages, and then she forgets she has it), it's about mass murders (awesome, but handled so lightly that it doesn't have much heartfelt impact), it's about politics (in the kindest, quietest court ever, and extremely trustworthy apparently since it's cool with untested food trays wandering up to the new queen after everyone else was poisoned), it's about religion (but hardly developed), it's about listening to the common people (...kind of. She goes to an orphanage and one cult meeting and then everyone loves her pretty much).
The first half of the book (twenty pages in, at least, once the murders happen) is great. She's lost and confused and scared. She's trying out her rule, and the people are being abused by her decisions because she's so uninformed, and that's great. There's interesting conflict between herself and her court. But then the pace creaks to a shuddering halt around the time when Stern accuses her and rebels--which should be interesting, and yet...isn't.
The romance was unnecessary and pointless, appearing halfway along and filled with "but does he LIKE me like me, or just like me" conversations and pages upon pages analyzing a kiss. Just let them be friends, yo.
The villain was disappointingly anticlimactic, and the resolution was just miserably bad--yeah, sure, do that to your MASS MURDERING villain, that won't bite you in the butt later or anything, nooooo, just because the villain was "nice" to you. Good grief.
Lost potential. I am sad. I wanted to like you, book, but I've read too much good fantasy.
adventurous
emotional
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
I really enjoyed the science aspect to a classic fantasy style book. It was a really unique way of telling a story and I was captivated from beginning to end!
Enjoyed it, but partially thought it was too short and the plot is just dry, and predictable in many ways. The main character just has a lto of plot armor, and the "plot twist" (I don't even think you can call it that) are not as mind bogling as I thought it would me. Although, the overall idea of the story was different and unique in a way, and I didn't get bored while reading it. To summarize, there's a lot of plot disadvantages and holes, but overall it was entertaining if one is looking for a short read and trying to return back from a reading slump, this book is for you to start with!
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
I would say a 4.25. I thought this was an excellent little YA political fantasy. There was definitely an element of junior intrigue here, this isn't A Song of Ice and Fire, but appropriate for mid-teen first delving into the genre.
This is amazing the Mystery aspect of it is AMAZING. I absolutely loved it
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It's probably more of a 3.5 but I'm feeling generous.
Actually, pretty decent! A one-shot which in today's publishing world, is super rare. The MC used science! And she wasn't ~special~ in the slightest, which I super appreciated. It could have done without the romance at all, but what was there didn't bother me. I thought this was good. If anything, I'd say I never really suspected anyone which doesn't make for the best mystery? But still, I can talk this up and it'll go.
Actually, pretty decent! A one-shot which in today's publishing world, is super rare. The MC used science! And she wasn't ~special~ in the slightest, which I super appreciated. It could have done without the romance at all, but what was there didn't bother me. I thought this was good. If anything, I'd say I never really suspected anyone which doesn't make for the best mystery? But still, I can talk this up and it'll go.
Actual Rating: 2.5 (Rounded up, as I was engaged enough to read in one sitting.)
Fantasy standalones are always tempting to pick up but, in practice, so often don't stand up to their serial counterparts. If you love expansive world-building, intricate plots and detailed characterisation, there simply isn't the word count to deliver on all three - especially when it comes to YA. Any romantic sub-plots are also generally unsatisfying as, again, there is no time or space to deliver anything other than insta-love.
Long May She Reign not only suffers from (what I call) standalone syndrome, but it also seeks to straddle two genres at the same time - fantasy and mystery - and consequently fails to adequately deliver on either. However, it's the ending that seriously left a sour taste in my mouth; it was anti-climatic, ambiguous, and the treatment of the killer was totally nonsensical. Cue rant...
As a result, I could never really reread this book. That is not to say that I hated it. I didn't. The book hooked me enough to read into the wee hours. The author is clearly talented enough to create a story and characters that swept me up and gave me feelings - even if those feelings were 90% frustration. Thomas came up with a wildly intriguing and ambitious premise and, unfortunately, missed the mark by seeking to satisfy two genres that require ample time and complexity while also trying to shoehorn in a half-baked romance. That said, all the ingredients were there, but the focus went on the wrong things.
The science experiments were cool in concept but deeply dull to read about, and constantly left me wondering why Freya (our queen/protagonist) couldn't hire a scientist to do the grunt work so she could get on with the actual business of ruling. The political intrigue lacked any genuine intrigue; I kept waiting to discover a shadowy plot or an unexpected betrayal. However, nothing was shadowy or unexpected. We were told the stakes were high, but I never felt the characters were in danger, and we knew so little about the country that I kept wondering why it was important that Freya was its queen; she showed little interest in ruling it for the most part.
Overall, I really wanted to like the book. As both a fantasy and mystery fan I was psyched to read a book that encompassed both genres. However, if you want a book about a young, inexperienced queen taking the throne in a cutthroat, political environment then Queen of the Tearling is far more satisfying. And the mystery would have been better served by another perspective, in a more suitable role, who could have devoted themselves to the investigation.
Given all these issues, it's a testament to Thomas's skill as a writer that I would definitely consider picking up another of her books in the future. (With only minor trepidation.)
Fantasy standalones are always tempting to pick up but, in practice, so often don't stand up to their serial counterparts. If you love expansive world-building, intricate plots and detailed characterisation, there simply isn't the word count to deliver on all three - especially when it comes to YA. Any romantic sub-plots are also generally unsatisfying as, again, there is no time or space to deliver anything other than insta-love.
Long May She Reign not only suffers from (what I call) standalone syndrome, but it also seeks to straddle two genres at the same time - fantasy and mystery - and consequently fails to adequately deliver on either. However, it's the ending that seriously left a sour taste in my mouth; it was anti-climatic, ambiguous, and the treatment of the killer was totally nonsensical. Cue rant...
Spoiler
Giving Madeline her freedom is completely about Freya's own feelings towards her, which seems a total backslide in character development, returning to her former self-involved ways. Her decision was not about honouring the victims (400 of them!) of the literal massacre. Seriously, how does Naomi feel about her brother's killer going free? In modern-day parlance, Madeline would probably be considered a terrorist, killing people to enact her political philosophy. Still, she made Freya look pretty, so I guess she can live her life consequence-free. I disagree with capital punishment, but I do expect justice, and Madeline's actions were wholly inexcusable. What is to stop her from going to the next corrupt country and massacring their aristocracy too?As a result, I could never really reread this book. That is not to say that I hated it. I didn't. The book hooked me enough to read into the wee hours. The author is clearly talented enough to create a story and characters that swept me up and gave me feelings - even if those feelings were 90% frustration. Thomas came up with a wildly intriguing and ambitious premise and, unfortunately, missed the mark by seeking to satisfy two genres that require ample time and complexity while also trying to shoehorn in a half-baked romance. That said, all the ingredients were there, but the focus went on the wrong things.
The science experiments were cool in concept but deeply dull to read about, and constantly left me wondering why Freya (our queen/protagonist) couldn't hire a scientist to do the grunt work so she could get on with the actual business of ruling. The political intrigue lacked any genuine intrigue; I kept waiting to discover a shadowy plot or an unexpected betrayal. However, nothing was shadowy or unexpected. We were told the stakes were high, but I never felt the characters were in danger, and we knew so little about the country that I kept wondering why it was important that Freya was its queen; she showed little interest in ruling it for the most part.
Overall, I really wanted to like the book. As both a fantasy and mystery fan I was psyched to read a book that encompassed both genres. However, if you want a book about a young, inexperienced queen taking the throne in a cutthroat, political environment then Queen of the Tearling is far more satisfying. And the mystery would have been better served by another perspective, in a more suitable role, who could have devoted themselves to the investigation.
Given all these issues, it's a testament to Thomas's skill as a writer that I would definitely consider picking up another of her books in the future. (With only minor trepidation.)
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes