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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The ending makes me think there will be another book coming, but I didn’t see any news of that. It feels like there are some threads still hanging. I do love that it’s based in west Africa because there are not many books available in English speaking markets based in that part of the world.
The Scorpion Queen by Mina Fears. Finished this one today and loved it a lot. Got a lot of bad reviews on Goodreads but I don't understand why. It's Mina's debut novel and trust me, I've read A LOT worse debut novels lol.
Anyway, it takes place in 15th century Egypt. It's about Amie, a 16 year old girl who gets punished by her parents and now has to work for a princess. The princess name is Mariama. Now, instead of working there Amie wants to find a way to run away with the boy she loves and that she originally was gonna marry. Now, in the palace there are 'trials' to find a husband for Mariama. Suitors have to sit in a pot with bioling water. If they survive, they can marry Mariama but ofcourse, no one survives that. So now Amie has to make a choice to either help Mariama to end these trials or to run away with the boy. It also has a sapphic twist at the end which was really cool.
Anyway, it takes place in 15th century Egypt. It's about Amie, a 16 year old girl who gets punished by her parents and now has to work for a princess. The princess name is Mariama. Now, instead of working there Amie wants to find a way to run away with the boy she loves and that she originally was gonna marry. Now, in the palace there are 'trials' to find a husband for Mariama. Suitors have to sit in a pot with bioling water. If they survive, they can marry Mariama but ofcourse, no one survives that. So now Amie has to make a choice to either help Mariama to end these trials or to run away with the boy. It also has a sapphic twist at the end which was really cool.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc and chance to review.
3.5 stars (I wish Goodreads allowed us to leave 1/2 stars)
This book starts out a bit slow, but the second half has a suspenseful life or death situation that puts you on the edge of your seat, it’s full of death, fighting, magic and the realisation that maybe those you thought you could trust you can’t and those that you don’t are actually the ones that you can.
The FMC was a bit annoying at times, especially at the start when she was all doom and gloom. I loved her growth with Jeneba and Penda, as well as her relationship with her sister that we see grows by the end.
The ending was a bit abrupt, I know it’s setting up for a series but I was hoping for a bit more of a conclusion.
I love the worldbuilding and the concept of the gods, sorcerers, magical maps and a deadly suitor competition.
3.5 stars (I wish Goodreads allowed us to leave 1/2 stars)
This book starts out a bit slow, but the second half has a suspenseful life or death situation that puts you on the edge of your seat, it’s full of death, fighting, magic and the realisation that maybe those you thought you could trust you can’t and those that you don’t are actually the ones that you can.
The FMC was a bit annoying at times, especially at the start when she was all doom and gloom. I loved her growth with Jeneba and Penda, as well as her relationship with her sister that we see grows by the end.
The ending was a bit abrupt, I know it’s setting up for a series but I was hoping for a bit more of a conclusion.
I love the worldbuilding and the concept of the gods, sorcerers, magical maps and a deadly suitor competition.
The Scorpion Queen was a cover grab! I just had to have it. I had no idea what it was about when I started reading. As I was slowly getting introduced to all our characters and our world, I noticed the bit of court intrigue and myths. Amie and her relationship with her sister is very tumultuous. Her sister betrays her in the worst way saying it was for her own good. This leads to all the chaos that follows. A dangerous journey through to desert, a meeting with a not nice god, and uncovering hard truths are some of the big things that Amie must go through. Amie grows so much throughout the story. It was so good to see. I need a second book because that ending!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
If betrayals, quests, and west African history mixed with fantasy seem intriguing then this book its that. I would have like to see more flushed out characters especially Haddy. The betrayals and intrigue and gullibility were thick.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
inspiring
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
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved so much of this but the ending was so short. I need to know what happens next. It was so rough.
This was an adventurous tale with high stakes and harsh realties.
Amie's having a rough go of it. Blamed for something she didn't do, she finds her reputation ruined and her chances of marrying the man she loves up in smoke. Instead of starting her new life as a cherished wife, she finds herself disowned by her wealthy merchant father and working as a maid-servant to the princess. Determined to no longer be a push-over and anxious to find freedom, she gets mixed up in plans that take a dangerous turn.
This story had a lot of promise and was a fun read, but not a new favorite. I felt the end was a bit rushed and would have greatly benefited from some more revisions. It's not clear to me if more books are coming in this world which could resolve the many loose ends that were left, there's definitely room for that.
The world building and magic, especially with the gods, was very interesting and I would have loved even more emphasis on that. My understanding is this story is inspired by West African mythology which is not an area I've read much but hope to read more of.
Amie's having a rough go of it. Blamed for something she didn't do, she finds her reputation ruined and her chances of marrying the man she loves up in smoke. Instead of starting her new life as a cherished wife, she finds herself disowned by her wealthy merchant father and working as a maid-servant to the princess. Determined to no longer be a push-over and anxious to find freedom, she gets mixed up in plans that take a dangerous turn.
This story had a lot of promise and was a fun read, but not a new favorite. I felt the end was a bit rushed and would have greatly benefited from some more revisions. It's not clear to me if more books are coming in this world which could resolve the many loose ends that were left, there's definitely room for that.
The world building and magic, especially with the gods, was very interesting and I would have loved even more emphasis on that. My understanding is this story is inspired by West African mythology which is not an area I've read much but hope to read more of.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Injury/Injury detail