Pawns of Salistya

by H.J. Bogue

Knowledge finds those who are meant to see.

I am the most powerful mage in Fyriane, sent by my sister, the Queen of Salistya, to take over the Kingdom of Arlom.

For one year, I have bided my time, hiding my lethal powers and waiting for the moment to strike, content to play the seemingly dutiful queen as I learn the Arlom ways.

Until the Royal Forum changes everything.

Fresh faces bring more questions than answers, including a man that I am undeniably drawn to. With all of Fyriane’s leaders coming together and the pressure from my sister intensifying, I can’t trust anyone. They’re all out for themselves.
But I will find the answers I need, one way or another.

As I discover the truths of Fyriane, a bigger picture starts to take shape. A picture that has me questioning everything.

Yet I must act. I am here now. I refuse to cower.

I refuse to be a pawn.

Genres: Fantasy

348 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 26, 2026

About the author

Hannah has been obsessed with fantasy romance books for as long as she can remember. In her early twenties, Hannah was camping on the sunshine coast in beautiful British Columbia when she turned to her friend and said, ‘I would love to write a book, I feel there is so much going on in my head and there are stories that need to be told.’ Fast forward a handful of years, Hannah resides in her hometown of Perth, WA, with her partner, and fur babies Walter, Loki and Ridley. She finally watered the seed she planted all those years ago, and her imagination bloomed.

Reviews

[Taylor Armijo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buckle up, you’re in for a wild ride: this isn’t your typical romantasy book. There’s political power struggles, battles of wills, fated prophecy and more… with open door spice.

I loved the realism of the characters in terms of complexity. Valare has some self development through the book which is encouraging to see. She’s also realistic in the fact that she’s battling her job (royalty, assassin) with her personal struggles (anxiety, anti-confrontation). The tertiary characters have some interesting traits as well.

I would recommend keeping the list of characters and their connections on hand — thankfully there’s a few pages at the front with pronunciations and relationships which I had to consult a bit to make sure I wasn’t mixing anything up.

There’s a lot of world building and thought that’s gone into the creation of the Doms of Fyriane. Each of the kingdoms/queendoms have unique affinities that go into the policial power struggles and (potential) alliances.

The book ends on a cliffhanger (obvs since it’s book 1 in a series) and I’m anxiously awaiting the next release.

[Ariadne Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valare is a woman with several problems in her life. As sister to the Queen of Salystya she's been forced to marry the enemy King of Arlom, and as a trained, magic-whielding assassin for her brutal queendom she's been tasked with unaliving said King. But Valare is hampered in this at every turn. First of all, King Elliasson is no enemy (and damn good in bed), while her secret lover fumes and gets in the way. Then a huge, royal trade gathering brings together all four nations in her world, forcing her to play the good wife before a host of scheming, bickering rulers, all the while keeping her bloodthirsty sister at bay, and her identity (and magic) a secret.

This debut by a new author brings us a story that is very interestingly positioned, almost between genres. The world is a fantasy with gods-given magic, fantastic beasts and beings, and ancient prophesies. But the characters and the romantic dilemmas read as you'd expect to see in a contemporary setting; multiple romantic love interests, and tense family dynamics. Even the characters' dialogue and reactions tend to skew more modern'ish than is typically found in fantasy. If you enjoy reading contemporary and want to 'dip your toes' into fantasy, this is the book for you.

Lastly, this book is also very much a *first in a series* book. Not everything is resolved. In fact, more questions are opened and mysteries alluded to than are resolved. We know what the FMC knows, and despite her "privileged position" Valare is uncovering secrets upon secrets as she journeys along. This book is barely scratching the surface of what is *clearly* a much broader fantasy universe. If you could hang in with Throne of Glass, and gave it a chance to grow and develop, you can hang here too. Read it, give it a shot, and stay tuned for more.

Word of Caution: An early chapter clearly depicts (on page) what I classify as an instance of rough consensual, devolving into semi-DV behavior of a partner within a toxic relationship which I found jarring. It leaves the FMC with lots of recurring "it's your fault" gaslighting-type thoughts. However, the aftermath of this moment is pivotal to the FMCs emotional journey, to realizing that this is not a situation where she wants to be in.

[Atiksha K · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received an ARC of this book, the review and all the thoughts are my own.

*This review does not contain any spoilers

*Please read the content warnings of this book and take them very seriously.

Pairing - MF
Genre- Fantasy Romance (Open Door)
HEA/HFN - No. Cliffhanger (with the next book announced)
POV - Single First Person
Series - Yes. Book 1 of The Queendom Series

*Warning*
This book has cheating trope but the reason for that clear in the first few chapters. She is an assassin who married the king (arranged) with the intent of regicide. And this is a fantasy series where we only get one person's POV. So, there might be more to the story than meets the eye. ;)

*Review*
I never thought I would read a story with a cheating trope and love it. But here we are.
Political intrigue, arranged marriage, fated mates, magic, an FMC who is the strongest mage anyone knows, side characters who you love to hate and hate to love, amusingly exasperated characters, best friends, found family. This book has it all. And the reason I have put the cheating trope front and centre is because, I was confused whether this could be counted as that given the circumstances.
The FMC and MMC are both strong and likeable characters. It takes a little while to warm up to the MMC because our FMC (the POV person in the book) is skeptical yet drawn to him (hello, fated mate trope), even though he immediately comes off as a flirty but kind and caring individual.
The end left me with more questions than answers, which is to be expected from the first book that sets up the bigger conflict of the series.

P.S. I follow the Montessori method, so my reviews are based on completion without ratings. If I didn’t like a book, I probably wouldn’t finish it and hence won’t review it.

[Readthy Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this book and I was not expecting the twists:

Ok, let me start of by saying that I adore Valare. She's so real: her emotions, her fears, and her desires. I enjoyed the complex relationships she had to wade through. The fierce loyalty she has for those closest to her and her unwillingness to be vicious when she doesn't need to be.
She’s capable of so many things that could ruin her enemies, but yet holds great restraint especially for someone with the amount of power she wields: She's a very likeable character. That showed her true strength and her kindness.

Without giving anything away, the romance was 👌👌 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰😍😍👌👌👌
As well as the world building, the side characters, and the political intrigue was all exciting. I love fantasy with policies/royalty, so this book was so fun to read.

Eagerly waiting for book 2. I cannot wait.

[Beth Sinclair · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book and what an ending!!! 😱😱 can’t leave me hanging 🤣🤣

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

fresh fantasy world

I loved this fresh take on Romantasy. Yes, there’s politics, soul mates, a chosen one, and a prophecy—but the book presents all of these elements, and more, with a twist. Great if you want to sink your teeth into some unique world building and like plot with a side of spice.

[Carinkla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Characters that grow on you

The book is clearly fantasy genre because there is magic, mystery and a prophecy. But for me personally its main subject is finding your way through intrigue, divided loyalties, finding love and your purpose in life.

The pace of the story is perfect, but there are a lot of developments, mostly political . That is necessary for the story but makes it not a page turner for me. The main and secondary characters are relatable but not always likable from the start. You have to get to know them better and witness their struggles to get to like them.

The book clearly has an open end, and until now the saga has been very promising, so I am looking forward to reading the next book of this series.

[Colleen Callahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I had a little trouble distinguishing the different doms and the island at first, but after a few chapters I got the hang of it. I would have liked a little more clarification on the magic and the gods, but maybe that will come in future volumes. There were a few plot twists I didn’t see coming (I love that!) and the book ended on just enough of a cliffhanger to make me eager for the sequel, not enough to make me feel dissatisfied. Overall, very creative with characters I grew to love. Can’t wait for the next one! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had good plot, but there were a couple things that made me not like the book as much. Mostly the fact that it felt like many things mentioned in the book were unnecessary, many names being too similar (Slaviya vs Salistya vs Solista took me a while), and the excessive amount of telling over showing (stop telling me that this character is stubborn, especially before we even hear them speak. Show their stubbornness in their speech and don't mention that they're stubborn at all, or at least not until they're done with the convo)

[Carah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a ARC copy of Pawns of Salistya, and wow I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story was refreshing for me, I enjoyed the way everything came together and how the FMC and her group all worked so well together. I decided to take notes as I was reading and they’re a hot mess.🤣 there was a couple times I just went WHAT THE F- as a twist happened, the entire time reading this I wanted MORE. And now I just have to patiently wait, especially after that ending. 😭

[Heather Handreck · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 🌟
Quite a different concept going on and takes a little bit to get into what’s happening but once I got into it it was great.

Good sub plots to keep you intrigued and wonder where the story is going, will be very interesting to see book 2 what happens after that cliff hanger and more about the world and what happens with the King & Queen of Arlom and the infinite bound 🫶🏽

ARC read ❤️

[Ky (kys.bookish.adventures) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really enjoyable read! At first I was a bit confused trying to wrap my head around it but then I got really into it. Loved the FMC she was so badass! Fyrianen was such a unique and interesting world I can’t wait to see where this will go next.

I received an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Alecia Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valare is a protagonist with the rare ability to pull off being powerful and vulnerable at the same time.

Snappy dialogue kept me up way past my bedtime to finish.

Unique world building and mysterious lore with an ending that left me wanting the next installment now please.

[K.M. Mohr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming introduction to the world of Fyriane, its heroine is full of zest and fire. The world is created with such care and love, making it effortless to get sucked in. So very many characters to root for make Pawns of Salistya an enticing read, and have me eager for the next installment.

[Bo-Maree Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pawns of Salistya is the first book in HJ Bogue's The Queendom series and introduces Valare, the most powerful mage in Fyriane.

Valare is a trained assassin who has been forced by her sister, the Queen of Salystya, to marry the King of Arlom with the intent of ending his life. This becomes anything but straightforward for Valare as she grows to care for the King, has to deal with a jealous lover and also play dutiful wife while hosting the Kings and Queens of the other three Doms during The Royal Forum. On top of all of this she needs to hide her magic and who she really is from most of those around her.

The worldbuilding is strong and the amount of thought and detail that has gone into the formation of each of the four Doms and the continent of Fyriane is unmistakable. A map of the continent is included at the beginning of the book for those who like a visual representation.

Also included at the beginning of the book is a list of characters (including pronunciations), the Queendom or Kingdom they belong to, their role and their relationship to others. As there is a large number of characters introduced throughout the story this guide comes in handy to keep everything clear.

The characters are well written, fully developed and while they are not always likeable, they are relatable with their doubts, struggles and triumphs. By the end of the book you may even grow to love some of the characters despite trying your best not to.

A perfectly paced story with intrigue, political power struggles, scheming and subplots that will keep you guessing, this debut novel had me captivated from the first chapter. As with most books that are first in a series, you won't find all the answers you're looking for her as more things are raised than are resolved. Instead of finding it frustrating, the author has done this in a way that this and the cliffhanger ending leave you wanting more.

Snappy dialogue, fierce main characters, strong worldbuilding, battles of wills, prophecies and God-given magic, Pawns of Salistya is an excellent introduction to the world of fantasy of you're looking for something to get you started in the genre. That's not to say that this isn't for avid fantasy fans - this is definitely one that you will enjoy too.

[Moonburst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Queen Valare contains extensive magical power and abilities, but she still feels powerless in her life. Due to her sister’s machinations, she was forced to marry the King of the neighboring Dom, Eliasson, despite her being in love with another man. Furthermore, her sister expects her to assassinate her husband and take over the Dom. As the pressure builds around the Royal Forum, Valare has to decide whether she’s truly willing to be her sister’s pawn, or if she’s going to act in accordance with her heart.

Valare was initially difficult for me to like, but she quickly grew on me. Her Salistyan culture is extremely toxic against women, as well as severely domineering. While she has taken efforts to extract herself from her past, she can’t completely ignore her cultural grooming, and expects herself to be in control at all times. As she’s been trained to have the emotional intelligence of a brick, she struggles to evaluate her feelings, and determine for herself what is emotional manipulation and grooming versus true, valid criticism. The tension between what she knows is right and what she’s expected to do continues to build as more and more twists and turns develop.

A thoroughly twisty read with fully developed, complicated characters that will continue to surprise you.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[AC · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book♥️♥️♥️ This isn't just a story, it's a meticulously crafted game of chess where every move could mean life or death. The political intrigue is top. The author has a gift for making every conversation feel loaded with subtext and every alliance feel precarious. The plot is excellent, it has everything: secrets, betrayal, a fierce heroine, a love story or two 😁.

Our FMC, Valare, is resilient, intelligent, and deeply human. Watching her evolve from a "pawn" into a player who demands her own agency was incredibly satisfying to read. The MMC is mysterious due to the overall secrets and plot twists, and we’re also seeing him only from Valare’s POV, but he comes off as flirty, although kind and caring. Loved his POV at the end of the book.

There are many characters to root for, one in particular that I loved, I was thinking to myself ‘I hope you won’t turn him evil in book 2’, but then last chapter happened, and told myself ‘oh, never mind ☹’...well he didn’t turn evil, that’s for sure.

The pacing is flawless, balancing quiet character moments with explosive plot twists.

[shyandlonelywriter · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW

Valare has a mission to accomplish. Her sister who is also her Queen sends her to marry the king of an other kingdom and then kill him.

Throughout the whole book we can see how she struggles with that order. This is a part that I liked, she looks more like an ordinary woman rather than an assassin. She doesn't want to do it but she has to. Her husband is a good king and man, and he loves her.

In the romantic part of the book we have some interesting love interests. There's a king who even though she is married he doesn't hesitate to flirt with her.
Also we have someone else who claims her and to be honest I didn't like him from the beginning. He was possessive, and arrogant.

It was an interesting book and I'm curious about what'll happen in the next book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Beloved Enchanter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting debut from Aussie author H. J. Bogue. It's a refreshing mix of contemporary voice and an imaginative fantasy world where power, identity, magic, and politics are woven tightly together, and each turn of the page brings fresh intrigue. The FMC is not a simple pawn, despite her title; she is a formidable mage sent by her sister, the queen, to infiltrate the kingdom. An assassin disguised as a bride-the premise alone is compelling, but Bogue's writing also gives us well drawn, emotionally complex characters who are constantly blurring lines between friend and foe. The bigger themes revolve around identity and claiming one's destiny. As the first novel in a new series there are of course some things nicely posed for future resolution and a cliff hanger ending. I'm expecting good things from the sequel.

[C.W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pawns of Salistya centers on royal Valare, who is forced to play a dangerous role in her family’s schemes to further their power over the continent of Fyriane.

If you love fantasy with a powerful FMC, modern dialogue, inner circles, character growth, and an abundance of snarky flirting, this is the book for you! The author crafted an intricate world of magic and political scheming that had me staying up way past my bedtime! I can't wait to see what the rest of the series has in store.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost DNF due to the disturbing sex scene in the first half of the book. I am not a prude, but I found it abusive and was worried there would be more scenes like it. Luckily it was the only one. I was hoping there would be a "positive" intimate scene described in the same detail, but there was none.

Overall, I liked the characters and the world-building. Also I totally was not expecting the twist at the end. Absolutely would read the sequel.

[Liezy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't even find the words to do this book justice but an attempt: Captivating. Witty. Addictive. Mind-Blowing.

Not only is the writing outstanding, but the author herself is engaging, funny and incredibly talented. H J Bogue uses her social media platforms to connect with her readers and make us feel like we're apart of Valare's journey. She creates fun activities like book hunts and always has us on the edge of our seats.
Do yourself a massive favour and read this book now!

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was so unexpected the first chapter pulled me in very quickly. I really enjoyed the storyline, Valares perspective and imagining the different queendoms/kingdoms. The cliffhanger left me wanting more, highly recommend cant wait for the next book.

[Emily Bogue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent debut novel from H.J. Bogue. I was hooked from the first chapter until the final page. Unique world-building and refreshingly casual prose makes it hard to put this one down. My only disappointment is that I have to wait for the sequel 😭

[V. K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fiery FMC, high stakes plot, and lots of political maneuvering. Looking forward to the second installment and the future of Valare's journey!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely all things exciting! You can tell that the writer is creating good character development through the way she writes. The ending definitely left me wanting more with so little answered and so many golden nuggets! safe to say I’m excited for what adventures we get into next book!

[Hannah Penfold · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoy political intrigue, character based plot, powerful FMC who is strong and witty but not arrogant and unlikeable, a hot love interest and a fantasy book with modern day terminology to give you a fresh twist, this is the book for you!!!!! Can’t wait for book 2 after that epilogue!!!!