The Queen Trials

The Queen Trials #1

by Penelope Wright

What happens when The Hunger Games meets The Selection?

I never wanted to join the Queen Trials.

But I’m not a victim and never have been. When a peacekeeper attacks me in a mine shaft, I fight back and win.

Sort of. Because I made a mistake. I let him live.

He knows my name. He’ll come after me and he’ll kill the only person I love, my sweet, clueless brother Shellor. Nobody escapes from Locality Fourteen. There was only one way out that would protect us both: enter the Queen Trials and become a star.

Now, I’m plunged into a competition with dozens of gorgeous women from all over the kingdom. My fame shelters my brother. My beauty protects me. Or is it my luck? Every woman in the arena wants to capture King Ergondy’s attention, but he only has eyes for me. How long will it be before my luck runs out?

I never wanted to join The Queen Trials.

Now, I must win them.

Genres: Fantasy, Dystopia, Young Adult, Romantasy, Ebooks, Romance, Fantasy Romance

265 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 20, 2022

About the author

Penelope Wright spent a quarter of her life on the east coast and the rest in Washington state. She worked her way through college in restaurants, hospitals, factories, and everything in between, finally graduating summa cum laude from the University of Washington after an absurdly long time. She loves both traditions and new experiences, and will try anything once, except skydiving, which is a hard no. She lives north of Seattle with her husband and two amazing teenagers.

Reviews

[Jasmine (Jazzie) [Jesus Loves You!!] · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 50%

”And it might have been. Instead, it turns out to be the beginning.”

~My Thoughts~
Although I did think that the plot was interesting at first, it ended up being more similar to what I've heard about The Selection than I thought it would be.
From what I had read, this ended up being pretty predictable, and I didn't really like any of the characters too much. The writing also wasn't the greatest. It felt almost fan-fictiony at times, maybe? If that’s even the right word to describe it…
And then as y'all've already seen by now, I ended up DNF-ing this book because there was this scene almost 50% into the book that made me very uncomfortable, and it really just wasn't right, and stuff (in my content warnings I will say what that scene was in more detail)… So yeah… this book definitely isn't one that's going on my favorite shelf….

But to anyone wondering, the first half of this book was clean for the most other than a handful of mentions of mature topics and another little something, and as far as I can tell, you could skip over that one scene, but I wasn't going to chance it. But a Goodreads friend of mine did tell me that she heard there were a lot of content issues with this book and I'm assuming the series, too, so…..

(Also, how in the world did I miss any reviews that said what that one scene was?!?! Peoples said this was clean!! 😭😭)

~Characters~
Clio: She gave off the “not like other girls” vibe wayyy too much in my opinion…. Besides that, she personality was pretty much just meh. But she did try to be modest, so I did have to give her a small brownie point for that. Plus, that “sixth sense” of her's is weird… especially because Clio, as far as I know, is the only person who has it…

(All the other characters either weren't relevant enough by the time I stopped reading this book to say anything about them or they were just “meh” which is why Clio's the only one I said much of anything about.)

~Content Warnings~
(Warning! 🚨 Before you go any further, there is a chance that something I've said about the content could possibly be a bit spoilerish, so please proceed with caution!)

(And yes, I did use the search feature on the Kindle book to look up some of these things for this content warning)


Faith based/Christian:
Absolutely nothing….

(Though at first I did wonder if Glory was a Christian, but I'm not too sure that she actually was one… and I definitely don't know if they exist in this book's world…)

But multiple characters did take God's name in vain a total of 25 times throughout the entire book (A couple of those 25 times d*mn was added to the end)….. and Lord was said 6 times (once as a prayer most likely, but the other times it was them saying it as like an exclamation)

Other Religious Content:
Characters treated and talked about their king as if he was their ‘god’ and it was kind of implied that he was pretty much that to them…

Violence:
Mentions of characters that we never met on page having been killed.

It's said that later in the trials the contestants will have to kill each other until they're down to a certain number of them.

A person was apparently punched later in the book. Someone else was slapped, too, though that was earlier in the book.

Clio also apparently poison's guys who try to take advantage of her, but they don't die, they just lose consciousness for a little bit and lose, I think it was, 30 seconds of their memory…

Sexual Content/Romance:
There wasn't really any actual romance as far as I know, but there was a scene about halfway through where even though Clio told them she had never known a man (to put it in Bible terms), the doctors still put something up her unmentionable to prove that she was telling the truth, and it was very painful for her, but they didn't stop until they had their proof. What makes it even worse is that they did the same thing to around two or three hundred ladies….. And yeah…. it just sooo wasn't right, and that just makes me so mad and I wish the author didn't write it and….. 😑😠😑😠 (It all happened in Chapter 12)

Also, the ladies in Clio's locality were made fun of and called wh*res and sluts by a couple of ladies at the place.

It's also said that many of the girls in Clio's locality end up being taken advantage of, and most ended up being with child as teenagers…. (Though, of course, Clio was never one of those girls… Especially because her “sixth sense” helped her to know when someone was coming… 🙄)

All the ladies had to take off all their clothing (in front of a large crowd) before stepping into this “pod” thing, and they weren't even really aloud to use hold their clothes in front of them to be a bit more modest, so all the guys in the crowd were ogling them and looking at them inappropriately….

Magic:
None.

Bad Language:
D*mn 1 time
P*ssed 1 time

LGBTQ+:
Her brother is gay, but it's only only mentioned once (it's not directly said, though. Clio had said something like that he wasn't attracted to females or something like that…)… though that doesn't make it any better….

Drugs/Alcohol:
There wasn't any alcohol from what I can remember, but the girls were drugged with chemicals a couple of times.

~Other Notes~
Because I didn't finish the book due to issues with the content, it's hard to give an age recommendation, but if I had to give one, I'd say at youngest 18+, but more like 19 or 20 years old and older.

~Will I Read the Rest of the Series/More from this Author?~
No, I will not.

~Will I reread this book at some point in time?~
I definitely will not be rereading this book.

[Jamie (The Kansan Reader)]

If you want to relive The Hunger Games but also want The Selection vibe, go no further. No, seriously it’s like a splice of the two books plus some other elements from other dystopian novels. When it was compared to these two books I didn't think they meant it.

Trigger Warning: Sexual Assult, Slut Shaming, Using the Lord’s name in vain

I have never read The Selection but I know enough of the gist to get where this book got ideas from. Now The Hunger Games is a whole different story. There are many themes and elements from The Hunger Games

Similarities:
1. Come from a mining town
2. Run by a government that lives off those who don’t live in the “Capital” or in this case the Rotunda
3. Volunteers for the trials to save a sibling
4. Surrounded by an electrical fence.
5. Have “peacekeepers” or in this case derigueurs
6. Commentator with flamboyant hair Cartong Fleming or aka Caesar Flickerman
7. Get a stylist

Differences
1. Clio has something she calls “luck” which is basically spider senses
2. Only women go into the trials, but a male family member or lover has to speak for them.
3. 98 women volunteered and were chosen.
4. Clio is a miner herself since she was 15
5. The “Gale” character is part of the military.
7. The women also have to be pure in order to be in the trials.
8. Clio is 22

There are more similarities and differences but I’m not going to list them all.

Welcome to Rustonia, where men and women are put in positions that make the gender hate the other. (Don’t know where the author was going with that. It’s hinted at the beginning but never really addressed.) Women from all districts localities volunteer for the Queen trials to marry their old king. (Who is treated like a god but is at the beginning of the book described as an old guy.) Clio volunteers for the trial to save her brother (who is nowhere near the awesome of a character as Prim).

I wasn’t a big fan of this as I continued to read, but my final straw was using the Lord’s name in vain. Also, the medical exam was uncomfortable to read. I’m not a fan when a series does this for the “games”. I’m just going to stick with The Hunger Games.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had no right being this good. This book is hunger games + the selection + lowkey handmaids tale combined. I’m so torn on what to rate it. I hate that I loved it? Definitely will continue the series, I can’t wait to see where it goes.

[Myth · Rating 3 out of 5]

When there are literally no dudes around, this book works very hard to comment on the exploitation of women and girls in a thoughtful manner. It doesn't go very deep, but it definitely says fuck the patriarchy with its whole chest. It fully embraced the always spied on aspect for most of the book (sometimes it forgot, but that was early on), and I genuinely felt that it was trying to comment on most of the problems with The Selection. Unfortunately it was too held back by its almost religious adherence to the structure and events of The Hunger Games, and the magic sand came in a bit too late for it to feel fully integrated into the story and setting (not because of the gabite aspect, because of the dreamwalking where before this had been gritty ya dystopian).

Speaking of gritty ya dystopian, this could have used a lot more nuance when it came to literally everyone but the main character and her now little sister figure being rape victims. I am 100% sure the author didn't mean to write it into the book, but by having literally only two girls (well, a girl and a woman, a distinction I DID appreciate, along with the commentary on dolling girls up to look older and sexy for the benefit of adult men) escape being raped as a matter of course feels questionable in a way I'm not sure I can articulate. While I appreciate that Clio herself says it's a matter of luck later, in the beginning it is very definitely portrayed as a case of One Woman And Her Poisons (her poisons, which do not make sense). Clio says then it's because she's so good at paying attention and being on the down low, but then the guards literally have a nickname for her because they haven't managed to rape her yet. It's giving 'One Special Woman Manages To Stay Pure.' Again, while I do not believe that the author meant at all to say that, unfortunately that's what the beginning does say. I don't care for it.

All in all, if the beginning (...or okay, first third or so) was scrapped and reworked (and perhaps Shellor, autistic queer little brother, was handled more realistically as a character) I would probably have given this more stars. As it is, not bad!

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not an ounce of originality, loved every second

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars - It’s The Hunger Games and The Selection mixed with a touch of the movie Dreamscape. Entertaining enough to entice the reader onto Book 2: The Wishing Round

[Lesley Barklay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was marketed as The Hunger Games (which I loved) meets The Selection (which wasn't to my taste), but I decided to give it a chance, since I like dystopian books.

I should probably preface this review by telling you that, despite heavily drawing from the comp titles (and I mean heavily, keep reading to find out how), it kept me compelled enough that I read books two and three in one day (finishing at 1am), and books four and five on the next day (finishing somewhat later). Despite some obvious issues, the narrative was compelling enough to hook me.

Set in a future America (or at least part of America), society has been divided in the Rotunda (aka the Capital), and the localities (aka the Districts). As you can imagine, the Rotunda is full of people who dress to impress (including using glistening dust--or is it glimmer dust? I forget--to make them shine).

Our intrepid MC, Katniss, I mean America, nope. That's not right either. Oh my gosh, I've genuinely lost her name after reading five books about her. What is it? Oh yes, Cliodatra (Clio) Fathom is a lowly chipper in locality 14. This is legally distinct from District 12, because in this world the girls are allowed to work in the mines too. Our girl Clio also has a too-good-for-this world younger brother who is coded as a gay autistic savant (although the gay thing is only briefly mentioned once. It will come up in later books). Our girl Clio will do anything to protect her brother, who is 18 and also works in the mines.

Life in the mines is pretty terrible for women, and when Clio is assaulted (or there is an attempted assault), she defends herself, leaving her attacker alive. Knowing this is a death sentence for her, she is surprised to learn that today is the day that the Queen Trials begin, as the last on the previous six queens has died. If Clio enters the trials, she will escape punishment, and the authorities won't be able to touch her brother, since they will need him for footage, and interviews (The Queen Trials, as you might expect, are a televised event).

Clio gets sponsored by her ex-fiance (who we are just hearing about now), and when a young girl is about to go unclaimed, Clio gets her brother to sponsor this girl. We now have our Rue character, who also becomes the one person who Clio trusts in the trials, and also her "sister" since they plan to be sister wives for the King.

When Clio arrives at the Rotunda she meets her stylist--ahem--creator, and is subject to some uncomfortable medical test too. At first, you think Glory might be like Cinna, but the cracks begin to show by the end of the book. Another member of her styling team, Wendla, seems suspicious at first, but stay tuned for future developments.

As far as trials go, most of this book is cleaning Clio up, presenting her to the King (while briefly noticing that he has a hot younger brother who is, coincidentally only about three years older than Clio, while the king is grotesque and in his late sixties). Oh, and I should say, I do appreciate the fact that Clio is 22 years old and rejects people calling her a girl, when she is a woman. We put our bare feet down at the infantalisation of women, and I 'm here for it.

At the end of the book, there is a winnowing, where Clio's ex fiance (who is, coincidentally also assigned as her guard--hello Aspen) tempts her to run away with him, but in a stunning turn of events, it's all just a test. Clio passes and is handed a rock, but before we find out what she gets to do with it, the story ends on a cliff hanger.

Overall thoughts:
I'm not generally a fan of first person, present tense novels, but this one have enough going on with the plot that I didn't mind too much once I got into the story. Initially, I kept reading just to see how much this book drew from The Hunger Games and The Selection. I'm also not a fan of cliff hanger endings, but since the sequels were on KU, I didn't mind so much either. (If you don't have KU, these might not be the series for you. Also, there are seven books out, and an eighth coming next year. When the author has a tendency towards cliffhanger endings, it might be wiser to wait until the series is finished before you decide to pick them up.

This is not The Hunger Games. Arguably, this is also not a fantasy with a romantic subplot (although we do get increasing hints of romance in later books), so if you're expecting romance, this may not be the book for you. This book is clean (although there are multiple references to r*pe, so this book is not a good fit for younger teens either). Despite the fact that the MC is 22 years old, she reads young, like a typical YA heroine. She is, of course, beautiful, and she does have some characteristics that may be described as Mary Sue-like. Whatever she does, always turns out to be the perfect choice. If she's bold, that's awesome, if she's humble, or meek, that's great too. Oh, and there is a hint of the supernatural in this book. Clio has "The Knowing" which is a sixth sense that always warns her of danger. The sense also starts firing up in a different way when she sees the King's hot brother, so we know he's good.

In terms of world building, it was a little bit hit and miss for me. The author has clearly thought about a lot of aspects of what her MC would know and not know, and how she would see the world, and what she would understand about the Rotunda, but in other instances there will be anachronisms and inconsistencies that get through. These are things that a good beta reader should pick up.

Anyway, I might leave it here. I enjoyed this book enough to read more despite the fact that it was very close to the comp titles, but is you enjoyed The Hunger Games for the action, this might not be for you, and if you enjoyed The Selection for the romance, this might not be a good fit either.

[Daenerys Targaryen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When they said this book is hunger games + selection; I didn't quite take it seriously. But they were right. Think of Katniss as Clio instead of a hunter with a bow and arrow she is a miner and instead of protecting her boyfriend as in hunger games Clio enters the queen trials to escape assault charges and to protect her dreamer brother. The struggles of a locality 14 with out water is narrated beautifully. This is the first book in the series and there will be several more. I hope the author can maintain the pace she set in this book in the future books as well. This book is a short read with mention of abuse and oppression. Heroine is both strong and vulnerable.

[Yezz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ummmm

If you like Hunger games or The Selection, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK! If you want to read chapters upon chapter on how you can beautify a mine worker full of dirt to look like a princess. This is the book for you. From a very thorough bath to primping. About 70% of the book revolves in the transformation. No Angst, no action, no storyline. But I did read the whole but. I had hopes of it picking up but it never did. If the next book was out I would probably read it in search of that angst and action but I wouldn't be surprised if it falls flat. That being said the book has potential. A good editor and it could be great. No kissing or even hugging so Super young adult.

[Candy_ Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Al haber crecido y vivido toda su vida en la localidad catorce, Clio no tiene muchas opciones de donde escoger un oficio, ni los contactos necesarios para hacerlo, por lo cual se ha visto obligada desde que tuvo la edad suficiente a trabajar en las minas, ampliando las grietas del mineral que los varones de su localidad minan y llevan a la superficie, mientras extrae carbón. No obstante, esto no significa que ella no conozca más cosas de las que debería alguien de su posición. Luego de que decidiera intentar esconder el fortuito hallazgo de gabite que encontró durante una de sus jornadas laborales, con la intención de que su hermano menor pudiera hallarlo y usarlo para completar su tarifa mensual, se ve obligada tomar decisiones que no solo cambiarán su vida por completo sino también la de su hermano, Shellor.
Por desgracia — o fortuna—, aquellas primeras decisiones que tomó la dejan a un paso de ser asesinada por los derigueur, y al genio matemático de su hermano, de ser enviado al frente de guerra dónde muy probablemente morirá. Su fuerte sentido de responsabilidad, su amor y deseo de proteger a Shellor hacen que tome la instantánea decisión de postularse para las Pruebas para reina, aún sabiendo que en algún punto es muy probable que muera a manos de otra de las candidatas.
A partir de ese momento su vida no solo tiene que manejar el fino balance entre ocultar sus verdaderos sentimientos hacia el rey Ergondy y los habitantes de la Rotonda y decir la verdad para poder llegar lo más lejos posible en las pruebas y así proteger a Shellor, sino que también deberá determinar quienes son sus verdaderos aliados y enemigos en una sociedad que no se molesta en ver a los habitantes de las localidades como personas, y en las concursantes que ante las situación correcta pueden volverse en su contra.
The Queen Trials trata del inicio de Clio en las Pruebas para reina.
Desde las primeras páginas tuve una gran expectativa para este libro, no solo porque el estilo de escritura me agradó bastante sino porque la personalidad de Clio es arrolladora. Cliodatra es bastante recursiva, resiliente y sabe pensar muy bien bajo presión, y eso unido a algunos hechos fantásticos, que si bien son sutiles, hacen de la historia algo intrigante.
Por fortuna ese agrado no duro unos cuantos capítulos sino que se extendió a lo largo de todo el libro. Si bien no es uno de mis libros favoritos, los cuales no puedo soltar desde el momento que leo la primera página porque necesito saber que va a pasar o de lo contrario no puedo concentrarme en nada más por el resto del día, si es un libro merecedor de cuatro estrellas pues no hubo ni un solo momento en que lo sintiera lento, molesto o aburrido.
Aunque la acción principal que uno esperaría ocurriría a partir de la mitad, no comienza de verdad sino en varios libros posteriores, la forma en que Penelope cuenta la historia captura, y hace que disfrutes navegar los riesgos inherentes de la parte política de la competencia.
Desde luego The Queen Trials termina en un pequeño cliffhanger, pues por la forma en que todo se va desarrollando no era posible tenerlo todo en este libro, pero aquello no es algo que me moleste, no solo porque ya tengo la posibilidad de tomar el segundo libro y saber que sucedió —lo que sin duda haré—, sino porque el hecho de que haya tomado casi todo el libro para llegar a esa escena de acción valió la pena con tal de ver el desarrollo solido de Clio, como su nueva circunstancias afectan en primera instancia su personalidad, como era de esperarse, su proceso de adaptación y como es este mundo distópico en el cual ella vive, de una forma que se siente solida, coherente y fluida sin tener en ningún momento escenas de relleno o sin propósito.
No puedo esperar a ver que va a pasar en el resto de la saga. Y *sí*, es imposible no tener cierta sensación a Los juegos del hambre o La selección, pero eso no quiere decir que sea una mera copia de ellos.

[Diana Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Queen Trials Kindle Edition

by Penelope Wright 

I borrowed this book via the Kindle Unlimited program and I am choosing to leave a fair and honest review.

The Queen Trials begins with what can be taken as a homage to The Hunger Games and The Selection, with a combination of a poor girl in a poor community being forced to join a game to protect herself and someone she cares about. Unfortunately, Ms. Wright takes this homage a step too far, using Suzanne Collins's classic as a beat by beat template and even lifts some characters directly out of that series. Glory is a near identical character to Effie in The Hunger Games. The odious King is so similar to President Snow, they could be twins, with the King's age taking the place of Snow's overuse of roses and his bloody mouth. Speaking of Snows, the young girl Snow is a direct copy of the young girl that Katniss befriends. Even the dressing/costuming bears a striking resemblance to Katniss's various costumes.

I want to enjoy this series, but I'm having a itchy feeling in my brain that feels like plagiarism! But more on that on the next review.

Ms. Wright is a capable writer, but she lacks the delicate world building and imagery that Collins wielded like a katana. The muttations that Collins uses as not only terrors but as symbols of the various people in the Capitol are simply missing and the challenges that the Game Masters created are replaced with the way women treat each other when competing for men and how society sees women in general. Hopefully, this thread continues and creates a chasm between the obvious duplication of the Hunger Games.

The Queen Trials is also often compared to Kiera Cass's The Selection. However, the romance that swirled around the characters and plots in that story is missing, replaced with a forced relationship with the poorly drawn brother of the King. Relicant's history is telegraphed poorly.

Right now, I am giving this a 3 stars our of a 5, but that may change as I make my way through the currently published books. Fan-fiction is one thing, plagiarism in any form is an entirely different beastie.

https://www.amazon.com/Queen-Trials-P...

[Katt Faëhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very minor spoilers. More like a warning of bad treatment from people.

Wow the hunger games vibes are big with this one.

I did not expect this book to be... Idk how to put it even. Let's just say I was getting enraged. For the women. And I knew I would not get over how they were treated.

The only thing I kept thinking was how can the royals do this shit and expect that the contestants love them?

I wanted to karate kick the doctors. Do i know karate? No. But I will try for the FMC. I wanted to climb into this book and kick him in the.... *Sigh*.

Let's move on. I think this is probably a great book. But if you have... issues... Like me then just be prepared.

So after the women from each section are selected and going through the process to see who is actually "eligible" for the REAL trials. The are questioned, bathed, waxed and inspected. And by inspected I mean they have doctors who verify if they are a virgin. First they did believe that our girl is a virgin. Then they FINALLY look and see wow. She wasn't lying. Then they insert fck knows in her vagigi for further inspection while she is screaming from the pain he is causing her. Then after he is satisfied that she really isn't lying. He's like "I'm sorry why didn't you tell me you are a virgin?" I was like WTF. Are you fcccckknn deaf???

Any she moves on the actual trials. Because she passed the tests. And yes that includes her having to be a virgin.

But I could not get over the treatment these women go through. I haven't even met the king and i already could not stand him. How am i supposed to be happy for her finding love with a man who allowed her to be treated like this?? I obviously know that there could be a lot of explanations later in the book and stuff can happen and what not. But that doctor inspection was my breaking point.

I don't want people to think this is a bad book because it's not. It's just personally I could not continue reading. I actually think the author is a great writer. So I still recommend the book. Just be prepared.

Thank you for coming to my rant.

[Carol Riggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5. This was an obvious variation of THE HUNGER GAMES, which means it was intriguing even though the basic plot wasn’t original. Some creative ideas were added, like the mysterious glistening powder, Clio’s “Knowing,” and the dream-state visitations. The Prince is a new twist. Some of the details of this raw, gritty dystopian world were quite brutal (alert: possible rape triggers), and I also thought some of the scenes could’ve been tightened, such as the many pages describing Clio bathing and getting groomed. I squawked when the book ended because it cut off right in the middle of a scene with the most gigantic cliffhanger ever! There was no need for that, since the book was/is compelling enough to keep readers reading. Fans of THE HUNGER GAMES should enjoy this novel immensely.

[Kimberly Starr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good so far

There are quite a few breadcrumbs sprinkled throughout the narrative, though some do seem a bit inconsistent. This leads to the intriguing question of whether the author purposely included some misleading clues to keep readers engaged. If that's the case, it certainly showcases a creative flair!

The characters are quite captivating, though I feel their development could be a bit deeper. I'm looking forward to seeing more exploration of their complexities as the story progresses.

One of the book's notable strengths is its portrayal of how circumstances can shape a person's view of life. Glory, experiencing a state of “almost” freedom, holds a much more optimistic outlook than Clio. The author does a great job of showing that, even when faced with the facts, Glory prefers to maintain her idealized worldview.

[Alea Cobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes.
This was exactly the type of book I love—just the right amount of nonsense, depressing reflections on the real world, and fashion galore. The lead character was kind and intelligent, except at random points when the plot demanded confusion from her usually brilliant mind. Exaggerated retelling: Ex-fiancee"Remember when we stood on mars and sadly said our good byes? We can pretend that never happened, and make eco-friendly rubber candles forever" Clio: He has a really bad memory
Sorry I'm reading books like this instead of Middlemarch, Alora

[Sarena · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Queen Trials is a quick and intriguing read, with the beginnings of fascinating world-building, but the pacing is so uneven. It's unfortunate that we don't learn more about chippers, derigueurs, gabite, and the lack of water because Clio is thrust so quickly into the Trials, and too much time is spent on her transformation/eugenicist reveal. The similarities to The Hunger Games are also a little too strong (girl is from an impoverished mining area, becomes a distinguished contestant, has to be beautified for a contest, gets a beautician), and the ending was abrupt, but I'm curious to see what happens next.

[Kristin E. Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining - series not yet completed

I really love this series. I have read through book 4, but await book 5 with pleasure. I know this is a somewhat familiar trope. A young girl in a hunger games like world joins a contest to become queen. But, this is fresh and exciting to read. It has enough similarities to be comfortable and plenty of differences to keep us interested. It also has a paranormal undercurrent. There is little romance in these first books but lots of mysteries and adventure. Well written with few errors.

[Chaos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! So this book is a mix of hunger games, the selection, and red queen series mixed together. Its still unique in its own way. I love Clio!! Shes awesome, but she's sooo smart. Like crazy smart and perceptive. She knows things and notices things before they happen. That is serving her so well. I am already half in love with the Prince.However, I dont trust him and his intentions towards Clio. I do think the King will die and it'll be the Prince's Queens' trial. There's so much happening in such a short book. I can't wait to start and read the next book. Im obsessed already.

[Amber Sosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well didn't see that at all

So I read the selection series by Kiera Cass and this seemed similar. I am so glad I stayed for the entire book. My only gripe is that the next two books aren't due for a moment. I must dream of Clio and make up the story until then. It really was a good read. Searing the parts of the trials first and second trials A&B made me jittery. I can't wait for the next one

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clear mashup between the Selection and the Hunger Games. Lots of tropes. Very obvious what's going to happen, but a few little mysteries here and there.

The main character is amazingly beautiful under all the grime. She's smart and talented, despite being from a backwater. She can read and write well because of a kind relative/friend. Etc.

Definitely some inconsistencies in the character background. She can hit a rattlesnake from 13 feet, 50 yards, she's eaten rattlesnake twice.

Entertaining. Only needs to be three books, not five, but at least they're short.

[OliCatGer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I seriously love this series. Clio is a great protagonist. I feel like she’s more realistic than a lot of YA heroines. I love her sass and her emotions. Her internal dilemmas and debates feel so real to me.


As many others have pointed out, this is a lot like the Hunger Games and the Selection series, but in my opinion it’s taking the best parts of both and brought them together so well. I can’t wait for the last book to come out!

[Robin L DiSalvo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I have ever read by Penelope Wright and she does a great job of bringing you into the story. There’s definitely a lot more going on in the trials and this is just the beginning of what will happen next and who Lady Clio will put her trust in to survive each challenge. I think Snow will be the one she will either trust or have to make a decision on which outcome best fits in the end.

[Karen Benway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read thanks to

The store keeps you pulled in so it makes for a quick read. It has a lot of similarities to other books I have read in the past, which I love a good dystopian story with a young heroine at the center. The Queens Trials gives you so many little drops of what’s to come that you can wait to see what they turn into going forward in the store line. I’m glad I bought all the books in the series because I finished book 1 in a day. I’m starting book 2 now!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

I saw this book advertised on FB and thought it sounded good. Boy, did I underestimate that thought! It's been a very long time since a book has drawn me in so completely that I finished it in hours, but The Queen Trials did just that! The character development and world building are amazing, and I love the MFC so much! I can't wait to see how amazing she is in the next book of the series!!!

[Krystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

an interesting take

I was intrigued and despite the slow pace I liked the overall intro to the characters and set up of the trials. The dream scape was a neat twist but there’s definitely something more to do with the dust they keep using and I’m curious to know what. Also I’m hoping there will be a point of view switch to her brother. What happened on his end after she entered the trials?

[Michele Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Queen Trials (Book 1)

This book got off to a bit of a slow start and then took off. It's a really nice change of pace. I'm excited to read the next book. I love the fantasy fiction in it and the setting in a dystopian world. Not usually something I read. The main character is very interesting and I am really looking forward to her character development and "knowing" as the story unfolds.

[Judith Korff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh My Goodness!

What a wonderful book! Action-packed from first page to last, this story grabs you and never lets go. The characters are terrific, the theme is true-to-type, and the intricacy of ethics, situation, and hints of passion weave a dense narrative. Can’t wait to find out what happens next.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 ⭐️

If you’ve read or watched The Hunger Games, this will feel veeery familiar. There were some interesting parts and the writing was easy to read. However, she spent WAY too much time on the details of primping and preparing the MC for the trials. Pages and pages and pages. I could’ve done with more character development and plot action.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winning Formula

As a fan of the Hunger Games, I am predisposed to enjoy this type of book, and I did. I like Clio, with her naivety mixed with large doses of native intelligence, intuition, and common sense. I am eager to see how she meets the coming challenges, and I am interested to learn the secrets of gamite, the Knowing, and Prince Relicant.

[Sharil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed all 6 of the books, quickly reading each one. I was pretty dismayed to find out book 7 won't be available until Feb. 2025. The heroine is definitely someone you come to care for and cheer on. Lots of twists that kept me quickly turning the pages. Pretty clean reading, but, I'm not sure I'd want my 12 year old grand daughter reading the books. Fun read for sure!