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Tyrant Lizard Queen: The Love, Life, and Terror of Earth’s Greatest Carnivore
Not yet published
Expected 27 Oct 26From the author of the beloved The Last Days of the Dinosaurs, an imaginative celebration of T. Rex from hatching to adulthood
Tyrannosaurus rex is a prehistoric celebrity. Exceeding 40 feet in length and weighing over 9 tons, the largest individuals of this dinosaurian species were intimidating predators capable of crushing bone and consuming more than a hundred pounds of flesh in a bite. But the last of the tyrant dinosaurs had a life beyond ripping and tearing. More than 66 million years ago, T. rex courted each other, nested, watched over their offspring, slept, drank, and explored ancient floodplains inhabited by a fantastic cast of impressive dinosaurs like the huge long-neck Alamosaurus and burly, three-horned Torosaurus. For the first time, the life story of this impressive, sensitive predator is told as if you were there to watch it unfold.
In her latest prehistoric nature walk, bestselling and award-winning author Riley Black follows the life of plucky T. rex Snaggletooth from the time she hatches through her tumultuous adulthood. The prehistoric forest Snag emerges into is full of danger, and yet, as Riley weaves the latest fossil discoveries into the story, the carnivorous dinosaur survives to play, court, fight, sleep, nest, and more as she grows up in Cretaceous North America. She tussles with rival tyrannosaurs, hunts for delectable prey, and finds soft moments of connection in the forest. Even the most die-hard dinosaur fan will come away with a new perspective and appreciation for the Tyrant Lizard Queen.
Tyrannosaurus rex is a prehistoric celebrity. Exceeding 40 feet in length and weighing over 9 tons, the largest individuals of this dinosaurian species were intimidating predators capable of crushing bone and consuming more than a hundred pounds of flesh in a bite. But the last of the tyrant dinosaurs had a life beyond ripping and tearing. More than 66 million years ago, T. rex courted each other, nested, watched over their offspring, slept, drank, and explored ancient floodplains inhabited by a fantastic cast of impressive dinosaurs like the huge long-neck Alamosaurus and burly, three-horned Torosaurus. For the first time, the life story of this impressive, sensitive predator is told as if you were there to watch it unfold.
In her latest prehistoric nature walk, bestselling and award-winning author Riley Black follows the life of plucky T. rex Snaggletooth from the time she hatches through her tumultuous adulthood. The prehistoric forest Snag emerges into is full of danger, and yet, as Riley weaves the latest fossil discoveries into the story, the carnivorous dinosaur survives to play, court, fight, sleep, nest, and more as she grows up in Cretaceous North America. She tussles with rival tyrannosaurs, hunts for delectable prey, and finds soft moments of connection in the forest. Even the most die-hard dinosaur fan will come away with a new perspective and appreciation for the Tyrant Lizard Queen.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 27, 2026
About the author
Riley Black
16 books261 followersRiley Black has been heralded as “one of our premier gifted young science writers” and is the critically-acclaimed author of Skeleton Keys, My Beloved Brontosaurus, Written in Stone, and When Dinosaurs Ruled. An online columnist for Scientific American, Riley has become a widely-recognized expert on paleontology and has appeared on programs such as Science Friday, HuffingtonPost Live, and All Things Considered. Riley has also written on nerdy pop culture.
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March 4, 2026TYRANT LIZARD QUEEN.
A more perfect title simply does not exist.
A more perfect title simply does not exist.
April 14, 2026
I was between seven and eight years old when my parents got me a Scholastic book on dinosaurs - Dinosaurs and More Dinosaurs by M. Jean Craig. The science is outdated now - we’ve learned so much in the past 56 years! - but I devoured that book, rereading it again and again. So much that the eight year old me declared he was going to be a paleontologist when he grew up. The next year, I read a How and Why Wonder Book of Primitive Man and declared then that I would be an anthropologist. ( The year after, it was a book on ancient civilizations and … archeology. as long as it was science, I was in.) We also lived 50 miles from the Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven, Connecticut, and there is the wonderful, if a bit outdated, mural The Age of Reptiles. All that just means I was primed for this book. I moved on to physics, and ultimately engineering, but the love of dinosaurs has never left.
The principal part of this is a creative nonfiction construction of the life of a tyrannosaur. The narrative is easy to read, with an imagined T. rex being hatched, growing to adulthood and encountering normal life events like hunting, eating, treating with rivals, mating, reproducing, and continuing the cycle. It’s a good story and the real meat, so to speak, is in the Appendix, which is a third as long as the main text. In that Ms. Black explains the known science and deductive/inductive reasoning they used to speculate on each of the stages they cover. And their approach is grounded in the best as we yet know it science because as they say, “Evolution doesn't follow our expectations of what seems optimal, logical, or even useful.” While there is a robust bibliography, I wish the sources were tied to the text (the Appendix text, I assume) through callouts and keyed notes. I like being able to follow up on specific information that prompts my curiosity more than the usual “everything”
I received an uncorrected digital review copy of Tyrant Lizard Queen from the author and publisher, St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, which I very much appreciate. Highly recommended.
One additional highlight:
“The bulk of the dinosaur fossil record comes from animals that were just the right size to become fossils. They were large enough to be resilient to destruction, sometimes lying on the surface for months as they dried out, but were small enough that a local event such as flooding following a storm could move enough sediment to bury them. Such dinosaurs are also just the right size to be spotted by paleontologists out in the field, and so they have historically been the species found first in any given formation experts search within. Adult Alamosaurus certainly had sturdy skeletons that were resilient to destruction, but they were so large that a truly incredible amount of sediment would be required to bury them and give them any chance at becoming articulated fossils. This is why it is often so difficult to say what dinosaur species was the largest of all time because all of the hundred-foot-plus giants were so huge that their bodies resisted burial and were pulled apart by scavengers, and the elements, before burial.”
The principal part of this is a creative nonfiction construction of the life of a tyrannosaur. The narrative is easy to read, with an imagined T. rex being hatched, growing to adulthood and encountering normal life events like hunting, eating, treating with rivals, mating, reproducing, and continuing the cycle. It’s a good story and the real meat, so to speak, is in the Appendix, which is a third as long as the main text. In that Ms. Black explains the known science and deductive/inductive reasoning they used to speculate on each of the stages they cover. And their approach is grounded in the best as we yet know it science because as they say, “Evolution doesn't follow our expectations of what seems optimal, logical, or even useful.” While there is a robust bibliography, I wish the sources were tied to the text (the Appendix text, I assume) through callouts and keyed notes. I like being able to follow up on specific information that prompts my curiosity more than the usual “everything”
I received an uncorrected digital review copy of Tyrant Lizard Queen from the author and publisher, St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, which I very much appreciate. Highly recommended.
One additional highlight:
“The bulk of the dinosaur fossil record comes from animals that were just the right size to become fossils. They were large enough to be resilient to destruction, sometimes lying on the surface for months as they dried out, but were small enough that a local event such as flooding following a storm could move enough sediment to bury them. Such dinosaurs are also just the right size to be spotted by paleontologists out in the field, and so they have historically been the species found first in any given formation experts search within. Adult Alamosaurus certainly had sturdy skeletons that were resilient to destruction, but they were so large that a truly incredible amount of sediment would be required to bury them and give them any chance at becoming articulated fossils. This is why it is often so difficult to say what dinosaur species was the largest of all time because all of the hundred-foot-plus giants were so huge that their bodies resisted burial and were pulled apart by scavengers, and the elements, before burial.”
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Book Review: Tyrant Lizard Queen by Riley Black
This book reconstructs the life of a female Tyrannosaurus rex named Snaggletooth from hatchling to apex predator, responsibly tethered to current paleontological research. We follow her through a perilous adolescence, an explosive teenage growth spurt, and her eventual rise to an eight-ton adult capable of casually rearranging her ecosystem simply by walking through it. Black frames the story as a biography, which sounds ambitious for an animal extinct for sixty-six million years, but she pulls it off by leaning heavily on fossil evidence. Bone growth rings, healed injuries, and biomechanical modeling keep the narrative from drifting into full-blown dinosaur fan fiction.
One of the book’s most striking elements is scale. This is an animal that may have required hundreds of pounds of meat at regular intervals and could deliver over 12,000 pounds of bite force. That is less villain monologue and more hydraulic press. Yet Black consistently reins in the spectacle. Snaggletooth’s typical walking pace, closer to three miles per hour, replaces the cinematic sprint. She is not racing through the floodplains in slow motion. She moves with deliberation, governed by environmental and ecological pressures. Constantly regenerating teeth and an eighty-degree jaw gape sound dramatic, but in context they are practical design features for a bone-crushing predator.
Thematically, the book pushes back on the idea of dinosaurs as mindless engines of destruction. This tyrannosaur must survive more than a decade before reaching reproductive maturity, which is thirteen years of not getting eaten first. Juveniles likely filled different ecological roles than adults, suggesting an animal that changed careers as it aged. Fossils with healed fractures and bite marks hint at a life that was less invincible tyrant and more battle-hardened survivor. Even the mating scene, which could easily tip into spectacle, is portrayed as a logistical challenge involving several tons of muscle and balance. Apex predator does not mean immune to physics.
What makes the book work is its balance between imagination and restraint. Black is clear that every behavioral detail rests on inference from bone, trackway, and comparative anatomy. The tension between what can be known and what must be reconstructed becomes part of the appeal. The result is not just a portrait of a Tyrannosaurus rex, but a reminder that deep time is assembled piece by piece. The tyrant lizard queen emerges not as a movie monster, but as a biologically plausible animal doing her best to survive in a world that was not built for comfort.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.
This book reconstructs the life of a female Tyrannosaurus rex named Snaggletooth from hatchling to apex predator, responsibly tethered to current paleontological research. We follow her through a perilous adolescence, an explosive teenage growth spurt, and her eventual rise to an eight-ton adult capable of casually rearranging her ecosystem simply by walking through it. Black frames the story as a biography, which sounds ambitious for an animal extinct for sixty-six million years, but she pulls it off by leaning heavily on fossil evidence. Bone growth rings, healed injuries, and biomechanical modeling keep the narrative from drifting into full-blown dinosaur fan fiction.
One of the book’s most striking elements is scale. This is an animal that may have required hundreds of pounds of meat at regular intervals and could deliver over 12,000 pounds of bite force. That is less villain monologue and more hydraulic press. Yet Black consistently reins in the spectacle. Snaggletooth’s typical walking pace, closer to three miles per hour, replaces the cinematic sprint. She is not racing through the floodplains in slow motion. She moves with deliberation, governed by environmental and ecological pressures. Constantly regenerating teeth and an eighty-degree jaw gape sound dramatic, but in context they are practical design features for a bone-crushing predator.
Thematically, the book pushes back on the idea of dinosaurs as mindless engines of destruction. This tyrannosaur must survive more than a decade before reaching reproductive maturity, which is thirteen years of not getting eaten first. Juveniles likely filled different ecological roles than adults, suggesting an animal that changed careers as it aged. Fossils with healed fractures and bite marks hint at a life that was less invincible tyrant and more battle-hardened survivor. Even the mating scene, which could easily tip into spectacle, is portrayed as a logistical challenge involving several tons of muscle and balance. Apex predator does not mean immune to physics.
What makes the book work is its balance between imagination and restraint. Black is clear that every behavioral detail rests on inference from bone, trackway, and comparative anatomy. The tension between what can be known and what must be reconstructed becomes part of the appeal. The result is not just a portrait of a Tyrannosaurus rex, but a reminder that deep time is assembled piece by piece. The tyrant lizard queen emerges not as a movie monster, but as a biologically plausible animal doing her best to survive in a world that was not built for comfort.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
***The book contains political components to hit basically every DEI checkpoint instead of standing on neutral ground as should any book based on nonfiction. Furthermore the author chose the reader would benefit from a LGBT portrayal with basically no notes mentioning examples of predatory single creatures participating in such behaviors***
Tyrant Lizard Queen is a fictionalized scientific-based telling of what life may have been like for a tyrannosaur from hatching to her first brood, basically stopping before she gets to full maturity. The author chose a female (Lord forbid there should probably be neutral pronouns instead of sex ones according to the author) pov since apparently dinosaurs need feminist retellings instead of it being a better choice since a female would have more to present in a tale than a male whose life routine stops short of parental care.
Give the fact the rock records can only save and share so much, the author has taken liberties to base behaviors captured in these records while at the same time supplementing these with behaviors found in modern reptiles and birds. A deeper look of this can be be found in the back within the Notes for those curious to read them. I agree with a fellow reviewer that it would have been been nice to have a hyperlink allowing readers of the digital book to easily flip between the two sections or put the notes in a section behind each chapter.
Most of the Woke arguments unfortunately can be found in the said notes although the Introduction had enough warning triggers to make me roll my eyes that a man's legacy to his work can't be also presented without his flaws.
Otherwise the information was decent and the book had plausible merit on its own without the fripperies but since of the latter I couldn't get into it. When can we get back neutral nonfiction books that aren't politically driven and/or mostly memoirs of their said authors?
***I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
Tyrant Lizard Queen is a fictionalized scientific-based telling of what life may have been like for a tyrannosaur from hatching to her first brood, basically stopping before she gets to full maturity. The author chose a female (Lord forbid there should probably be neutral pronouns instead of sex ones according to the author) pov since apparently dinosaurs need feminist retellings instead of it being a better choice since a female would have more to present in a tale than a male whose life routine stops short of parental care.
Give the fact the rock records can only save and share so much, the author has taken liberties to base behaviors captured in these records while at the same time supplementing these with behaviors found in modern reptiles and birds. A deeper look of this can be be found in the back within the Notes for those curious to read them. I agree with a fellow reviewer that it would have been been nice to have a hyperlink allowing readers of the digital book to easily flip between the two sections or put the notes in a section behind each chapter.
Most of the Woke arguments unfortunately can be found in the said notes although the Introduction had enough warning triggers to make me roll my eyes that a man's legacy to his work can't be also presented without his flaws.
Otherwise the information was decent and the book had plausible merit on its own without the fripperies but since of the latter I couldn't get into it. When can we get back neutral nonfiction books that aren't politically driven and/or mostly memoirs of their said authors?
***I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Read for Trans Rights Readathon 2026
This was so incredibly good! Kiddo (12) and I read it at bedtime and we were both completely engrossed in the story the whole time. We'd previously read When the Earth Was Green, which we both also really enjoyed. I feel like this book is even better. It's more visceral and immediate and personal, as we follow a single T Rex named Snaggletooth from hatching through the ups and downs of her life.
Riley Black excels at really visceral writing that brings fossils to life with stories and juicy language. Especially if the scene involves tearing through dinosaur flesh. It makes her books really fun to read -- especially to read aloud, as I'm doing with this one to my 12 year old at bedtime.
The best example is, I think, the opening paragraph of chapter 8: The Carcass.
"The fleshy cavern reeks of death. Greasy and broken ribs jut at odd angles from the decomposing rags of scale and muscle, broken ends almost seeming to wiggle of their own accord from the diffuse clouds of flies that have never been so spoiled for choice in the entirety of their tiny lives." and so on.
With writing so visceral, the story comes alive. It's a little gross, but only in parts. And only where appropriate.
I really appreciate the Appendixes, where Riley Black lays out her reasoning for everything that happens in each chapter, and the fossils each starts with before her imagination takes flight.
I also really appreciate Chapter 7's explanation especially, where she explains why she chose to make the mating scene a same-sex one. She backs it up with facts and I think it was a really smart choice.
There is also a very detailed reference section, divided by chapter, with between 3 and 12 references for each chapter, offering plenty of further reading options.
*Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an early copy for review.
This was so incredibly good! Kiddo (12) and I read it at bedtime and we were both completely engrossed in the story the whole time. We'd previously read When the Earth Was Green, which we both also really enjoyed. I feel like this book is even better. It's more visceral and immediate and personal, as we follow a single T Rex named Snaggletooth from hatching through the ups and downs of her life.
Riley Black excels at really visceral writing that brings fossils to life with stories and juicy language. Especially if the scene involves tearing through dinosaur flesh. It makes her books really fun to read -- especially to read aloud, as I'm doing with this one to my 12 year old at bedtime.
The best example is, I think, the opening paragraph of chapter 8: The Carcass.
"The fleshy cavern reeks of death. Greasy and broken ribs jut at odd angles from the decomposing rags of scale and muscle, broken ends almost seeming to wiggle of their own accord from the diffuse clouds of flies that have never been so spoiled for choice in the entirety of their tiny lives." and so on.
With writing so visceral, the story comes alive. It's a little gross, but only in parts. And only where appropriate.
I really appreciate the Appendixes, where Riley Black lays out her reasoning for everything that happens in each chapter, and the fossils each starts with before her imagination takes flight.
I also really appreciate Chapter 7's explanation especially, where she explains why she chose to make the mating scene a same-sex one. She backs it up with facts and I think it was a really smart choice.
There is also a very detailed reference section, divided by chapter, with between 3 and 12 references for each chapter, offering plenty of further reading options.
*Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an early copy for review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Riley Black's *Tyrant Lizard Queen* is a stunning piece of science writing disguised as a nature epic. Much of my dinosaur knowledge hadn't been properly updated since the 90s. Sure, I've picked up snippets from zoology books and museum visits over the years, but this was my first real look at the full dinosaur lifecycle, in context, in a few decades. It was incredibly illuminating.
The book follows Snaggletooth, a T. rex we meet as a hatchling and watch grow into a formidable adult. She is equal parts adorable and terrifying, compassionate and deadly, a character you root for even as she crushes bone and hunts prey across Cretaceous North America. Black's ability to make you care about a 9-ton predator is remarkable.
What sets this apart from other dinosaur books is the world-building. The flora and the fauna of the Late Cretaceous are described brilliantly. The ancient floodplains, the towering *Alamosaurus*, the burly *Torosaurus*, the ecosystems that sustained and threatened Snag at every stage of life. You come away feeling like you've actually spent time in this epoch, not just read about it.
Black weaves the latest paleontological research into the narrative so naturally that you absorb updated science without realizing you're being taught. The appendices, which break down what's established fact versus informed conjecture for each chapter, are an excellent touch for anyone who wants to dig deeper into the research.
This would be a perfect companion read before or after a museum visit. The NC Museum of Natural Sciences, a trip to Dinosaur Land, or even just a good documentary. It brings the static skeletons and dioramas to life in a way that will stick with you.
Highly recommended for dinosaur lovers, nature readers, and anyone whose prehistoric knowledge could use a joyful, vivid refresh.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The book follows Snaggletooth, a T. rex we meet as a hatchling and watch grow into a formidable adult. She is equal parts adorable and terrifying, compassionate and deadly, a character you root for even as she crushes bone and hunts prey across Cretaceous North America. Black's ability to make you care about a 9-ton predator is remarkable.
What sets this apart from other dinosaur books is the world-building. The flora and the fauna of the Late Cretaceous are described brilliantly. The ancient floodplains, the towering *Alamosaurus*, the burly *Torosaurus*, the ecosystems that sustained and threatened Snag at every stage of life. You come away feeling like you've actually spent time in this epoch, not just read about it.
Black weaves the latest paleontological research into the narrative so naturally that you absorb updated science without realizing you're being taught. The appendices, which break down what's established fact versus informed conjecture for each chapter, are an excellent touch for anyone who wants to dig deeper into the research.
This would be a perfect companion read before or after a museum visit. The NC Museum of Natural Sciences, a trip to Dinosaur Land, or even just a good documentary. It brings the static skeletons and dioramas to life in a way that will stick with you.
Highly recommended for dinosaur lovers, nature readers, and anyone whose prehistoric knowledge could use a joyful, vivid refresh.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book immediately hooked me with its concept. I’ve often wondered why we don’t use what we know from science to imagine richer fictional lives for non-human beings, so a story that inhabits the life of a Tyrannosaurus rex felt like exactly the kind of speculative storytelling I dream about.
I had a brief moment of concern in the introduction when the narrative shifted to a human perspective, but that quickly gave way to the heart of the story with the hatching of Snaggletooth, a baby T. rex. From that point on, the book follows Snaggletooth from her youth to adulthood.
The appendices show how thoughtfully the author, Riley Black, engages with the available paleontological research when constructing the world of this young tyrannosaur, filling in the inevitable gaps with informed imagination.
What I loved most was how immersive the environment felt. The book drops the reader into a vividly imagined prehistoric ecosystem. I especially enjoyed the mentions of specific plants and landscapes; reading about redwoods and sequoias while visiting them myself made the experience feel strangely immediate, like stepping into a distant but tangible past.
The ending felt a little abrupt for me. While I understand the symmetry of ending the story in a way that mirrors its beginning, I found myself reluctant to leave this long-gone world and would happily have spent more time there.
Overall, Tyrant Lizard Queen is a fascinating blend of science, imagination, and narrative that invites readers to experience the ancient world through the eyes of one of its most iconic creatures.
Thanks to the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I had a brief moment of concern in the introduction when the narrative shifted to a human perspective, but that quickly gave way to the heart of the story with the hatching of Snaggletooth, a baby T. rex. From that point on, the book follows Snaggletooth from her youth to adulthood.
The appendices show how thoughtfully the author, Riley Black, engages with the available paleontological research when constructing the world of this young tyrannosaur, filling in the inevitable gaps with informed imagination.
What I loved most was how immersive the environment felt. The book drops the reader into a vividly imagined prehistoric ecosystem. I especially enjoyed the mentions of specific plants and landscapes; reading about redwoods and sequoias while visiting them myself made the experience feel strangely immediate, like stepping into a distant but tangible past.
The ending felt a little abrupt for me. While I understand the symmetry of ending the story in a way that mirrors its beginning, I found myself reluctant to leave this long-gone world and would happily have spent more time there.
Overall, Tyrant Lizard Queen is a fascinating blend of science, imagination, and narrative that invites readers to experience the ancient world through the eyes of one of its most iconic creatures.
Thanks to the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I want to express my thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this latest book by Riley Black.
Last year, I read When the Earth was Green, and absolutely loved the paleo botany that I learned. Last year was a year of paleontology for me, reading double digits of books written by Dino scientists. Because of that I have a growing admiration for these books and Black's books are especially interesting to me because they go beyond the normal discussion of dinosaurs.
This book, Tyrant Lizard Queen, is no exception. I appreciate the intro that tells the reader this is Black's vision for the Queen lizards, and then dives into basically a scientific novel, shall we say, with deep details. And here's what gets me, one of the initial battles for Snaggletooth (what Black has lovingly named the key dino here) I was seriously worried Snag was going to die! Black got me invested into its survival in about 60 pages! Its a giant, long dead lizard and yet I'm leaning into the story like someone playing video games twisting the controller like it will help (fun fact: it doesn't).
And then, it turns into the most extreme enemies to lovers I have ever read. It feels like this is the origin of "Tale as old as time" because millions of years predates everything Disney or anyone else has done. Well done, dear dinosaurs. Well done.
And so, the story of Snaggletooth was not only fascinating, but as a science and dino nerd, I couldn't read it fast enough. I can't wait to see what comes next from this author.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I struggled with my opinion of Tyrant Lizard Queen for most of the book because it constantly ping-ponged between science and science-fiction and a Disney movie.
I love completely non-fiction science tomes where I learn about something in which I have an interest. And, I picked up Tyrant with the expectation that it would fall into this genre. It doesn't because it expands on the very little we know about Tyrannosaurus Rex (especially about juveniles) and runs wild with it as though the author observed them in their natural setting for years. And, this bothered me A Lot. We have no idea what TRex babies sounded like, or even if TRex made nests for their eggs. We don't know the colors of the dinosaur, or the courting rituals, or any of this. Yet, here we were reading a play-by-play of 20 years of 1 dinosaur's life. And, there wasn't a big intro chapter or announcement stating that "I WAS GUESSING BASED ON TODAY'S DECENDANTS" until we got to the end of the actual book part and started reading the Appendices, which were excellent because they dissected each chapter and explained in detail what was fact and what was conjecture.
I wish I had realized this at the beginning. If so, I would have read each individual chapter, then immediately turned to its Appendix and read the background before moving on to the next. It would have cured much of my frustration and my eyes wouldn't have hurt from rolling so often.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I love completely non-fiction science tomes where I learn about something in which I have an interest. And, I picked up Tyrant with the expectation that it would fall into this genre. It doesn't because it expands on the very little we know about Tyrannosaurus Rex (especially about juveniles) and runs wild with it as though the author observed them in their natural setting for years. And, this bothered me A Lot. We have no idea what TRex babies sounded like, or even if TRex made nests for their eggs. We don't know the colors of the dinosaur, or the courting rituals, or any of this. Yet, here we were reading a play-by-play of 20 years of 1 dinosaur's life. And, there wasn't a big intro chapter or announcement stating that "I WAS GUESSING BASED ON TODAY'S DECENDANTS" until we got to the end of the actual book part and started reading the Appendices, which were excellent because they dissected each chapter and explained in detail what was fact and what was conjecture.
I wish I had realized this at the beginning. If so, I would have read each individual chapter, then immediately turned to its Appendix and read the background before moving on to the next. It would have cured much of my frustration and my eyes wouldn't have hurt from rolling so often.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Tyrant Lizard Queen is an apt title for a book about a Tyrannosaurus rex. I have had a lifelong love for dinosaurs, so I was excited to read this. I've read other dinosaur and paleontology books, but this was my first time reading Riley Black.
Tyrant Lizard Queen has a unique structure. Black includes a Dinosauria Personae section in the beginning of the book to provide the reader with a brief rundown of the species that make an appearance in the story. Following that, the book delves in to the realistic imagined life of a Tyrannosaurus rex from hatching out of her egg to becoming a mother herself. After reading about the life of the T. rex called Snaggletooth, Snag for short, Black provides an Appendixes section that provides supporting factual information for each chapter of Snag's life. The structure of the book largely works, although I personally would have preferred to have each Appendix appear after its corresponding chapter.
Black talks about becoming fixated with a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil in New York City's American Museum of Natural History while visiting the museum as a child. I liked that Black encourages readers to think about fossilized remains as once being living, breathing animals that lived complex lives.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Riley Black, and NetGalley for the eBook advanced reader's copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own. Tyrant Lizard Queen will be published on October 27, 2026.
Tyrant Lizard Queen has a unique structure. Black includes a Dinosauria Personae section in the beginning of the book to provide the reader with a brief rundown of the species that make an appearance in the story. Following that, the book delves in to the realistic imagined life of a Tyrannosaurus rex from hatching out of her egg to becoming a mother herself. After reading about the life of the T. rex called Snaggletooth, Snag for short, Black provides an Appendixes section that provides supporting factual information for each chapter of Snag's life. The structure of the book largely works, although I personally would have preferred to have each Appendix appear after its corresponding chapter.
Black talks about becoming fixated with a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil in New York City's American Museum of Natural History while visiting the museum as a child. I liked that Black encourages readers to think about fossilized remains as once being living, breathing animals that lived complex lives.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Riley Black, and NetGalley for the eBook advanced reader's copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own. Tyrant Lizard Queen will be published on October 27, 2026.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Another divided reaction from me. First, I grew up reading vintage and classic books from the animal’s point of view — dogs, cats, horses, an antelope, bees — and I’ve always had a soft spot for them, so finding one about a T-Rex was just fun. However, I also went into this book with certain expectations, and that’s on me.
This book is almost more informative than educational, more like a documentary than a story. While Snaggletooth is our main character, we’re reading the book from the author’s point of view. It’s interesting, of course, and very well done, and you can feel the author’s enthusiasm and passion. It invites the reader in to share that passion, not just with the T-Rex, but the world they inhabited, the other dinosaurs they lived with, and the reality (inasmuch as can be done) of what it might have been like to live there.
But what I wanted was to read Snaggletooth’s story from her point of view. That’s just a personal preference of mine, and no comment on the writing skill or the sheer amount of research the author put into the book. If you like those Walking with Dinosaur shows, you’ll probably like this book. But if you’re looking for an animal (reptile) story, this isn’t quite that. Enough to be entertaining, but not enough to scratch that particular itch.
This is engaging, informative, and fun. Thank you so very much to Net Galley for the ARC.
This book is almost more informative than educational, more like a documentary than a story. While Snaggletooth is our main character, we’re reading the book from the author’s point of view. It’s interesting, of course, and very well done, and you can feel the author’s enthusiasm and passion. It invites the reader in to share that passion, not just with the T-Rex, but the world they inhabited, the other dinosaurs they lived with, and the reality (inasmuch as can be done) of what it might have been like to live there.
But what I wanted was to read Snaggletooth’s story from her point of view. That’s just a personal preference of mine, and no comment on the writing skill or the sheer amount of research the author put into the book. If you like those Walking with Dinosaur shows, you’ll probably like this book. But if you’re looking for an animal (reptile) story, this isn’t quite that. Enough to be entertaining, but not enough to scratch that particular itch.
This is engaging, informative, and fun. Thank you so very much to Net Galley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
**I received a digital review copy from the publisher, because I am a librarian and librarians are awesome **
Do you like:
- Descriptions of carnivore stench
- Pterosaurs committing infanticide
- Death by flash flood
- Girl on girl T-Rex action
- Literal bone crunching
- Murder after mating
??
THIS BOOK HAS IT ALL.
Tyrant Lizard Queen is *exactly* what you would expect from a queer autistic dinosaur expert writing T-Rex fanfiction.
That is to say, it is extremely scientifically factual and straightforward while also being far more entertaining than reading the latest study published in a paleontology journal. When a book is 2/3 story and 1/3 appendix field notes-slash-bibliography, you're not reading fiction, precisely. But you're not NOT reading fiction.
Honestly, the four star rating is probably pushing it, but I do love a book where I'm not rolling my eyes at the inaccurate science. I enjoyed it because it was out of my normal realm, and sometimes when you read a genre for the first time you have to be a little bit impressed, because you don't have better or worse touchstones to compare it to.
An excellent companion to (much drier) The Story of Birds.
Recommend to: fans of narrative nonfiction, teens and adults who never grew out of - or are coming into - their dinosaur era.
Do you like:
- Descriptions of carnivore stench
- Pterosaurs committing infanticide
- Death by flash flood
- Girl on girl T-Rex action
- Literal bone crunching
- Murder after mating
??
THIS BOOK HAS IT ALL.
Tyrant Lizard Queen is *exactly* what you would expect from a queer autistic dinosaur expert writing T-Rex fanfiction.
That is to say, it is extremely scientifically factual and straightforward while also being far more entertaining than reading the latest study published in a paleontology journal. When a book is 2/3 story and 1/3 appendix field notes-slash-bibliography, you're not reading fiction, precisely. But you're not NOT reading fiction.
Honestly, the four star rating is probably pushing it, but I do love a book where I'm not rolling my eyes at the inaccurate science. I enjoyed it because it was out of my normal realm, and sometimes when you read a genre for the first time you have to be a little bit impressed, because you don't have better or worse touchstones to compare it to.
An excellent companion to (much drier) The Story of Birds.
Recommend to: fans of narrative nonfiction, teens and adults who never grew out of - or are coming into - their dinosaur era.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is a masterful exploration of the dinosaurs through a 'personal account' of Snaggletooth the T. rex. I personally was never a dinosaur kid, but the title sounded fun, so I decided to give it a chance and I am now a certified dinosaur adult.
I like the aspect of telling the story of a T. rex while she grows up and finds her place in the world. At times certain facts were kind of repetitive, which made me wonder if the author just didn’t trust me to remember them, but overall it was very informative about many dinosaur species.
This book also talks about evolution a lot and ecosystems and so many more very relevant parts of nature that persist to present day. So while this is a dinosaur book, it’s also still very relevant.
After Snaggletooth‘s story there is an extensive afterword about the research behind this story, which to me was almost the best part of the book, as it gave really interesting insights into the realities of paleontologists.
Overall a very fun way to approach dinosaurs and very obviously the result of a life’s worth of work, research and knowledge.
Thanks to the publisher for the eARC!
I like the aspect of telling the story of a T. rex while she grows up and finds her place in the world. At times certain facts were kind of repetitive, which made me wonder if the author just didn’t trust me to remember them, but overall it was very informative about many dinosaur species.
This book also talks about evolution a lot and ecosystems and so many more very relevant parts of nature that persist to present day. So while this is a dinosaur book, it’s also still very relevant.
After Snaggletooth‘s story there is an extensive afterword about the research behind this story, which to me was almost the best part of the book, as it gave really interesting insights into the realities of paleontologists.
Overall a very fun way to approach dinosaurs and very obviously the result of a life’s worth of work, research and knowledge.
Thanks to the publisher for the eARC!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.
I really enjoyed this book. It does a great job of giving us a unique lens into the life of the mighty T-Rex. Not only is it a fresh perspective that breaks outside of the heteronormative, patriarchal, old white man scientific lens that too often we box ourselves into (did you know that T-Rex actually means Tyrant Lizard KING?), it is an engaging story that lets us build a relationship with our female main character Snaggletooth and helps us learn a lot along the way.
At first I didn’t like the ending as I wished there was more to say (also perhaps a sign I was enjoying the book…) but I appreciated the afterword that explained the reasoning. I recommend perusing through that to better understand certain sections of the book, it was quite interesting.
This book also does a great job at reminding us of our tiny role in the history of the Earth. Phew, we really need that reminder these days, we’ve only been here for a millisecond.
Go pick this up if you love dinosaurs!
I really enjoyed this book. It does a great job of giving us a unique lens into the life of the mighty T-Rex. Not only is it a fresh perspective that breaks outside of the heteronormative, patriarchal, old white man scientific lens that too often we box ourselves into (did you know that T-Rex actually means Tyrant Lizard KING?), it is an engaging story that lets us build a relationship with our female main character Snaggletooth and helps us learn a lot along the way.
At first I didn’t like the ending as I wished there was more to say (also perhaps a sign I was enjoying the book…) but I appreciated the afterword that explained the reasoning. I recommend perusing through that to better understand certain sections of the book, it was quite interesting.
This book also does a great job at reminding us of our tiny role in the history of the Earth. Phew, we really need that reminder these days, we’ve only been here for a millisecond.
Go pick this up if you love dinosaurs!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I was hoping for a T. Rex version of Raptor Red with updated science. Unfortunately, this is a bit different. The author has chosen to write in third person omniscient past tense. (The hatchling did this / This species was the largest flying species ever on earth, etc.) This choice has the advantage of being able to impart a lot of evolutionary facts to the reader that T. Rex doesn't know. The downside is that we don't get to see the world through the eyes of a T. Rex like we saw the world from Raptor Red's perspective. Given the choice between a lot of cool science facts and running through prehistory and crushing plants under my giant feet while roaring, I would choose the second. The science facts are very cool but make the book feel kind of like I've gone to a paleontology lecture. I still enjoyed reading the book, but I wish alternative choices in writing craft had been made.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is the vision, or slice of what the author sees when she visits the T.Rex and other dinosaurs. Mainly she focuses on the T.Rex, but we also get a small view of some of the other dinosaurs that had interactions with the lizard queen. It starts and ends with the egg and babies that hatch out of those eggs.
The story is told around a hatchling that grows to be the enormous T.Rex that most of us learned about and maybe even got to see in a museum. Awe and wonder is the phrase I would use to describe the Tyrannosaurus rex. There are interactions with other dinosaurs that are either adversaries, mates or meals. I liked that we come full circle, from start to finish and learn some interesting facts that we might not have known before. It’s an interesting story that I think you will enjoy if you’re interested in dinosaurs and the T. Rex in particular.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
The story is told around a hatchling that grows to be the enormous T.Rex that most of us learned about and maybe even got to see in a museum. Awe and wonder is the phrase I would use to describe the Tyrannosaurus rex. There are interactions with other dinosaurs that are either adversaries, mates or meals. I liked that we come full circle, from start to finish and learn some interesting facts that we might not have known before. It’s an interesting story that I think you will enjoy if you’re interested in dinosaurs and the T. Rex in particular.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley
Storytelling meets science to create an intriguing written documentary/speculative fiction tale as the reader follows Snaggletooth from her hatching through her adult life. The Tyrannosaurus rex captures the imagination, perhaps more than any other dinosaur, and this book draw the reader into her life as it weaves facts and possibilities into a tale of life in prehistoric times. Capturing the imagination and pulling the reader into Snag’s life keeps the pages turning and the reader immersed in the telling of the tale.
The story ends as it begins: with hatching eggs. Readers with an interest in dinosaurs, in science, in imaginative tales based on science fact will find much to appreciate in this unputdownable book.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
#TyrantLizardQueen #NetGalley
Storytelling meets science to create an intriguing written documentary/speculative fiction tale as the reader follows Snaggletooth from her hatching through her adult life. The Tyrannosaurus rex captures the imagination, perhaps more than any other dinosaur, and this book draw the reader into her life as it weaves facts and possibilities into a tale of life in prehistoric times. Capturing the imagination and pulling the reader into Snag’s life keeps the pages turning and the reader immersed in the telling of the tale.
The story ends as it begins: with hatching eggs. Readers with an interest in dinosaurs, in science, in imaginative tales based on science fact will find much to appreciate in this unputdownable book.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
#TyrantLizardQueen #NetGalley
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I haven't really thought much about dinosaurs since I was a kid but it was fun to learn more about them in this adult audience pop science work. By following Snaggletooth's story, we learn a lot about the anatomy, physiology, evolution, and behavior of T Rex and other Cretaceous period creatures. It reads like nature documentary narration, in a good way. The descriptions were very evocative, and even a little gory at times. The author clearly took a lot of creative license in telling Snag's story but they're clearly passionate about the topic and have done a lot of research. I highly recommend reading the corresponding section of the appendix after each chapter. It gives relevant and eye-opening scientific context which I felt enriched the narrative. Thanks to NetGalley and the author and the publisher for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
5+ Will definetly pre order this one as an audiobook and collect a physical copy for my shelf.
The book is very well written and divided into two parts. The first 75% is a novelization of Snagletooth's life from birth to motherhood, presented in a compelling storytelling way. Many times, I wanted to read a book with dragons or dinosaurs as main characters in a prehistoric fictional world, but I ended up forgetting they were dinosaurs or dragons because they only acted like modern humans. In this non-fiction (fiction) the author gets inspired by the known and well-studied behavior of other animals to try to build up a daily routine for our female T. rex (which he explains the sources in the remaining 35% of the book. Very insightful. We even have a fun scene full of action. Like: Sorry kids, I was starving and your dad was an a... hole so I ate him.
Ahahah. Well done.
The book is very well written and divided into two parts. The first 75% is a novelization of Snagletooth's life from birth to motherhood, presented in a compelling storytelling way. Many times, I wanted to read a book with dragons or dinosaurs as main characters in a prehistoric fictional world, but I ended up forgetting they were dinosaurs or dragons because they only acted like modern humans. In this non-fiction (fiction) the author gets inspired by the known and well-studied behavior of other animals to try to build up a daily routine for our female T. rex (which he explains the sources in the remaining 35% of the book. Very insightful. We even have a fun scene full of action. Like: Sorry kids, I was starving and your dad was an a... hole so I ate him.
Ahahah. Well done.
Read
May 26, 2026I felt conflicted about Tyrant Lizard Queen because it shifts between science, science fiction, and something almost Disney-like.
Tyrant Lizard Queen imagines a tyrannosaur’s life from hatching to her first brood, stopping before full maturity. The female perspective seems meant to give the story a feminist angle, but it also makes narrative sense, since a male’s role would likely end before parental care begins.
To fill gaps in the fossil record, the author draws on both paleontological evidence and behaviors seen in modern reptiles and birds. That approach is explained further in the Notes, though I agree the digital edition would be easier to use with linked notes or chapter-by-chapter placement.
Tyrant Lizard Queen imagines a tyrannosaur’s life from hatching to her first brood, stopping before full maturity. The female perspective seems meant to give the story a feminist angle, but it also makes narrative sense, since a male’s role would likely end before parental care begins.
To fill gaps in the fossil record, the author draws on both paleontological evidence and behaviors seen in modern reptiles and birds. That approach is explained further in the Notes, though I agree the digital edition would be easier to use with linked notes or chapter-by-chapter placement.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This reminded me of being a kid and watching that Walking with Dinosaurs documentary over and over again. This book reminded me of why I found dinosaurs so fascinating as a kid. I really enjoyed the way this was written as a story following the life of a a T-Rex while fitting all the science into the story to explain with the T-Rex's behavior. It made it very engaging and kept it from feeling dry.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Lush, humid, vibrant — Riley Black takes us on a Cretaceous tour reminiscent of an Attenborough documentary. Imaginative scenes combine with paleontological research and a deep love of dinosaurs makes for an unforgettable portrait of the T-Rex and its counterparts. Black’s writing is lyrical and evocative, and made my millennial heart (raised on Land Before Time and home dino “dig” kits) skitter with descriptions of clashes between titanosaurs. A literary adventure!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book is beautifully written showing the evolution of the T Rex. The story is told in a way that mimics a documentary, but it’s engaging for the audience. I think Tyrant Lizard Queen is a must read book, Riley has done the work in writing a story based off clear research about these beautiful prehistoric animals.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Riley Black has written an fascinating nonfiction/fiction Tyrannosaurus Rex story that reads like fiction. I was rooting for this big, stinky, bitey reptile from birth thru maturity. Very readable, and I'd give this to my dinosaur obsessed kids or read to the younger ones. Kudos, Riley Black for filling a niche that blends facts and supposition so nicely.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I received a free copy of, Tyrant Lizard Queen, by Riley Black, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is all about the Tyrannosaurus Rex. This is an interesting read on a specific dinosaur. When the dinosaurs roamed the earth was such an interesting time in history.
April 8, 2026
Fascinating book. The details of the life of the T-Rex brings to mind things you wouldn’t have expected or thought about. It was intriguing to read and kept me at the edge of my seat. First time reading this author and so glad I did.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was actually really cool. A deep dive into the life of a tyrannosaurus rex, and just a really interesting piece of literature. If you love dinosaurs, check this one out.
March 22, 2026
Loved everything about this read! It kept me hooked start to finish!
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy!
Dr. Black takes all the latest research on T. Rex, plus, she admits, her own imagination, and presents the daily life of young T. Rex 61 million years ago. I was absolutely fascinated to read the descriptions of life in this lost world, and fascinated by how Black speculates the T. Rex looked and acted - but the sheer amount of speculation gave me pause, since there was just so much not found in the fossil record that Dr. Black had to make up, even though it was based on logical guesses from known facts. So, I wouldn't take this as the only source on this time period, but definitely would recommend as a place to start to get your imagination flowing with what-ifs.
Dr. Black takes all the latest research on T. Rex, plus, she admits, her own imagination, and presents the daily life of young T. Rex 61 million years ago. I was absolutely fascinated to read the descriptions of life in this lost world, and fascinated by how Black speculates the T. Rex looked and acted - but the sheer amount of speculation gave me pause, since there was just so much not found in the fossil record that Dr. Black had to make up, even though it was based on logical guesses from known facts. So, I wouldn't take this as the only source on this time period, but definitely would recommend as a place to start to get your imagination flowing with what-ifs.
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