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simplykendra_reads's review against another edition
4.5
This was so intriguing!!! I loved getting Queen Elsabet's backstory and how everything played out. Her story is really what shaped the politics of this world as it is in the present series. This was a wild ride. I think this is a very necessary novella and so well done.
zquill's review against another edition
4.0
Francesca's motives were a bit weak, and it seemed way too easy to convince the country that their new queen was insane, but it is a novella and a nice explanation for the start of the Arrons' power-grab. Given that this novella doesn't star someone in the YA age bracket, it ends up highlighting the maturity of the themes this series handles. It's not that teens shouldn't be reading it, but it does feel a little limiting to have it labelled as YA when murdering one's own sisters, cheating lovers, and breeding the new generation are all main plot points.
renekeli's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jlocy13's review against another edition
4.0
This was my favorite novella in the series!
I LOVED learning more about why Oracle Queens are drowned at birth in modern times.
The love, the betrayal, the character writing!!!!!!!
I enjoyed it.
I LOVED learning more about why Oracle Queens are drowned at birth in modern times.
The love, the betrayal, the character writing!!!!!!!
I enjoyed it.
emtees's review against another edition
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This is a short novella set in the world of Three Dark Crows, 500 years before the plot of the main series. It is the story of Elsabet, the last queen of Fennbirn to possess the sight gift. The novella starts out with Mirabella, Arsinoe and Katharine hearing the story of Elsabet as Fennbirn remembers it: that she went mad because of her gift, had three houses executed, and had to be locked away in a tower for twenty years, and that because of her, all potential queens born with the sight are killed before they can take the throne. From there, the story then flashes back to tell the story of what really happened.
It was pretty easy to tell going in that the story the girls heard in the “present” wasn’t going to be accurate, but I still expected some twists and turns on the way to the truth. Unfortunately, this is a very slight story without many surprises. It feels like the author wanted to write a tragic story about court intrigue, romantic jealousy and betrayal, but she also wanted to make this story go by as quickly as possible. So what could have been a twisty political tale instead is told in the most straightforward manner possible. The bad guys have no redeeming qualities, are identifiable as soon as they turn up on page and never make any mistakes; the good guys may have flaws, but those flaws having nothing to do with the things that happen to them, so there’s no tragic irony at all. You can see the plot unfolding, but because there never seems like a point when Elsabet could have avoided her fate, it’s more frustrating than sad to read. And it wraps up incredibly quickly.
Spoilers for the ending: The worst part is that Elsabet’s gift ends up having nothing to do with why she is betrayed and locked up. The whole basis for why this story even matters within the world of the main series is that this is why there are no more queens with the oracle gift, but it turns out that’s just a coincidence. Elsabet could have had any gift. So what’s even the point?
It was pretty easy to tell going in that the story the girls heard in the “present” wasn’t going to be accurate, but I still expected some twists and turns on the way to the truth. Unfortunately, this is a very slight story without many surprises. It feels like the author wanted to write a tragic story about court intrigue, romantic jealousy and betrayal, but she also wanted to make this story go by as quickly as possible. So what could have been a twisty political tale instead is told in the most straightforward manner possible. The bad guys have no redeeming qualities, are identifiable as soon as they turn up on page and never make any mistakes; the good guys may have flaws, but those flaws having nothing to do with the things that happen to them, so there’s no tragic irony at all. You can see the plot unfolding, but because there never seems like a point when Elsabet could have avoided her fate, it’s more frustrating than sad to read. And it wraps up incredibly quickly.
Spoilers for the ending:
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity
little_mixer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
saniaferdous's review against another edition
4.0
Firstly, this was a pretty obvious read. So for those that are claiming this was predictable and didn’t bring anything new to the actual series, you are wrong.
We ALREADY know that this novella is based on the famous Oracle Queen and her tragic ending to ‘madness’. This was simply a great and fun way to learn a little history on the queens reign. This was a quick, short read before the instalment of the next book which I enjoyed.
For that reason I have given this novella 4 - 4.5 stars.
We ALREADY know that this novella is based on the famous Oracle Queen and her tragic ending to ‘madness’. This was simply a great and fun way to learn a little history on the queens reign. This was a quick, short read before the instalment of the next book which I enjoyed.
For that reason I have given this novella 4 - 4.5 stars.
lina_petrina's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0