Holy Shit! I was not expecting to read this book in one sitting… it is 690 pages after all, but I could not make myself stop! It was everything and so much more and eek I will be singing the praises of this one for a long time.

This is going to be one of my favorites of the year and I CAN NOT WAIT until book 2 releases! ( )

Contest of Queens is a great start to The Frean Chronicles series. It is the first book I have had the pleasure of reading by the new to me author, Jordan H. Bartlett. I am not a huge fan of the fantasy fiction and / or science fiction genres, however, I was quite intrigued with the cover of this one and wanted to give a try. I am so glad I gave it a chance. I was not disappointed at all. I adored getting to know Jacs. I loved her determination and bravery all throughout the tale. I thought the author did a fabulous job in creating a beautiful and believable new world. The descriptions of the settings made me feel as though I was placed right there among Jacs’ story. It was an honor to take this adventure and journey along with Jacs as she fights for her Queendom.

I am giving Contest of Queens four and a half stars. I recommend it for readers who enjoy reading young adult novels, particularly, those from the fantasy fiction genre. I am eagerly awaiting to read the second installment from Jordan H Bartlett’s The Frean Chronicles series, Queen's Catacombs, to see what happens next. I thought this one was definitely worth reading and I would be interested in other stories by Jordan H Bartlett.

I received a copy of Contest of Queens from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion. ( )

The Contest of queens is a well-written YA Book. I recommend it for older YA. It would be great for Middle-Grade age, except it deals with controversial subjects and it does contain a few words of profanity.

This is a unique series and very creative. It is a fantasy created in a mystical setting, in a world where the roles are reversed from those in this world, The women are in charge and men are treated as lesser beings.

This kingdom is split in two. The elite lives on top of a mountain. The underprivileged live at the bottom of the cliffs and are not aware of the lifestyle of those above, and vice versa. It is impossible for anyone to ascend to the top... Yet one girl did!

Years ago, Jacs found a letter in a wooden boat sent down the river. Jacs responds through her invention of air balloons. They communicate for years. Jacs will make a startling discovery when she makes the impossible ascent to accomplish a goal to aid her suffering people of the Lower Realm.

This has a lot of action and depicts the challenges of change and acceptance. The "feats" are very graphic and yet inspiring. The message of persevering is very strong. It also has a wonderful message of humanity. However, it does include heterosexual and homosexual romantic relationships that some may find offensive.

It does captivate the reader/listener to the very end. Although predictable at times, it is mostly unpredictable.

The characters are well-developed and seem very real. The scenes are graphically portrayed well. The Title is well-chosen and the cover image depicts the story and is very eye-catching.

It does end with a "cliffhanger" so you will want to be sure to purchase the next book of the series.

I listened to the audiobook, performed by Karissa Vacker. She lacked diction and consistency in the first few pages and was hard to understand. Soon, she overcame her struggle and spoke clearly and energetically throughout the rest of the book. Her "voices" became consistent, as well. She did an outstanding performance after a "shaky" beginning. I was not able to listen to chapter 19 because of a faulty recording.

I offer a Fur and a Half Stars rating for Karissa's performance and a Four Stars rating for the story. I felt it was a little extreme for the genre.

This audiobook was gifted me with no pressure to post a positive review. This is my honest review. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. Instantly, I was swept into this magical world that the author created for this book. It is as if, I could see everyone clearly in my head including the lower and upper realms.

The relationship between Connor and Jacs is a very nice one. I like how they found a way to communicate with one another by writing messages and delivering them via hot air balloon. There is a bit of romance, but it is not the main focal point of the story for which I liked. As a big aspect of this book is female empowerment. Fantasy readers will really enjoy this book. After reading this book, I do plan to read more books by this author. Contest of Queens will take readers on a magical, fantasy journey. ( )

Fantastic story but with one major flaw. This epic fairy tale involves 2 teens communicating by sending letters in creative ways between the upper and lower realms of their land. Jacs is in the lower realm and life has always been harder there. It becomes worse after tragedy strikes while the royal family is visiting. Jacs feels she must help her people by entering the contest of queens. The setting is in a queendom. The queen is the ultimate ruler. Women hold many positions of power and run the military. I like books that give women intelligence and power but I never want there to be reverse sexism. That’s going too far. This author handled it well until late in the book when two characters discussed how unrealistic it would be to allow men in the military even while acknowledging their superior strength. They compared men to oxen and said they have no intelligence. It just went too far in the reverse sexism direction for me. ( )