Review: The Queen’s Rising

A true treasure, the Queens Rising by Rebecca Ross weaves a tale of a girl called Brienna whose story is relatable to many, an anxious, kind hearted but resilient girl who’s about to graduate and find her way in the outside world. In addition, the queen’s rising doesn’t follow the typical ‘girl defys the king’ storyline. It deleves into the emotional and tension filled side of Brienna’s state of mind and relationships as well as the action packed battles she find herself in.

It all begins with the protagonist’s origins, particularly focusing on how Brienna was outcasted by her father, head of one of the one of the High Houses of Maevana. This causes Brienna to be sent to Magnalia House in her mother’s country of Valenia, by her grandfather, to study one of the five passions; art, music, dramatics, wit and knowledge. Seven years later, Brienna (who spent years finding her passion) is about to graduate as a mistress of knowledge, thanks to the tution of Master Cartier.

When her mission to find a passion patronage to take her on after graduation goes south, Brienna starts experiencing the lost memories of her ancestor. Memories about the Stone of Eventide which would allow the magic of the rightful Queen of Maevana, Isobel Kavanagh, to return and aid in a dangerous plot to take the cruel heartless King Lannon off the throne. Brienna is then introduced to Lord McQuinn, who offers her a passion patronage and tells her he can help Brienna use her ancestral memories to find the stone.

The plot to overthrown the king is slowly turning into a war, and Brienna must deal with her lost family ties, who theatern her quest to restore a maevan queen, and the return of her old tutor Cartier, who has secrets of his own. As the war nears, Brienna must decide who she is and where her loyalty lies, with passion or with blood?

Aside from the bold resourceful Brienna, Isobel quickly became a character close to my own heart. Her character was a perfect blend of vulnerability, compassion and resolution. There are heartwarming moments when she bears her soul to Brienna about her fears and doubts about her future as Queen. Then she goes to face her problems (or battles) head on, regardless of what her oppositions (or even herself) think of her. Isobel, like Brienna, represent how being fearless is not always what’s important, it’s knowing what you want to do, being afraid to do it or being told you can’t, then doing it anyway. That’s real courage.

The Queen’s rising is certainly a book, where you can see a apart of yourself in the leading heroines. There is also a underlying theme of feminism, in where Brienna and Isobel have to go up against men, who wrongfully stole from the throne from the women who were meant to inherit it. The current ruler of  Maevana, King Lannon, has said that the Maevana Queens’ magic should not return because he believes that a man is better suited to the throne. This represents a subtle part of the storyline, that mirrors real life issues in how men and women are treated in the working world.

High stakes battles to win back the kingdom, slow burning romantic relationships, and mysterious works of magic are still very much present in the book. The first person narrative of Brienna herself, allows the readers to delve deeper into Brienna’s heart and mind, as she nagtivates the dark mysterious world of magic, passion and waring kingdoms, where everyone is not as it seems. The Queen’s Rising is perfect for anyone who wants a fantasy mystery novel, which is about much more than thrones and waring kingdoms.