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The Dark Queen #1
Celeste
Celeste, the wise and beautiful queen of Vehrys, has been betrayed.
On the night of her 26th birthday, the man who had loved her since their shared childhood poisoned her, stabbed her, and then left her for dead.
Since then, the sun hasn't risen in their land. Since then, bloodthirsty and abhorrent beasts have roamed the earth and slain her innocent people.
Kiev, her traitorous husband, is the son of her neighboring kingdom's vile queen. For years the two kingdoms had been at war, until hers and his marriage. Celeste had never doubted the substance of his love, until now.
The fair queen finds herself caught in a battle between light and dark; the purest of good and most dreadful of evil. As she battles for survival, she also fends to maintain her sanity in the terrifying and dark new world. Hope for her husband dwindles more with each passing day, but the faint spark of unexpected new love drives her to keep fighting for her kingdom.
With her recently discovered magic and the aid of an ancient deity, she must attempt to rid her land of the terrifying abominations stalking its people. Can she do so before her former love destroys her new one? More importantly, can she rid the world of this suffocating darkness before the evil causing it overtakes her soul?
On the night of her 26th birthday, the man who had loved her since their shared childhood poisoned her, stabbed her, and then left her for dead.
Since then, the sun hasn't risen in their land. Since then, bloodthirsty and abhorrent beasts have roamed the earth and slain her innocent people.
Kiev, her traitorous husband, is the son of her neighboring kingdom's vile queen. For years the two kingdoms had been at war, until hers and his marriage. Celeste had never doubted the substance of his love, until now.
The fair queen finds herself caught in a battle between light and dark; the purest of good and most dreadful of evil. As she battles for survival, she also fends to maintain her sanity in the terrifying and dark new world. Hope for her husband dwindles more with each passing day, but the faint spark of unexpected new love drives her to keep fighting for her kingdom.
With her recently discovered magic and the aid of an ancient deity, she must attempt to rid her land of the terrifying abominations stalking its people. Can she do so before her former love destroys her new one? More importantly, can she rid the world of this suffocating darkness before the evil causing it overtakes her soul?
- GenresFantasy
364 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 2017
7 people are currently reading
1224 people want to read
About the author
Samantha Eklund
10 books34 followersSamantha Eklund is an author who envisions a better future for fellow creatives. She loves to understand + encourage others, and happens to be unwaveringly determined in everything she does.
In college, she majored in Religious Studies. Her sporadic job choices since then have ranged from finance, marketing and graphic design, all the way to human resources (no, not the annoying kind).
To her surprise and delight, she has been described as a generous and badass dreamer (among other things). When she’s not writing, she’s riding. Her street bike, dirt bike, horses, boats… anything that can get the adrenaline going.
Want to get the full story on Samantha, including backstage access to little-known facts about her and what she’s working on next? Visit her at SamanthaEklund.com!
In college, she majored in Religious Studies. Her sporadic job choices since then have ranged from finance, marketing and graphic design, all the way to human resources (no, not the annoying kind).
To her surprise and delight, she has been described as a generous and badass dreamer (among other things). When she’s not writing, she’s riding. Her street bike, dirt bike, horses, boats… anything that can get the adrenaline going.
Want to get the full story on Samantha, including backstage access to little-known facts about her and what she’s working on next? Visit her at SamanthaEklund.com!
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 10, 2018
Overall, this was an okay read for me. I would probably rate it closer to a 2.5, but I'm rounding up to 3 stars. I thought the premise was interesting, it has betrayal, gods, monsters, magic, strong women, etc. Unfortunately other factors brought my rating down.
First, since this is a fantasy, I wish the author would have focused more on world building and explained the world a little bit better earlier on in the book. In addition to that, the book could have used another round of editing. There were quite a few misspelled words and grammatical errors and I thought some of the writing could have been cleaned up a bit more. The story is told from multiple perspectives but the perspective sometimes randomly changed from one character to another when it was being told from another character's perspective (hope that makes sense). Some of these things became very distracting.
Overall, it was an interesting read with a bittersweet ending, but it could have been better.
First, since this is a fantasy, I wish the author would have focused more on world building and explained the world a little bit better earlier on in the book. In addition to that, the book could have used another round of editing. There were quite a few misspelled words and grammatical errors and I thought some of the writing could have been cleaned up a bit more. The story is told from multiple perspectives but the perspective sometimes randomly changed from one character to another when it was being told from another character's perspective (hope that makes sense). Some of these things became very distracting.
Overall, it was an interesting read with a bittersweet ending, but it could have been better.
November 15, 2017
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
Watch my review on my youtube channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l2dr...
Watch my review on my youtube channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l2dr...
February 21, 2018
If I hadn't read the Throne of Glass series, I probably would have liked this book a lot. It's got monsters and a damsel in distress. Evil villains and a hero. Betrayal and romance. Everything you need for a good story. Trouble is it's just too close to what happens in the TOG series.
You have the evil villain with the jewelry and the stones. Able to control others thoughts and actions through the stones.
You have the puppy dog in love side kick that becomes moody and behaves badly when they aren't the one that's chosen by the pretty girl.
You have the trusted loved one that betrays you.
You have the evil military genius that's usurping power in the background.
Any of this sound familiar?
I did like the zombie beasts. They were a fun part of this book. The writing was good. There wasn't a lot of back story, which was a problem. I would have liked to know more about Celeste and Kiev's story. About why the country was so divided. Also, if her father was the king, why did the reign of the country go to her husband and not to Celeste?
I dunno. I just left me feeling a bit sad. I was so glad when I won this book but like I said. It felt like I had already read a better version of it.
The 3 stars are for the zombie monsters alone. I did love them!
You have the evil villain with the jewelry and the stones. Able to control others thoughts and actions through the stones.
You have the puppy dog in love side kick that becomes moody and behaves badly when they aren't the one that's chosen by the pretty girl.
You have the trusted loved one that betrays you.
You have the evil military genius that's usurping power in the background.
Any of this sound familiar?
I did like the zombie beasts. They were a fun part of this book. The writing was good. There wasn't a lot of back story, which was a problem. I would have liked to know more about Celeste and Kiev's story. About why the country was so divided. Also, if her father was the king, why did the reign of the country go to her husband and not to Celeste?
I dunno. I just left me feeling a bit sad. I was so glad when I won this book but like I said. It felt like I had already read a better version of it.
The 3 stars are for the zombie monsters alone. I did love them!
January 3, 2018
This book was gifted to me through a Goodreads giveaway and was sent signed by the author! I absolutely loved the plot, the characters, the monsters and kind of even liked the villains! This was a very imaginative world and I enjoyed my time there. The ending seemed to be setting it up for more adventures and I honestly can't wait! I highly recommend this book...especially to fans of mary e.pearson's remnant chronicles ;) I intend on rereading this and doing a full updated and more detailed review soon!
November 16, 2017
Great read if you love fantasy! The storyline took turns I didn't expect. There are no slow or dragging parts of the book...you just keep turning the pages and wanting to know more. The narrative is descriptive so I had no problem really getting into Celeste's world. I would definitely recommend this book to others!
December 31, 2018
I received a complimentary copy of this book for free to give a voluntary honest review. This review contains only my own thoughts and opinions of this book. First of, thank you Samantha Eklund for the opportunity and I apologize for taking more time with it than promised.
I had planned to be done with the book and review in the middle of October and it is now the last day of December. Suffice to say, if the low star rating hasn’t tipped you off already then the time it took to finish reading should say plenty of what I thought about Celeste. It’s not that the writing was bad or anything. On the contrary. There was clear talent visible in the story and no one can accuse the author of lack of imagination with such a unique idea and original execution. However, for all it’s good qualities it sadly couldn’t replace or cover up the important pieces of a good story that was lacking or missing completely.
In screenwriting they have the known and top priority rule; show, don’t tell. While a book is built up and made in a completely different manner, I still feel that that rule applies to books too, and in some ways even more. Because Celeste made me really miss that rule. For one, I couldn’t really live myself in in that world the plot was painting for me. Mainly because I was not given a fair chance to. The way things were explained were like someone summarizing an event or recapping something that had happened, instead of letting me experience everything alongside the characters. While I’m sure the author has passion for the world and characters she’s created, I could not feel said passion while reading when it was formatted the way it was. Because it felt recapped and passionless I just couldn’t find it in myself to care about this great love we were told about or about the betrayal. Nor the terrifying situation Celeste found herself and her kingdom in or the sort-of triangle drama. Worst of all, a similar tragedy that usually gets me crying real good did nothing for me in this story. If we readers had gotten the opportunity to see the characters lives and relationships played out and developed it wouldn’t have felt so summarized and I would probably have been invested in the characters and plot. For example, I would have liked to see how Celeste and Kier fell in love or got to know each other (e.g. through flashbacks) or even if there were some normal dialogues between the major characters that wasn’t there just to progress the story.
Another thing that a good story need is a flawed protagonist. Celeste was all but that. In fact she was so ridiculously perfect that it was just unrealistic. She was beautiful, humble, smart, able to kill monsters no one else could, is favored by god above everyone else, makes zero mistakes, empathetic and selfless to a very naive and self destructing degree and everyone adores her. She survived against all odds with no wounds and barely any mental scars. This character annoyed me to no end. Why? Because a flawed character is a relatable character. And a perfect character reminds the reader that he or she is not. Her out of the world perfect personality did not help me feel for her or connect with her either. To me her and most characters felt ... not one dimensional per say, but not very complex either. And as much as the story tried to tell me that there was conflict and struggle for her I just couldn’t believe it. A lot of it was contradicted since she was handed everything she needed on a silver platter. Out of nowhere she learned her power and how to use it, she had Scythe and the wolf fighting foes for her, the god gave her all the needed information and tools to not only survive and heal but to get one step ahead of the enemy. Where exactly was the struggle in that? I did not see her having to go to lengths to learn how to use her powers, or fight a difficult battle to win the war. It was the people around her that had the struggle just for the fact that she was handed everything she needed.
I know I’m being very critical, but honestly I can see good potential and I think Samantha Eklund is a promising author. Her storytelling just needs some polishing and work. If Celeste had a faster tempo for the plot and was directed towards a younger audience I think it would go a lot further.
I had planned to be done with the book and review in the middle of October and it is now the last day of December. Suffice to say, if the low star rating hasn’t tipped you off already then the time it took to finish reading should say plenty of what I thought about Celeste. It’s not that the writing was bad or anything. On the contrary. There was clear talent visible in the story and no one can accuse the author of lack of imagination with such a unique idea and original execution. However, for all it’s good qualities it sadly couldn’t replace or cover up the important pieces of a good story that was lacking or missing completely.
In screenwriting they have the known and top priority rule; show, don’t tell. While a book is built up and made in a completely different manner, I still feel that that rule applies to books too, and in some ways even more. Because Celeste made me really miss that rule. For one, I couldn’t really live myself in in that world the plot was painting for me. Mainly because I was not given a fair chance to. The way things were explained were like someone summarizing an event or recapping something that had happened, instead of letting me experience everything alongside the characters. While I’m sure the author has passion for the world and characters she’s created, I could not feel said passion while reading when it was formatted the way it was. Because it felt recapped and passionless I just couldn’t find it in myself to care about this great love we were told about or about the betrayal. Nor the terrifying situation Celeste found herself and her kingdom in or the sort-of triangle drama. Worst of all, a similar tragedy that usually gets me crying real good did nothing for me in this story. If we readers had gotten the opportunity to see the characters lives and relationships played out and developed it wouldn’t have felt so summarized and I would probably have been invested in the characters and plot. For example, I would have liked to see how Celeste and Kier fell in love or got to know each other (e.g. through flashbacks) or even if there were some normal dialogues between the major characters that wasn’t there just to progress the story.
Another thing that a good story need is a flawed protagonist. Celeste was all but that. In fact she was so ridiculously perfect that it was just unrealistic. She was beautiful, humble, smart, able to kill monsters no one else could, is favored by god above everyone else, makes zero mistakes, empathetic and selfless to a very naive and self destructing degree and everyone adores her. She survived against all odds with no wounds and barely any mental scars. This character annoyed me to no end. Why? Because a flawed character is a relatable character. And a perfect character reminds the reader that he or she is not. Her out of the world perfect personality did not help me feel for her or connect with her either. To me her and most characters felt ... not one dimensional per say, but not very complex either. And as much as the story tried to tell me that there was conflict and struggle for her I just couldn’t believe it. A lot of it was contradicted since she was handed everything she needed on a silver platter. Out of nowhere she learned her power and how to use it, she had Scythe and the wolf fighting foes for her, the god gave her all the needed information and tools to not only survive and heal but to get one step ahead of the enemy. Where exactly was the struggle in that? I did not see her having to go to lengths to learn how to use her powers, or fight a difficult battle to win the war. It was the people around her that had the struggle just for the fact that she was handed everything she needed.
I know I’m being very critical, but honestly I can see good potential and I think Samantha Eklund is a promising author. Her storytelling just needs some polishing and work. If Celeste had a faster tempo for the plot and was directed towards a younger audience I think it would go a lot further.
January 13, 2021
My final thoughts on Celeste was that the story was definitely entertaining. It had magic, beasts, gods/deities, females characters that could handle their own in a fight, and interesting characters. Now I'd be lying if I said this book was perfect. There were certainly some aspects of it that I wasn't necessarily feeling. But overall, I ended up enjoying the story being told and the characters this author created.
I had a sort of love/hate relationship with Celeste. I didn't find her character to be all that endearing and sometimes annoying given how she'd break down and have a meaningless conversation in the middle of battles where her life was in danger. I liked that she wasn't this hardened person and had vulnerabilities, but I think she broke down at the most inopportune times. I also didn't care for her love triangle. The other thing about this book is that I would have liked more world building and the history behind people's gifts, the beliefs they had in their deities, and where the magic originated. It would have made for an even more compelling story and I think it bugged me that the Queen Celeste didn't seem all that interested in faith as Mauve did. It was strange.
I will say there was plenty of action and the women held their own in a fight even if they were made to seem so amazingly skilled that even Celeste's most fearsome general Scythe could not hold up in a fight next to her. Nonetheless, the action was great. I liked reading about the decaying beasts she had to fight and plagued their lands as well.
If the author ever releases another book in this series, I'd probably end up reading it.
I had a sort of love/hate relationship with Celeste. I didn't find her character to be all that endearing and sometimes annoying given how she'd break down and have a meaningless conversation in the middle of battles where her life was in danger. I liked that she wasn't this hardened person and had vulnerabilities, but I think she broke down at the most inopportune times. I also didn't care for her love triangle. The other thing about this book is that I would have liked more world building and the history behind people's gifts, the beliefs they had in their deities, and where the magic originated. It would have made for an even more compelling story and I think it bugged me that the Queen Celeste didn't seem all that interested in faith as Mauve did. It was strange.
I will say there was plenty of action and the women held their own in a fight even if they were made to seem so amazingly skilled that even Celeste's most fearsome general Scythe could not hold up in a fight next to her. Nonetheless, the action was great. I liked reading about the decaying beasts she had to fight and plagued their lands as well.
If the author ever releases another book in this series, I'd probably end up reading it.
December 1, 2018
I received this book in a giveaway.
I give this 3 stars. The concept was excellent. However, I felt the writing was a little choppy, especially the dialogue. Still, there was a lot of action and made for a fun read!
I give this 3 stars. The concept was excellent. However, I felt the writing was a little choppy, especially the dialogue. Still, there was a lot of action and made for a fun read!
February 14, 2018
I found this very good and I am on to the next
June 24, 2019
Ok
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway on my kindle. I had a hard time getting into it and had to keep putting it down.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway on my kindle. I had a hard time getting into it and had to keep putting it down.
October 6, 2018
I was very locked into this reading. The plot-line was great, the characters very believable and overall a fast read. Well done.
May 25, 2018
It sounds promising but it don't really go well when I read it all along.
I wish it was pretty damn badass but Celeste was just not that really badass. The feels does not really hit me. It feels that it need improvement. I wanna to feel the medieval era with this book but it feels something unsuitable with it.
I wish it was pretty damn badass but Celeste was just not that really badass. The feels does not really hit me. It feels that it need improvement. I wanna to feel the medieval era with this book but it feels something unsuitable with it.
November 15, 2017
Another great book from this author. Definitely get a copy. I don't usually "binge read", but it's hard to stop reading this book when the plot and characters draw you in and keep you wondering what will happen next. The internal and external conflicts the characters must face keep the book interesting.
Want to read
February 27, 2018Placeholder
I won this book via Goodreads Giveaways.
I won this book via Goodreads Giveaways.
dnf
April 27, 2018I received this via Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review.
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DNF at 14%... just couldn't get into it:(
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DNF at 14%... just couldn't get into it:(
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews