The Rightful Queen

by Sara Islam

Princess Sedra Orman lost everything when she was just eight years old. One day, she was a princess, the next she was running away with her uncle from the massacre that took place in the palace, leaving her an orphan.
Ten years later, she came back as Lady Nuriya Al-Jazi, ready to lure the new king and make him fall in love with her. Her plan was set. Once she would become the queen, she was determined to kill him and restore her place on the throne as the rightful heir of the Vinadrian crown.
But what would happen upon meeting the king? Would anything change? Would she be able to dig her dagger into his heart when he was more than ready to hand it to her on a silver platter?
Would she be able to handle all the secrets she would discover?

Genres: Fantasy

Paperback

Published January 14, 2025

Reviews

[Karen Nasralla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was amazing. I really loved it and it was such a fast and quick read. I read almost all of it in one sitting it was such a good book to immerse yourself in, the characters are very interesting to read about especially the main character Nuriya. I loved how fast past the book was as well as the characters and the turn of events, there was also a lot of things in the book that I didn’t expect to see such as story line plot twist and stuff.

My absolute favourite thing about this book was the sacrifices that the two characters made for each other, it was honestly so beautiful to read about such young pure and beautiful love like Nuriya and Zain’s . I highly recommend this book for young adults and teenagers in general, this is such an easy book to read if you’re just starting out to read fantasy or just starting out to read in general.
10/10 would recommend I loved this so much.

[Roaa Tarek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was soooo good! I really didn’t expect it to be this good. From the very beginning, it keeps you excited for every chapter, getting better and better. I highly recommend it! I’m so happy I read it, and even happier to see a girl from my country writing such an amazing book.

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The novel is beautiful and really immersive —I almost finished it in one sitting. I just slept and woke up to complete the last chapter. I read it after a heavy novel to avoid getting a reading block, and it worked!

I have a few comments:

Firstly, it bothered me that the focus was solely on their romantic feelings, without delving into their other emotions. For example, Sedra’s trauma was only shown through a panic attack in the tunnel, and it annoyed me that it wasn’t described in more detail afterward. The trauma she experienced from the shocking events in her life, especially for a child, deserved more attention. It just didn’t feel logical.

The same goes for Zain, honestly. I was expecting more situations that would develop his character beyond his obsession with Sedra. Maybe it’s because I’m not obsessed with romance, but honestly, the plot twists, events, and the ending were beautiful.

Even though Sedra seemed strong at the beginning, by the end, poor thing was just lying around in bed, barely holding it together!

The narration of the novel is truly amazing—it kept me hooked, and I couldn’t put the book down.

As for the kisses, I felt they were a bit over the top. Their interactions were mostly just kissing, and Sedra risking her life to protect Zain without giving much attention to any of the deeper emotions they must’ve had. I felt it would’ve been even better with stronger emotional connections, especially between two strong characters like Sedra and Zain.

I know this is a fantasy/romance book, but the excessive focus on kisses can sometimes throw off the balance, especially since the characters have dramatic backstories that deserve more attention, to be honest.
If there had been a better balance between emotional depth and psychological growth, the novel would’ve been even stronger with some emotional depth.

Anyways, I LOVED this book—it reminded me a lot of my Wattpad era.
Despite the few things I wished were different, it was really fun to read.

[Lucyana John · Rating 4 out of 5]

My evil side wanted to give it 3 ⭐... but it's a light read, perfect for escaping the world or as a break before a heavy fantasy book.

I wouldn’t call it romantasy since there’s no real fantasy beyond the kingdom names. The characters were lovable, but I expected Sedra to stay strong instead of turning into a soft teenage girl. And Zain? He needed to be stronger—he was overdosing on flirting. I struggle with soft boys TT.

There was also some Arabic word rep, which felt out of place since the book wasn’t set in an Arabic-speaking country, nor were the characters Arab (nothing in the book said if they were Arab and the whole book was in English!!!). It pulled me out of the story and made me put the book down several times.

Overall, it’s a fast, cute read before bed.

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was such an easy read and i absolutely enjoyed every second of it
Although this idea feels similar to many books Ive read before, i still loved this book so much and it definitely kept me hooked from page one.
This would’ve easily been a 5 star read had the idea not been similar to other fantasy books that I have read before. I absolutely loved how easy it is to understand the writing style because of how simple it was.

[AbdelRahman Mohamed · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect definition of a book that completely hijacked my life I physically couldn’t put it down. Sleep? Who needs it when The Rightful Queen exists?Responsibilities? Ignored. Social life? Nonexistent. This book consumed me in the best (and most infuriating) way possible.

Honestly, I’d love to criticize something, but unfortunately, The Rightful Queen decided to be perfect. if you enjoy losing sleep, questioning your emotional stability, and getting overly attached to fictional characters, this book is for you.

Chapeau Sara Islam❤️❤️❤️

[Hana Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hope this masterpiece gets a sequel because this novel made me go back to reading English after a whole year.
The novel is truly beautiful, and its events are very fast-paced and easy to understand. I recommend it to anyone who is a beginner in reading English books or books in general.⚜️

[Marina Ramy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick and easy to read, cute+giggly with really cool MMCs!

I would really recommend this book if you’re new to reading, and you want something engaging with an easy to follow language and a nice plot. The pacing was a bit rushed but I didn’t mind it, I’d take fast pacing over slow any day tbh.

The mmcs were my favorite thing about this book. My only complaint is that it felt a bit insta love on Zain’s part. And I was really disappointed that whenever we got his POV it was fully about Sedra, I might have wished to explore his character more, but that didn’t stop me from really liking him.
Sedra was such a girlboss, a QUEEN, her character was the balance between emotion and logic. She was fierce but she loved Zain with all her heart. But bro, please stop mentioning that you would sacrifice anything for Zain including your life, she said it like 100 times. Also, I’m sorry but she kept saying that Zain was the best man ever and ever but she’s never even had male friends let alone boyfriends before.😭

Keep in mind that the story takes a romantic turn, until the last couple of chapters when some action really takes place.
The dialogue was pretty good tbh, had me laughing and kicking my feet. Zain’s such a flirt🫣

I wouldn’t forget about the side characters whom I wished to see more of! Mayan and Fares added such a nice touch to the book and I’d love if maybeeeee we can have a part 2 discovering their story👀

Yeah anyways, this was such a nice experience, i enjoyed it. And I think anyone who’s looking for a break from like some heavy books or someone who wants a book to start their reading journey with, this woulf be perfect.
I’m looking forward to more works from Sara!

[Janaahussienn · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first, I put "The Rightful Queen" on my "want-to-read" shelf simply because the prospect of reading a fantasy novel by an Egyptian author was incredibly appealing. I was curious to see how Sara Islam would weave familiar fantasy tropes with potentially unique cultural nuances, and I'm pleased to say I wasn't disappointed. Sedra (Niyara)'s journey is engaging, and the political intrigue kept me turning pages. While some aspects of the world-building could have been more fleshed out, it's a strong debut with a compelling protagonist. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a fresh voice in fantasy.

[Sedra♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tbh I never thought I’d find a book that has my name in it..so when I saw it had my name I kinda bought it without knowing anything about it…it was a pretty good book really easy to read

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a bookworm writes a romantacy, we get books like this

[Malak Tamer]

I'm sooo hyped for this
I can totally smell that enemies to lovers drama coming in hot!

[Sama Riad · Rating 4 out of 5]

⫷𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝑸𝒖𝒆𝒆𝒏|𝑺𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒉 𝑰𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒎⫸

— In a mediaeval setting, we follow Princess Sedra Orman or Nuriya Al-Jazi, which could be considered as two sides of the same coin. Being the only survivor from a massacre that happened in her palace, which made her flee with her uncle from the invaders, ignited her soul with vengeance to be the rightful queen once again. She has one purpose: get the king's attention, marry him, execute him, and get her rightful throne. Through the book, we follow Nuriya executing the plan and the unexpected challenges and feelings that will face her.

— The book was spectacular. The book is categorised as a Romantasy book, has a great amount of romance, world-building, and a tiny bit of political intrigue. To be honest, as a fantasy "romantasy" reading, I couldn't find the book's plot original, as I have read a matching plot in another book. However, I LOVED it. The first few pages were a bit slow, but once the romance hits, I could not put the book down (stayed up till 2 AM and postponed everything the next day just to binge-read it).

—The characters were amazing; Zain's character was the sweetest!! Nuriya's character was executed perfectly, presenting a well-written, strong FMC. Sarah did a great job describing the character's feelings, which made me interact with them, even miss them, and I feel empty after finishing it.
The plot was not heavy at all, which made me flow through the pages. I loved the action-packed scenes throughout the book.
— I really, really loved the book; it was an astonishing journey with the cutest couple, "Nuriya and Zain." I really recommend it for lovers of Romantasy books(the enemies to lovers one). Moreover, I really recommend it for anyone who wants to start reading fantasy.
For the non-English speakers like me, I really recommend it as the writing was so easy to go through.
I really cannot wait to read another book by you, Sarah. 🎀✨
___
For more reviews, please visit my Instagram: Sama.books11

[Farida Alaa · Rating 1 out of 5]

to be honest I was excited for this book as it was the first book by sara islam .. but I think it was a little naive as everything was expected.. she tried to kill him and guess what she fell inlove with his big heart and whatever.. and it was a little too quick she fell inlove and all of a sudden they cluld sacrifice everything for eachother without hesitation. also I think the flirting was uhhh a little weird? honestly I think I saw this story alot not just in books.. but overall it's not bad as I fell for zain tbh

[Fatma Khaled · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was my first fantasy book, however I can say it's so light, romantic and clean. the male lead made me so redness just by his flirty skills with her.

Spoiler alert

Tbh I would love it if the male lead made more for her, I just feel that she was smarter than him as she is the hero of his life but him?? Most of the time she saved his life but he only loved her?
Also what happened to Mayan and Feras? I would really love it if I knew about them in the end.

[Menna Ebraheem · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is sooo easy to read , the writing style was great, it catchs u amazingly
You could definitely finish it in one sit
It's not the most creative idea but it's just a book to get u out of the world, u will be in the world of the book and u won't want to leave it 😭

Love it
Will reread it to go away from this world

[Youssef · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating was 3 stars until I got to the moment when Sedra and Zain were kidnapped by Hood.
The ending is good.
The best characters for me are Zain, Feras, and maybe Mayan. If there was a book for Feras, I would buy it.
The negatives are the Arabic words in the story. If there was a reference to something related to something Arabic, it would have been understandable.

[Yasmin Mahmoud · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished the book (the rightful queen)
OMG
I am in love with Zain

I GOT EMOTIONALLY ATTACHED TO THIS BOOK I CRIED SCREAMED GIGGLED AND LAUGHED AT THE SAME TIME
I'm gonna need this to be a series and I NEED a book about mayan and fares I couldn't get enough of them really .
It's easy to say that this is was an incredible book
♥️♥️
And thank you for writing it

[Nour · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is wonderful i think i will forever be connected to this book and those characters
Zain is my new book boyfriend and i hope to find a true friend like mayan and feras

I love them all ❤️❤️

[Lamar · Rating 5 out of 5]

لسه مخلصه الكتاب وحرفيا خلصته في يومين الكتاب روعهه بجد ومش هقدر اتخطاه من جماله وحتي طريقه توصيل المشاعر وكده حلوه اوي في الكتاب يعني لما كانت في حته أنها كانت شبه بتموت خلاص انا عيطت علي طول بجد وان شاء الله تنزل أو تعمل كتاب تاني و اجيبه علي طول وهو بجد من افضل الكتب الي قراتها لحد دلوقتي💓

[Salma Alaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As simple the story is, I enjoyed it and felt engaged to the characters. The novel is great for people who are learning English and need something easy to read. I'm full of anticipation for more books written by the author.

[Roqia♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5
I really liked this book it was fast and light and i personally loves the royalty and kingdoms vibes so i was enjoying it i wanted to see more in feras story and in the end i was like agh not again sydra but the events were good and overall i enjoyed it 💗

[مِنَّة اللَّه · Rating 4 out of 5]

def an enjoyable read ! I loved the arabic names and terms of endearment and ,how the relationships in the book was healthy and gentle, how ZAIN is a gentleman and the way they described each other over all the whole story is great

[Marrwah Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this so much.

[Malak · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Roury · Rating 5 out of 5]

so freaking good, that's all I can say 👑.

[Lina Alablani · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️