I liked it, but I didn’t love it. The world building was really good, but the romance… wasn’t. I just didn’t really care for it, or for the male love interest. He was okay, but when it comes to romance, okay just isn’t good enough.
Overall, I’d say this is a 3.5 star read. ( )

My original reaction from September 2014 is here:
I can not, at this moment, fairly rate this book. If I did it would be a 2 or 1 star because that was the single most ABRUPT ENDING ever. Also the summary is horribly misleading. I...I will cool off and return to this later.

Danielle informed me (in the comments) that the Edelweiss Review copy is only a sampler? If so, then the above holds true for the review copy, but not necessarily the book itself. These are my initial thoughts - I'll revisit this when I get a full copy:
**Updated 9/27: Jodi Meadows has a whole blog post about the sampler...she makes good points and Harper apparently has fixed that it says "sampler" or some such on the Orphan Queen review page now, but the horses are out of the barn guys**

As I've been told this was not the whole book, but a sampler of a book not due out until March 2015, I can't rightfully recommend it or disavow it.

From what I read this is how I felt:
- There is a lot of telling instead of showing for the backstory and history of the world. In fact, within the first few chapters we have an actual "recite back to me everything you've learned in your lessons" scene.
- I count no less then three possible love interests (I'm counting Tobiah, look just because you hate a person doesn't mean it doesn't change; Patrick, even though he seems uninterested in any way for anything but reclaiming her throne and the Prince's cousin, who is a charming flirt.) I suppose we can also count Black Knife, but I'm not convinced he's not one of the other guys.
- Melanie is super shady from the get-go and that doesn't change in the sampler. She doesn't even appear to be TRYING to be subtle in her shadiness.
- As of the end of the sampler we're told quite a bit about how BAD magic is and how BAD the Aecor Kingdom was at listening to the "good" advice of others, but I still have no idea how less then two dozen high born kids managed to escape and train themselves into awesome stealth ninja machines. Patrick, the leader of the Ospreys, is one of the "oldest" and the other older Ospreys seem to be about 17/18. So eight or so years ago Patrick led the high born kids out of the orphanage they got stuffed in and into a dilapidated castle far(ish) from their enemies stronghold in their former homes when he was...11 possibly? I...just don't buy it. But there's been enough time to discuss multiple times, in utter detail endlessly, their plans to retake the Kingdom.
- Somehow Melanie and Wil don't understand court social politics. Granted they were rather young when they were ran out of their homes (7 or 8 maybe?), but I thought that sort of thing is pretty self-evident. Why are they so confused by the ever changing moods of a High Born Lady?
- You can't possibly expect me to believe that Black Knife is so black and white in his morality that he never even considered the possibility that some folks committing crimes were doing it because they had no choice and it took Wil spelling it out for him during their version of flirting to make him realize "Holy shit these people may not be the right bastards I took them for every single time!" You can't convince me of that. He seems somewhat more clever then that.
- on that vein are you telling me that Wil never considered maybe there was some truth to the fact that magic--any magic at all--would be hazardous? She doesn't even trust enough to tell her ALLIES she has magic, so she must have misgivings about it occasionally. Her reaction to hearing others talk about it felt overwrought and dramatic. Someone so much as mentions the One Night War and she has a fainting fit of anger and grief. I expected someone who could control her emotions somewhat better, at least in public.
- Too much telling us about how much training they all had to go through and not enough showing us.

On the positive side once I started the sampler I read it through fairly quickly. I do want to know who Black Knife is (he's potentially my favorite character so far) and I want to see how long Tobiah can keep up the sullen Prince emo schtick he seems to employ. It ends on such a WEIRD note tho and I didn't notice any obvious markings of the ecopy stating this is a sampler.

having now read the whole book I can say 2 things for sure:
1) Damn thing was better then I thought it would be considering my unhappiness with the sampler
2) damn men in black masks get me EVERYONE SINGLE TIME

if you only read the 140page sampler avail on Edelweiss do yourself a favor and get the finished copy (beg, borrow, blackmail...i don't care how just get it done). the first part ends so jarring--Wil is annoying, Mel is shady, Patrick is even shadier...but Part 2 fixes much of that and gives so much context.

Just remember Black Knife is mine.



As any of you who have seen my Goodreads review can attest I had a mixed bag experience with this book originally. 5 months ago I had excitedly requested the book for review from Edelweiss, running home from my friend's to read it. Eagerly I read it, though I had some trepidations about the beginning, and to my shock I finished it quickly (we're talking less then a hour here folks). Insult to injury it ended so abruptly I couldn't understand what had happened.

A little research later proved that Harper had only put a sampler (the length of the first part of the book, roughly 140pages) online and didn't think to mark it as such. Jodi had made a blog post about it by the time I had cooled down enough to actually NOT yell my anger. Though it didn't do anything for my anger levels as it just made me angry in a different way*.

Anyhow I got my hands on a finished copy (thank you ALAMidwinter) and read it through as quickly as my exhausted brain would let me. With frequent stops to comment on things (see hashtag #TheOrphanQueen...or this status update conversation no spoilers, unless you count reactions to things not named as spoilers). And thank you sweet shiny books that I did because my heart could not go on.

Possibly not that surprisingly almost all of my issues with how Part 1/the sampler ended are resolved within Parts 2&3. No I'm serious here.

1) Multiple Possible Love interests? One tosses himself under the bus while another seems to start to work out but ultimately ALSO tosses himself under the bus.

2) Super Shady Melanie? Legit, if surprising to Wil, reason.

3) All telling no showing? Okay this evens out somewhat, though its still very much a "Ask a n00b question, get a detailed answer" game in some parts, sort of justified because of what one character is scheming.

4) Why is Magic Bad? I'm...on the fence for this one since I think an answer may have been revealed, but it was a small part of a larger issue so it may not be the whole truth.

5) Wil and Mel's inability to understand court politics? Answered and with relish on one character's part.

6) Black Knife's morality issues (aka the world is black and white): Answered. Especially once we find out who he is. It makes A LOT of sense. Also why I love him.

7) Wil wondering about if magic is bad? TOTALLY ANSWERED and not in a good way for her sanity.

So you see my broken faith was restored by the end. Only to be broken anew by the last few paragraphs. Okay I'm being dramatic, but JOOOODDDDIIIIII :shakes fist:

A lot transpires within OQ and you do need a certain level of disbelief to go along. Wil's journey outside the castle walls for a number of weeks for instance. She's pretending to be a highborn lady, who's a Ward of the King. How the heck she is able to sneak out night after night is surprising enough (though also mostly answered), but a two week journey? TWO WEEKS. Not two days, not a week, two weeks she's expected to be able to roam off where she (reluctantly) wanted without anyone questioning? I had a lot of trouble buying that.

And quite frankly a band of misfit, underfed, orphans with minimal training could actually retake a Kingdom is just as o.O I don't know what Patrick was smoking, but I'm glad when Wil calls him out.

Like I said put aside your disbelief because this is an engaging roller coaster ride. I liked Wil, her heart was in the right place in regards to her intentions and during the course of the book she learns to grow that backbone she should have had in the beginning. She makes plenty of mistakes, but she truly believes that she is working to save her Kingdom (or what is left of that Kingdom) from invaders.

Tobiah I have little to say about - he's a Prince. He's a bored, kind of disinterested, mostly unhappy because he is being forced to marry a girl he doesn't love, Prince.

James is fun and flirty and protective. His heart is in the right place as well, though his methods are occasionally suspect.

Patrick I want to see beheaded.

Melanie...I feel for this girl. She's torn in two by her loyalties and feelings, wanting to resent Wil for something she can't help and never asked for. Loving Wil because they've been best friends forever and she knows Wil's heart is in the right place. Distrusting Wil because she's not such a blind forgiving idiot that she doesn't see that the world she wants can't happen because of Wil. She makes questionable choices, but like Wil she's trying to stay true her heart. Its just not a cut and dry solution.

Black Knife. Hey so let's talk about Black Knife who is awesome and great and the best thing since sliced bread. Also let me emphasize that Black Knife is the awesome one. Everything after we find out who he really is, that's a different story. Before that reveal however BK couldn't have been cooler if he tried. Honestly he reminded me of why I used to love Nightwing in the New Teen Titans - he smiles and jokes and flirts while dispensing justice.

Granted BK had some things to learn, like you know the world isn't black and white, nor should you assume all that you are told is sacrosanct, but he makes that effort and when he finds out he may have been on the somewhat less just side then he thought he changes his methods and atones.

That my friends is a sign of someone who is mature.

But like I said after we find out who he is things take a bit of a downhill turn. Can't say why but depending on the second book's opening, you may hear me say "Don't you dare fridge ____!"

This all said I'm a little iffy with the last fifth of the book. A lot comes out into the light of day and suddenly happens. Not that any of it wasn't previously discussed, but everything happens one on top of the other so its hard to feel anything but dizzy by the end when yet another game changer happens.

So now we wait. The good news is that a new prequel novella is due out in June (The Hidden Prince), with another due out in September (The Glowing Knight), with at least two more in the wings (currently unnamed) and the second book is due out in March of 2016. Yeah. Dammit. Join me my friends in saying JOOOODDDDIIIIII :shakes fist: ( )

Rating: 3.5 stars ( )

Meh. Orphan and secret queen and thief, sneaking into Court in order to win her kingdom back. The plot is not particularly believable and there wasn't enough included in the ARC sample to tell if it was going to become so. It's harmless, but I don't care enough to track down the full book when it comes out.

Advanced Reader's excerpts provided by Edelweiss. ( )

A fun fast fantasy, I was able to predict by page 86 many of the secret identities. It would be a good candidate for middle school libraries, because there isn't sex, just some kissing, later in the book. I'll read the next one later; just to find out how the cliffhanger is resolved. ( )