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The Nine Realms #1
A Queen in Hiding
Orphaned, exiled and hunted, Cérulia, Princess of Weirandale, must master the magic that is her birthright, become a ruthless guerilla fighter, and transform into the queen she is destined to be.
But to do it she must win the favor of the spirits who play in mortal affairs, assemble an unlikely group of rebels, and wrest the throne from a corrupt aristocracy whose rot has spread throughout her kingdom.
But to do it she must win the favor of the spirits who play in mortal affairs, assemble an unlikely group of rebels, and wrest the throne from a corrupt aristocracy whose rot has spread throughout her kingdom.
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First published January 21, 2020
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About the author
Sarah Kozloff
17 books319 followersSarah has spent her life immersed in literature, narrative, and film.
After a degree in English at Dartmouth she worked in film production in NYC. She earned a Ph.D. from an interdisciplinary program at Stanford University, joining the Film Department of Vassar College in 1988. In 2009 she was awarded the William R. Kenan Jr. Endowed Chair.
In 2012, while teaching a senior seminar on American Women Directors, she realized that neither the books nor films of Lord of the Rings could pass the Bechdel Test. That summer, she grabbed her laptop and started imagining a world that awaited the return of the queen.
She didn’t know then that this leap into creative writing would spark a new career. Her epic fantasy quartet, The Nine Realms, was published by TOR on a rapid publications schedule. All four books, A Queen in Hiding, The Queen of Raiders, A Broken Queen, and The Cerulean Queen, came out from January through April 2020.
She lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband and a shifting menagerie of pets, who mistakenly believe they are suitable replacements for grown sons.
After a degree in English at Dartmouth she worked in film production in NYC. She earned a Ph.D. from an interdisciplinary program at Stanford University, joining the Film Department of Vassar College in 1988. In 2009 she was awarded the William R. Kenan Jr. Endowed Chair.
In 2012, while teaching a senior seminar on American Women Directors, she realized that neither the books nor films of Lord of the Rings could pass the Bechdel Test. That summer, she grabbed her laptop and started imagining a world that awaited the return of the queen.
She didn’t know then that this leap into creative writing would spark a new career. Her epic fantasy quartet, The Nine Realms, was published by TOR on a rapid publications schedule. All four books, A Queen in Hiding, The Queen of Raiders, A Broken Queen, and The Cerulean Queen, came out from January through April 2020.
She lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband and a shifting menagerie of pets, who mistakenly believe they are suitable replacements for grown sons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 534 reviews
January 15, 2020
Epic fantasy books require a special mindset, focus and time to get into. With this one I was hooked straightaway and couldn't put it down until I devoured all 500 pages of this fast-paced first instalment of Sarah Kolzloff's new series.
The worldbuilding is very thorough and ...seemingly effortless. You are in the middle of events at the Nargiz castle, home of Weirandale queens, and yet, I was not confused or baffled for a single moment. I trusted the author to provide the necessary background information at the right moment. Sarah Kozloff lets you experience this complex world as if it is your own and when an explanation comes it's just a piece of a puzzle that fits in the overall picture.
The characterization is absolutely fantastic, and let me tell you, there is a large cast. The author pays attention to give every character- main or secondary their own distinct voice, appearance and personality. There is also depth that comes with the additional background and showing the characters' motivations. We meet Princella Cerulia at the age of eight when the elders are trying to define her special talent (all previous queens possessed one). It is blatantly obvious to us that it is communicating with animals and that like it was the case with her mother, Cerulia's talent will develop in future and will manifest itself at the times of need. Then we are plunged into the world of court intrigue. Queen Cressa is surrounded by treacherous nobles, one of whom stages a coup to kill the queen in order to rule the country as a regent. Betrayed by her Council, Queen Cressa fears for her own life and life of her daughter, and is forced into an exile. Cerulia is disguised and given a new identity as a commoner. Gradually, she will master her own magic abilities and grow into a strong and intelligent contender ready to reclaim the throne for her family.
There is an original magic system based on elements, but the book is so well-researched and well-written that the magic aspect feels secondary to the realistic descriptions of court politics and everyday life.
I am very glad that the books are being released over the next four months (January 21, February 18, March 17, April 21), as I am really looking forward to reading the second instalment.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Tor for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
The worldbuilding is very thorough and ...seemingly effortless. You are in the middle of events at the Nargiz castle, home of Weirandale queens, and yet, I was not confused or baffled for a single moment. I trusted the author to provide the necessary background information at the right moment. Sarah Kozloff lets you experience this complex world as if it is your own and when an explanation comes it's just a piece of a puzzle that fits in the overall picture.
The characterization is absolutely fantastic, and let me tell you, there is a large cast. The author pays attention to give every character- main or secondary their own distinct voice, appearance and personality. There is also depth that comes with the additional background and showing the characters' motivations. We meet Princella Cerulia at the age of eight when the elders are trying to define her special talent (all previous queens possessed one). It is blatantly obvious to us that it is communicating with animals and that like it was the case with her mother, Cerulia's talent will develop in future and will manifest itself at the times of need. Then we are plunged into the world of court intrigue. Queen Cressa is surrounded by treacherous nobles, one of whom stages a coup to kill the queen in order to rule the country as a regent. Betrayed by her Council, Queen Cressa fears for her own life and life of her daughter, and is forced into an exile. Cerulia is disguised and given a new identity as a commoner. Gradually, she will master her own magic abilities and grow into a strong and intelligent contender ready to reclaim the throne for her family.
There is an original magic system based on elements, but the book is so well-researched and well-written that the magic aspect feels secondary to the realistic descriptions of court politics and everyday life.
I am very glad that the books are being released over the next four months (January 21, February 18, March 17, April 21), as I am really looking forward to reading the second instalment.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Tor for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
December 9, 2019
A little over 10 years ago, Brent Weeks released his acclaimed Night Angel trilogy. I remember thinking at the time how awesome it was that each book in that trilogy was being released in three successive months from October to December. Fast forward and The Nine Realms series by Sarah Kozloff is using that same marketing strategy, as each of the books in this four book fantasy series will be released from January 2020 to April 2020. So I'm already really excited that I can read this entire series in just four months! As a serious fantasy reader, this is my best-case scenario and I wish that every series was like this (not realistic I know but I can dream right?). Putting that aside though, let's get on with my review of A QUEEN IN HIDING.
Betrayal has forced Queen Cressa of Wierandale into exile. Constantly trying to stay one step ahead of regent Matwyck and his men in their attempt to eliminate any possibility of Cressa trying to reclaim her throne, she also must concern herself with protecting her daughter, Princess Cerulia. Previously next in line for the throne, now Cerulia must be spirited away and sent to live with an unsuspecting peasant family under her newly assumed identity as the commoner Wren. For the sake of not confusing anyone in this review, I will continue to refer to her as Cerulia however.
Cerulia gradually realizes that she has a unique talent that enables her to communicate with animals. Following in the tradition of those princesses who came before her, each heir to the throne is born with some form of magical "talent" that manifests itself as the princess matures into a young lady. Cerulia's talent has shown itself a little later than most but it's ultimately that talent that makes her aware of a potential invasion from a neighboring country.
Now, not only is Cerulia faced with trying to reclaim the throne for her and her mother, but she must also contend with this brewing menace. If she hopes to survive she must do so by realizing the full potential of what she has been gifted, but also use all of her cunning and intelligence to outwit her would-be assassins. Meanwhile, time may be running out for the former Queen Cressa as those who are hot on her heels may be closer than even she herself believes.
A QUEEN IN HIDING is a 500 page book that I devoured in a snap. A big reason why is that each chapter brings you deeper and deeper into a compelling tale of deception and court politics that make the pages rocket by. Do not be intimidated in the least by its length because the story is one that rarely lags for any considerable stretch. Even when the action does slow down, the descriptions of the rich setting and history of the Nine Realms is just as interesting and impressive and will ultimately keep you in rapt attention.
This is a variation of the classic coming of age story, but to pigeonhole it as that and only that would be to do it a disservice in my opinion. It's a realistic fantasy that almost ventures into the realm of historical fiction at times. Yes there is magic, but it is not an overpowering element of the story. It felt more to me like the fantastical historical books of say Mary Stewart or Bernard Cornwell. That meaning that the characters don't rely solely on magic to win the day but instead use their own education and training.
That being said, the magical parts are brilliantly handled and there are enough of these moments to make you feel satisfied should you prefer a more spellbinding tome. This is a real treat of a read that I recommend to anyone who desires a deep and engaging story to sink their teeth into. I really have a hard time believing that this is Sarah Kozloff's first foray into writing fantasy novels. She displays a talent that is rarely seen in brand new novelists and I am even more excited than ever to read the next three books in The Nine Realms.
I would recommend A QUEEN IN HIDING to anyone who enjoys epic fantasy and also historical fiction with a touch of fantasy. There's a nice mixture of both in this book that gives this series a realistic foundation with hints of the supernatural just waiting to possibly explode and take center stage. Maybe we will see that come to fruition in the forthcoming releases. But even if not, this is still quite the remarkable beginning to what I believe will be one heck of a series when all is said and done. Now where's book 2? Oh that's right I don't have too long to wait, now do I?
Betrayal has forced Queen Cressa of Wierandale into exile. Constantly trying to stay one step ahead of regent Matwyck and his men in their attempt to eliminate any possibility of Cressa trying to reclaim her throne, she also must concern herself with protecting her daughter, Princess Cerulia. Previously next in line for the throne, now Cerulia must be spirited away and sent to live with an unsuspecting peasant family under her newly assumed identity as the commoner Wren. For the sake of not confusing anyone in this review, I will continue to refer to her as Cerulia however.
Cerulia gradually realizes that she has a unique talent that enables her to communicate with animals. Following in the tradition of those princesses who came before her, each heir to the throne is born with some form of magical "talent" that manifests itself as the princess matures into a young lady. Cerulia's talent has shown itself a little later than most but it's ultimately that talent that makes her aware of a potential invasion from a neighboring country.
Now, not only is Cerulia faced with trying to reclaim the throne for her and her mother, but she must also contend with this brewing menace. If she hopes to survive she must do so by realizing the full potential of what she has been gifted, but also use all of her cunning and intelligence to outwit her would-be assassins. Meanwhile, time may be running out for the former Queen Cressa as those who are hot on her heels may be closer than even she herself believes.
A QUEEN IN HIDING is a 500 page book that I devoured in a snap. A big reason why is that each chapter brings you deeper and deeper into a compelling tale of deception and court politics that make the pages rocket by. Do not be intimidated in the least by its length because the story is one that rarely lags for any considerable stretch. Even when the action does slow down, the descriptions of the rich setting and history of the Nine Realms is just as interesting and impressive and will ultimately keep you in rapt attention.
This is a variation of the classic coming of age story, but to pigeonhole it as that and only that would be to do it a disservice in my opinion. It's a realistic fantasy that almost ventures into the realm of historical fiction at times. Yes there is magic, but it is not an overpowering element of the story. It felt more to me like the fantastical historical books of say Mary Stewart or Bernard Cornwell. That meaning that the characters don't rely solely on magic to win the day but instead use their own education and training.
That being said, the magical parts are brilliantly handled and there are enough of these moments to make you feel satisfied should you prefer a more spellbinding tome. This is a real treat of a read that I recommend to anyone who desires a deep and engaging story to sink their teeth into. I really have a hard time believing that this is Sarah Kozloff's first foray into writing fantasy novels. She displays a talent that is rarely seen in brand new novelists and I am even more excited than ever to read the next three books in The Nine Realms.
I would recommend A QUEEN IN HIDING to anyone who enjoys epic fantasy and also historical fiction with a touch of fantasy. There's a nice mixture of both in this book that gives this series a realistic foundation with hints of the supernatural just waiting to possibly explode and take center stage. Maybe we will see that come to fruition in the forthcoming releases. But even if not, this is still quite the remarkable beginning to what I believe will be one heck of a series when all is said and done. Now where's book 2? Oh that's right I don't have too long to wait, now do I?
February 10, 2020
This book is a sloppy, wildly uneven mess. The first two thirds of the book are almost indescribably slow. Adding to the injury of feeling as if you are wasting your time with a really unfulfilling book, is the insult when you realize that the entire first two acts of the three-act story are virtually unnecessary to the plot. I'm not joking. This book should probably start close to the end of the second act, with a few sentences to flesh out the backstory that is included in the book up to that point. I found out after I finished it that the book is intended to be the first in a very quick succession series. It's patently obvious that a single book's worth of content has been spread over multiple volumes to achieve this staggered release.
Positives are thin on the ground, but I genuinely tried to keep track of the stuff that worked for me. Foods, animals, bodily functions, death, and scenes of battle are adequately and realistically described without lingering too long on effluvia. The world itself is a paint-by-numbers, quasi-medieval, typical "Earthy" fantasy environment with a handful of gently modified nouns and titles to add flair to the dialogue. There's nothing unique or original here. I don't really count this as a negative since lots of people enjoy returning to a familiar formula in their reading. The usage of hair colors, etc, to introduce social divisions and ersatz racism in the society is probably well-intentioned, and overall, doesn't detract from the story. It also adds nothing, but at least it doesn't detract. The battle sequence is interesting, and well managed, and there are quite a few likeable characters. The quality of the final three chapters garnered the second star in my rating.
SPOILERS BELOW
The negative is prolific, but in the interest of brevity, I'll just address the main points of concern: pacing, inconsistency in the logic of the world, and what can best be described as Insulting Plot Convenience.
The pacing: This book is mind-numbingly slow to start, and when the action finally picks up, it's at breakneck speed. You can feel the dead air time in the first half of as Kozloff bulked up the page count. The main character*, "Wren" doesn't age for the first HALF of the story, ages 2-3 years in the third quarter, and then races though a decade in the last quarter. The passage of time is documented very poorly. Context clues are dispersed with such subtlety, I had a really hard time figuring out how old anyone was at any stage. Adding to this, none of the tertiary characters around Wren age noticeably (other than an infant whose age isn't specifically mentioned until the final chapters) or die.
*Wren's status as the "main character" is something that I can't claim with 100% certainty. She is the eponymous "hidden queen", but she's absent for over half of the story, and completely without agency until the final few pages of a 500 page book.
Inconsistent world logic: Magic is introduced immediately, and we are assured that endless variety within magic use is accepted, and yet the magical "Talent" of the main character is disputed by every adult in her orbit for... reasons? Despite the reader being assured that her Talent is something that has been documented in her family line within a few recent generations? I honestly have no idea. This just makes zero sense. Both Cerúlia/Wren and Cressa (her mother, the original story queen) randomly manifest completely new magical powers without preamble or explanation at different points in the story. The magic in this story is handled about as well as the pacing. It's just whatever, whenever. This gripe ties a bit into the "plot convenience" problems, but it's worth noting on its own. In a fantasy environment with magic, the reader is 100% dependent upon the author to inform us of the "rules" of the environment. Changing them willy-nilly, or ignoring them (or forgetting them?) is enough to ruin an otherwise solid story... and this story isn't substantive or unique enough to make it without an intact and expressed internal logic.
Insulting Plot Convenience: I'll be honest here and say that the overwhelming majority of the book could fit in this category. There isn't a lot of action that is set up well, so when things happen, they tend to just... happen. And you're told why this happened after the fact (if you're given any explanation at all), usually with a throwaway explanation. A few examples:
* Wren's parents are separated, apparently due to the trauma of a dead infant son. Yet, as soon as Cressa and her estranged husband see each other again, they are 100% back together, no hesitation, no conversations about their separation, no qualms about the dead baby or the lost time together. It's completely unearned, and feels like a majorly missed opportunity.
* The social structure isn't well explained, but seems to be basically derivative of the English style of rule and noble rank. Even assuming this is the case, there's absolutely no explanation for why an absolute monarch who was raised from birth for rule, and who supposedly has a genetic predisposition to rule, would be under constant strain from what amounts to handling squabbling nobles on her council. Is Cressa just really bad at her job/destiny? Is she unfit due to her grief? If she's the "chosen" ruler and genetically/magically/socially accepted as the One True Queen, why is there even a council????
* Cressa is MacGyver and Rambo mixed together, except when she is an incompetent milksop who can't speak up without sighing with worry. In a world where apparently nobody ever wants to dye their hair brown due to brown hair representing "mixed blood" or being "common" (Kozloff's head of dyed blonde hair kind of makes this a little bit gross, but ok), the divinely appointed ruler of the realm somehow knows how to manufacture brown hair dye out of materials that do not grow anywhere on castle grounds.
* Wren is unnaturally bonded to a random little girl after a long afternoon of play, which inspires her mother to seek out the child's family when it's time to dump Cerúlia/Wren in a "safe place". (This entire sequence is virtually the only thing of narrative import that happens in the first third of the book, and it's handled SO BADLY.) This relationship is very abrupt, intense, and odd, but we accept that it's possibly important to the character's development. Yet as soon as the other girl isn't necessary to the plot (spoiler: she was apparently never necessary), she just drops completely out of the story. Wren doesn't talk to her, doesn't think about her, doesn't mention her, and seemingly doesn't worry a lick about leaving her behind... and meanwhile she's sharing a home AND A ROOM with this girl daily.
* My personal most hated feature of the endless list of Plot Convenience: Wren gained her nickname because of the story Cressa concocted upon leaving her with the peasant family. Wren is supposedly a foundling from a prolific family known for giving their children bird names. Except... Wren was already called "Chickadee" as a private family nickname.
She already had a bird nickname.
And she needed a bird nickname.
So they gave her an entirely different bird nickname.
...
Wouldn't it just have been easier not to give the damned character a first bird nickname? Is this supposed to be some kind of mic-drop moment due to her association with animals? Is this going to make a ton of sense after people (not me) read the other 1500 planned pages of this quartet? A word to any aspiring writer or creator of this type of media: if the first book in a series can't stand on its own, it's a bad book. If it needs the other three books to justify itself, then it shouldn't be bound on its own. A good sequential novel that contains "seed" plot beats that will come to fruition later, usually explains those plot beats in a manner that allows for their later expansion. Or even more commonly, explanation isn't necessary because they aren't a critical and hyper-visible component of the story when they are still in the "seed" state. It's not an easy literary trick to manage, which is why there aren't a lot of writers who are known for doing it well.
In summary, everyone is different, and I fully accept that my problems with this book may be things that wouldn't bother a lot of other people. We all enjoy some books that other people don't care for. However, I honestly can't wrap my mind around the high overall rating of this book. Especially from reviewers who profess to read extensively in the fantasy genre, and basically anyone who complimented the pacing. The nicest, kindest, most reasonable compliment that I can give this book is that the battle scene was handled well, and I appreciate the broad range of female characters depicted. However, this book was a solid disappointment in both quality, style, editing, pacing, and internal logic, and I would never recommend it.
Positives are thin on the ground, but I genuinely tried to keep track of the stuff that worked for me. Foods, animals, bodily functions, death, and scenes of battle are adequately and realistically described without lingering too long on effluvia. The world itself is a paint-by-numbers, quasi-medieval, typical "Earthy" fantasy environment with a handful of gently modified nouns and titles to add flair to the dialogue. There's nothing unique or original here. I don't really count this as a negative since lots of people enjoy returning to a familiar formula in their reading. The usage of hair colors, etc, to introduce social divisions and ersatz racism in the society is probably well-intentioned, and overall, doesn't detract from the story. It also adds nothing, but at least it doesn't detract. The battle sequence is interesting, and well managed, and there are quite a few likeable characters. The quality of the final three chapters garnered the second star in my rating.
SPOILERS BELOW
The negative is prolific, but in the interest of brevity, I'll just address the main points of concern: pacing, inconsistency in the logic of the world, and what can best be described as Insulting Plot Convenience.
The pacing: This book is mind-numbingly slow to start, and when the action finally picks up, it's at breakneck speed. You can feel the dead air time in the first half of as Kozloff bulked up the page count. The main character*, "Wren" doesn't age for the first HALF of the story, ages 2-3 years in the third quarter, and then races though a decade in the last quarter. The passage of time is documented very poorly. Context clues are dispersed with such subtlety, I had a really hard time figuring out how old anyone was at any stage. Adding to this, none of the tertiary characters around Wren age noticeably (other than an infant whose age isn't specifically mentioned until the final chapters) or die.
*Wren's status as the "main character" is something that I can't claim with 100% certainty. She is the eponymous "hidden queen", but she's absent for over half of the story, and completely without agency until the final few pages of a 500 page book.
Inconsistent world logic: Magic is introduced immediately, and we are assured that endless variety within magic use is accepted, and yet the magical "Talent" of the main character is disputed by every adult in her orbit for... reasons? Despite the reader being assured that her Talent is something that has been documented in her family line within a few recent generations? I honestly have no idea. This just makes zero sense. Both Cerúlia/Wren and Cressa (her mother, the original story queen) randomly manifest completely new magical powers without preamble or explanation at different points in the story. The magic in this story is handled about as well as the pacing. It's just whatever, whenever. This gripe ties a bit into the "plot convenience" problems, but it's worth noting on its own. In a fantasy environment with magic, the reader is 100% dependent upon the author to inform us of the "rules" of the environment. Changing them willy-nilly, or ignoring them (or forgetting them?) is enough to ruin an otherwise solid story... and this story isn't substantive or unique enough to make it without an intact and expressed internal logic.
Insulting Plot Convenience: I'll be honest here and say that the overwhelming majority of the book could fit in this category. There isn't a lot of action that is set up well, so when things happen, they tend to just... happen. And you're told why this happened after the fact (if you're given any explanation at all), usually with a throwaway explanation. A few examples:
* Wren's parents are separated, apparently due to the trauma of a dead infant son. Yet, as soon as Cressa and her estranged husband see each other again, they are 100% back together, no hesitation, no conversations about their separation, no qualms about the dead baby or the lost time together. It's completely unearned, and feels like a majorly missed opportunity.
* The social structure isn't well explained, but seems to be basically derivative of the English style of rule and noble rank. Even assuming this is the case, there's absolutely no explanation for why an absolute monarch who was raised from birth for rule, and who supposedly has a genetic predisposition to rule, would be under constant strain from what amounts to handling squabbling nobles on her council. Is Cressa just really bad at her job/destiny? Is she unfit due to her grief? If she's the "chosen" ruler and genetically/magically/socially accepted as the One True Queen, why is there even a council????
* Cressa is MacGyver and Rambo mixed together, except when she is an incompetent milksop who can't speak up without sighing with worry. In a world where apparently nobody ever wants to dye their hair brown due to brown hair representing "mixed blood" or being "common" (Kozloff's head of dyed blonde hair kind of makes this a little bit gross, but ok), the divinely appointed ruler of the realm somehow knows how to manufacture brown hair dye out of materials that do not grow anywhere on castle grounds.
* Wren is unnaturally bonded to a random little girl after a long afternoon of play, which inspires her mother to seek out the child's family when it's time to dump Cerúlia/Wren in a "safe place". (This entire sequence is virtually the only thing of narrative import that happens in the first third of the book, and it's handled SO BADLY.) This relationship is very abrupt, intense, and odd, but we accept that it's possibly important to the character's development. Yet as soon as the other girl isn't necessary to the plot (spoiler: she was apparently never necessary), she just drops completely out of the story. Wren doesn't talk to her, doesn't think about her, doesn't mention her, and seemingly doesn't worry a lick about leaving her behind... and meanwhile she's sharing a home AND A ROOM with this girl daily.
* My personal most hated feature of the endless list of Plot Convenience: Wren gained her nickname because of the story Cressa concocted upon leaving her with the peasant family. Wren is supposedly a foundling from a prolific family known for giving their children bird names. Except... Wren was already called "Chickadee" as a private family nickname.
She already had a bird nickname.
And she needed a bird nickname.
So they gave her an entirely different bird nickname.
...
Wouldn't it just have been easier not to give the damned character a first bird nickname? Is this supposed to be some kind of mic-drop moment due to her association with animals? Is this going to make a ton of sense after people (not me) read the other 1500 planned pages of this quartet? A word to any aspiring writer or creator of this type of media: if the first book in a series can't stand on its own, it's a bad book. If it needs the other three books to justify itself, then it shouldn't be bound on its own. A good sequential novel that contains "seed" plot beats that will come to fruition later, usually explains those plot beats in a manner that allows for their later expansion. Or even more commonly, explanation isn't necessary because they aren't a critical and hyper-visible component of the story when they are still in the "seed" state. It's not an easy literary trick to manage, which is why there aren't a lot of writers who are known for doing it well.
In summary, everyone is different, and I fully accept that my problems with this book may be things that wouldn't bother a lot of other people. We all enjoy some books that other people don't care for. However, I honestly can't wrap my mind around the high overall rating of this book. Especially from reviewers who profess to read extensively in the fantasy genre, and basically anyone who complimented the pacing. The nicest, kindest, most reasonable compliment that I can give this book is that the battle scene was handled well, and I appreciate the broad range of female characters depicted. However, this book was a solid disappointment in both quality, style, editing, pacing, and internal logic, and I would never recommend it.
September 17, 2020
Absolutely loved it!
What a stellar, epic, coming of age story and debut novel with a model start to an amazing fantasy series. This right here is everything I enjoy in a good book from start to finish: political intrigue, elemental worship, spirits, magi, power struggles, amazing world-building, incredible settings, friendships, lies, betrayal, and love.
The book begins in Year 8 of Queen Cressa's Reign of Weirandale as she dotes over her daughter princella Cerulia's progress in her lessons with the tutor. As of this time, the chronicler has not noticed any special talents as they should have begun to manifest by her age, like so in all of Nargis's (Spirit of Fresh Water, Weirandale) queens before that. Cressa's own abilities lie in the enchantment of making people forget things on the spot under her spell - a very useful gift.
In the world of Enea Mon, not all nations are at peace with one another and Cressa receives a threat that serves as the beginning to a tumultuous turn of events.
"Thy streets will run with blood, thy Witch will meet justice, we will take what we are owed by force of the Magi's glorious Power."
Shortly after that, intruders trespass and threaten the queen, but she gets away with her daughter just in a pinch. With her suspicion of Matwyck, a longterm council member short of elections, she has secretly prepared an exit strategy long prior with her most trusted sources...and so she is off by ship to take the princella far away not to be found by any members of the council.
In Wyndton, the safest place Cressa can think of, she leaves Cerulia with a loving couple and their daughter. Using her spell, she enchants their memories and Cerulia is now their adopted daughter Wren, believed to be saved from a tragedy in a neighboring village. Heartbroken, they are separated by a short goodbye with the promise for Cressa to come back for her.
Wren grows up anything but a princess and hides her identity from everyone. Working in the fields through laborious seasons, she grows with the community and hones in on her talents that the Queen had waited for for so long. Will it help her as she grows and waits for her mother to return?
Cressa in the meantime has traveled south to be with her husband and the years pass by. In a set of tragic events, the two of them lose their lives, but the message of the tragedy will never reach Wren, as no one knows of her whereabouts.
With time, more uproar and war become a threat, Weirandale combs the different boundaries to find a young woman that would match the missing princella.
As it all begins to encroach on Wren's home...she has to make decisions without the guidance of her real mother and she dashes to get away into the unknown. From farmgirl to underdog, her path will be full of danger and hurdles, an adventure not to be missed.
THIS story is so, so good. I absolutely adored the setting and the time the author took to develop the characters as well as the landscapes. Very imaginative, not rushed, solid, and vividly presented. Think of settings from The Hobbit with rolling hills, bridges, and stonework, paths for wagons, etc. or Pirates of the Caribbean for the seascapes and swashbuckling scenes.
There are many amazing characters to read of and while I adored Wren and her relationship to her adopted family and friends and her love for animals, there is a myriad of subplots and characters that weave this tale into a beautiful tapestry. Wilim and Stahlia with their daughter Percia, are hardworking and truly good people and uphold as adoptive parents selflessly. The Hartling family and their children Hake, Thalen, and Harthem add a wonderful sideline to the main story and such heartbreak too. The Scolarium of the Free States is a renowned school where students upon passing the entrance exam can study to their strengths in Ancient Languages, History, Earth and Water, Engineering, Comparative Magic, or Music. The vibes of the old school and the ancient knowledge hidden within its walls is the perfect place to read about as a bookworm. I also grew fond of Tiklok who played part in the aid to Queen Cressa towards the beginning and Nana, the faithful Nursemaid of young Cerulia who still waits to this day by the Fountain upon the story to unfold.
This is a wonderful book to dive into for all the senses and perfect to lock out reality while transcending into an immersive fantasy that is simply marvelously written. I just can't say enough good things about it but flail my arms in the air and tell you, you have to read it. It is amazing.
Just do yourself the favor.
In the meantime, I'll will make sure to read the next book in The Nine Realms series real soon. With 3 mor books to follow, it makes for great fall reading. Guaranteed!
Enjoy, friends!
Happy reading :)
More of my reviews here:
Through Novel Time & Distance
What a stellar, epic, coming of age story and debut novel with a model start to an amazing fantasy series. This right here is everything I enjoy in a good book from start to finish: political intrigue, elemental worship, spirits, magi, power struggles, amazing world-building, incredible settings, friendships, lies, betrayal, and love.
The book begins in Year 8 of Queen Cressa's Reign of Weirandale as she dotes over her daughter princella Cerulia's progress in her lessons with the tutor. As of this time, the chronicler has not noticed any special talents as they should have begun to manifest by her age, like so in all of Nargis's (Spirit of Fresh Water, Weirandale) queens before that. Cressa's own abilities lie in the enchantment of making people forget things on the spot under her spell - a very useful gift.
In the world of Enea Mon, not all nations are at peace with one another and Cressa receives a threat that serves as the beginning to a tumultuous turn of events.
"Thy streets will run with blood, thy Witch will meet justice, we will take what we are owed by force of the Magi's glorious Power."
Shortly after that, intruders trespass and threaten the queen, but she gets away with her daughter just in a pinch. With her suspicion of Matwyck, a longterm council member short of elections, she has secretly prepared an exit strategy long prior with her most trusted sources...and so she is off by ship to take the princella far away not to be found by any members of the council.
In Wyndton, the safest place Cressa can think of, she leaves Cerulia with a loving couple and their daughter. Using her spell, she enchants their memories and Cerulia is now their adopted daughter Wren, believed to be saved from a tragedy in a neighboring village. Heartbroken, they are separated by a short goodbye with the promise for Cressa to come back for her.
Wren grows up anything but a princess and hides her identity from everyone. Working in the fields through laborious seasons, she grows with the community and hones in on her talents that the Queen had waited for for so long. Will it help her as she grows and waits for her mother to return?
Cressa in the meantime has traveled south to be with her husband and the years pass by. In a set of tragic events, the two of them lose their lives, but the message of the tragedy will never reach Wren, as no one knows of her whereabouts.
With time, more uproar and war become a threat, Weirandale combs the different boundaries to find a young woman that would match the missing princella.
As it all begins to encroach on Wren's home...she has to make decisions without the guidance of her real mother and she dashes to get away into the unknown. From farmgirl to underdog, her path will be full of danger and hurdles, an adventure not to be missed.
THIS story is so, so good. I absolutely adored the setting and the time the author took to develop the characters as well as the landscapes. Very imaginative, not rushed, solid, and vividly presented. Think of settings from The Hobbit with rolling hills, bridges, and stonework, paths for wagons, etc. or Pirates of the Caribbean for the seascapes and swashbuckling scenes.
There are many amazing characters to read of and while I adored Wren and her relationship to her adopted family and friends and her love for animals, there is a myriad of subplots and characters that weave this tale into a beautiful tapestry. Wilim and Stahlia with their daughter Percia, are hardworking and truly good people and uphold as adoptive parents selflessly. The Hartling family and their children Hake, Thalen, and Harthem add a wonderful sideline to the main story and such heartbreak too. The Scolarium of the Free States is a renowned school where students upon passing the entrance exam can study to their strengths in Ancient Languages, History, Earth and Water, Engineering, Comparative Magic, or Music. The vibes of the old school and the ancient knowledge hidden within its walls is the perfect place to read about as a bookworm. I also grew fond of Tiklok who played part in the aid to Queen Cressa towards the beginning and Nana, the faithful Nursemaid of young Cerulia who still waits to this day by the Fountain upon the story to unfold.
This is a wonderful book to dive into for all the senses and perfect to lock out reality while transcending into an immersive fantasy that is simply marvelously written. I just can't say enough good things about it but flail my arms in the air and tell you, you have to read it. It is amazing.
Just do yourself the favor.
In the meantime, I'll will make sure to read the next book in The Nine Realms series real soon. With 3 mor books to follow, it makes for great fall reading. Guaranteed!
Enjoy, friends!
Happy reading :)
More of my reviews here:
Through Novel Time & Distance
July 24, 2022
This feels like a blast from the past, the sort of traditional epic fantasy story I hadn’t read in ages. Another reviewer likened it to “George R.R. Martin meets Tamora Pierce,” which I find apt. The author’s stated inspiration was wanting to have an Aragorn-like disguised True Queen character, and in this volume, she’s still a young girl who can talk to animals, but it’s also a big world with a lot of political intrigue and brutality. And I enjoyed it, but the first half much more than the second. If I move on to the next volume, that will have far more to do with the fact that this one doesn’t at all work as a standalone than emotional investment in the characters.
The book begins compellingly, with a queen, Cressa, facing threats of invasion from abroad and a palace coup masterminded by traitors on her own council. Cressa is struggling for her life and her crown, as well as to guard the safety of her daughter and heir, 8-year-old Cerúlia, whom she decides to hide with an ordinary village family. There isn’t a lot of “action” here in terms of physical fighting, but there’s a lot at stake and events move quickly, and I was loving it.
SPOILERS below, but mild ones you can guess from the blurb or see in other reviews!
However, the book seems to seriously stumble in its second half. Cressa is our central protagonist for most of the novel, the one making big decisions and driving the action, and her death leaves a hole that Cerúlia does not fill. The second half rushes through 12 years, by this point following a lot of scattered characters and briefly checking in on Cerúlia every few years. I found Cerúlia engaging as a child, and for me the peak of her story came when she was new to the foster home, struggling with being expected to do hard labor at which she can’t keep up with the other kids, and the poor quality of education in the village school, and being seen as a charity case from a no-account family. She’s miserable and she feels sorry for herself and this segment of the book felt incredibly grounded and real.
And you would expect, between the ordinary intensity of adolescence and Cerúlia’s being an orphan and secret princess, that her arc would be highly emotional: she might for instance be trying to run away to reunite with family, or burning with anger at the injustices she sees, or struggling to navigate first love and close friendships while keeping her secret, or fighting to avoid being married off to some village man who’s viewed as a catch for a no-name girl. But none of that happens, Cerúlia just spins through the typical fantasy-hero scenes in which she defends a friend from bullies and learns to fight from a retired soldier. Once she’s used to the village, there’s no passion to her chapters; she seems content to wait for her call. By the end she’s 20 and poised to become an active character, but it’s hard for me to get excited about that when her personality is so generic.
Initially I also loved the multitude of characters: epic fantasy can afford to slow down and acquaint the reader with a lot of people, all with their own lives and personalities and arcs. That expansiveness makes a world feel real and lived-in, and Kozloff’s secondary and minor characters do feel like real people. But the two other major characters that ultimately emerge did little for me: there’s Thalen, a young man studying at university in the Dutch Republic—sorry, the Free Cities—whose story feels well-worn and stilted, and who never interested me at all. And there’s Sumroth, a military officer from the evil country, who initially has potential: he’s uncomfortable with the brutality of his world, but forced to go along with it or see it turned against him. As the book progresses though, Sumroth’s doubts disappear and he assumes a standard villain role, which is perhaps realistic (people do tend to rationalize away doubts in favor of self-interest) but also leaves him boring.
And in the later chapters, Thalen’s and Sumroth’s stories eclipse Cerúlia’s. The brutality increases, lots of people die, and the book is ultimately a downer: everything just goes from bad to worse. And there’s no closure, as this is only the beginning of a larger story.
Meanwhile, the worldbuilding is detailed and immersive, but Kozloff’s writing—serviceable but never brilliant—is at its clumsiest when trying to “catch readers up,” whether it’s providing exposition early on, or moving rapidly through time-skips later in the book. Witness:
“But Belcazar, Your Majesty,” said Duchess Latlie, vigorously shaking her double chins, her uncovered hair coiffed in an elaborate ringlet style too young for her advancing years. Her hair shone the gold/orange/tan color commonly described as amber. (On many noble heads the amber strands interwove with brown, but if Latlie grew any brown hairs she had her maid pluck them out.)
Better than characters telling each other what they all already know, but the background often feels shoehorned in.
Other commentary:
- Surprisingly, I appreciated the POV sections from our main villain, the devious chancellor: he feels competent enough at scheming to accomplish what he does, and his vulnerabilities make him human rather than a cackling cardboard cutout.
- I also liked that Cressa isn’t much of a strategist and hasn’t been a particularly effective queen, yet her decisions in the story generally seem reasonable. Too often authors who aren’t political geniuses themselves try (and naturally fail) to write protagonists who are, while less-than-genius characters just seem too stupid to live. That said, Cressa’s decision to
- I loved the scene in which Cressa—whose magic functions as a truth serum—questions a prisoner. Because instead of asking about three questions with no follow-up, as fantasy characters often do, she’s thorough: the scene ends long before the questioning. All of the magical truth-telling is used well and entertainingly. For that matter, magic in general is used well, with characters who are actually passably good at problem-solving.
- I have doubts about any book that juxtaposes the True King trope with social (particularly economic and political) justice; let’s not romanticize hereditary hierarchies while claiming to be progressive, hmm? That said, this series might do better than most: it doesn’t lean nearly as hard on social justice content as other recent fantasies and isn’t preachy (except perhaps about destruction of the environment). And its concern for the conditions of ordinary people feels genuine and integral to the story. I’m willing to see where this goes.
- There are some worldbuilding oddities: the hunter-gatherer country (?); the expansionist power that doesn’t seem to have ever actually expanded; the country without a port somehow carrying on a feud with and threatening to invade a country on a different continent. The fact that the heir to the throne of Weirandale is apparently marked as Chosen from birth while younger siblings are not; the implication is that in many centuries, the oldest daughter has never died before producing a daughter of her own, which seems wildly unlikely without magical invulnerability.
All that said, despite the oddities I think this book’s worldbuilding and politics actually do hold up better than most epic fantasies. It’s a low bar. And overall, I did mostly enjoy the story despite its flaws and am seriously considering reading the sequel. So, 3.5 stars.
UPDATE: I started book two, and it was everything I disliked about the second half of book one all over again. I wound up wondering if I ever thought anyone in this series had a personality, and if so why, and why I didn’t specifically mention the amount of rape in it. That’s it for me. You might, however, like this series if you consider yourself an old-school epic fantasy reader hankering for more of the type of work published in the 90’s and early 2000’s (but potentially more inclusive, depending on what you were reading back then).
The book begins compellingly, with a queen, Cressa, facing threats of invasion from abroad and a palace coup masterminded by traitors on her own council. Cressa is struggling for her life and her crown, as well as to guard the safety of her daughter and heir, 8-year-old Cerúlia, whom she decides to hide with an ordinary village family. There isn’t a lot of “action” here in terms of physical fighting, but there’s a lot at stake and events move quickly, and I was loving it.
SPOILERS below, but mild ones you can guess from the blurb or see in other reviews!
However, the book seems to seriously stumble in its second half. Cressa is our central protagonist for most of the novel, the one making big decisions and driving the action, and her death leaves a hole that Cerúlia does not fill. The second half rushes through 12 years, by this point following a lot of scattered characters and briefly checking in on Cerúlia every few years. I found Cerúlia engaging as a child, and for me the peak of her story came when she was new to the foster home, struggling with being expected to do hard labor at which she can’t keep up with the other kids, and the poor quality of education in the village school, and being seen as a charity case from a no-account family. She’s miserable and she feels sorry for herself and this segment of the book felt incredibly grounded and real.
And you would expect, between the ordinary intensity of adolescence and Cerúlia’s being an orphan and secret princess, that her arc would be highly emotional: she might for instance be trying to run away to reunite with family, or burning with anger at the injustices she sees, or struggling to navigate first love and close friendships while keeping her secret, or fighting to avoid being married off to some village man who’s viewed as a catch for a no-name girl. But none of that happens, Cerúlia just spins through the typical fantasy-hero scenes in which she defends a friend from bullies and learns to fight from a retired soldier. Once she’s used to the village, there’s no passion to her chapters; she seems content to wait for her call. By the end she’s 20 and poised to become an active character, but it’s hard for me to get excited about that when her personality is so generic.
Initially I also loved the multitude of characters: epic fantasy can afford to slow down and acquaint the reader with a lot of people, all with their own lives and personalities and arcs. That expansiveness makes a world feel real and lived-in, and Kozloff’s secondary and minor characters do feel like real people. But the two other major characters that ultimately emerge did little for me: there’s Thalen, a young man studying at university in the Dutch Republic—sorry, the Free Cities—whose story feels well-worn and stilted, and who never interested me at all. And there’s Sumroth, a military officer from the evil country, who initially has potential: he’s uncomfortable with the brutality of his world, but forced to go along with it or see it turned against him. As the book progresses though, Sumroth’s doubts disappear and he assumes a standard villain role, which is perhaps realistic (people do tend to rationalize away doubts in favor of self-interest) but also leaves him boring.
And in the later chapters, Thalen’s and Sumroth’s stories eclipse Cerúlia’s. The brutality increases, lots of people die, and the book is ultimately a downer: everything just goes from bad to worse. And there’s no closure, as this is only the beginning of a larger story.
Meanwhile, the worldbuilding is detailed and immersive, but Kozloff’s writing—serviceable but never brilliant—is at its clumsiest when trying to “catch readers up,” whether it’s providing exposition early on, or moving rapidly through time-skips later in the book. Witness:
“But Belcazar, Your Majesty,” said Duchess Latlie, vigorously shaking her double chins, her uncovered hair coiffed in an elaborate ringlet style too young for her advancing years. Her hair shone the gold/orange/tan color commonly described as amber. (On many noble heads the amber strands interwove with brown, but if Latlie grew any brown hairs she had her maid pluck them out.)
Better than characters telling each other what they all already know, but the background often feels shoehorned in.
Other commentary:
- Surprisingly, I appreciated the POV sections from our main villain, the devious chancellor: he feels competent enough at scheming to accomplish what he does, and his vulnerabilities make him human rather than a cackling cardboard cutout.
- I also liked that Cressa isn’t much of a strategist and hasn’t been a particularly effective queen, yet her decisions in the story generally seem reasonable. Too often authors who aren’t political geniuses themselves try (and naturally fail) to write protagonists who are, while less-than-genius characters just seem too stupid to live. That said, Cressa’s decision to
- I loved the scene in which Cressa—whose magic functions as a truth serum—questions a prisoner. Because instead of asking about three questions with no follow-up, as fantasy characters often do, she’s thorough: the scene ends long before the questioning. All of the magical truth-telling is used well and entertainingly. For that matter, magic in general is used well, with characters who are actually passably good at problem-solving.
- I have doubts about any book that juxtaposes the True King trope with social (particularly economic and political) justice; let’s not romanticize hereditary hierarchies while claiming to be progressive, hmm? That said, this series might do better than most: it doesn’t lean nearly as hard on social justice content as other recent fantasies and isn’t preachy (except perhaps about destruction of the environment). And its concern for the conditions of ordinary people feels genuine and integral to the story. I’m willing to see where this goes.
- There are some worldbuilding oddities: the hunter-gatherer country (?); the expansionist power that doesn’t seem to have ever actually expanded; the country without a port somehow carrying on a feud with and threatening to invade a country on a different continent. The fact that the heir to the throne of Weirandale is apparently marked as Chosen from birth while younger siblings are not; the implication is that in many centuries, the oldest daughter has never died before producing a daughter of her own, which seems wildly unlikely without magical invulnerability.
All that said, despite the oddities I think this book’s worldbuilding and politics actually do hold up better than most epic fantasies. It’s a low bar. And overall, I did mostly enjoy the story despite its flaws and am seriously considering reading the sequel. So, 3.5 stars.
UPDATE: I started book two, and it was everything I disliked about the second half of book one all over again. I wound up wondering if I ever thought anyone in this series had a personality, and if so why, and why I didn’t specifically mention the amount of rape in it. That’s it for me. You might, however, like this series if you consider yourself an old-school epic fantasy reader hankering for more of the type of work published in the 90’s and early 2000’s (but potentially more inclusive, depending on what you were reading back then).
March 6, 2020
Originally posted to I Should Read That
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.
A Queen in Hiding is a fantasy debut perfect for anyone tired of waiting for the next installment in their favourite series to release. One of the big marketing points of this book is the fact that one book in the series will come out per month from January through April 2020, making it the perfect bingeable series While I am not a series binger myself, I think that this will be perfect for anyone in need of a quick fantasy fix.
A Queen in Hiding is the beginning of a truly epic series -- this story itself spans 12 years and I imagine that the next three books will cover even more time. From the blurb, you’d imagine it was all about Cerulia learning to fight for her kingdom, however it really isn’t at all yet. A Queen in Hiding focuses mainly on Cerulia's mother Cressa, who is chased from her throne by scheming aristocrats and forced into hiding. She makes the difficult decision to separate herself from her only child and fight for her throne -- she hides Cerulia in rural Weirandale where she will be safe from those trying to find her and rule through her. In this way, the book serves mostly as setup for the bulk of Cerulia's story, but I don’t think it suffers because of this. However, I do think that this series will end up reading like one very long book rather than four individual ones, so bingeing is probably best!
I really enjoyed Queen Cressa’s story as a woman who is viewed as a weak ruler coming into her own. I loved that she was flawed, yet I still wanted to cheer for her throughout the entire book. You really see her grow over the years through her experiences and I absolutely loved her arc. I had a little more trouble connecting with Cerulia because she’s not the most active in this book, which is excusable because she’s a very young child for the majority of A Queen in Hiding. However, I am intrigued by her and am really looking forward to seeing her take a more active role in the next installment of the series.
A Queen in Hiding wasn’t perfect -- I felt that it could have been edited a fair bit and the rapid changes in time and huge cast of POV characters bogged it down -- but damn it was so much fun to read! I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun reading a new fantasy release. I am absolutely going to continue on with the series when the next book comes out in February.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.
A Queen in Hiding is a fantasy debut perfect for anyone tired of waiting for the next installment in their favourite series to release. One of the big marketing points of this book is the fact that one book in the series will come out per month from January through April 2020, making it the perfect bingeable series While I am not a series binger myself, I think that this will be perfect for anyone in need of a quick fantasy fix.
A Queen in Hiding is the beginning of a truly epic series -- this story itself spans 12 years and I imagine that the next three books will cover even more time. From the blurb, you’d imagine it was all about Cerulia learning to fight for her kingdom, however it really isn’t at all yet. A Queen in Hiding focuses mainly on Cerulia's mother Cressa, who is chased from her throne by scheming aristocrats and forced into hiding. She makes the difficult decision to separate herself from her only child and fight for her throne -- she hides Cerulia in rural Weirandale where she will be safe from those trying to find her and rule through her. In this way, the book serves mostly as setup for the bulk of Cerulia's story, but I don’t think it suffers because of this. However, I do think that this series will end up reading like one very long book rather than four individual ones, so bingeing is probably best!
I really enjoyed Queen Cressa’s story as a woman who is viewed as a weak ruler coming into her own. I loved that she was flawed, yet I still wanted to cheer for her throughout the entire book. You really see her grow over the years through her experiences and I absolutely loved her arc. I had a little more trouble connecting with Cerulia because she’s not the most active in this book, which is excusable because she’s a very young child for the majority of A Queen in Hiding. However, I am intrigued by her and am really looking forward to seeing her take a more active role in the next installment of the series.
A Queen in Hiding wasn’t perfect -- I felt that it could have been edited a fair bit and the rapid changes in time and huge cast of POV characters bogged it down -- but damn it was so much fun to read! I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun reading a new fantasy release. I am absolutely going to continue on with the series when the next book comes out in February.
February 18, 2020
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
The first in a new epic fantasy series, A Queen in Hiding does a lot right and will be fun for high fantasy readers looking for a classic-feeling series to dive into. Set in a large, reasonably well-developed world, this book takes place over 12+years. We are primarily following a young queen and her daughter as usurpers plot to assassinate the queen and take over. As things develop, she flees and hides her daughter. Things go from there. This is full of political intrigue, magic, spirits, and battle with a multi-perspective narrative.
I enjoyed a lot of my time with this book and was particularly interested in the royals at the center of the story. However, some of the other perspectives were less interesting and the later part of the book had some pacing issues and really drags. I would have preferred fewer perspectives and a bit more development of the main characters, but it was still interesting. I would read the second book in the series and see where it goes. This feels like a lot of extended setup, some of which was more interesting than others.
The first in a new epic fantasy series, A Queen in Hiding does a lot right and will be fun for high fantasy readers looking for a classic-feeling series to dive into. Set in a large, reasonably well-developed world, this book takes place over 12+years. We are primarily following a young queen and her daughter as usurpers plot to assassinate the queen and take over. As things develop, she flees and hides her daughter. Things go from there. This is full of political intrigue, magic, spirits, and battle with a multi-perspective narrative.
I enjoyed a lot of my time with this book and was particularly interested in the royals at the center of the story. However, some of the other perspectives were less interesting and the later part of the book had some pacing issues and really drags. I would have preferred fewer perspectives and a bit more development of the main characters, but it was still interesting. I would read the second book in the series and see where it goes. This feels like a lot of extended setup, some of which was more interesting than others.
February 3, 2020
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2020/01/30/...
Oh, I can already tell this series is going to be one fantastic journey, not to mention now I have a much better understanding of why Tor Books has chosen to publish all four installments in quick succession, over the next few months. A Queen in Hiding is a solid novel, but it is also very clearly just the opening chapter of a much bigger, more comprehensive, powerful and important saga, and I have a feeling readers will appreciate the short wait to get their hands on book two while their blood is still up, events still fresh on their mind.
But here’s what it’s all about: A Queen in Hiding kicks off a new fantasy series called The Nine Realms by debut author Sarah Kozloff. While the book’s description focuses on Cérulia, Princess of a land called Weirandale, the story actually begins with her mother Queen Cressa and the events that lead to her eventual exile. Throughout history, the women of the royal family have always been gifted with a “talent” by the spirit worshiped by the people of Weirandale. This typically manifests as a supernatural ability well before a girl turns eight, which is why Queen Cressa is growing frustrated and concerned because it appears her young daughter has yet to display any powers.
However, the truth is, Cérulia does have a talent—a very rare and useful one, though no one seems to realize it. When she tells others that she can talk to animals— and that they even talk back!—everyone simply dismisses her claims as a child’s fanciful imagination. Except one day, that power ends up saving Cérulia’s life and her mother’s. The incident is a wake-up call for Cressa, who realizes war has come to Weirandale’s doorstep, and that she is no longer safe at the palace which is crawling with traitors and spies. Cressa decides to flee the country, but not before hiding her daughter with a family of peasants. Next, the exiled queen heads for the ocean, where she plans on biding her time until she is strong enough to repel the invaders from Weirandale and retake her throne. After all, she’d promised Cérulia that she will return for her one day—but for now, the safest place for the girl is in hiding.
While what I am about to say is not meant to be disparaging in any way, A Queen in Hiding does seem to have the feel of a prologue—and a very long one at that. By the end of the book, it becomes indubitably clear this is a story about Cérulia, but of course, the bulk of it is also about her mother, Cressa. Once you start reading it though, you’ll start to understand why the author decided to tell the story this way, beginning with a strong foundation that not only sets up where Cérulia came from, but also why circumstances have forced her into an unpleasant situation. Furthermore, this allows for plenty of world-building, giving readers a chance to learn more about the ways of Weirandale, including the people’s reverence for nature spirits and the importance of talents bestowed on their queens. War plays a big role in the novel too, and Cressa’s chapters also serve to give us a rundown of the political climate and the reasons her reign is such a mess, opening her up to threats of treason and invasion.
If I’m making the novel sound like a lot of world-building and setup, well, that’s because it is. Considering that it’s nearly five hundred pages long, admittedly not a whole lot actually happens in it, with the bulk of the activity hitting us in a flurry closer to the end, yet the whole thing could still probably be summed up in a handful of sentences. And yet, therein lies the brilliance of this book. Kozloff packs a mighty amount of info into A Queen in Hiding, but even the meatiest concepts are made interesting and effortlessly simple to understand, perfectly spread out and well-paced across the entire novel. Rather than feel like I was being inundated with detail, I felt like I was absorbing all that I needed to know from the background, the way I would while watching a movie play out in front of me. Which is why, despite much of the novel feeling like one long intro, I can’t say I really minded at all.
Of course, it helped having some great characters. On the whole, I thought the book really started to take off once we reached an important turning point, which occurred around the halfway mark. This led to a sort of transformation for both Cressa and Cérulia, so that they each came into their own in their respective ways. Cressa became the leader she’d always meant to be, fending off pirates with her dashing sea-faring husband, and it was glorious. I could read about her battles on the high seas all day, but alas, all good things must come to an end. What’s more poignant and intense though, is the way Cérulia changes. Adopting a new identity, going from princess to peasant, she alone knew the truth of her mother’s plans. In this period of loneliness, she only had her animal friends to turn to for comfort amidst her losses, and I’m curious to see where the story will take her talent, especially since I have a feeling it will play a big role in her future.
In sum, all great intros leave you excited and impatient to know more, and this is definitely the mindset A Queen in Hiding has put me in. Now that my appetite’s been whetted, I’m hooked and hungry to dig into the meat of this series, so I expect you’ll be seeing me review the next book quite soon, given the quick release schedule of these books. Here’s hoping it’ll be just as enjoyable.
Oh, I can already tell this series is going to be one fantastic journey, not to mention now I have a much better understanding of why Tor Books has chosen to publish all four installments in quick succession, over the next few months. A Queen in Hiding is a solid novel, but it is also very clearly just the opening chapter of a much bigger, more comprehensive, powerful and important saga, and I have a feeling readers will appreciate the short wait to get their hands on book two while their blood is still up, events still fresh on their mind.
But here’s what it’s all about: A Queen in Hiding kicks off a new fantasy series called The Nine Realms by debut author Sarah Kozloff. While the book’s description focuses on Cérulia, Princess of a land called Weirandale, the story actually begins with her mother Queen Cressa and the events that lead to her eventual exile. Throughout history, the women of the royal family have always been gifted with a “talent” by the spirit worshiped by the people of Weirandale. This typically manifests as a supernatural ability well before a girl turns eight, which is why Queen Cressa is growing frustrated and concerned because it appears her young daughter has yet to display any powers.
However, the truth is, Cérulia does have a talent—a very rare and useful one, though no one seems to realize it. When she tells others that she can talk to animals— and that they even talk back!—everyone simply dismisses her claims as a child’s fanciful imagination. Except one day, that power ends up saving Cérulia’s life and her mother’s. The incident is a wake-up call for Cressa, who realizes war has come to Weirandale’s doorstep, and that she is no longer safe at the palace which is crawling with traitors and spies. Cressa decides to flee the country, but not before hiding her daughter with a family of peasants. Next, the exiled queen heads for the ocean, where she plans on biding her time until she is strong enough to repel the invaders from Weirandale and retake her throne. After all, she’d promised Cérulia that she will return for her one day—but for now, the safest place for the girl is in hiding.
While what I am about to say is not meant to be disparaging in any way, A Queen in Hiding does seem to have the feel of a prologue—and a very long one at that. By the end of the book, it becomes indubitably clear this is a story about Cérulia, but of course, the bulk of it is also about her mother, Cressa. Once you start reading it though, you’ll start to understand why the author decided to tell the story this way, beginning with a strong foundation that not only sets up where Cérulia came from, but also why circumstances have forced her into an unpleasant situation. Furthermore, this allows for plenty of world-building, giving readers a chance to learn more about the ways of Weirandale, including the people’s reverence for nature spirits and the importance of talents bestowed on their queens. War plays a big role in the novel too, and Cressa’s chapters also serve to give us a rundown of the political climate and the reasons her reign is such a mess, opening her up to threats of treason and invasion.
If I’m making the novel sound like a lot of world-building and setup, well, that’s because it is. Considering that it’s nearly five hundred pages long, admittedly not a whole lot actually happens in it, with the bulk of the activity hitting us in a flurry closer to the end, yet the whole thing could still probably be summed up in a handful of sentences. And yet, therein lies the brilliance of this book. Kozloff packs a mighty amount of info into A Queen in Hiding, but even the meatiest concepts are made interesting and effortlessly simple to understand, perfectly spread out and well-paced across the entire novel. Rather than feel like I was being inundated with detail, I felt like I was absorbing all that I needed to know from the background, the way I would while watching a movie play out in front of me. Which is why, despite much of the novel feeling like one long intro, I can’t say I really minded at all.
Of course, it helped having some great characters. On the whole, I thought the book really started to take off once we reached an important turning point, which occurred around the halfway mark. This led to a sort of transformation for both Cressa and Cérulia, so that they each came into their own in their respective ways. Cressa became the leader she’d always meant to be, fending off pirates with her dashing sea-faring husband, and it was glorious. I could read about her battles on the high seas all day, but alas, all good things must come to an end. What’s more poignant and intense though, is the way Cérulia changes. Adopting a new identity, going from princess to peasant, she alone knew the truth of her mother’s plans. In this period of loneliness, she only had her animal friends to turn to for comfort amidst her losses, and I’m curious to see where the story will take her talent, especially since I have a feeling it will play a big role in her future.
In sum, all great intros leave you excited and impatient to know more, and this is definitely the mindset A Queen in Hiding has put me in. Now that my appetite’s been whetted, I’m hooked and hungry to dig into the meat of this series, so I expect you’ll be seeing me review the next book quite soon, given the quick release schedule of these books. Here’s hoping it’ll be just as enjoyable.
July 17, 2019
Loved it! Blurbed it!
“A breathtaking start to a new fantasy series that abounds in magic, backstabbing, and war. This is your new epic fantasy fix, right here.”—Beth Cato, author of Breath of Earth
“A breathtaking start to a new fantasy series that abounds in magic, backstabbing, and war. This is your new epic fantasy fix, right here.”—Beth Cato, author of Breath of Earth
September 29, 2019
Really not sure how I feel about this one. The story itself was interesting, but it definitely felt like a debut. The biggest problem was atmosphere; there was never a huge sense of time passing or emotion during death scenes.
Characters: not great development, which maybe contributes to the feeling of time not passing in the book. Even after an apparent 11 years, Wren has the exact personality she had as an 8 year old and isn't much smarter. It's similar for most of the characters. As the story isn't over though, there's still plenty of time for them to grow and develop.
Plot: It's a little slow moving at times and a little clunky, but it's definitely kept me hooked the whole time
World building: The world building in this is actually fantastic, it's a huge, well thought expansive world that the author does a great job of foreshadowing in.
All in all, a good fantasy with lots of political intrigue and characters
Characters: not great development, which maybe contributes to the feeling of time not passing in the book. Even after an apparent 11 years, Wren has the exact personality she had as an 8 year old and isn't much smarter. It's similar for most of the characters. As the story isn't over though, there's still plenty of time for them to grow and develop.
Plot: It's a little slow moving at times and a little clunky, but it's definitely kept me hooked the whole time
World building: The world building in this is actually fantastic, it's a huge, well thought expansive world that the author does a great job of foreshadowing in.
All in all, a good fantasy with lots of political intrigue and characters
Want to read
July 18, 2019kinda have to check out a fantasy series written for the purpose of binge-reading
October 22, 2019
The marketing for this novel series is spot on: if you're a fantasy lover who wants to dive into a deep world without waiting years for the next installment, this is for you! With four books released back-to-back, this is binge-worthy reading.
(I, however, received an advance copy of this first book ... so I'm one of the few unlucky people who will have to wait a couple months before I can keep reading!)
But what *kind* of fantasy is it? A good question before committing yourself. Without offering any spoilers, I think it's safe to say that the Nine Realms leans heavily towards realism, and deals with the societies and politics of a very human people rather than fantastical other races and creatures. Magic is present but limited and rare, and its effects are subtle. There's an element of the supernatural on the sidelines, which I suspect will be explored further in later books in the series. But most importantly, the plotting is patient, careful, and realistic. There are no miraculous escapes, no convenient twists or coincidences shoe-horned in; instead this reads almost like a true account of events that unfolded over the course of years.
This is an elegant beginning to a series that feels as much like literary fiction as fantasy. At times small and personal and other times brutal and unrelenting, Kozloff shows her range in portraying a wide scope of her world, without conforming to any of the reader's expectations. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series, and happy I won't have to wait long for them!
(I, however, received an advance copy of this first book ... so I'm one of the few unlucky people who will have to wait a couple months before I can keep reading!)
But what *kind* of fantasy is it? A good question before committing yourself. Without offering any spoilers, I think it's safe to say that the Nine Realms leans heavily towards realism, and deals with the societies and politics of a very human people rather than fantastical other races and creatures. Magic is present but limited and rare, and its effects are subtle. There's an element of the supernatural on the sidelines, which I suspect will be explored further in later books in the series. But most importantly, the plotting is patient, careful, and realistic. There are no miraculous escapes, no convenient twists or coincidences shoe-horned in; instead this reads almost like a true account of events that unfolded over the course of years.
This is an elegant beginning to a series that feels as much like literary fiction as fantasy. At times small and personal and other times brutal and unrelenting, Kozloff shows her range in portraying a wide scope of her world, without conforming to any of the reader's expectations. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series, and happy I won't have to wait long for them!
May 9, 2020
I'm convinced Sarah Kozloff is the secret love-child of Tamora Pierce and GRRM.
So Tor’s schtick with this series is that it’s a four-book series, but all four books were released in quick succession. Book one came out in January, and book four came out like two weeks ago. Great for those who don’t like beginning finished series (I’m not one of them). But there are very, very good reasons that sort of thing isn’t usual. For one thing, most authors can’t really afford to just write and write and wait until they have the entire series to start publishing them. It’s also a major gamble on the part of publishers - much safer to release one, see how it does, and then decide to release the rest if it sells. So for Tor to do this with this series is a HUGE vote of confidence on their part.
It seemed like a bit of a shaky investment at first, but Kozloff made a believer out of me. I’m super interested in reading the rest of the series.
So! Premise. Queen Cressa is the ruler of Wierandale, a nation watched over and protected by Nargis, the spirit of fresh waters. The Queens of Wierandale are always granted a magical power of some sort by Nargis, though Cressa finds hers (the ability to make people forget something through her touch) rather less than useful when it comes to the day to day ruling of her country. She is in a degree of consternation because her daughter Cerúlia, at 8 years old, has yet to manifest her powers despite being a few years past when she should have. Her talk of being able to speak to animals is dismissed as childish fancy.
(Spoiler alert: she really can talk to animals.)
The plot thickens in two different directions. One, the rival nation of Oromondo, which has been under a mysterious blight for years, is getting belligerent and eyeing its neighbors because the people of Oromondo, it turns out, like food. Two, Cressa is a rather ineffectual ruler, and her council is making moves to usurp her. She flees the capital before that can happen, hiding Cerúlia with a peasant family (and erasing their memories of who Cerúlia really is as a safety precaution) and fleeing to join her husband (admiral of the Wierandale fleet) at sea.
There are also a few secondary points-of-view sprinkled about: a servant at the royal palace, the usurping Lord Regent, a high-ranking Oromondo military officer, and a young scholar in the Free Cities.
I can certainly work with that as a premise, but I’m not going to lie, the beginning of this book was slow. I definitely had to push myself a bit to keep reading for the first half or so. That was one of my complaints. The other is the Lord Regent, who seemed very much like a cookie-cutter villain. I’m not concerned so much by either complaint. As for the first, things speed way up around the midpoint, give or take. Definitely had trouble putting this book down for the second half. And the Lord Regent is … not as central as I thought he was going to be, at first.
So, what about that admittedly-click-baity first line? That’s really how it felt to me. It kind of swung back and forth between young-girl-who-can-talk-to-animals and Westerosi brutality. And it works. It definitely works.
So Tor’s schtick with this series is that it’s a four-book series, but all four books were released in quick succession. Book one came out in January, and book four came out like two weeks ago. Great for those who don’t like beginning finished series (I’m not one of them). But there are very, very good reasons that sort of thing isn’t usual. For one thing, most authors can’t really afford to just write and write and wait until they have the entire series to start publishing them. It’s also a major gamble on the part of publishers - much safer to release one, see how it does, and then decide to release the rest if it sells. So for Tor to do this with this series is a HUGE vote of confidence on their part.
It seemed like a bit of a shaky investment at first, but Kozloff made a believer out of me. I’m super interested in reading the rest of the series.
So! Premise. Queen Cressa is the ruler of Wierandale, a nation watched over and protected by Nargis, the spirit of fresh waters. The Queens of Wierandale are always granted a magical power of some sort by Nargis, though Cressa finds hers (the ability to make people forget something through her touch) rather less than useful when it comes to the day to day ruling of her country. She is in a degree of consternation because her daughter Cerúlia, at 8 years old, has yet to manifest her powers despite being a few years past when she should have. Her talk of being able to speak to animals is dismissed as childish fancy.
(Spoiler alert: she really can talk to animals.)
The plot thickens in two different directions. One, the rival nation of Oromondo, which has been under a mysterious blight for years, is getting belligerent and eyeing its neighbors because the people of Oromondo, it turns out, like food. Two, Cressa is a rather ineffectual ruler, and her council is making moves to usurp her. She flees the capital before that can happen, hiding Cerúlia with a peasant family (and erasing their memories of who Cerúlia really is as a safety precaution) and fleeing to join her husband (admiral of the Wierandale fleet) at sea.
There are also a few secondary points-of-view sprinkled about: a servant at the royal palace, the usurping Lord Regent, a high-ranking Oromondo military officer, and a young scholar in the Free Cities.
I can certainly work with that as a premise, but I’m not going to lie, the beginning of this book was slow. I definitely had to push myself a bit to keep reading for the first half or so. That was one of my complaints. The other is the Lord Regent, who seemed very much like a cookie-cutter villain. I’m not concerned so much by either complaint. As for the first, things speed way up around the midpoint, give or take. Definitely had trouble putting this book down for the second half. And the Lord Regent is … not as central as I thought he was going to be, at first.
So, what about that admittedly-click-baity first line? That’s really how it felt to me. It kind of swung back and forth between young-girl-who-can-talk-to-animals and Westerosi brutality. And it works. It definitely works.
February 17, 2020
This is a great (and believable) start to this epic fantasy series. Magic, politics, war and world-building together with a great plot and well-developed characters. And, the word "judgment" was spelled correctly! I'll be reading Book 2, immediately.
"A Queen in Hiding" is a bold debut epic fantasy novel. Sarah Kozloff creates one world with nine realms and numerous characters and conflicts which are tethered in ways that keep the attention of the readers from beginning to end (of Book 1). By the time readers reach the end of this book, they will be pleased with the short waiting period for the next one, and the one after that, and the last one.
Read my full review here: https://mistyaquavenatus.com/2020/01/...
"A Queen in Hiding" is a bold debut epic fantasy novel. Sarah Kozloff creates one world with nine realms and numerous characters and conflicts which are tethered in ways that keep the attention of the readers from beginning to end (of Book 1). By the time readers reach the end of this book, they will be pleased with the short waiting period for the next one, and the one after that, and the last one.
Read my full review here: https://mistyaquavenatus.com/2020/01/...
January 21, 2020
When Queen Cressa of Weirandale comes under attack and narrowly escapes assassination, she decides to put her daughter, Princess Cerulia, in the care of a civilian family to keep her safe until she defeat can defeat the invaders for good. As the Queen battles her enemies, a Regent governs in her absence, but he has his own agenda: find the young Princess and install her in the throne so he can stay in power.
While the Regents minions search for Princess Cerulia war is also brewing with the surrounding Kingdoms. Everyone is in on the power grab. Princess Cerulia must find a way to survive and stop the invasion while there is still a Kingdom to rule.
If I could describe A Queen in Hiding in one word it would be "immersive". The writing is so descriptive it is easy to get lost in the world of the Nine Realms. The characters are expertly drawn up, such that it felt as though I was experiencing everything right along with them. And the choice the author makes to write from multiple POVs of characters across the world from each other positions the reader as an all-seeing observer, watching the action take place from up close but not being able to affect the action. There were times I wanted to engage a character to protect them from harm or warn them of impending danger. During the times I was reading this book, I was completely submerged in the story.
A Queen in Hiding is also a very balanced book. While there is a lot of political intrigue, the story is not all gossip over tea and bureaucratic scheming - there is a lot of action, too. Not to understate it, as there is plenty of conspiracy and divisiveness, most of it was used as lead-up to some kind of conflict that results in a climax in the story. These mini-crescendos and diminuendos, ebbs and flows, allowed the story to persist at a pace that kept me engaged as a reader. Because of this, I found the book difficult to put down.
This book has so many characters that is was difficult to keep track of them in the beginning. This is not necessarily a negative, though, because it is necessitated by the world-building. There are Nine Realms to cover and several POVs, each having their own family, friends, and acquaintances with whom they are sharing experiences. As the story went on, it became easier to keep track of characters and their storylines, particularly because they each is written so uniquely.
The ending was really good, too, with some of the characters' stories intersecting and others still doing their own thing. It takes a lot of planning to get storylines to converge in this way, and it seems as though the rest of the characters will be in on it soon, as well.
I usually dislike this comparison, because it is made too often (and it usually comes off as a bad marketing ploy), but I actually got major A Song of Ice and Fire vibes from this book. From the descriptions, to the characters and multiple POVs, and the way it is written focusing on each characters own journey while simultaneously sowing the seeds of converging storylines; A Queen in Hiding is quite similar to the notoriously complex and well-loved series. I hope that continues for the next three books in the Nine Realms procession.
I cannot recommend A Queen in Hiding enough. I loved it, and I think all fans of high fantasy and A Song of Ice and Fire, will, as well.
While the Regents minions search for Princess Cerulia war is also brewing with the surrounding Kingdoms. Everyone is in on the power grab. Princess Cerulia must find a way to survive and stop the invasion while there is still a Kingdom to rule.
If I could describe A Queen in Hiding in one word it would be "immersive". The writing is so descriptive it is easy to get lost in the world of the Nine Realms. The characters are expertly drawn up, such that it felt as though I was experiencing everything right along with them. And the choice the author makes to write from multiple POVs of characters across the world from each other positions the reader as an all-seeing observer, watching the action take place from up close but not being able to affect the action. There were times I wanted to engage a character to protect them from harm or warn them of impending danger. During the times I was reading this book, I was completely submerged in the story.
A Queen in Hiding is also a very balanced book. While there is a lot of political intrigue, the story is not all gossip over tea and bureaucratic scheming - there is a lot of action, too. Not to understate it, as there is plenty of conspiracy and divisiveness, most of it was used as lead-up to some kind of conflict that results in a climax in the story. These mini-crescendos and diminuendos, ebbs and flows, allowed the story to persist at a pace that kept me engaged as a reader. Because of this, I found the book difficult to put down.
This book has so many characters that is was difficult to keep track of them in the beginning. This is not necessarily a negative, though, because it is necessitated by the world-building. There are Nine Realms to cover and several POVs, each having their own family, friends, and acquaintances with whom they are sharing experiences. As the story went on, it became easier to keep track of characters and their storylines, particularly because they each is written so uniquely.
The ending was really good, too, with some of the characters' stories intersecting and others still doing their own thing. It takes a lot of planning to get storylines to converge in this way, and it seems as though the rest of the characters will be in on it soon, as well.
I usually dislike this comparison, because it is made too often (and it usually comes off as a bad marketing ploy), but I actually got major A Song of Ice and Fire vibes from this book. From the descriptions, to the characters and multiple POVs, and the way it is written focusing on each characters own journey while simultaneously sowing the seeds of converging storylines; A Queen in Hiding is quite similar to the notoriously complex and well-loved series. I hope that continues for the next three books in the Nine Realms procession.
I cannot recommend A Queen in Hiding enough. I loved it, and I think all fans of high fantasy and A Song of Ice and Fire, will, as well.
March 19, 2021
Series rating: 3.75 stars
I've tried six new fantasy/sci-fi series so far this year (not counting the romance series), and this is the only one I've read past Book 1, much less actually finished. It somehow managed to feel like a lovely, gentle epic even though there was a lot of war and a lot of death. A lot.
It was much more the story of a kingdom than a character, even though we got really intimate with several characters. There are many, many POVs -- some we only hear from a handful of times across all four books, some we get a lot of ... until they die -- so it took me a little while to feel fully committed to the first book, but it was such an easy read that I had no problem waiting to see which way it was going to go.
The two MCs become pretty clear, and while a few of the POVs made me impatient when they'd roll around, they were the ones that were few and far between, and they're all pretty necessary to get the full picture of the eponymous Nine Realms. And getting that full picture is part of what made this so satisfying to me. I really enjoyed this detailed-oriented kingdom building, where the emphasis was more on the varying cultures than each kind of magic.
There are some romances, but they're background subplots for the most part. And there's something about the big picture story of a whole kingdom that makes the deaths feel inevitable and in the service of achieving something worthwhile. Normally a POV character death would be a hard sell for me, but again, there were a LOT of POVs here. In this series a POV definitely does not an MC make.
I waited too long to write this review to remember how I was going to rate each book individually, so I'm going to give them each the overall series rating, but I think Book 1 was the one I would have rated 3 stars. I don't think I was fully invested until Book 2.
I've tried six new fantasy/sci-fi series so far this year (not counting the romance series), and this is the only one I've read past Book 1, much less actually finished. It somehow managed to feel like a lovely, gentle epic even though there was a lot of war and a lot of death. A lot.
It was much more the story of a kingdom than a character, even though we got really intimate with several characters. There are many, many POVs -- some we only hear from a handful of times across all four books, some we get a lot of ... until they die -- so it took me a little while to feel fully committed to the first book, but it was such an easy read that I had no problem waiting to see which way it was going to go.
The two MCs become pretty clear, and while a few of the POVs made me impatient when they'd roll around, they were the ones that were few and far between, and they're all pretty necessary to get the full picture of the eponymous Nine Realms. And getting that full picture is part of what made this so satisfying to me. I really enjoyed this detailed-oriented kingdom building, where the emphasis was more on the varying cultures than each kind of magic.
There are some romances, but they're background subplots for the most part. And there's something about the big picture story of a whole kingdom that makes the deaths feel inevitable and in the service of achieving something worthwhile. Normally a POV character death would be a hard sell for me, but again, there were a LOT of POVs here. In this series a POV definitely does not an MC make.
I waited too long to write this review to remember how I was going to rate each book individually, so I'm going to give them each the overall series rating, but I think Book 1 was the one I would have rated 3 stars. I don't think I was fully invested until Book 2.
September 24, 2019
As someone who has not read fantasy fiction before, I was completely captivated by A QUEEN IN HIDING, the debut novel by Vassar film professor Sarah Kozloff. Kozloff has an extremely impressive ability to conjure up an entire world full of feuding states and historic divisions, efficiently introduce a vast cast of characters dealing with the often quite familiar strains of domestic and work life, and maintain an exciting plot that builds from a haunting and enigmatic prologue to penultimate battle scenes that I surprised myself in not wanting to see end. Kozloff focuses her tale on a dynasty of queens and their female heirs to the throne, all of whom have one potentially life-saving and magical talent that they must discover and decide how to use on their own. This leaves the current Queen in Book One to navigate what are familiar political manoeuverings and corruption in her own court with very human strengths and failings, while her princess daughter in hiding must train herself in both magic and more earthbound skills in order to save her future crown. For fans of fantasy, I cannot recommendation this debut novel enough - for readers late to the genre, like myself, it is an eye-opening and rewarding read. A QUEEN IN HIDING is the first in a quartet of novels being released monthly starting in January 2020, so readers will hardly have to wait between books to find out what happens next.
September 10, 2021
Pros:
The world building is excellent. You know that the author really cared about the world she’s writing about. And I don’t feel like it’s info-dumpy at all. Everything about it you can glean from the characters and the well thought out expositions.
Another pro are the characters. Some of them you will hate and others you will love but all of them were written with care. You understand their motivations and you’ll actively root for some of them and hate others. Overall, it’s a great cast of characters. And I’m already invested in their survival despite the fact that they may very well end up in a not so great place in the future.
The main characters: Cressida and her daughter Cerulia are the main protags and so far, I’m invested in their plight.
Cons:
The plot meanders a bit. That is not too say I didn’t enjoy some of it but I often wonder about the point of some of the scenes. Nevertheless, the pace picked up in the last quarter of the book.
The world building is excellent. You know that the author really cared about the world she’s writing about. And I don’t feel like it’s info-dumpy at all. Everything about it you can glean from the characters and the well thought out expositions.
Another pro are the characters. Some of them you will hate and others you will love but all of them were written with care. You understand their motivations and you’ll actively root for some of them and hate others. Overall, it’s a great cast of characters. And I’m already invested in their survival despite the fact that they may very well end up in a not so great place in the future.
The main characters: Cressida and her daughter Cerulia are the main protags and so far, I’m invested in their plight.
Cons:
The plot meanders a bit. That is not too say I didn’t enjoy some of it but I often wonder about the point of some of the scenes. Nevertheless, the pace picked up in the last quarter of the book.
September 23, 2019
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Previously: Normally I would expect that books written for the express purpose of binge-reading, with four books coming out in consecutive months, would be shorter. Would a lot of people "binge" read a 500-page book each month? Not knocking the idea, but despite my intense reading habits, I would find it challenging. I suppose it will come down to how much I enjoy the first book, as I expect it will for other readers; this will be interesting to track as the subsequent volumes come out.
On the other hand, it's nice to know that such a long series will be completed right away, without having to wait years and year and then the author dies or moves on to other projects, etc.
Previously: Normally I would expect that books written for the express purpose of binge-reading, with four books coming out in consecutive months, would be shorter. Would a lot of people "binge" read a 500-page book each month? Not knocking the idea, but despite my intense reading habits, I would find it challenging. I suppose it will come down to how much I enjoy the first book, as I expect it will for other readers; this will be interesting to track as the subsequent volumes come out.
On the other hand, it's nice to know that such a long series will be completed right away, without having to wait years and year and then the author dies or moves on to other projects, etc.
January 30, 2020
Review to come! Yay High Fantasy!
July 25, 2020
Deeply conflicted on this one, lads.
Early on, I was convinced this was going to be a four or maybe even five-star book. The blurb had me convinced that Cerulia's mom was going to end up dead in the first or second chapter, and then we would maybe time-skip to her teenage years and see her take back her throne. Very wrong.
First of all, the balance of this book is more Cressa's story than Cerulia's. It was great to get to see her grow and find her feet as a ruler, and see the narrative go in a direction I definitely didn't expect. Several times. This is also a much bigger story than just that of a queen in hiding. The scale is large, covering multiple POVs in multiple countries, and the time covered here is epic. Cerulia starts at eight and ends at twenty years old. It's an impressive undertaking that I can see unfolding in a multitude of possible awesome ways.
On the other hand... we didn't get to spend much time with Cerulia. We visited her once or twice every five years, when her situation was by FAR the most interesting one in the book, with her mother's as a distant second. This was a little frustrating, when I had to see way more of Evil Regent and even Plot-Relevant But Somewhat Dull Scholar Kid than I would have liked.
This book flipped the script on me a couple times, but also didn't hold my focus as much as its quality of content should have. It's strange to call a book of this respectable length too fast but the year-leaping pace definitely shook off some of my ability to stay emotionally riveted. And strangely, it was almost too slow at the same time.
The plot is something I want to love, so I still have high hopes for the next installment. Since Cerulia is moving closer to the center of world events, I'm hoping she will be featured more and my interest level will pick up as the various storylines gradually converge.
Early on, I was convinced this was going to be a four or maybe even five-star book. The blurb had me convinced that Cerulia's mom was going to end up dead in the first or second chapter, and then we would maybe time-skip to her teenage years and see her take back her throne. Very wrong.
First of all, the balance of this book is more Cressa's story than Cerulia's. It was great to get to see her grow and find her feet as a ruler, and see the narrative go in a direction I definitely didn't expect. Several times. This is also a much bigger story than just that of a queen in hiding. The scale is large, covering multiple POVs in multiple countries, and the time covered here is epic. Cerulia starts at eight and ends at twenty years old. It's an impressive undertaking that I can see unfolding in a multitude of possible awesome ways.
On the other hand... we didn't get to spend much time with Cerulia. We visited her once or twice every five years, when her situation was by FAR the most interesting one in the book, with her mother's as a distant second. This was a little frustrating, when I had to see way more of Evil Regent and even Plot-Relevant But Somewhat Dull Scholar Kid than I would have liked.
This book flipped the script on me a couple times, but also didn't hold my focus as much as its quality of content should have. It's strange to call a book of this respectable length too fast but the year-leaping pace definitely shook off some of my ability to stay emotionally riveted. And strangely, it was almost too slow at the same time.
The plot is something I want to love, so I still have high hopes for the next installment. Since Cerulia is moving closer to the center of world events, I'm hoping she will be featured more and my interest level will pick up as the various storylines gradually converge.
April 25, 2020
This was a very disappointing introduction to a series I had high hopes for. The prologue was beautifully written, atmospheric, and held tantalizing promises for an epic and interesting story, but the quality of the writing failed the rest of the book.
Like others, I felt the book suffered from poor pacing, as it tried to cover too many years and too many characters in too short a time. And in its haste to cover so much information, much of the plot was delivered through too much exposition and awkward, antiquated dialogue. Speaking of dialogue and language in general, the overuse of archaic and academic words quickly felt like window dressing to hide the poor writing quality.
For the most part, I found the characters uninteresting and under developed, and as a result, I didn't care about them (which really lessened the impact of several major death scenes). The queen and the princess, the two main protagonists of the book, were probably the least interesting and least developed.
I don't intend on continuing with the next three books. Overall, it was a good idea that was poorly executed.
Like others, I felt the book suffered from poor pacing, as it tried to cover too many years and too many characters in too short a time. And in its haste to cover so much information, much of the plot was delivered through too much exposition and awkward, antiquated dialogue. Speaking of dialogue and language in general, the overuse of archaic and academic words quickly felt like window dressing to hide the poor writing quality.
For the most part, I found the characters uninteresting and under developed, and as a result, I didn't care about them (which really lessened the impact of several major death scenes). The queen and the princess, the two main protagonists of the book, were probably the least interesting and least developed.
I don't intend on continuing with the next three books. Overall, it was a good idea that was poorly executed.
June 6, 2020
A Queen in Hiding is what I would call a Fantasy 101 novel — younger reads might enjoy it but I did not at all. I almost DNF’d at 40 pages because I found the writing cheesy and overly formal — think “yonder” and “thee” and “here we be” — but it IS easy and fast to read so I kept going. Then I started to skim halfway through because it’s just...boring. All that stuff in the description about becoming a “ruthless guerilla fighter” and “assemble an unlikely group of rebels”? NONE OF THAT HAPPENS IN THIS BOOK. It’s just set up for the rest of the series. If only the author had done a time jump and skipped over the early years of the Regency to get to the action and what the book description promised.
April 3, 2020
DNF @ page 125.
I tried so hard to love this book. But I honestly still have no idea what's going on. I care nothing about the characters except Cerulia and honestly I've read hardly anything about her so far. The book had a great synopsis, but all the jumping around and how slow it is and I'm just done. I've been trying to read this book for months it's time to give it up.
I tried so hard to love this book. But I honestly still have no idea what's going on. I care nothing about the characters except Cerulia and honestly I've read hardly anything about her so far. The book had a great synopsis, but all the jumping around and how slow it is and I'm just done. I've been trying to read this book for months it's time to give it up.
January 31, 2020
That was delightful. I want more.
December 16, 2021
YES this was everything I have ever wanted!!! It was like Tamora Pierce and George R.R. Martin combined and it had the best elements of both of those authors.
I can't WAAAIT to keep going!
I can't WAAAIT to keep going!
January 21, 2020
5 Word Review: Family, power, politics, magic, justice.
Book Beginnings: A Queen in Hiding by Sarah Kozloff
Book Review: A Queen in Hiding by Sarah Kozloff
Book Beginnings: A Queen in Hiding by Sarah Kozloff
Book Review: A Queen in Hiding by Sarah Kozloff
News of distant places was accepted on par with a thunderstorm seen off in the distance - a far-off disturbance that would blow over before it touched them.
May 15, 2020
I added this book with a trigger finger. With a title like "A Queen in Hiding" and a description including fantasy, hired killers, and a queen hiding from political and physical threat; I was pretty stoked. I heard this series was supposed to be binge-worthy and several books being released one at a time each month.
I'm not very familiar with Sarah Kozloff and so I'm game to try something new.
The book starts out with a really cool introduction featuring the deserted throne room and some mysterious creatures bound to the queen (catamounts) wandering the empty rooms of the castle. It's a really cool set up.
I found the whole 75% from there to be VERY dull with too many point of view characters and some seriously sleep-worthy descriptions of the world.
This is the first book in the series and probably meant to be the book to set up the others, but I don't really care about any of the characters or the plot points. Especially with the death(s) that happen through this book.
The characters are real enough, but the little princella. She's whiny through the whole book and didn't seem to change at all despite living with a farming community for 12 years.
There are so many characters in this book too, so much that they are all included in an Appendix. That's fine, but a lot of the names are intentionally similar from the world building so I got completely lost with one perspective because he had three other brothers with practically the same name.
After the queen escapes and hides the princella,, practically nothing happens. You miss nothing by putting the book down and picking it back up with the last 25%.
That's where Kozloff and the book really shines. The descriptions of war and strategy are fantastic! She writes those scenes with great dialogue and actions from the characters. If the whole book was written like the last 25%, I would be all over this book. EXCEPT for one tiny thing. The ending fell really flat. The characters are all still very separate and they are going on separate journeys that I don't care about. There's not real compelling reason to continue the series. I guess at some point princella gets back to Cascada to become queen, but I don't really care-there wasn't much antagonism or anything that really gets in the way. Matwyck, is holding on to the throne, but I don't understand or care why she must be queen again. Couldn't she just leave and never come back? Matwyck doesn't seem like he's being that awful of a leader.
I would have enjoyed this book more with cuts of complete points of view characters and building up more of a resistance in the plot. I have no feelings of suspense, dread, or loss. That's not great when there is a string of books coming to continue the story that I don't feel is necessary.
Someone tell me how this is a series worth reading? Tell me why the tiny extravagant details matter? Yikes.
This book is probably not for me and I couldn't recommend it, but maybe a different type of fantasy reader would enjoy this long form fantasy.
Thanks to Net Galley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
I'm not very familiar with Sarah Kozloff and so I'm game to try something new.
The book starts out with a really cool introduction featuring the deserted throne room and some mysterious creatures bound to the queen (catamounts) wandering the empty rooms of the castle. It's a really cool set up.
I found the whole 75% from there to be VERY dull with too many point of view characters and some seriously sleep-worthy descriptions of the world.
This is the first book in the series and probably meant to be the book to set up the others, but I don't really care about any of the characters or the plot points. Especially with the death(s) that happen through this book.
The characters are real enough, but the little princella. She's whiny through the whole book and didn't seem to change at all despite living with a farming community for 12 years.
There are so many characters in this book too, so much that they are all included in an Appendix. That's fine, but a lot of the names are intentionally similar from the world building so I got completely lost with one perspective because he had three other brothers with practically the same name.
After the queen escapes and hides the princella,, practically nothing happens. You miss nothing by putting the book down and picking it back up with the last 25%.
That's where Kozloff and the book really shines. The descriptions of war and strategy are fantastic! She writes those scenes with great dialogue and actions from the characters. If the whole book was written like the last 25%, I would be all over this book. EXCEPT for one tiny thing. The ending fell really flat. The characters are all still very separate and they are going on separate journeys that I don't care about. There's not real compelling reason to continue the series. I guess at some point princella gets back to Cascada to become queen, but I don't really care-there wasn't much antagonism or anything that really gets in the way. Matwyck, is holding on to the throne, but I don't understand or care why she must be queen again. Couldn't she just leave and never come back? Matwyck doesn't seem like he's being that awful of a leader.
I would have enjoyed this book more with cuts of complete points of view characters and building up more of a resistance in the plot. I have no feelings of suspense, dread, or loss. That's not great when there is a string of books coming to continue the story that I don't feel is necessary.
Someone tell me how this is a series worth reading? Tell me why the tiny extravagant details matter? Yikes.
This book is probably not for me and I couldn't recommend it, but maybe a different type of fantasy reader would enjoy this long form fantasy.
Thanks to Net Galley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 15, 2020
I devoured Sarah Kozloff’s Nine Realm series from start to finish. Gifted with the an ARC read and review opportunity of all 4 books, I hung up the DO NOT DISTRUB sign and battened down the hatches to find myself utter sucked into a world of magic and a battle for the crown!
With all epic fantasy, it takes some time to develop and create a believable fantasy world. A Queen in Hiding was our introduction to Kozloff’s world so some time and attention is needed to really become attached to the large cast of characters and their plights.
Queen Cressa is attacked in her own castle/home. She escapes with her daughter, Cerulia, a princella whose magical abilities have never been declared and concerns that she might be a magical dud. Knowing that someone or all of her court has betrayed her, Queen Cressa leaves Cerulia in the hidden care of farming family on the outreaches of her kingdom. Cressa takes to the sea, trying to reach her family for support while Cerulia is left to be raised as a commoner, with no one knowing of her true heritage except Cerulia herself.
What a great start to an amazing new world! I really did read straight through every book in this series with little sleeping!
Utterly Addictive and ruthlessly enthrlling!
I received this ARC copy of A Queen in Hiding from Tor Books - Macmillion. This is my honest and voluntary review. A Queen in Hiding is set for publication Jan. 21, 2020.
My Rating: 4 stars
Written by: Sarh Kozloff
Series: The Nine Realms (Book 1)
Paperback: 496 pages
Publisher: Tor Trade (January 21, 2020)
ISBN-10: 1250168546
ISBN-13: 978-1250168542
Genre: Epic Fantasy
With all epic fantasy, it takes some time to develop and create a believable fantasy world. A Queen in Hiding was our introduction to Kozloff’s world so some time and attention is needed to really become attached to the large cast of characters and their plights.
Queen Cressa is attacked in her own castle/home. She escapes with her daughter, Cerulia, a princella whose magical abilities have never been declared and concerns that she might be a magical dud. Knowing that someone or all of her court has betrayed her, Queen Cressa leaves Cerulia in the hidden care of farming family on the outreaches of her kingdom. Cressa takes to the sea, trying to reach her family for support while Cerulia is left to be raised as a commoner, with no one knowing of her true heritage except Cerulia herself.
What a great start to an amazing new world! I really did read straight through every book in this series with little sleeping!
Utterly Addictive and ruthlessly enthrlling!
I received this ARC copy of A Queen in Hiding from Tor Books - Macmillion. This is my honest and voluntary review. A Queen in Hiding is set for publication Jan. 21, 2020.
My Rating: 4 stars
Written by: Sarh Kozloff
Series: The Nine Realms (Book 1)
Paperback: 496 pages
Publisher: Tor Trade (January 21, 2020)
ISBN-10: 1250168546
ISBN-13: 978-1250168542
Genre: Epic Fantasy
September 10, 2020
Full review at The Quill to Live: https://thequilltolive.com/2020/09/10...
Today we have a full series review of The Nine Realms by Sarah Kozloff. The series is a quartet of books and in a break with publishing traditions, they all released in the same year over the course of four months. The series contains the following four books: A Queen in Hiding, The Queen of Raiders, A Broken Queen, and The Cerulean Queen. This review will be a mix of talking about the series as a whole and diving into various pieces and highlights from the individual books. Spoilers for the fairly large review that follows: we recommend The Nine Realms. It’s an interesting take on some classic fantasy tropes and tells a well-contained epic fantasy story. However, there are some quirks that make it tricky to outright recommend.
Here is a lightning-fast rundown of the plot of the entire series. The books tell the story of Cérulia, Princess of Weirandale, and her journey to take back her throne. A Queen in Hiding tells the story of how her mother’s country (Weirandale) is overthrown and how she barely escapes with her life into hiding. The Queen of Raiders covers her teen to early adult years where she starts waging a guerilla war against people who damaged her land. A Broken Queen tells the story of how Cérulia recovers from the trauma she received in the war and how she makes her way back to her homeland to reclaim her throne. Finally, The Cerulean Queen tells the story of how Cérulia recovers her throne and begins to change her kingdom for the better. I am massively skipping over a ton of important side characters, general plot elements, and subplots, but I just don’t have the space to list them all out here. Know that this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Let’s start with one of the series major “problems” first before we get into all the positives. Initially, I was confused as to why all four books were published so close to one another – but the answer presented itself to me as I got near the end of book one. The Nine Realms is less a quartet of books and more a single 2000 page book that had to be drawn and quartered. I imagine there was a conversation at Tor HQ between Kozloff and her editor that went something like this:
Kozloff: “Well, here’s my amazing book!”
Editor: “Uhhhh, this is 2000 pages long.”
Kozloff: “And?”
Editor: “We can’t just publish a 2000 page book, it might fall off a shelf and kill someone.”
Kozloff: “Well we can’t really cut it up, so what are we going to do?”
Editor: “I guess we will just cut it into four pieces and hope no one notices.”
The illusion doesn’t work. It will be clear to anyone that these books are not four distinct stories. The narrative flows between the books without stop and I suspect I would have been frustrated were I to get to the end of A Queen in Hiding to find the story cut off mid-sentence. But, you may have noticed that when I said this was a “problem,” I put dramatic quotes around the word. Since all the books in the series are already out, this is more of a feature of the series more than an actual issue. The only actual problem here is if you are willing to commit to a fairly long time investment, at a higher price point than usual, for a good story. Personally, I think The Nine Realms is worth it for the following reasons:
The Nine Realms has the depth of a good epic fantasy without the bloat – I really enjoy digging into a meaty epic fantasy with a ton of content I can sink my teeth into. One of the downsides of these huge sweeping series is they tend to have a lot of dilly-dallying. Thankfully, The Nine Realms has the depth of a large scale epic, without the filler content. While it isn’t a Wheel of Time and some parts are over simplistic, the series is well-paced, easy to read, and you get a lot of bang for your buck.
The magic system is both familiar and original – The magic system revolves around two core concepts. First, each country has a different patron spirit, based mostly on the elements. Each of these spirits imparts different kinds of gifts on their people based on the spirit’s nature. Second, our story mostly focuses on Cérulia, who was granted the ability to speak to animals by the water spirit. Now I have seen a lot of “can talk to animals” powers in fantasy and I was fully prepared to be bored out of my mind by this concept. However, Kozloff’s take on the power is much more strategic and innovative than I was expecting. It is less “talk to animal friends” and more “horse, dog, and wolf general leading her troops into battle.” Cérulia uses her connection to advance her march to her throne, and that leads to some grizzly scenes like when she has to eat a horse she is close with to survive starvation. It’s a new take on a classic fantasy power.
The story goes beyond the standard good vs. evil trope – Initially I thought this was going to be a black and white story about a princess reclaiming her throne from the bad guys. What this story is actually about is Cérulia slowly understanding why her mother was overthrown, connecting with the common people of the world, and getting a first-hand education of the plights of her country and what needs to be fixed. There is a lot more context to Cérulia’s battle than this type of story usually goes into, and it delights me.
The world is nicely fleshed out and fully explored over the course of the book – As I mentioned, each country in The Nine Realms has a patron spirit that imparts gifts and shapes their land. I was happy to see that over all four books we get to visit and explore all nine of the countries that give the story its title. While there were a couple that were forgettable, the majority of them have memorable differences and cultures that really bring the world of the series to life. It was a fun place to explore, even if a depressing amount of it involved watching poor people suffer.
The story is well-paced and easy to read…mostly – Once you get past some initial slow build-up I will talk more about below, the story moves at a nice and exciting pace. I originally planned on just reading book one, but I ended up getting pulled into the story and reading all four over the course of a weekend. There is a very nice flow between the different conflicts and the different characters that keeps everything moving at all times.
There are still some additional road bumps, though. I am not really a fan of the time skips between chapters that keep track of how long has passed since Cérulia fled her home. The skips are meant to give you a sense of urgency because early on you are told that Cérulia has 10 years to reclaim her throne or all goes to hell. It feels like a completely arbitrary timeline that is never actually relevant to the progress of the story. When Cérulia decides to take back her throne it is because she believes she has grown enough in power and maturity to claim it – an element of her character I really liked. In addition, sometimes the books will tell you months will pass, but characters will still be in the same place/time/conversation they were in “three months prior” which disillusioned me to the skips.
Next, let’s talk a little bit about each book and rank them in terms of their quality:
1) A Queen in Hiding – Unfortunately, the first book is easily the worst. While there is a lot of fun worldbuilding and introduction to characters, the narrative can be painfully slow at times as the story begins to build up steam and momentum. The other awkward part of the book is it feels like the “prologue” section of the narrative goes on too long. There is a large portion of the book devoted to Cérulia’s mother, and how she lost the throne. Her mom launches a naval war against some pirates to try and rally her people back to her side and win back her throne. However, while it does set up some interesting themes and character development for Cérulia – it is very hard to be invested in the conflict since you know from the back of the book her mother will fail. This subplot lasts almost three fourths of the book, and I wish it was slightly less prominent.
2) The Queen of Raiders – Fortunately, the second book is the strongest of the series and helps get the reader back on track. Really, the story takes off in the last 20% of Hiding and Raiders just carries on the torch. Raiders is where we see the biggest character growth in both Cérulia and a lot of the supporting cast. It is also where a number of previously unconnected plot lines begin to come together. The world-building continues to expand and Cérulia’s use of magic starts to get a lot more inventive. All of this combined with a climactic finale that actually lines up with the end of the book makes this a great read.
3) A Broken Queen – This installment Is third when ranking best to worst, but it is much better than Hiding. A Broken Queen focuses mostly on the damage the conflict has been inflicting on all sorts of characters in the series – and how they heal from it. In addition, book three is where the antagonists start getting a lot of page time in order to give them depth and complexity, getting the reader much more invested in a complicated situation. A Broken Queen was where a lot of the series themes and ideas came to the surface and the book had a nice thoughtful quality compared to the other three installments. Where Broken struggles is the fact that the entirety of the book feels like a slow build-up to a major climax…that happens 20% into book four. This leaves the book with a lot of slow thoughtful moments, but not many big set pieces to remember it by.
4) The Cerulean Queen – The final book in the quartet is a winner, coming in at second best. Cerulean was a very interesting book because it feels like the majority of it is an epilogue but in a good way. Unsurprising spoilers: early on in the final book Cérulia reclaims her throne – and it’s awesome. But, instead of ending the story at this natural point, Kozloff spends the majority of the rest of the book showing how Cérulia implemented everything she learned in her time as a fugitive to become a great queen. It’s a really great example of satisfying character growth and execution of themes at the same time and it really helps the series stand out in the fantasy landscape.
The Nine Realms is a worthwhile mini-epic that has a nice mix of originality and classic flare. It has some issues, but they are easy to ignore with its fun ideas, flowing characters, and engrossing plot. If you are interested in reading this series, I highly recommend you carve out the time to tackle all four books at once. If you give it time, you will likely find that Cérulia’s story is a fun and worthwhile adventure.
Rating:
A Queen in Hiding – 6.5/10
The Queen of Raiders – 8.5/10
A Broken Queen – 8.0/10
The Cerulean Queen – 8.0/10
-Andrew
Today we have a full series review of The Nine Realms by Sarah Kozloff. The series is a quartet of books and in a break with publishing traditions, they all released in the same year over the course of four months. The series contains the following four books: A Queen in Hiding, The Queen of Raiders, A Broken Queen, and The Cerulean Queen. This review will be a mix of talking about the series as a whole and diving into various pieces and highlights from the individual books. Spoilers for the fairly large review that follows: we recommend The Nine Realms. It’s an interesting take on some classic fantasy tropes and tells a well-contained epic fantasy story. However, there are some quirks that make it tricky to outright recommend.
Here is a lightning-fast rundown of the plot of the entire series. The books tell the story of Cérulia, Princess of Weirandale, and her journey to take back her throne. A Queen in Hiding tells the story of how her mother’s country (Weirandale) is overthrown and how she barely escapes with her life into hiding. The Queen of Raiders covers her teen to early adult years where she starts waging a guerilla war against people who damaged her land. A Broken Queen tells the story of how Cérulia recovers from the trauma she received in the war and how she makes her way back to her homeland to reclaim her throne. Finally, The Cerulean Queen tells the story of how Cérulia recovers her throne and begins to change her kingdom for the better. I am massively skipping over a ton of important side characters, general plot elements, and subplots, but I just don’t have the space to list them all out here. Know that this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Let’s start with one of the series major “problems” first before we get into all the positives. Initially, I was confused as to why all four books were published so close to one another – but the answer presented itself to me as I got near the end of book one. The Nine Realms is less a quartet of books and more a single 2000 page book that had to be drawn and quartered. I imagine there was a conversation at Tor HQ between Kozloff and her editor that went something like this:
Kozloff: “Well, here’s my amazing book!”
Editor: “Uhhhh, this is 2000 pages long.”
Kozloff: “And?”
Editor: “We can’t just publish a 2000 page book, it might fall off a shelf and kill someone.”
Kozloff: “Well we can’t really cut it up, so what are we going to do?”
Editor: “I guess we will just cut it into four pieces and hope no one notices.”
The illusion doesn’t work. It will be clear to anyone that these books are not four distinct stories. The narrative flows between the books without stop and I suspect I would have been frustrated were I to get to the end of A Queen in Hiding to find the story cut off mid-sentence. But, you may have noticed that when I said this was a “problem,” I put dramatic quotes around the word. Since all the books in the series are already out, this is more of a feature of the series more than an actual issue. The only actual problem here is if you are willing to commit to a fairly long time investment, at a higher price point than usual, for a good story. Personally, I think The Nine Realms is worth it for the following reasons:
The Nine Realms has the depth of a good epic fantasy without the bloat – I really enjoy digging into a meaty epic fantasy with a ton of content I can sink my teeth into. One of the downsides of these huge sweeping series is they tend to have a lot of dilly-dallying. Thankfully, The Nine Realms has the depth of a large scale epic, without the filler content. While it isn’t a Wheel of Time and some parts are over simplistic, the series is well-paced, easy to read, and you get a lot of bang for your buck.
The magic system is both familiar and original – The magic system revolves around two core concepts. First, each country has a different patron spirit, based mostly on the elements. Each of these spirits imparts different kinds of gifts on their people based on the spirit’s nature. Second, our story mostly focuses on Cérulia, who was granted the ability to speak to animals by the water spirit. Now I have seen a lot of “can talk to animals” powers in fantasy and I was fully prepared to be bored out of my mind by this concept. However, Kozloff’s take on the power is much more strategic and innovative than I was expecting. It is less “talk to animal friends” and more “horse, dog, and wolf general leading her troops into battle.” Cérulia uses her connection to advance her march to her throne, and that leads to some grizzly scenes like when she has to eat a horse she is close with to survive starvation. It’s a new take on a classic fantasy power.
The story goes beyond the standard good vs. evil trope – Initially I thought this was going to be a black and white story about a princess reclaiming her throne from the bad guys. What this story is actually about is Cérulia slowly understanding why her mother was overthrown, connecting with the common people of the world, and getting a first-hand education of the plights of her country and what needs to be fixed. There is a lot more context to Cérulia’s battle than this type of story usually goes into, and it delights me.
The world is nicely fleshed out and fully explored over the course of the book – As I mentioned, each country in The Nine Realms has a patron spirit that imparts gifts and shapes their land. I was happy to see that over all four books we get to visit and explore all nine of the countries that give the story its title. While there were a couple that were forgettable, the majority of them have memorable differences and cultures that really bring the world of the series to life. It was a fun place to explore, even if a depressing amount of it involved watching poor people suffer.
The story is well-paced and easy to read…mostly – Once you get past some initial slow build-up I will talk more about below, the story moves at a nice and exciting pace. I originally planned on just reading book one, but I ended up getting pulled into the story and reading all four over the course of a weekend. There is a very nice flow between the different conflicts and the different characters that keeps everything moving at all times.
There are still some additional road bumps, though. I am not really a fan of the time skips between chapters that keep track of how long has passed since Cérulia fled her home. The skips are meant to give you a sense of urgency because early on you are told that Cérulia has 10 years to reclaim her throne or all goes to hell. It feels like a completely arbitrary timeline that is never actually relevant to the progress of the story. When Cérulia decides to take back her throne it is because she believes she has grown enough in power and maturity to claim it – an element of her character I really liked. In addition, sometimes the books will tell you months will pass, but characters will still be in the same place/time/conversation they were in “three months prior” which disillusioned me to the skips.
Next, let’s talk a little bit about each book and rank them in terms of their quality:
1) A Queen in Hiding – Unfortunately, the first book is easily the worst. While there is a lot of fun worldbuilding and introduction to characters, the narrative can be painfully slow at times as the story begins to build up steam and momentum. The other awkward part of the book is it feels like the “prologue” section of the narrative goes on too long. There is a large portion of the book devoted to Cérulia’s mother, and how she lost the throne. Her mom launches a naval war against some pirates to try and rally her people back to her side and win back her throne. However, while it does set up some interesting themes and character development for Cérulia – it is very hard to be invested in the conflict since you know from the back of the book her mother will fail. This subplot lasts almost three fourths of the book, and I wish it was slightly less prominent.
2) The Queen of Raiders – Fortunately, the second book is the strongest of the series and helps get the reader back on track. Really, the story takes off in the last 20% of Hiding and Raiders just carries on the torch. Raiders is where we see the biggest character growth in both Cérulia and a lot of the supporting cast. It is also where a number of previously unconnected plot lines begin to come together. The world-building continues to expand and Cérulia’s use of magic starts to get a lot more inventive. All of this combined with a climactic finale that actually lines up with the end of the book makes this a great read.
3) A Broken Queen – This installment Is third when ranking best to worst, but it is much better than Hiding. A Broken Queen focuses mostly on the damage the conflict has been inflicting on all sorts of characters in the series – and how they heal from it. In addition, book three is where the antagonists start getting a lot of page time in order to give them depth and complexity, getting the reader much more invested in a complicated situation. A Broken Queen was where a lot of the series themes and ideas came to the surface and the book had a nice thoughtful quality compared to the other three installments. Where Broken struggles is the fact that the entirety of the book feels like a slow build-up to a major climax…that happens 20% into book four. This leaves the book with a lot of slow thoughtful moments, but not many big set pieces to remember it by.
4) The Cerulean Queen – The final book in the quartet is a winner, coming in at second best. Cerulean was a very interesting book because it feels like the majority of it is an epilogue but in a good way. Unsurprising spoilers: early on in the final book Cérulia reclaims her throne – and it’s awesome. But, instead of ending the story at this natural point, Kozloff spends the majority of the rest of the book showing how Cérulia implemented everything she learned in her time as a fugitive to become a great queen. It’s a really great example of satisfying character growth and execution of themes at the same time and it really helps the series stand out in the fantasy landscape.
The Nine Realms is a worthwhile mini-epic that has a nice mix of originality and classic flare. It has some issues, but they are easy to ignore with its fun ideas, flowing characters, and engrossing plot. If you are interested in reading this series, I highly recommend you carve out the time to tackle all four books at once. If you give it time, you will likely find that Cérulia’s story is a fun and worthwhile adventure.
Rating:
A Queen in Hiding – 6.5/10
The Queen of Raiders – 8.5/10
A Broken Queen – 8.0/10
The Cerulean Queen – 8.0/10
-Andrew
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