Ivory Queen

Order of the Bell #1.5

by Jacob Devlin

Twenty-five years ago, the venomous Queen Avoria was banished from the enchanted realms of Florindale and sentenced to spend eternity inside a cursed mirror.

After a seemingly endless tumble through the mirror’s abyss, Avoria awakens in a gloomy metropolis in the darkest corner of Wonderland. There she meets the shrewd King of Hearts, Cornelius Redding, and the two strike a turbulent alliance. As Avoria helps Cornelius execute his conquest of Wonderland, she plots her own vengeance against the world that cast her out. In the city's cold shadows, Avoria finds pawns in the souls that defied her, truth in the reflection that calls to her, and power in the past that forged her. And thus, the Ivory Queen begins carving a path to the ultimate throne.

Genres: Fairy Tales, Young Adult

30 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 10, 2017

About the author

Jacob grew up in Tucson, Arizona, and he has been writing in different capacities ever since he could hold a crayon. Today he has published seven books, including Roses in the Dragon’s Den, which won a Reader’s Favorite Silver Medal in 2020. His books tend to explore the themes of family, youth empowerment, and finding magic in our backyards. While he refers to his writing career as his “five-to-nine life”, he believes stories are essential to every aspect of his work, his hobbies, and his community.

Reviews

[stefansbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ivory Queen 5/5⭐️s
1. While I enjoyed this novella very much, I still have a question: Did Avoria eat the Diamonds too?

[Suze · Rating 5 out of 5]

The terrible and dangerous Queen Avoria was sentenced to spend eternity inside a mirror. However, the mirror doesn't contain her any longer and she's now in a dark corner of Wonderland trying to return to her former glory and gather more power than she's ever had before. Together with the King of Hearts she makes plans for revenge. Avoria devours souls and is especially interested in the souls of those who are working against her. Her newfound freedom is the beginning of a way to destruction, what does she have in store for those who are opposing her?

The Ivory Queen is an interesting short story about the greatest evil in the Order of the Bell series. It was fascinating to read more about Avoria. Jacob Devlin gives this powerful queen a history, a purpose and a devious plan. She's a terrible force that has to be dealt with, but she's incredibly strong. In The Ivory Queen it becomes clear what she's capable of and I liked that extra information about her character very much.

Jacob Devlin writes about fairytales and existing and new main characters in a fantastic dynamic way. I love the way he uses my favorite fairytales to create something refreshing and fabulous. I liked this story about Queen Avoria, it's powerful and entertaining. It's a terrific addition to the series that shouldn't be missed. Avoria is truly malicious and I enjoyed discovering the different layers Jacob Devlin has added to her personality. I can't wait to read more about her.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty decent story to hold readers over between the first and second books. I feel like I know a fair bit more about the Ivory Queen and enjoyed the little bit of backstory we were given. However, it was a very short story and I felt that there could have been more added to give us an even better look into her mind and heart. You get a small sense of who she was, but it would have been nice to see more of an example of how wonderful she was before the darkness took her over.

I am glad, however, that I read it. I feel that the books probably wouldn't be complete without this little bit of information about Avoria the Ivory Queen. It was also nice to see a little bit of Wonderland before actually delving into it in the second book. I can't wait to see what Avoria gets up to and what Enzo and crew do to stop her.

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ivory Queen is a well-written glimpse into the magic mirror. My heart actually broke to read about Queen Avoria's past...while sacrificing her life for her people, she became a monster. The Ivory Queen answered questions, raised more, and was a great stepping stone between book 1 and 2. Can't wait to find out what happens next!

[Samantha Beard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this immediately after I finished The Carver, and I am really glad I did! Avoria is a really fascinating villain and I was very excited to see through her eyes and learn a lot more about her past through this short story. If you enjoyed The Carver and plan to continue, I do recommend reading this. It provides a lot of background on events mentioned in the first book, and gives more insight into Avoria's motivations. She's honestly pretty terrifying! Can't wait to read The Unseen!

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay as a filler in between full novels, gave some clues to Avoria backstory. Not great, certainly not as good as the first book. I await the second full installment of the series.