What do you think?
Rate this book
The Vanished Queen
When a country is held in thrall to a vicious, despotic king, it’s up to one woman to take him down.
Long ago, Queen Mirantha vanished. King Karolje claimed it was an assassination by a neighboring king, but everyone knew it was a lie. He had Disappeared her himself.
But after finding the missing queen’s diary, Anza—impassioned by her father’s unjust execution and inspired by Mirantha’s words—joins the resistance group to overthrow the king. When an encounter with Prince Esvar thrusts her into a dangerous game of court politics, one misstep could lead to a fate worse than death.
Esvar is the second son to an evil king. Trapped under his thumb and desperate for a way out, a chance meeting with Anza gives him the opportunity to join the resistance. Together, they might have the leverage to move against the king—but if they fail, their deaths could mean a total loss of freedom for generations to follow.
Long ago, Queen Mirantha vanished. King Karolje claimed it was an assassination by a neighboring king, but everyone knew it was a lie. He had Disappeared her himself.
But after finding the missing queen’s diary, Anza—impassioned by her father’s unjust execution and inspired by Mirantha’s words—joins the resistance group to overthrow the king. When an encounter with Prince Esvar thrusts her into a dangerous game of court politics, one misstep could lead to a fate worse than death.
Esvar is the second son to an evil king. Trapped under his thumb and desperate for a way out, a chance meeting with Anza gives him the opportunity to join the resistance. Together, they might have the leverage to move against the king—but if they fail, their deaths could mean a total loss of freedom for generations to follow.
496 pages, Hardcover
First published August 18, 2020
46 people are currently reading
10857 people want to read
About the author
Lisbeth Campbell
1 book108 followersLisbeth Campbell grew up in Illinois and western Pennsylvania. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her jobs have run the gamut from housecleaner to teacher. When she is not writing, reading, or spending time with her husband and daughter, she is probably attending to one of her cats.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 258 reviews
Want to read
July 20, 2020From the author's Twitter: one of the mc's of this book is bisexual and this is a queer-normalized fantasy world!!
-Via Lisbeth Campbell
-Via Lisbeth Campbell
dnf
August 23, 2020So I tried. I really did. I couldn't even make it to the 25% I wanted to before I gave up. I made it to about 18%. It just isn't catching my interest at all. I have to force myself with every page to pay attention and keep going. Honestly, I just don't want to put that much work into something I'm doing for entertainment. So I'm calling it quits on this one.
Want to read
August 18, 2020Goodreads said I might want to read this if I like "young people taking down corrupt old people" and well yes that is my jam so here I am
April 16, 2021
One of the worst things in life is when media has a great premise but utterly fails to execute. Lisbeth Campbell’s The Vanished Queen is a standalone adult political fantasy novel that is (theoretically) about a woman overthrowing a tyrannical king. This is a good concept! Unfortunately, a great idea does not a good book make. This novel is plagued with various problems, from shallow characterization, unrealized world-building, a dull, plodding pace, to a story resolution that felt underwhelming and smelled like white feminism. Mostly, I credit this book’s failure to stick the landing to a lack of depth.
Firstly, although two of the book’s three narrators are female, I never got the sense that this was a story about women. In the present-day, Anza is a middle-class woman with the privilege of an expensive education and weapons training (in this world, owning a weapon of any sort is illegal). After her father is killed, Anza joins an amorphous “resistance” that has very few goals or creeds aside from “the king is evil.” In the past, Mirantha is a queen married to a much older king who rapes and abuses her regularly. These split timelines eventually converge into a single narrative.
While I like what Campbell had in mind with her protagonists, the characters of Anza and Mirantha lack agency. For well over half the plot, neither of them do anything—rather, outside forces act upon them, directing their fates hither and yon. Mirantha’s husband controls her, her sons are taken from her, she begins an affair with a priest more or less against her will. Anza is, at various times, in the wrong place at the wrong time and is caught by the king’s soldiers, or she kills someone but it wasn’t really her choice, etc. Very little of The Vanished Queen shows any of its women making real choices for themselves, be they large or small. Towards the end, when the actual palace coup against the king is staged, this changes—but that’s only a handful of chapters out of a 500-page novel.
But the lack of agency isn’t merely a problem with Campbell’s female characters; the third narrator is Esvar, Mirantha’s younger son and Anza’s eventual lover. Esvar also seems to be buffeted by the winds of fate, and a great deal of what happens to him in the story is directed by either his despotic father or his older brother, the crown prince. Esvar supports his brother’s claim to the throne, but he’s certainly no kingmaker.
The lack of people doing things in this book is compounded especially by the lack of things happening. This is a “political fantasy” with a teeny, weeny scope. Although Campbell hints at a larger sociopolitical picture in the kingdom and in the world as a whole, she doesn’t really delve into it. (More on this later). Rather, The Vanished Queen is solely a book about staging a successful palace coup, as seen through the eyes of three people at the top of the heap. Most of the scenes in this book are people talking about overthrowing the king, or people thinking about overthrowing the king. 500 pages of talking is a lot to ask of readers. I think it might have worked had Campbell given her story a sense of urgency, but there doesn’t seem to be any rush to get rid of the king by any of the characters. On one hand, I can understand the need for caution and deliberation when overthrowing a tyrant; on the other hand, 300+ pages of caution and deliberation hardly makes for riveting fiction.
Particularly odd is the way Campbell…never really shows us what’s so bad about the king to begin with. Every single character repeats over and over that he’s “evil,” to the point where the word ceases to have meaning. However, we don’t see any actual evil deeds being committed, except perhaps as a quick anecdote told by one character to another. Throughout most of the book, the king is either off-page or is shown as a miserable-yet-dying monarch who, while unpleasant, is hardly healthy enough to do anything truly nefarious. Firstly, I think it’s a grave mistake to simply portray your villain as “evil” with no sense of nuance or shades of gray; it’s boring and juvenile. But if you must do so, at least back up your claims that’s he’s evil with some real evidence. Esvar can swear his father’s a bad guy until he’s blue in the face, but as a reader, it’s difficult to get invested in overthrowing him if I don’t have a true sense of the stakes.
Also, the fact that the “resistance” was just a band of random rebels who tried to blow things up occasionally without a solid, unifying purpose was a major flaw. It’s hard to root for such a messy organization! And honestly, it was unbelievable how all of a sudden at the end, the resistance was able to successfully oust the king. There was no transition time between several chapters of infighting and and brilliant victory.
The most disappointing thing about The Vanished Queen (and the book’s largest shortcoming) is the complete lack of world-building, culture, or larger-scale political vision. The author invests almost no time into setting the scene, and the end result is that the setting is vague and nondescript. From the character names, one assumes that the country is majority white and possibly inspired by Russian / Eastern European culture. But, as I said, most of the book involves only a small group of characters who travel between two or three main locations, so it all feels very closed off.
More concerning, however, is the way Campbell seemed to start to introduce the concept of racialized politics and BIPOC, but abandoned this through-line very quickly on. A neighboring kingdom is populated with people of an ethnicity that’s coded as being POC. The protagonists’ country and this neighboring kingdom have been at war previously, and it seems that another war is looming. What makes things particularly tricky is the fact that a large population of this POC ethnicity actually lives within the protagonists’ country, and it’s very clear that the current king (and society as a whole) have marginalized and scapegoated them mercilessly for several decades.
However…The Vanished Queen doesn’t do anything with this. We have a punch of oppressed brown people…then nothing. Not a single person in the “resistance” is a POC, nor does anyone seem to consider their goals or desires at any point. The text makes it very clear that the group with the most skin in the “overthrow the king” game are the members of this ethnic minority…but not a single one of the white characters reaches out. Rather, Azra and Mirantha sit around and say “oh, poor things,” then proceed with their “badass” coup attempt. Supposedly, simply swapping out the evil white king for his less-evil white son is supposed to fix race relations in the kingdom?
Yet it we know anything, we all know that systemic racism doesn’t just happen overnight because some asshole assumes power. Lisbeth Campbell wants me to think that the evil king alone was responsible for the oppression of POC, and that removing him washes away the problem. That’s hopelessly naïve and, dare I say it, white feministy. The Vanished Queen suggests that just because the privileged white female protagonist is no longer oppressed, either (a) all other oppression cease to exist or (b) all other oppression ceases to matter. That’s gross.
So, I guess if you want a book about rich royals sitting around and talking about how bad the king is and then removing him, this might be the book for you. For myself, I’m far less interested in “girl power” narratives about white women that fail to consider the way race and wealth also come to bear upon the oppression of women. And notwithstanding the novel’s utter failure to meaningfully engage with systemic marginalization, I don’t think The Vanished Queen is well-written to begin with.
As I said at the top of the review, this is a book with several very good ideas, but absolutely zero follow-through.
📌 . Blog | Review Database | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads
Firstly, although two of the book’s three narrators are female, I never got the sense that this was a story about women. In the present-day, Anza is a middle-class woman with the privilege of an expensive education and weapons training (in this world, owning a weapon of any sort is illegal). After her father is killed, Anza joins an amorphous “resistance” that has very few goals or creeds aside from “the king is evil.” In the past, Mirantha is a queen married to a much older king who rapes and abuses her regularly. These split timelines eventually converge into a single narrative.
While I like what Campbell had in mind with her protagonists, the characters of Anza and Mirantha lack agency. For well over half the plot, neither of them do anything—rather, outside forces act upon them, directing their fates hither and yon. Mirantha’s husband controls her, her sons are taken from her, she begins an affair with a priest more or less against her will. Anza is, at various times, in the wrong place at the wrong time and is caught by the king’s soldiers, or she kills someone but it wasn’t really her choice, etc. Very little of The Vanished Queen shows any of its women making real choices for themselves, be they large or small. Towards the end, when the actual palace coup against the king is staged, this changes—but that’s only a handful of chapters out of a 500-page novel.
But the lack of agency isn’t merely a problem with Campbell’s female characters; the third narrator is Esvar, Mirantha’s younger son and Anza’s eventual lover. Esvar also seems to be buffeted by the winds of fate, and a great deal of what happens to him in the story is directed by either his despotic father or his older brother, the crown prince. Esvar supports his brother’s claim to the throne, but he’s certainly no kingmaker.
The lack of people doing things in this book is compounded especially by the lack of things happening. This is a “political fantasy” with a teeny, weeny scope. Although Campbell hints at a larger sociopolitical picture in the kingdom and in the world as a whole, she doesn’t really delve into it. (More on this later). Rather, The Vanished Queen is solely a book about staging a successful palace coup, as seen through the eyes of three people at the top of the heap. Most of the scenes in this book are people talking about overthrowing the king, or people thinking about overthrowing the king. 500 pages of talking is a lot to ask of readers. I think it might have worked had Campbell given her story a sense of urgency, but there doesn’t seem to be any rush to get rid of the king by any of the characters. On one hand, I can understand the need for caution and deliberation when overthrowing a tyrant; on the other hand, 300+ pages of caution and deliberation hardly makes for riveting fiction.
Particularly odd is the way Campbell…never really shows us what’s so bad about the king to begin with. Every single character repeats over and over that he’s “evil,” to the point where the word ceases to have meaning. However, we don’t see any actual evil deeds being committed, except perhaps as a quick anecdote told by one character to another. Throughout most of the book, the king is either off-page or is shown as a miserable-yet-dying monarch who, while unpleasant, is hardly healthy enough to do anything truly nefarious. Firstly, I think it’s a grave mistake to simply portray your villain as “evil” with no sense of nuance or shades of gray; it’s boring and juvenile. But if you must do so, at least back up your claims that’s he’s evil with some real evidence. Esvar can swear his father’s a bad guy until he’s blue in the face, but as a reader, it’s difficult to get invested in overthrowing him if I don’t have a true sense of the stakes.
Also, the fact that the “resistance” was just a band of random rebels who tried to blow things up occasionally without a solid, unifying purpose was a major flaw. It’s hard to root for such a messy organization! And honestly, it was unbelievable how all of a sudden at the end, the resistance was able to successfully oust the king. There was no transition time between several chapters of infighting and and brilliant victory.
The most disappointing thing about The Vanished Queen (and the book’s largest shortcoming) is the complete lack of world-building, culture, or larger-scale political vision. The author invests almost no time into setting the scene, and the end result is that the setting is vague and nondescript. From the character names, one assumes that the country is majority white and possibly inspired by Russian / Eastern European culture. But, as I said, most of the book involves only a small group of characters who travel between two or three main locations, so it all feels very closed off.
More concerning, however, is the way Campbell seemed to start to introduce the concept of racialized politics and BIPOC, but abandoned this through-line very quickly on. A neighboring kingdom is populated with people of an ethnicity that’s coded as being POC. The protagonists’ country and this neighboring kingdom have been at war previously, and it seems that another war is looming. What makes things particularly tricky is the fact that a large population of this POC ethnicity actually lives within the protagonists’ country, and it’s very clear that the current king (and society as a whole) have marginalized and scapegoated them mercilessly for several decades.
However…The Vanished Queen doesn’t do anything with this. We have a punch of oppressed brown people…then nothing. Not a single person in the “resistance” is a POC, nor does anyone seem to consider their goals or desires at any point. The text makes it very clear that the group with the most skin in the “overthrow the king” game are the members of this ethnic minority…but not a single one of the white characters reaches out. Rather, Azra and Mirantha sit around and say “oh, poor things,” then proceed with their “badass” coup attempt. Supposedly, simply swapping out the evil white king for his less-evil white son is supposed to fix race relations in the kingdom?
Yet it we know anything, we all know that systemic racism doesn’t just happen overnight because some asshole assumes power. Lisbeth Campbell wants me to think that the evil king alone was responsible for the oppression of POC, and that removing him washes away the problem. That’s hopelessly naïve and, dare I say it, white feministy. The Vanished Queen suggests that just because the privileged white female protagonist is no longer oppressed, either (a) all other oppression cease to exist or (b) all other oppression ceases to matter. That’s gross.
So, I guess if you want a book about rich royals sitting around and talking about how bad the king is and then removing him, this might be the book for you. For myself, I’m far less interested in “girl power” narratives about white women that fail to consider the way race and wealth also come to bear upon the oppression of women. And notwithstanding the novel’s utter failure to meaningfully engage with systemic marginalization, I don’t think The Vanished Queen is well-written to begin with.
As I said at the top of the review, this is a book with several very good ideas, but absolutely zero follow-through.
📌 . Blog | Review Database | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads
August 26, 2020
“It's not cowardice to want to live. That's why you're fighting.”
The Vanished Queen was one of those books that hooked me from the first page. I immediately fell in love with the writing style, which was very captivating, and the characters. They were all fleshed out, with their strenght and vulnerability, and I cared for them until the very last page. The story was told from 3 POVs (Anza, Esvar and Mirantha) and switched between present and past events, which were all intertwined together until the final climax. We have political intrigues, conspiracies, an evil king and the resistance; all this aspects were developed so well that I never felt bored. Plus, the worldbuilding was very detailed and we also have a subtle, beautiful, slow-burn romance that melted my heart. I wish this book was longer, because I'd have loved to read more about these characters and this world. The Vanished Queen is really a little gem that everyone should read.
The Vanished Queen was one of those books that hooked me from the first page. I immediately fell in love with the writing style, which was very captivating, and the characters. They were all fleshed out, with their strenght and vulnerability, and I cared for them until the very last page. The story was told from 3 POVs (Anza, Esvar and Mirantha) and switched between present and past events, which were all intertwined together until the final climax. We have political intrigues, conspiracies, an evil king and the resistance; all this aspects were developed so well that I never felt bored. Plus, the worldbuilding was very detailed and we also have a subtle, beautiful, slow-burn romance that melted my heart. I wish this book was longer, because I'd have loved to read more about these characters and this world. The Vanished Queen is really a little gem that everyone should read.
September 1, 2020
3 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2020/09/01/...
A devastated city. A tyrant king. Then, Queen Mirantha vanished without a trace, and even though the official explanation for her disappearance was blamed on a neighboring kingdom, everyone knows the truth is that the cruel King Karolje Disappeared her himself.
Then, a student named Anza finds the journal of Mirantha in a forbidden library. Inspired by the queen’s words and driven by the wrongful execution of her father at the hands of the throne, she decides to join a rebel group to overthrow the king.
Karolje though, also has two sons. Tevin, the eldest and the heir, is prepared to one day step into his father’s shoes, but the prospect of keeping things the status quo does not sit well with him. His younger brother, Esvar, is likewise extremely against the brutal and oppressive rule of the king. Their mother Mirantha had sacrificed much to keep them safe, before Karolje took matters into his own hands.
Fates collide when Anza is arrested for her resistance activities, and her interrogator is none other than Esvar, who realizes they can help each other.
I thought The Vanished Queen was a solid book, and generally well-written. Which is why I’m so perplexed as to why I didn’t enjoy it as much as I should. If I had to guess, it had to do with the characterization. There are a lot of characters, and at times I felt like I needed a flow chart to keep me reminded of who everyone was. Most of them are either bland and dry as a piece of driftwood, or overdone to the extreme. King Karolje, for example, is the evilest evil person to ever do evil things, and the narrative never lets you forget that. Anza, for another, is a bisexual resistance fighter and she’s wicked smart, but that’s about it for her memorable traits. For me, there’s just something deeply, deeply wrong with that. Where’s the showing and not telling? Where’s the actual, meaningful character development?
For much of the first half, the pacing was also very slow. That didn’t hurt the book, necessarily, since there was so much happening to keep interest high. But as other reviewers have noted, The Vanished Queen is dialogue heavy. Expect lots of talk and not much action, and I found that if the novel ever caught me in a drab mood, I simply did not have the enthusiasm or inclination to read it for too long before needing to put it aside and pick up something with more kick. To its credit, the plot does pick up towards the end and I could hardly read the last few chapters fast enough. It made me glad I finished the book, but I also wished the pacing had been more balanced.
As for what the book did well, in spite of lackluster characters for the most part there were one or two points-of-view that stood out for me, Mirantha being the main example. Her story, detailed by her diary, was a fascinating thread throughout the novel, exploring her suffering at the hands of the king as well as the theme of unconditional love for her two sons. The princes’ personalities are a result of her influence; they see what their father has done to their kingdom and they want to stop it. Now they only need to be strong enough to see it all through, or risk losing everything.
Bottom line, I didn’t love this book, but I didn’t hate it either. The story was packed with intrigue and fascination, but it was also tragically weakened by uninspiring characters. I would recommend it for fantasy fans who are into palace politics and revolution plots, with the caveat that the amount of drama and lack of much action can make the reading a bit tedious, especially early on. On that point though, the amount of dialogue and the number of POVs might make this book a good choice for audio, if you are considering that format. With regards to the slower first half, a stronger second half makes up for it somewhat, but although readers got a satisfying ending, the surprises and revelations were still pretty predictable, with the kinds of twists you can see coming from miles away. The Vanished Queen therefore gets 3 stars from me—nothing more, nothing less.
A devastated city. A tyrant king. Then, Queen Mirantha vanished without a trace, and even though the official explanation for her disappearance was blamed on a neighboring kingdom, everyone knows the truth is that the cruel King Karolje Disappeared her himself.
Then, a student named Anza finds the journal of Mirantha in a forbidden library. Inspired by the queen’s words and driven by the wrongful execution of her father at the hands of the throne, she decides to join a rebel group to overthrow the king.
Karolje though, also has two sons. Tevin, the eldest and the heir, is prepared to one day step into his father’s shoes, but the prospect of keeping things the status quo does not sit well with him. His younger brother, Esvar, is likewise extremely against the brutal and oppressive rule of the king. Their mother Mirantha had sacrificed much to keep them safe, before Karolje took matters into his own hands.
Fates collide when Anza is arrested for her resistance activities, and her interrogator is none other than Esvar, who realizes they can help each other.
I thought The Vanished Queen was a solid book, and generally well-written. Which is why I’m so perplexed as to why I didn’t enjoy it as much as I should. If I had to guess, it had to do with the characterization. There are a lot of characters, and at times I felt like I needed a flow chart to keep me reminded of who everyone was. Most of them are either bland and dry as a piece of driftwood, or overdone to the extreme. King Karolje, for example, is the evilest evil person to ever do evil things, and the narrative never lets you forget that. Anza, for another, is a bisexual resistance fighter and she’s wicked smart, but that’s about it for her memorable traits. For me, there’s just something deeply, deeply wrong with that. Where’s the showing and not telling? Where’s the actual, meaningful character development?
For much of the first half, the pacing was also very slow. That didn’t hurt the book, necessarily, since there was so much happening to keep interest high. But as other reviewers have noted, The Vanished Queen is dialogue heavy. Expect lots of talk and not much action, and I found that if the novel ever caught me in a drab mood, I simply did not have the enthusiasm or inclination to read it for too long before needing to put it aside and pick up something with more kick. To its credit, the plot does pick up towards the end and I could hardly read the last few chapters fast enough. It made me glad I finished the book, but I also wished the pacing had been more balanced.
As for what the book did well, in spite of lackluster characters for the most part there were one or two points-of-view that stood out for me, Mirantha being the main example. Her story, detailed by her diary, was a fascinating thread throughout the novel, exploring her suffering at the hands of the king as well as the theme of unconditional love for her two sons. The princes’ personalities are a result of her influence; they see what their father has done to their kingdom and they want to stop it. Now they only need to be strong enough to see it all through, or risk losing everything.
Bottom line, I didn’t love this book, but I didn’t hate it either. The story was packed with intrigue and fascination, but it was also tragically weakened by uninspiring characters. I would recommend it for fantasy fans who are into palace politics and revolution plots, with the caveat that the amount of drama and lack of much action can make the reading a bit tedious, especially early on. On that point though, the amount of dialogue and the number of POVs might make this book a good choice for audio, if you are considering that format. With regards to the slower first half, a stronger second half makes up for it somewhat, but although readers got a satisfying ending, the surprises and revelations were still pretty predictable, with the kinds of twists you can see coming from miles away. The Vanished Queen therefore gets 3 stars from me—nothing more, nothing less.
December 12, 2023
Oh thank god this is over. I would have DNFed but it’s been on my TBR so long I wanted the satisfaction of finishing it.
I definitely did the book a disservice by reading it via audiobook. But that’s also the only reason I actually finished it. The plot was dull, the characters were bland, the romance had no chemistry. I will probably forget everything about it in two weeks.
I definitely did the book a disservice by reading it via audiobook. But that’s also the only reason I actually finished it. The plot was dull, the characters were bland, the romance had no chemistry. I will probably forget everything about it in two weeks.
February 27, 2021
Fiery autumnal hillsides, twilight, and lamplight gilding the mist; but what you smell in the air is revolution.
The Vanished Queen has everything to satisfy a fantasy fan: exquisite prose, great action sequences, politics, visceral detail; Campbell has an eye for beauty, but doesn’t shy away from death, injury, and poverty.
Genre elements are used sparingly and with great taste; after all, at its core, this is a story of a mother’s love for her sons (balanced by their hatred for their own father) and a woman’s journey to discovering herself.
Highly recommended. Now I need to read more about Anza and Mirantha!
The Vanished Queen has everything to satisfy a fantasy fan: exquisite prose, great action sequences, politics, visceral detail; Campbell has an eye for beauty, but doesn’t shy away from death, injury, and poverty.
Genre elements are used sparingly and with great taste; after all, at its core, this is a story of a mother’s love for her sons (balanced by their hatred for their own father) and a woman’s journey to discovering herself.
Highly recommended. Now I need to read more about Anza and Mirantha!
November 12, 2020
"It's not cowardice to want to live. That's why you're fighting."
What a fantastic debut novel, Lisbeth Campbell writes better than many popular fantasy authors.
The political intrigue and rebellion machinations were top notch, the romance was good and didn't make characters act stupid - incredible, I know - and the characters were well written.
I didn't rate it five stars because some secrets were very easy to guess and because in some parts the rhythm was kinda flat, but I recommend reading this nonetheless.
What a fantastic debut novel, Lisbeth Campbell writes better than many popular fantasy authors.
The political intrigue and rebellion machinations were top notch, the romance was good and didn't make characters act stupid - incredible, I know - and the characters were well written.
I didn't rate it five stars because some secrets were very easy to guess and because in some parts the rhythm was kinda flat, but I recommend reading this nonetheless.
March 4, 2022
Yeah, no thank you.
This one didn't give. If it wasn't for a book club I would have dnf'ed it for sure. I recognize the amount of work that goes into something like this so I gave it two stars but I def would recommend Mistborn if you're looking for a political drama with a whiff of magic and characters you couldn't give a rip about.
This one didn't give. If it wasn't for a book club I would have dnf'ed it for sure. I recognize the amount of work that goes into something like this so I gave it two stars but I def would recommend Mistborn if you're looking for a political drama with a whiff of magic and characters you couldn't give a rip about.
Read
January 2, 2022It had all the makings of a great book. But, the delivery was a miss for me. It dragged on for waaaaay too long.
DNFed at 55%.
DNFed at 55%.
February 26, 2022
Saving my secret thoughts for book club. 🤣
I need to save my secret thoughts in a notebook....
This book was just alright. The surprises weren't much of a surprise and I didn't particularly enjoy any of the characters with the exception of the tutor, and a rando bestie who tied two-pieces of the story together, but not well.
All in all, I don't think I'd recommend this book to anyone? But I would be willing to maybe (MAYBE?) be willing to give the author another try with a different book.
I need to save my secret thoughts in a notebook....
This book was just alright. The surprises weren't much of a surprise and I didn't particularly enjoy any of the characters with the exception of the tutor, and a rando bestie who tied two-pieces of the story together, but not well.
All in all, I don't think I'd recommend this book to anyone? But I would be willing to maybe (MAYBE?) be willing to give the author another try with a different book.
November 6, 2020
2.5 stars rounded down.
The Vanished Queen describes Vetia, a land under the authoritarian regime of King Karolje, and the fight by his son Prince Esvar and a girl, Anza, swept up in the resistance to remove him from power. Both are in part inspired to fight by the history of King Karolje and Esvar's mother Mirantha, whose journal Anza finds in the Prologue while in college. We are told the story of how they fight to bring down Karolje through the perspectives of both Anza and Esvar, as well as Mirantha, whose past we learn much about.
The novel started off decently, but quickly became confusing or boring, as it took me a little too long to figure out that Tevin and Esvar were the king's sons, as I hadn't read the description. The family tree in the back helped me keep track of the story's family politics, though it does make the book somewhat predictable when you see the relationships laid out so cleanly.
I had more trouble connecting to Esvar's chapters because he seemed more wooden than Mirantha or Anza, though both of them bored me at times as well. I hadn't expected this to be a more adult fantasy, nor did I expect it to be so slow, which ruined a lot of the drama for me. It was very well done and, I imagine, a realistic depiction of the carefulness and slowness that must go into planning a coup, especially when Esvar and the resistance need to learn to trust each other to a degree. However, there were times where I became disinterested and had to push myself through this book, particularly because I didn't feel any tension. None of the twists were especially surprising, most of them could be guessed 200 pages before they happened, so I always knew where the book was going.
The only “different” aspect of this book is that neither Anza nor Esvar are leaders in a resistance nor are they the main power players at court, but that isn’t enough for me to deem this truly unique because they are so close to the centres of power.I enjoyed the urgency that Mirantha’s affair was written with. It contributed a lot to her character building and made her situation in the undescribed early marriage years more understandable.
The world building likely contributed to my disinterest in the story. I could barely picture the setting, which made it difficult for me to remember where anything was happening. I don't think this was for lack of description, but I likely skimmed some of the scenery when I would get bored. The book also has no obvious culture for inspiration, which makes it hard to picture architecture especially.
One odd thing about this book was the amount of times suicide was discussed. All three main characters almost kill themselves at one point or another. It wasn’t idolising suicide, but it feels melodramatic.
Although they interested me most, the journal entries from Mirantha always felt impersonal when they were quoted in other chapters, almost like letters to an acquaintance as opposed to personal thoughts recorded for later.
Karolje, particularly at the end, often gets called evil, which felt really simplistic. I did like the discussions of how he maneuvered to keep power by manipulating ethnic tensions and controlling the narrative by his words as well as force.
Overall, this felt like a passable political fantasy with average writing, solid character building, but a missing world and no novelty factor for me. Because of the popularity of political fantasies, the bar for them to be worth reading is set much higher, similar to what happened with dystopians years ago.
Thank you to Gallery/Saga Press and Netgalley for providing me with an advance e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Vanished Queen describes Vetia, a land under the authoritarian regime of King Karolje, and the fight by his son Prince Esvar and a girl, Anza, swept up in the resistance to remove him from power. Both are in part inspired to fight by the history of King Karolje and Esvar's mother Mirantha, whose journal Anza finds in the Prologue while in college. We are told the story of how they fight to bring down Karolje through the perspectives of both Anza and Esvar, as well as Mirantha, whose past we learn much about.
The novel started off decently, but quickly became confusing or boring, as it took me a little too long to figure out that Tevin and Esvar were the king's sons, as I hadn't read the description. The family tree in the back helped me keep track of the story's family politics, though it does make the book somewhat predictable when you see the relationships laid out so cleanly.
I had more trouble connecting to Esvar's chapters because he seemed more wooden than Mirantha or Anza, though both of them bored me at times as well. I hadn't expected this to be a more adult fantasy, nor did I expect it to be so slow, which ruined a lot of the drama for me. It was very well done and, I imagine, a realistic depiction of the carefulness and slowness that must go into planning a coup, especially when Esvar and the resistance need to learn to trust each other to a degree. However, there were times where I became disinterested and had to push myself through this book, particularly because I didn't feel any tension. None of the twists were especially surprising, most of them could be guessed 200 pages before they happened, so I always knew where the book was going.
The only “different” aspect of this book is that neither Anza nor Esvar are leaders in a resistance nor are they the main power players at court, but that isn’t enough for me to deem this truly unique because they are so close to the centres of power.I enjoyed the urgency that Mirantha’s affair was written with. It contributed a lot to her character building and made her situation in the undescribed early marriage years more understandable.
The world building likely contributed to my disinterest in the story. I could barely picture the setting, which made it difficult for me to remember where anything was happening. I don't think this was for lack of description, but I likely skimmed some of the scenery when I would get bored. The book also has no obvious culture for inspiration, which makes it hard to picture architecture especially.
One odd thing about this book was the amount of times suicide was discussed. All three main characters almost kill themselves at one point or another. It wasn’t idolising suicide, but it feels melodramatic.
Although they interested me most, the journal entries from Mirantha always felt impersonal when they were quoted in other chapters, almost like letters to an acquaintance as opposed to personal thoughts recorded for later.
Karolje, particularly at the end, often gets called evil, which felt really simplistic. I did like the discussions of how he maneuvered to keep power by manipulating ethnic tensions and controlling the narrative by his words as well as force.
Overall, this felt like a passable political fantasy with average writing, solid character building, but a missing world and no novelty factor for me. Because of the popularity of political fantasies, the bar for them to be worth reading is set much higher, similar to what happened with dystopians years ago.
Thank you to Gallery/Saga Press and Netgalley for providing me with an advance e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 19, 2023
I think this one was a solid four stars for me. I see that some other reviewers found it slow and plodding, but somehow it worked for me. If you like books with a plot of political machinations and court intrigue, you may like this one as well. Granted, it's no MWT, but it gets the job done.
One thing that helped me with this book is that I actually wrote down all of the character names and a detail or two about them, so that I could refer back. I may do this from now on with fantasy books, because they tend to have a lot of characters with unusual names. My notes looked something like this:
Anza Istvili: main character, orphan, student at the college, finds late queen's diary, part of the resistance.
Karolje: evil king.
Tevin: crown prince
Esvar: younger prince
Mirantha: queen, abused by king, now dead
Jance Mirovian: soldier, friend and classmate of Anza
Lord Goran: chancellor, in line for throne after princes
Sparrow: leader of the resistance
Irini: Anza's ex-lover, goes by the name of Moth in resistance
Etc, etc, etc. Some of my notes are spoilery as plot points develop, so this is different than a list of characters that one might find in the front/back of a book.
Did the act of writing down the characters propel me through the story? Would I have otherwise found it so slow and DNFed it? I don't know, but I'm reconsidering some other books that I quit because they have too many complicated character names.
Anyway, I did generally enjoy this. I liked that while there was a romance eventually, it wasn't instalove, enemies-to-lovers, or a love triangle. The people involved were, well, adults. They've had previous lovers, so this wasn't a case where I felt like saying, "Ok, maybe before you run off with the first man you see, you should see what else is out there first...." On that note, this DID have some adult scenes. Nothing too steamy or graphic, but definitely enough to edge this out of YA and into Adult fantasy. There's also mental, physical, and sexual abuse perpetrated by the king.
I liked how this was told in such a way that every couple of chapters we got one from the POV of Mirantha, the queen that the king "disappeared", so we see what led up to her demise. Interestingly, while the rest of the book is told in past-tense, her parts were told in present-tense. This helped to make her parts really pop as unique from the rest of the story.
I kept trying to guess the ending and how different characters related to each other in previously-unknown ways. I even said, "OoohhHH!!!" out loud at one point, which made my husband yell, "What?" from another room. Turns out, I was wrong about whatever that realization was, but that gives you and idea of the kind of twisties I was working out in my head. I only figured out that about two pages before it was actually revealed, so that was good.
This isn't a heavy fantasy book, in that it's full of wizards and magic and stuff. The "magic" is limited to "Truth Tellers" who are like priests or something that can read peoples' minds, vicious dog-like beasts with venomous teeth, and a kind of rope that stings/burns when used to tie people up. *thinks* Yeah, that's it. Otherwise, this is more like an alternate world that's just vaguely old timey (they have swords and armor, but also gas lights).
I think one thing that might have inched my rating higher on this one would have been a bigger sense of where/how this particular kingdom relates to the overall world. We get a few other country names, but that's kind of it. Most of this story is closely contained within one city, while I might have liked to learn a little more about the landscape (both natural and humanmade).
I'm not sure what else to say about this. I was expecting to write myself a big synopsis as a refresher for when I read the sequel....except there isn't a sequel. It tied up nicely in the end, and....The End. WHAT? A standalone fantasy novel! I know, those are rare. I'm glad, because I think that if this HAD gone into a trilogy, then maybe the pacing might have started to bother me as much as some other reviewers. As it was, this was a good length and a good pace for my particular tastes. I'm not sure if I LOVED it enough to buy it for my own library, but I enjoyed it.
One thing that helped me with this book is that I actually wrote down all of the character names and a detail or two about them, so that I could refer back. I may do this from now on with fantasy books, because they tend to have a lot of characters with unusual names. My notes looked something like this:
Anza Istvili: main character, orphan, student at the college, finds late queen's diary, part of the resistance.
Karolje: evil king.
Tevin: crown prince
Esvar: younger prince
Mirantha: queen, abused by king, now dead
Jance Mirovian: soldier, friend and classmate of Anza
Lord Goran: chancellor, in line for throne after princes
Sparrow: leader of the resistance
Irini: Anza's ex-lover, goes by the name of Moth in resistance
Etc, etc, etc. Some of my notes are spoilery as plot points develop, so this is different than a list of characters that one might find in the front/back of a book.
Did the act of writing down the characters propel me through the story? Would I have otherwise found it so slow and DNFed it? I don't know, but I'm reconsidering some other books that I quit because they have too many complicated character names.
Anyway, I did generally enjoy this. I liked that while there was a romance eventually, it wasn't instalove, enemies-to-lovers, or a love triangle. The people involved were, well, adults. They've had previous lovers, so this wasn't a case where I felt like saying, "Ok, maybe before you run off with the first man you see, you should see what else is out there first...." On that note, this DID have some adult scenes. Nothing too steamy or graphic, but definitely enough to edge this out of YA and into Adult fantasy. There's also mental, physical, and sexual abuse perpetrated by the king.
I liked how this was told in such a way that every couple of chapters we got one from the POV of Mirantha, the queen that the king "disappeared", so we see what led up to her demise. Interestingly, while the rest of the book is told in past-tense, her parts were told in present-tense. This helped to make her parts really pop as unique from the rest of the story.
I kept trying to guess the ending and how different characters related to each other in previously-unknown ways. I even said, "OoohhHH!!!" out loud at one point, which made my husband yell, "What?" from another room. Turns out, I was wrong about whatever that realization was, but that gives you and idea of the kind of twisties I was working out in my head. I only figured out that about two pages before it was actually revealed, so that was good.
This isn't a heavy fantasy book, in that it's full of wizards and magic and stuff. The "magic" is limited to "Truth Tellers" who are like priests or something that can read peoples' minds, vicious dog-like beasts with venomous teeth, and a kind of rope that stings/burns when used to tie people up. *thinks* Yeah, that's it. Otherwise, this is more like an alternate world that's just vaguely old timey (they have swords and armor, but also gas lights).
I think one thing that might have inched my rating higher on this one would have been a bigger sense of where/how this particular kingdom relates to the overall world. We get a few other country names, but that's kind of it. Most of this story is closely contained within one city, while I might have liked to learn a little more about the landscape (both natural and humanmade).
I'm not sure what else to say about this. I was expecting to write myself a big synopsis as a refresher for when I read the sequel....except there isn't a sequel. It tied up nicely in the end, and....The End. WHAT? A standalone fantasy novel! I know, those are rare. I'm glad, because I think that if this HAD gone into a trilogy, then maybe the pacing might have started to bother me as much as some other reviewers. As it was, this was a good length and a good pace for my particular tastes. I'm not sure if I LOVED it enough to buy it for my own library, but I enjoyed it.
July 3, 2020
I received an e-ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. When I first saw this book on Netgalley the cover initially hooked me and then I read the synopsis and was very intrigued and excited! But unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me.
The beginning of this book started off strong. A tyrannical King who controls the city through fear and quickly disposes of anyone who stands against him. A young girl who is fighting for change, fighting for her city and its freedom. And then the Prince, second in line to the throne, who is trying to find a way to fight back against his sociopath of a Father without losing his life in the process. There was a lot of potential but it fell a little flat for me. I never felt any attachment to Anza, one of the main characters. She was very one-dimensional and I just lost a lot of interest during her chapters. Esvar, the Prince, was very much of the same. There were a couple of other side characters that we also never knew a lot about, they would come in and then come out of the story with very little background. The one character I really loved was the Queen, Mirantha. The book tells a couple of chapters from her POV (via a diary) and I absolutely loved those chapters! They were far too short for my liking and I wished we could have more!
The world building was beautiful and detailed! The political intrigue, conspiracy and fight for the crown while battling neighboring kingdoms was what kept me reading this book! The pace was a bit off for me and I tended to lose interest during the slower times but usually it would pick back up again just before I truly lost interest. I do want to give a warning that this book does touch on some dark topics (torture, forced abortion, rape) so please be aware of that if you have some triggers.
Overall, this book wasn’t for me but I’m sure others would enjoy it! The writing was well done and the world building was beautiful but without the characters to connect with I just struggled to finish this book.
The beginning of this book started off strong. A tyrannical King who controls the city through fear and quickly disposes of anyone who stands against him. A young girl who is fighting for change, fighting for her city and its freedom. And then the Prince, second in line to the throne, who is trying to find a way to fight back against his sociopath of a Father without losing his life in the process. There was a lot of potential but it fell a little flat for me. I never felt any attachment to Anza, one of the main characters. She was very one-dimensional and I just lost a lot of interest during her chapters. Esvar, the Prince, was very much of the same. There were a couple of other side characters that we also never knew a lot about, they would come in and then come out of the story with very little background. The one character I really loved was the Queen, Mirantha. The book tells a couple of chapters from her POV (via a diary) and I absolutely loved those chapters! They were far too short for my liking and I wished we could have more!
The world building was beautiful and detailed! The political intrigue, conspiracy and fight for the crown while battling neighboring kingdoms was what kept me reading this book! The pace was a bit off for me and I tended to lose interest during the slower times but usually it would pick back up again just before I truly lost interest. I do want to give a warning that this book does touch on some dark topics (torture, forced abortion, rape) so please be aware of that if you have some triggers.
Overall, this book wasn’t for me but I’m sure others would enjoy it! The writing was well done and the world building was beautiful but without the characters to connect with I just struggled to finish this book.
February 12, 2021
This was entertaining and engrossing in its way. The world building is excellent, but the characters left a lot to be desired for me. Megan Whalen Turner and Naomi Novik are my personal standard for political intrigue fantasy, and this didn't quite make that mark. It was good thought, and I will definitely read more from this author.
July 20, 2021
I really really enioyed this!
April 26, 2020
I had the good fortune to be sent a galley of this, and IT IS SO VERY VERY GOOD. Preorder it. Count the days until August.
June 24, 2023
An excellent Story. Dual timelines; in one, we learn of Mirantha, a young queen in a horrible marriage to a sadistic king. In the other, Anza joins the resistance against the said king 12 years after Mirantha's disappearance.
One thing I liked: this was a standalone. Sometimes you don't want a trilogy, you just want a one and done. This was perfect.
One thing I liked: this was a standalone. Sometimes you don't want a trilogy, you just want a one and done. This was perfect.
February 26, 2022
This was definitely one of those books that has a good concept and decent bones, but the execution left a lot to be desired.
Honestly, if I wasn't reading this for a book club, I probably would've given up and dnf it.
At first, I was really intrigued as one of the main characters sneaks into a library that's been boarded up on orders of the king and fetches the lost diary of the queen who has long since vanished. It felt like we were off to a strong start, but overall everything fell flat for me. I never really connected with any of the characters, there's hardly any fantasy elements present, the pacing was very slow and it was honestly pretty boring throughout 90% of the book without any great payoff when the end finally arrived. For such a slow and steady lead-up, the climax and resolution were SO abrupt. It was kind of jarring, actually.
I also think the author did the classic mistake of telling instead of showing. The king is evil. So evil that there's a band of misfits trying to overthrow the government. What do they want to change? What does his rule look like? Who's affected? What do they want to see in a new leader? I couldn't tell you. It seems like the rebellion in this book is really just a vehicle for a select few to exact revenge on a man who has wronged them personally. Which is fine, valid even. But the whole basis of the book is political intrigue and resistance, so it would be great to see more substance there. Don't just tell me the king is evil, show me how he's affected the lives of his people to the degree in which there is a full-on revolution (which in and of itself felt far-fetched in terms of how they achieved success, tbh). I think part of that is because the king himself is so far removed from the story. We rarely see him interact with the characters, and the majority of the time we do, it's in flashback diary chapters of his wife's (and yeah, he's an awful husband). But I think having him more involved in the story could have made this whole thing a little more believable.
Overall it just didn't give what needed to be gave. I think this was a debut(?) so I would maybe be willing to give this author another chance in the future because I think she does have good ideas and the potential is def there.
Honestly, if I wasn't reading this for a book club, I probably would've given up and dnf it.
At first, I was really intrigued as one of the main characters sneaks into a library that's been boarded up on orders of the king and fetches the lost diary of the queen who has long since vanished. It felt like we were off to a strong start, but overall everything fell flat for me. I never really connected with any of the characters, there's hardly any fantasy elements present, the pacing was very slow and it was honestly pretty boring throughout 90% of the book without any great payoff when the end finally arrived. For such a slow and steady lead-up, the climax and resolution were SO abrupt. It was kind of jarring, actually.
I also think the author did the classic mistake of telling instead of showing. The king is evil. So evil that there's a band of misfits trying to overthrow the government. What do they want to change? What does his rule look like? Who's affected? What do they want to see in a new leader? I couldn't tell you. It seems like the rebellion in this book is really just a vehicle for a select few to exact revenge on a man who has wronged them personally. Which is fine, valid even. But the whole basis of the book is political intrigue and resistance, so it would be great to see more substance there. Don't just tell me the king is evil, show me how he's affected the lives of his people to the degree in which there is a full-on revolution (which in and of itself felt far-fetched in terms of how they achieved success, tbh). I think part of that is because the king himself is so far removed from the story. We rarely see him interact with the characters, and the majority of the time we do, it's in flashback diary chapters of his wife's (and yeah, he's an awful husband). But I think having him more involved in the story could have made this whole thing a little more believable.
Overall it just didn't give what needed to be gave. I think this was a debut(?) so I would maybe be willing to give this author another chance in the future because I think she does have good ideas and the potential is def there.
April 17, 2020
I was sold on this book from the summary. I love me a story about a crumbling kingdom led by an evil and corrupt king, and the battle to depose him. I’ve been on a search for good books with strong main character and complex, entertaining political intrigue, and I have not been let down by The Vanished Queen.
I loved Anza as a character from the very beginning, I always appreciate authors that write strong, independent women that know their worth and fight for what's right. Anza was all of that and much more. She finds herself in very delicate situations (partly her own fault), but she never gives up.
Who I wasn't completely sure of was Esvar. In the beginning, his character felt a little underdeveloped and this feeling followed me for most of the book, even though you grow to love and appreciate his journey.
What really made me give this book 5 stars was the writing. I have been devouring it from the very first pages, unable to take a break. The words flew at a very good pace even in the few more boring parts and I felt my heartbeat fasten so many times I lost count.
About mid-way through. I started to worry the book would end on a cliffhanger and build into a series. I was oh so glad when I realised it wouldn't do that. I'm not sure why, but I deeply wanted the story to neatly wrap up and it did. There is space for a sequel if the author decides for it, but most readers would be satisfied with this being a standalone.
A small trigger warning: the story is set in a corrupted kingdom and around the resistance fight. It therefore touches on darker themes such as rape, forced abortion and domestic abuse (maybe look for a trigger warning list). Please be aware of this before going into this book.
I thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.
#TheVanishedQueen #NetGalley
I loved Anza as a character from the very beginning, I always appreciate authors that write strong, independent women that know their worth and fight for what's right. Anza was all of that and much more. She finds herself in very delicate situations (partly her own fault), but she never gives up.
Who I wasn't completely sure of was Esvar. In the beginning, his character felt a little underdeveloped and this feeling followed me for most of the book, even though you grow to love and appreciate his journey.
What really made me give this book 5 stars was the writing. I have been devouring it from the very first pages, unable to take a break. The words flew at a very good pace even in the few more boring parts and I felt my heartbeat fasten so many times I lost count.
About mid-way through. I started to worry the book would end on a cliffhanger and build into a series. I was oh so glad when I realised it wouldn't do that. I'm not sure why, but I deeply wanted the story to neatly wrap up and it did. There is space for a sequel if the author decides for it, but most readers would be satisfied with this being a standalone.
A small trigger warning: the story is set in a corrupted kingdom and around the resistance fight. It therefore touches on darker themes such as rape, forced abortion and domestic abuse (maybe look for a trigger warning list). Please be aware of this before going into this book.
I thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.
#TheVanishedQueen #NetGalley
May 28, 2020
Long ago, Queen Mirantha vanished. King Karolje claimed it was an assassination by a neighboring king, but everyone knew it was a lie. He had Disappeared her himself.
But after finding the missing queen’s diary, Anza—impassioned by her father’s unjust execution and inspired by Mirantha’s words—joins the resistance group to overthrow the king. When an encounter with Prince Esvar thrusts her into a dangerous game of court politics, one misstep could lead to a fate worse than death.
Esvar is the second son to an evil king. Trapped under his thumb and desperate for a way out, a chance meeting with Anza gives him the opportunity to join the resistance. Together, they might have the leverage to move against the king—but if they fail, their deaths could mean a total loss of freedom for generations to follow.
oh how would I have loved a map in this book! LIKE GIVE ME A MAP PLEASE?😭 this book was really really good. The worldbuliding really did it for me and the only reason I ended up finishing it because at one point I was going to DNF it because Anza really frustrated me at some point like I get it she is smart and all but what else? TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE CHARACTER's personality! PLEASE!
My FAV POV was Queen's pov and it was extremely well written. I also loved the politics in the one the moral compass of how evil is acceptable and how evil is taking it too far!!
ARC was provided by netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
But after finding the missing queen’s diary, Anza—impassioned by her father’s unjust execution and inspired by Mirantha’s words—joins the resistance group to overthrow the king. When an encounter with Prince Esvar thrusts her into a dangerous game of court politics, one misstep could lead to a fate worse than death.
Esvar is the second son to an evil king. Trapped under his thumb and desperate for a way out, a chance meeting with Anza gives him the opportunity to join the resistance. Together, they might have the leverage to move against the king—but if they fail, their deaths could mean a total loss of freedom for generations to follow.
oh how would I have loved a map in this book! LIKE GIVE ME A MAP PLEASE?😭 this book was really really good. The worldbuliding really did it for me and the only reason I ended up finishing it because at one point I was going to DNF it because Anza really frustrated me at some point like I get it she is smart and all but what else? TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE CHARACTER's personality! PLEASE!
My FAV POV was Queen's pov and it was extremely well written. I also loved the politics in the one the moral compass of how evil is acceptable and how evil is taking it too far!!
ARC was provided by netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
December 31, 2021
This was really good. Beautiful and delicate but also absolutely brutal, both emotionally and violently. A story about what resistance looks like, what it costs. About everything that lies behind the dry line of "X was a cruel king and the people rose up and overthrew him". It is full of hope, and yet never shies away from the difficult choices. It is woven so deftly, and with such magnificent nuance of theme and emotion, that it reminds me very strongly of Guy Gavriel Kay (though without the same sort of poetic sweep to the language, though it's still very nicely written).
I'm dithering between four and five stars, because this really is so good, but I didn't love it desperately and passionately. But I am very much looking forward to further books from Campbell!
I'm dithering between four and five stars, because this really is so good, but I didn't love it desperately and passionately. But I am very much looking forward to further books from Campbell!
October 15, 2023
I really enjoyed this novel, enough to read it twice now.
There's an intriguing & twisty plot characters you'll either despise or like (depending on who they are), and a protagonist you'll cheer for. Lots of subterfuge & secret rebellion uprising, with just enough cruelty to make you cheer for the rebels and their allies.
A very good book worthy of a read, or re-reading.
There's an intriguing & twisty plot characters you'll either despise or like (depending on who they are), and a protagonist you'll cheer for. Lots of subterfuge & secret rebellion uprising, with just enough cruelty to make you cheer for the rebels and their allies.
A very good book worthy of a read, or re-reading.
dnf
August 9, 2024DNF at 24%
July 18, 2020
This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
An intricate complex novel, with a sophisticated political details. Incredibly strong fleshed out character development. The reader will have first hand knowledge of the inter-most thoughts of the characters fears and struggles.
A vicious tyrant, you will love to hate. Twist and turns that will keep you guessing.
A wonderful fantasy experience filled with friendship, loyalty and the pursuit of justice. Medieval elements, a secret resistance group and narrow escapes, will keep you completely immersed. The book paced keeps you moving forward and, I enjoyed the writing style and prose.
To give away further plot would be to lessen the pleasure for readers
Key Characters
Anza: Raised in a country village, she comes to Karegg, the capital of Vetia, to study at the College. When her father is executed by Karolje some years later, she joins the resistance against the king.
Esvar: Karolje’s second son, he is bitterly opposed to his tyrannical father but is hemmed in by court politics, his loyalty to his older brother, and the king’s absolute power.
Jance: After graduating from the College, he joins the king’s army, only to find his personal and political loyalties tested as opposition to Karojle mounts.
Karolje: Cruel, abusive, and very clever, he rules with an iron hand and uses his power to toy with the lives of everyone around him, including his family.
Mirantha: She faces the daily choice between escaping from her marriage to Karolje or staying to protect her children. Then the king takes matters into his own hands.
Sparrow: Leader of the resistance, she seeks not only to overthrow Karolje but to put an end to the absolute monarchy itself.
Tevin: The older son and heir of Karolje, he wants to be king but not at the cost of bloody civil war or his own honor.
An intricate complex novel, with a sophisticated political details. Incredibly strong fleshed out character development. The reader will have first hand knowledge of the inter-most thoughts of the characters fears and struggles.
A vicious tyrant, you will love to hate. Twist and turns that will keep you guessing.
A wonderful fantasy experience filled with friendship, loyalty and the pursuit of justice. Medieval elements, a secret resistance group and narrow escapes, will keep you completely immersed. The book paced keeps you moving forward and, I enjoyed the writing style and prose.
To give away further plot would be to lessen the pleasure for readers
Key Characters
Anza: Raised in a country village, she comes to Karegg, the capital of Vetia, to study at the College. When her father is executed by Karolje some years later, she joins the resistance against the king.
Esvar: Karolje’s second son, he is bitterly opposed to his tyrannical father but is hemmed in by court politics, his loyalty to his older brother, and the king’s absolute power.
Jance: After graduating from the College, he joins the king’s army, only to find his personal and political loyalties tested as opposition to Karojle mounts.
Karolje: Cruel, abusive, and very clever, he rules with an iron hand and uses his power to toy with the lives of everyone around him, including his family.
Mirantha: She faces the daily choice between escaping from her marriage to Karolje or staying to protect her children. Then the king takes matters into his own hands.
Sparrow: Leader of the resistance, she seeks not only to overthrow Karolje but to put an end to the absolute monarchy itself.
Tevin: The older son and heir of Karolje, he wants to be king but not at the cost of bloody civil war or his own honor.
March 20, 2020
One of the strengths of this novel is the character development. The author skillfully utilizes point of view, dialogue, and events in the plot to create well-developed, dynamic, and interesting characters. I love that the story is narrated from three different points of view. This gives the reader a well-rounded view of what is happening in this world. Furthermore, by including Queen Mirantha’s perspective using journals from the past shows how long King Karolje’s oppressive and murderous rule has devastated their kingdom.
Prince Esvar’s perspective is much different from his mother’s, which is vastly different from Anza’s. Yet, they share the same goal. Using the varied narration allows the reader to see a rebellion on all levels and from different perspectives. Small and large rebellions have significance and worth in the lives of these characters, and they all work toward the betterment of their kingdom.
I also like the growing relationship between Anza and Prince Esvar. They are very similar in their loneliness and isolation as well as in their desires for the kingdom. They are both complex and dynamic characters that do unsavory things even though they don’t want to. They see the bigger picture and do what they have to for those they care about. They definitely have a strong connection, and their love story is a bright spot in an otherwise heavy story.
I do think that the story is a bit slow. There is a tremendous amount of character and plot development. Extended conversations, interactions, and thoughts lead to strong and dynamic character and dynamic world-building, but sometimes get tedious, especially at the beginning. That being said, the political intrigue is engrossing, as are the stories of the major characters.
Favorite Parts:
- The well-developed characters.
- The three-person narration. It’s almost like reading three parallel stories.
- The political intrigue. The entire book presents continual struggles for power.
- The surprise twist! I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t say much, but OMG! There’s a great twist!
Recommendations:
People who like stories with strong heroes trying to rid their kingdom of an evil and sadistic ruler will enjoy this piece. I also think readers who like detailed and immersive stories with tremendous character development and multiple points of view will like this book.
Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Prince Esvar’s perspective is much different from his mother’s, which is vastly different from Anza’s. Yet, they share the same goal. Using the varied narration allows the reader to see a rebellion on all levels and from different perspectives. Small and large rebellions have significance and worth in the lives of these characters, and they all work toward the betterment of their kingdom.
I also like the growing relationship between Anza and Prince Esvar. They are very similar in their loneliness and isolation as well as in their desires for the kingdom. They are both complex and dynamic characters that do unsavory things even though they don’t want to. They see the bigger picture and do what they have to for those they care about. They definitely have a strong connection, and their love story is a bright spot in an otherwise heavy story.
I do think that the story is a bit slow. There is a tremendous amount of character and plot development. Extended conversations, interactions, and thoughts lead to strong and dynamic character and dynamic world-building, but sometimes get tedious, especially at the beginning. That being said, the political intrigue is engrossing, as are the stories of the major characters.
Favorite Parts:
- The well-developed characters.
- The three-person narration. It’s almost like reading three parallel stories.
- The political intrigue. The entire book presents continual struggles for power.
- The surprise twist! I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t say much, but OMG! There’s a great twist!
Recommendations:
People who like stories with strong heroes trying to rid their kingdom of an evil and sadistic ruler will enjoy this piece. I also think readers who like detailed and immersive stories with tremendous character development and multiple points of view will like this book.
Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
August 28, 2020
mixed feelings about this one. all it comes down to is the insufficient development of great ideas. we have the bare bones of what could've been an interesting world, characters whose backstories are more appealing than their actual depiction and voice, a plot with a great premise but lacklustre execution, and pacing that manages to somehow be both suitable and yet so wrong.
i'm being vague, but there is no way to explain this other than for the type of story this book presents itself to be--a dark, adult fantasy filled with political intrigue--it is certainly the obvious choice to have a slow build-up with gradual reveals and a crescendo of tension. despite the serviceable prose, this book ultimately failed to keep me engaged or interested throughout, and the build-up turned into a slog.
for a book with multiple character viewpoints, none of them came across as significantly different or unique to me in terms of voice. when it comes to their deeper motivations and personality, there was something there but it never scratched past the surface of obvious, easy things. like, of course the daughter robbed of her parents and throne would be hell-bent on revenge, and all her actions and decision-making will be directed to that one goal. but what else is there to her? what differentiated her from other vengeful characters in other adult fantasy books? /shrug\
it is also an annoyance and turn-off for me personally to have multiple recounts of the same events, told by two different perspectives if they do not offer anything new or valuable to the plot. as it happened, scenes were often recounted by both Anza and Esvar, and only to serve as a way to describe the other character in ways that could not have been presented in their own viewpoint chapter.
having said all that, the intrigue and twists itself (although not what i would call unforeseen) were still good. i enjoyed its dark themes and the very little emphasis on romance, and despite the cookie-cutter characterisation, i at least appreciated that the characters had an impact on the plot, and how everything--both plot progression and its multiple viewpoints--fall together neatly in the end.
i'm being vague, but there is no way to explain this other than for the type of story this book presents itself to be--a dark, adult fantasy filled with political intrigue--it is certainly the obvious choice to have a slow build-up with gradual reveals and a crescendo of tension. despite the serviceable prose, this book ultimately failed to keep me engaged or interested throughout, and the build-up turned into a slog.
for a book with multiple character viewpoints, none of them came across as significantly different or unique to me in terms of voice. when it comes to their deeper motivations and personality, there was something there but it never scratched past the surface of obvious, easy things. like, of course the daughter robbed of her parents and throne would be hell-bent on revenge, and all her actions and decision-making will be directed to that one goal. but what else is there to her? what differentiated her from other vengeful characters in other adult fantasy books? /shrug\
it is also an annoyance and turn-off for me personally to have multiple recounts of the same events, told by two different perspectives if they do not offer anything new or valuable to the plot. as it happened, scenes were often recounted by both Anza and Esvar, and only to serve as a way to describe the other character in ways that could not have been presented in their own viewpoint chapter.
having said all that, the intrigue and twists itself (although not what i would call unforeseen) were still good. i enjoyed its dark themes and the very little emphasis on romance, and despite the cookie-cutter characterisation, i at least appreciated that the characters had an impact on the plot, and how everything--both plot progression and its multiple viewpoints--fall together neatly in the end.
September 27, 2020
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: The Vanished Queen
Author: Lisbeth Campbell
Book Series: Standalone
Diversity: bisexual rep!
Rating: 3/5
Recommended For...: Fantasy, court intrigue, mystery
Publication Date: August 18, 2020
Publisher: Saga Press
Pages: 496
Recommended Age: can't recommend dnf-ed
Synopsis: When a country is held in thrall to a vicious, despotic king, it’s up to one woman to take him down.
Long ago, Queen Mirantha vanished. King Karolje claimed it was an assassination by a neighboring king, but everyone knew it was a lie. He had Disappeared her himself.
But after finding the missing queen’s diary, Anza—impassioned by her father’s unjust execution and inspired by Mirantha’s words—joins the resistance group to overthrow the king. When an encounter with Prince Esvar thrusts her into a dangerous game of court politics, one misstep could lead to a fate worse than death.
Esvar is the second son to an evil king. Trapped under his thumb and desperate for a way out, a chance meeting with Anza gives him the opportunity to join the resistance. Together, they might have the leverage to move against the king—but if they fail, their deaths could mean a total loss of freedom for generations to follow.
Review: Unfortunately I had to dnf this one at 33%. The story was good and I liked it but it just wasn't grabbing my attention. Maybe another time will be better for me. Also, this book has a bi rep!
Verdict: Not for me at the moment but maybe for you!
Book: The Vanished Queen
Author: Lisbeth Campbell
Book Series: Standalone
Diversity: bisexual rep!
Rating: 3/5
Recommended For...: Fantasy, court intrigue, mystery
Publication Date: August 18, 2020
Publisher: Saga Press
Pages: 496
Recommended Age: can't recommend dnf-ed
Synopsis: When a country is held in thrall to a vicious, despotic king, it’s up to one woman to take him down.
Long ago, Queen Mirantha vanished. King Karolje claimed it was an assassination by a neighboring king, but everyone knew it was a lie. He had Disappeared her himself.
But after finding the missing queen’s diary, Anza—impassioned by her father’s unjust execution and inspired by Mirantha’s words—joins the resistance group to overthrow the king. When an encounter with Prince Esvar thrusts her into a dangerous game of court politics, one misstep could lead to a fate worse than death.
Esvar is the second son to an evil king. Trapped under his thumb and desperate for a way out, a chance meeting with Anza gives him the opportunity to join the resistance. Together, they might have the leverage to move against the king—but if they fail, their deaths could mean a total loss of freedom for generations to follow.
Review: Unfortunately I had to dnf this one at 33%. The story was good and I liked it but it just wasn't grabbing my attention. Maybe another time will be better for me. Also, this book has a bi rep!
Verdict: Not for me at the moment but maybe for you!
April 14, 2020
The Vanished Queen follows various characters in the waning rule of an evil king. Anza joins the resistance after her father has been executed, Esvar is the second son of the king, fighting to get his brother on the throne and overcome the similarities he sees between himself and his father.
This book is beautifully written, I was engrossed almost immediately. I felt it excelled at introducing me to these characters and the world. All the characters have very visible flaws that they struggle with, and this is portrayed really nicely. Where this story excells is absolutely the characters, and especially the women. This story felt like a love letter to womens resilience in a world that treats them as objects and pawns. Anza and her discovery of the disappeared queens journal show us two different female struggles and I thought it was very well done.
All the characters developed well throughout the book, and by the end I felt as though I really understood their motivations and feelings. In a nice bit of representation, Anza appears to be bisexual and speaks of her previous lovers, male and female at various points throughout the book.
I felt the story flowed quite well, with the exception of some dragging at around 25-30%. It is definitely more of a slow burn story, there's a lot of set up and political intrigue before there is any kind of big climax. To me this all led to a satisfying conclusion but I can see it being frustrating to other readers. Overall, this book was an a real gem for me, and it'll stick with me for a long time.
This book is certainly dark and I would mark it with trigger warnings for: sexual assault, forced abortion, domestic abuse and suicidal thoughts.
Thank you to netgalley for this book.
This book is beautifully written, I was engrossed almost immediately. I felt it excelled at introducing me to these characters and the world. All the characters have very visible flaws that they struggle with, and this is portrayed really nicely. Where this story excells is absolutely the characters, and especially the women. This story felt like a love letter to womens resilience in a world that treats them as objects and pawns. Anza and her discovery of the disappeared queens journal show us two different female struggles and I thought it was very well done.
All the characters developed well throughout the book, and by the end I felt as though I really understood their motivations and feelings. In a nice bit of representation, Anza appears to be bisexual and speaks of her previous lovers, male and female at various points throughout the book.
I felt the story flowed quite well, with the exception of some dragging at around 25-30%. It is definitely more of a slow burn story, there's a lot of set up and political intrigue before there is any kind of big climax. To me this all led to a satisfying conclusion but I can see it being frustrating to other readers. Overall, this book was an a real gem for me, and it'll stick with me for a long time.
This book is certainly dark and I would mark it with trigger warnings for: sexual assault, forced abortion, domestic abuse and suicidal thoughts.
Thank you to netgalley for this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 258 reviews