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A review by brandenburg_reads
The Scorpion Queen by Mina Fears
4.0
This book is not for the faint of heart. It is a dark and enthralling Timbuktu tale about survival, loyalty, and love against brutal odds. Amie, a disinherited but educated merchant's daughter, has to navigate the harrowing palace court as a new ladies' maid to the princess. From the beginning, the stakes are clear: the emperor's deadly trials for the young men seeking his daughter's hand in marriage leave a trail of boiled corpses. Amie's misfortune of being framed thrust her into servitude. She displays remarkable strength as her own family has betrayed her, and it destroys her soon-to-be marriage to the love of her life, Kader.
The relationship between Amie and Princess Mariama causes tension because Amie's resentment of her circumstances makes her bitter. She begins to understand the struggle of Marriama and develops a connection that grows into friendship. Amie finds a map to the magical hammer of the god that will save the new suitor's life, which happens to be Kader. He promised to run away with her after they got the hammer and took the riches. The dangerous journey to gain possession of the hammer is not one Amie ever bargained for and will put those she loves in peril.
The stark dangers of the ones in power, the desert, and the quest was merciless. The mythological elements did not overshadow the human drama at the story's core. Amie's choices are fraught with moral ambiguity, and the narrative does not shy away from the emotional toll of her decisions. She uses her brilliance to control her fate. The story has predictable elements, but not in a way that ruins the story's development. It is for readers who enjoy dark, fast-paced writing.
I received an ARC audiobook for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners
The relationship between Amie and Princess Mariama causes tension because Amie's resentment of her circumstances makes her bitter. She begins to understand the struggle of Marriama and develops a connection that grows into friendship. Amie finds a map to the magical hammer of the god that will save the new suitor's life, which happens to be Kader. He promised to run away with her after they got the hammer and took the riches. The dangerous journey to gain possession of the hammer is not one Amie ever bargained for and will put those she loves in peril.
The stark dangers of the ones in power, the desert, and the quest was merciless. The mythological elements did not overshadow the human drama at the story's core. Amie's choices are fraught with moral ambiguity, and the narrative does not shy away from the emotional toll of her decisions. She uses her brilliance to control her fate. The story has predictable elements, but not in a way that ruins the story's development. It is for readers who enjoy dark, fast-paced writing.
I received an ARC audiobook for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners