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A review by darkclouds
The Queen's Rising by Rebecca Ross
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Sometimes you read an author's work at the right time. It's not always necessarily their first, but it's an olive branch to take a step into their world they've crafted.
Fate allowed me to enter Rebecca's with Divine Rivals. In comparison to Queen's Rising, the quality in the writing is tremendously evident. Ross has crossed leaps and bounds to write the masterpiece that is Divine Rivals and the potential is there in Queen's Rising. It just didn't quite follow through with the execution amongst other details.
For the most part it was a slow ride from an academic setting, some mysteries regarding Brienna and her Maevan heritage she must suppress in order to keep safe. We triage into the next act with plotting to overthrow a vicious King and restore the Queendom it once was. I was grateful that Brienna was not drawn into the "Lost Queen" trope for I fear that would have put me off completely.
It felt oddly lacking in adventure and almost monotonous until that last quarter. I found no joy in the romance, although slow burn, which was formed between a professor (Arial) and his pupil (Arden). He met her when she was ten and having watched her grow up and then teaching her himself, just does not sit well with me.
In any case, I can see why people would struggle with this one. There's a staggering amount of history about the world to remember, many names and Houses, aliases and terms. It's a lot. The way it has tied up I'm not quite sure how there is a sequel. But I guess we'll dive into that one too.
Fate allowed me to enter Rebecca's with Divine Rivals. In comparison to Queen's Rising, the quality in the writing is tremendously evident. Ross has crossed leaps and bounds to write the masterpiece that is Divine Rivals and the potential is there in Queen's Rising. It just didn't quite follow through with the execution amongst other details.
For the most part it was a slow ride from an academic setting, some mysteries regarding Brienna and her Maevan heritage she must suppress in order to keep safe. We triage into the next act with plotting to overthrow a vicious King and restore the Queendom it once was. I was grateful that Brienna was not drawn into the "Lost Queen" trope for I fear that would have put me off completely.
It felt oddly lacking in adventure and almost monotonous until that last quarter. I found no joy in the romance, although slow burn, which was formed between a professor (Arial) and his pupil (Arden). He met her when she was ten and having watched her grow up and then teaching her himself, just does not sit well with me.
In any case, I can see why people would struggle with this one. There's a staggering amount of history about the world to remember, many names and Houses, aliases and terms. It's a lot. The way it has tied up I'm not quite sure how there is a sequel. But I guess we'll dive into that one too.
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, and Murder