The Queen’s Command

by Sarah Raughley

The Inheritance Games meets Bridgerton in the riveting companion novel to The Queen's Spade, where our heroine must play a deadly game and risk everything to get to the truth that’s poisoning Victorian England’s royal court.

Favored by Queen Victoria, Vicky Davies has survived royal courts, financial ruin, and the loss of her mother, Sarah Forbes Bonetta — the famous African princess turned royal goddaughter — but Cheltenham Ladies’ College is about to test her in new and wicked ways.

Every Thursday evening, the senior girls of Miss Hugo's homeroom play a secret game and Vicky just became their latest pawn. Truths must be confessed, commands obeyed, and whoever claims the coveted title of winner will have her wish granted, no matter how outrageous and seemingly impossible it may be.

But when the game yields frightening and fatal results, Vicky vows to put an end to this ghoulish tradition that twists minds and makes enemies out of friends. With dangerous foes closing in and truths that could shatter her world clawing to the surface, Vicky must uncover the secrets buried not only in Cheltenham but by her own mother. In a school where survival is a gamble, will she emerge victorious — or fall victim to its deadly game?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Historical

Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 20, 2026

About the author

Sarah Raughley grew up in Southern Ontario writing stories about freakish little girls with powers because she secretly wanted to be one. She is a huge fangirl of anything from manga to SF/F TV to Japanese Role Playing Games, but she will swear up and down that she was inspired by ~Jane Austin~ at book signings. On top of being a YA Writer, she is currently completing a PhD in English, because the sight of blood makes her queasy (which crossed Medical School off the list).

She is represented by The Bradford Literary Agency.

So far, you can also find her on Twitter, where work ethic goes to die.

Reviews

[H.R.H. Carpathia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Queen’s Command is the companion novel to The Queen’s Spade. The first book is about Sara/Aina. Here we follow her daughter, Vicky as she navigates a prestigious boarding school as Queen Victoria’s favorite. It does not take long for Vikcy to find trouble, or should I say for trouble to find her, in this strange place. We have flashbacks of her mother and learn that she remained vengeful and even that Rui makes an appearance. Yes, I still dislike him. I found this book more interesting than its companion. Here we see, Vicky’s character build up and her emotions fleshed out. I did not feel that with Aina in the first book because all she thought of was revenge. ( we do learn more about Aina here which is nice, but I still find Vicky as well as Edith better characters.) I do not know at what point the writer decided to write this book, but the continuation is smooth. The message is the same ‘down with oppressors and justice for all’.


Vicky is a good character. Her narration brings the time period to life. Actually, since my interests are Ghana and China now, I’d forgotten a lot about Europe in this error. The other characters are good as well, but none of their behaviors are surprising. Everyone is exactly what you take them for. Elias was all right. I think he was included to give honor to the Ethiopian Prince who was already dead by this point in time. I also enjoyed learning about Edith and her mother. The villains are evil to the bone, and they are not what really makes this story interesting but rather the mystery element. In other words, you could remove/ change all of them and the story could still take place. See “Under Copp's Hill”.

[Tee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book overall!

One of my favorite elements of this story was the world building. The details of the historical setting were really compelling. And I appreciate how this book shows the effect of colonization on various parts of the world.

In regards to the plot, I liked the conflict that presented throughout the book. There was a good balance between large-scale challenges and more personal struggles, all presented at a pretty good pace. The exploration of power, loyalty, sacrifice, and resilience was also well done.

The characters were great too—very engaging and layered. I really loved how this story introduces real historical figures from diverse backgrounds. The complexity and moral ambiguities of the characters were also interesting to see on page (even if some of the bullying was hard to read at times).

All in all, I would recommend this book for fans of YA historical fiction with diverse, compelling characters.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins for allowing me to read the eARC!

[mary k · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Queen's Command by Sarah Raughley was an interesting take on the reign of Queen Victoria and the complicated power dynamics within her inner circle. I especially enjoyed the way Raughley incorporated real historical figures from diverse backgrounds into the story while also addressing the colonization of Africa and other regions and its impact on the people affected by it.
The bullying that Vicky and her classmates experienced throughout the book was sometimes difficult to read, and I wasn't particularly impressed with the ending, which felt somewhat far-fetched. However, I appreciated the complexity of the characters and the moral ambiguities they faced.
Overall, I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction with complex characters and a narrative that leans more heavily on fiction than strict historical accuracy.

[BookishKB]

👑♟️ The Queen's Command ♟️👑

📖 Bookish Thoughts

My full review will be shared closer to the publication date.

✨ What to Expect
• YA Historical Mystery
• Dark Academia
• Boarding School
• Court Intrigue
• Deadly Games
_ _ _

📅 Pub Date: October 20, 2026
Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the advanced copy.