Wednesday, February 12, 2025

The Queens Rise review


 Book: The Queens Rise

Author: Bethany Atazadeh

Pages: 514

Date(s) Read: January 4th, 2025 to February 11th, 2025

Date Published: October 1st, 2024

Rating: 3/5

Genre:  Fantasy

Characters: 2/5

Writing style: 5/5

Story: 3/5

Ending:  4/5

Cover: 5/5

Format: Hard Cover

Date Bought: October 17th, 2024

Book Cost: 29.99


Review:

The Queens Rise is a fast-paced omnibus about your archetypical fantasy evil queen. I found this book at times engaging, page-turning, and enthralling but there were other times I felt like I really had to slog through this book. It's a good book, don't get me wrong, but it's not without its major flaws.

 

In The Queens Rise, we follow Jezebel, a Jinni girl with the power to shapeshift. In her world, shapeshifting is considered too powerful a gift, and shapeshifters are often feared. When her friends discover her abilities, Jezebel has to make some tough decisions about what to do next.  Jezebel is a likable female lead who is highly pragmatic, ambitious, and determined. Unfortunately, most of the other characters are pretty weak in comparison with little personality and powers that pale in comparison. She's never really given a run for her money.  The world-building leaves a lot to be desired too. There's not enough depth or detail in the setting, culture, or people to make anything stand out as unique or particularly memorable. It all feels very generic fantasy.

 

The plot could have been much better in my opinion, it goes in weird and oftentimes meandering directions. The third book is a big shift from the first two and feels almost like the author came up with the idea on a whim with a whole other group of people thrown out there that aren't (to my memory) mentioned beforehand. It feels like it comes out of nowhere.

 

The lackluster characters, underwhelming world-building, and disappointing story are definitely huge flaws but the ending, the overall idea, and the writing itself save this book.

 

You won't be blown away from this book, and may even find yourself questioning some of the directions of the story but you'll be thoroughly entertained for the several hours it takes you to get through this behemoth of a book.  

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