A review by laileanah
The Scorpion Queen by Mina Fears

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

 I liked this overall. It's a first novel, and that could be felt in places as a bit of awkwardness. The first half of this story felt like royal historical fiction. I quite enjoyed the court politics and background. The second half of the book was full of fantastical magical situations and solutions. This is clearly a retelling of fairytale or a modern take on a fairytale.

This is set in pre-colonial Imperial Mail in 1359. The main character is Amie. Who was disinherited by her family, which resulted in her working as a servant. She's assigned as a kind of ladies maid to Princess Mariama, the daughter of Emperor Suleyman. This has clear mythological elements, stunning reveals, and the story is wrapped up nicely, but there's also a cliffhanger of sorts.

One of the best aspects of this audiobook is the narrator, Sandra Okuboyejo. Sandra does a phenomenal job of both keeping the historical aspects imbued with realistic feelings while at the same time adding to the magical and fantastical elements of the story.

My only complaint would be that this suffers from pacing issues. I was invested in the world building, but passing can kill the flow for slower readers. This is a first novel, and the result is clunky in places. I deeply look forward to another novel by this author.

Thank you to Mina Fears, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.