Review: The Queen's Choice

Publication: Harlequin Teen

Genre: Fantasy

Format: Hardcover, 512 pages

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Anya's position as niece of the Queen of the Fae has never been of much consequence to her, until she discovers that the Queen is dying, and has chosen Anya as heir. Anya is desperate to avoid taking Queenship, and resolves to find the Queen's estranged son- a half human who crossed into the human world years ago- and persuade him to claim his birthright. But the human world holds more dangers for Anya than she could ever have predicted, and her quest leaves the fate of her realm in a precarious position.

I actually really struggled to not DNF this one. The issue is that the first 350 pages of this novel are mediocre at best, only picking up in the last 150 or so pages. Once the story picked up, it was an interesting enough read, it just took a REALLY long time to get there for me.

I didn't particularly enjoy Anya, either as a character or as a narrator, especially in the beginning. As a character, she fell flat for me, her emotions didn't really ring true for me, which left me with very little understanding or sympathy for her choices. As a narrator, she was just a bit dull- it was more that she was like a tour guide than a person experiencing the world she inhabited. It wasn't a narrative style that I particularly enjoyed, but that might just be my preference.

I found myself browsing a lot during this novel, and really only found myself engaged in those last 150 pages- and then only when certain characters were present. Anya on her own wasn't enough to interest me. There was a romance of sorts, and I really didn't enjoy that addition to the novel- it felt rushed and unnecessary.

The world in this novel seems to still be under construction. The culture and beliefs of the humans in the novel don't seem to be firmly established. The culture and beliefs of the Fae are discussed at length, but without any particular radiance or lyricism. Aspects of the world and the knowledge of the characters were things that felt like they appeared when they were convenient to pull the plot along, rather than as a natural part of the world created. This novel finds its footing a bit toward the end, and there is promise for the next book in the trilogy.

Despite my negative feelings about the start of this novel, there were definitely parts of the story that interested me toward the end of the book. I am still considering reading the sequel, though I might wait to see if the last book in the trilogy gets a release date.

Kelly

I'm a reader and reviewer from Ontario, Canada, which mean that sometimes library trips take place place through a foot or so of snow. I'm going into my third year of university, studying Environmental Sciences, which I juggle with my almost constant reading. I've been blogging at at my own blog since 2012, and I'll be helping Yani out here on Paper Boulevard as a co-blogger.