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The Queen
In a secluded colony of inhumans, Rose is given the title of queen while the cruel Elders rule from the shadows. When Rose reaches maturity, tragedy awakens a dark power that she does not understand. Nevertheless, Rose begins to wield it in a war for control over the colony and her heart.Rose decides to explore the humans she has fantasized about, before she is one day forced to conquer them. She’s intrigued by two suitors. Noah is a sweet boy, struggling with charm, and a complete gentleman. Austin is an attractive adventurer that challenges her authority at every turn. Rose’s wish is to find a king to help overthrow the Elders, but she has taken very horrific measures in order to retain her purity. While trying to save her soul, she may have damned us all.
- GenresFantasy
357 pages, Paperback
First published March 9, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 17, 2014
The Queen Christina L. Barr
The Queen Christina L. Barr is a fantasy novel about an inhuman girl trained and prepared for one purpose and that is to breed so that her kind can eventually reign over our world . However, “Rose” is exploring for a different way to rule, so she can change the way things are in the colony she rules.
When I first read the description of the book, I almost skipped over the book because I really didn’t want to read about people pimping out a young girl just so they could survive. In spite of this, I decided to read the book. I want to say that the description doesn’t do the book justice. Yes, the book is about a young girl who is becoming the Queen of her colony and she is expected to breed in order to sustain her colony. However, the main part of the story is about a girl who becomes empowered to try to change things and experience things she has only read about in books. It’s also about a young girl who experiences her first kiss, and learns to love.
The characters were well developed and the story line was different. Barr’s writing style is descriptive and allows the reader to immerse themselves and feel as if they are a part of the story. Definitely a book worth reading!
(I wish there was another book because I would like to know who was on the boat that was coming to the island.)
4.0 Stars
*I won this book through Goodreads First Reads giveaway. In no way has this influenced my rating or opinion of this book.*
The Queen Christina L. Barr is a fantasy novel about an inhuman girl trained and prepared for one purpose and that is to breed so that her kind can eventually reign over our world . However, “Rose” is exploring for a different way to rule, so she can change the way things are in the colony she rules.
When I first read the description of the book, I almost skipped over the book because I really didn’t want to read about people pimping out a young girl just so they could survive. In spite of this, I decided to read the book. I want to say that the description doesn’t do the book justice. Yes, the book is about a young girl who is becoming the Queen of her colony and she is expected to breed in order to sustain her colony. However, the main part of the story is about a girl who becomes empowered to try to change things and experience things she has only read about in books. It’s also about a young girl who experiences her first kiss, and learns to love.
The characters were well developed and the story line was different. Barr’s writing style is descriptive and allows the reader to immerse themselves and feel as if they are a part of the story. Definitely a book worth reading!
(I wish there was another book because I would like to know who was on the boat that was coming to the island.)
4.0 Stars
*I won this book through Goodreads First Reads giveaway. In no way has this influenced my rating or opinion of this book.*
September 5, 2014
I received a copy of The Queen through a Goodreads giveaway. All of the opinions are my own and were not influenced by the book or the fun swag that came with it :)
The Queen is a story of a girl who is struggling against her culture and the expectations placed on her. Growing up without parents or loved ones, she is extremely lonely and skeptical of the few people she does have contact with (the elders). Therefore, she grows up immersed in books and dreams of finding love and happiness before fulfilling the fate the elders have dictated for her. However, shortly after coming of age, she learns some of the dark secrets the elders have been hiding and finds that she cannot always trust herself. When allowed an escape, she takes it and finds herself in California with two hunky suitors to fall in love with and convince to come home with her.
In general, I loved the concept of the story. Rose (the queen) comes from a human-like species that has a culture similar to that of bees/ants. However, she thinks outside the box and dares to dream for herself and her people. Rose wants to find true love as well as free her people from their drone-like existence. Additionally, the writing is beautiful and very descriptive. I finished this book in two sittings because I couldn't seem to put it down once I started reading it. Camellia was by far my favorite character because I loved reading about her slow transformation from drone servant girl to independent woman with a soul and conscience.
The Queen was fun and engaging, yet flawed. It is books like The Queen that I find very difficult to rate. On the one hand, it drew me in and was easy to fall into the world of the book. On the other hand, however, there were many things that I really did not like about the book that are what comes to mind when I think back on the story. Do I rate it based on the experience while reading it, or do I rate it based on my overall impression after having some time to think and reflect on it? So, since I found good and bad, I give this book 3 stars. Had I rated it while I was in the middle of reading it, it would probably be more of a 4-4.5, but if I rated it based only on my reflections, it would probably be more of a 2. I am glad I read it, and it did provide me entertainment, but I don't think I will be reading the sequel. I will, however, try checking out one of Barr's other books because she has a way with words that I love. I just wasn't crazy about the details of this particular story.
What was bad/what rubbed me the wrong way?
Rose. I get that she comes from a very monotonous, duty-oriented people, but she really seemed flat compared to the other characters. This is a particular shame because she is the main character. Here she was, planted in a foreign culture and all that was on her mind was "boys" and "shopping" (with the occasional "surfing" thrown in there). As a character who had the courage and willpower to stand up to the elders and break tradition, I would have expected her to explore more, take the time to get to know more than two guys (heck, even get to know a girl or two), and to grow personally. None of this happened during the book.
Noah. I thought he was a loveable, fun, and multidimensional character. The problem with Noah was simply that he seemed to be only there to attempt to draw out suspense and make the time in California last longer. It is very clear through most of the book that Rose prefers Austin. Every time Rose is with Noah, she is thinking of Austin and she only gets close to him out of pity. I think Barr would have been better served to make the battle between the loves have more give and take so it wasn't obvious who Rose's first choice was. Or better yet, instead of making it a love triangle, make it a triangle with Rose on the top and Austin competing with true friendship, or adventure, or something else empowering for Rose.
Austin. Like Noah, I thought Austin was a well done character. The reader gets a clear sense of the struggle in his head between his cousin and the lady he loves without having to actually BE in his head. However, Austin was kind of ruined at the end of the book for me. He went from a "beach bum" surfer guy with a fear of commitment and no real aspirations...
The last thing that I really didn't like is something that happens towards the end of the book, so here is your spoiler warning.
The Queen is a story of a girl who is struggling against her culture and the expectations placed on her. Growing up without parents or loved ones, she is extremely lonely and skeptical of the few people she does have contact with (the elders). Therefore, she grows up immersed in books and dreams of finding love and happiness before fulfilling the fate the elders have dictated for her. However, shortly after coming of age, she learns some of the dark secrets the elders have been hiding and finds that she cannot always trust herself. When allowed an escape, she takes it and finds herself in California with two hunky suitors to fall in love with and convince to come home with her.
In general, I loved the concept of the story. Rose (the queen) comes from a human-like species that has a culture similar to that of bees/ants. However, she thinks outside the box and dares to dream for herself and her people. Rose wants to find true love as well as free her people from their drone-like existence. Additionally, the writing is beautiful and very descriptive. I finished this book in two sittings because I couldn't seem to put it down once I started reading it. Camellia was by far my favorite character because I loved reading about her slow transformation from drone servant girl to independent woman with a soul and conscience.
The Queen was fun and engaging, yet flawed. It is books like The Queen that I find very difficult to rate. On the one hand, it drew me in and was easy to fall into the world of the book. On the other hand, however, there were many things that I really did not like about the book that are what comes to mind when I think back on the story. Do I rate it based on the experience while reading it, or do I rate it based on my overall impression after having some time to think and reflect on it? So, since I found good and bad, I give this book 3 stars. Had I rated it while I was in the middle of reading it, it would probably be more of a 4-4.5, but if I rated it based only on my reflections, it would probably be more of a 2. I am glad I read it, and it did provide me entertainment, but I don't think I will be reading the sequel. I will, however, try checking out one of Barr's other books because she has a way with words that I love. I just wasn't crazy about the details of this particular story.
What was bad/what rubbed me the wrong way?
Rose. I get that she comes from a very monotonous, duty-oriented people, but she really seemed flat compared to the other characters. This is a particular shame because she is the main character. Here she was, planted in a foreign culture and all that was on her mind was "boys" and "shopping" (with the occasional "surfing" thrown in there). As a character who had the courage and willpower to stand up to the elders and break tradition, I would have expected her to explore more, take the time to get to know more than two guys (heck, even get to know a girl or two), and to grow personally. None of this happened during the book.
Noah. I thought he was a loveable, fun, and multidimensional character. The problem with Noah was simply that he seemed to be only there to attempt to draw out suspense and make the time in California last longer. It is very clear through most of the book that Rose prefers Austin. Every time Rose is with Noah, she is thinking of Austin and she only gets close to him out of pity. I think Barr would have been better served to make the battle between the loves have more give and take so it wasn't obvious who Rose's first choice was. Or better yet, instead of making it a love triangle, make it a triangle with Rose on the top and Austin competing with true friendship, or adventure, or something else empowering for Rose.
Austin. Like Noah, I thought Austin was a well done character. The reader gets a clear sense of the struggle in his head between his cousin and the lady he loves without having to actually BE in his head. However, Austin was kind of ruined at the end of the book for me. He went from a "beach bum" surfer guy with a fear of commitment and no real aspirations...
The last thing that I really didn't like is something that happens towards the end of the book, so here is your spoiler warning.
July 23, 2017
This was an entertaining story. I liked how the queen decided to be her own person. She was in the dark to so many aspects of her own life and life in general but she fought hard to make her own decisions. I admire her strength. She had the courage to do things differently even though she was kind of clueless. Being ignorant is scary, but then to move forward through all that anyways and make hard decisions... makes her brave in my eyes.
The love triangle was silly and to start it off so soon after arriving in America and with cousins, no less... ouch! I don't mind love triangles usually. But this one was a bit much for me. The first two boys she meets?? Yep, a little much. Hence the 4 star rating and not 5...
Other little issues for me: the pacing was not great at times, felt rushed at things, took too long on other things, not to mention the Noah stuff... bad author. =) But all in all I was entertained. Interesting and fun story.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The love triangle was silly and to start it off so soon after arriving in America and with cousins, no less... ouch! I don't mind love triangles usually. But this one was a bit much for me. The first two boys she meets?? Yep, a little much. Hence the 4 star rating and not 5...
Other little issues for me: the pacing was not great at times, felt rushed at things, took too long on other things, not to mention the Noah stuff... bad author. =) But all in all I was entertained. Interesting and fun story.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
September 26, 2014
I won this book via giveaway. And I can honestly say the book was so interesting, I just couldn't put it down. I finished after 2 days. I love how " Rose" decides to break tradition and become her own person. I think everyone can relate to this story minus the powers. Although I wish Noah could have lived and gone to her kingdom. I hope there is a sequal and fast.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews