What a fantastic beginning to a new series! Rebecca Ross nailed it with The Queen's Rising, and I cannot wait to return to this world!
Title: The Queen's Rising
Author: Rebecca Ross
Series: The Queen’s Rising #1
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Published: February 6th 2018
When her seventeenth summer solstice arrives, Brienna desires only two things: to master her passion and to be chosen by a patron.
Growing up in the southern Kingdom of Valenia at the renowned Magnalia House should have prepared her for such a life. While some are born with an innate talent for one of the five passions—art, music, dramatics, wit, and knowledge—Brienna struggled to find hers until she belatedly chose to study knowledge. However, despite all her preparations, Brienna’s greatest fear comes true—the solstice does not go according to plan and she is left without a patron.
Months later, her life takes an unexpected turn when a disgraced lord offers her patronage. Suspicious of his intent, and with no other choices, she accepts. But there is much more to his story, and Brienna soon discovers that he has sought her out for his own vengeful gain. For there is a dangerous plot being planned to overthrow the king of Maevana—the archrival kingdom of Valenia—and restore the rightful queen, and her magic, to the northern throne. And others are involved—some closer to Brienna than she realizes.
With war brewing between the two lands, Brienna must choose whose side she will remain loyal to—passion or blood. Because a queen is destined to rise and lead the battle to reclaim the crown. The ultimate decision Brienna must determine is: Who will be that queen?
Growing up in the southern Kingdom of Valenia at the renowned Magnalia House should have prepared her for such a life. While some are born with an innate talent for one of the five passions—art, music, dramatics, wit, and knowledge—Brienna struggled to find hers until she belatedly chose to study knowledge. However, despite all her preparations, Brienna’s greatest fear comes true—the solstice does not go according to plan and she is left without a patron.
Months later, her life takes an unexpected turn when a disgraced lord offers her patronage. Suspicious of his intent, and with no other choices, she accepts. But there is much more to his story, and Brienna soon discovers that he has sought her out for his own vengeful gain. For there is a dangerous plot being planned to overthrow the king of Maevana—the archrival kingdom of Valenia—and restore the rightful queen, and her magic, to the northern throne. And others are involved—some closer to Brienna than she realizes.
With war brewing between the two lands, Brienna must choose whose side she will remain loyal to—passion or blood. Because a queen is destined to rise and lead the battle to reclaim the crown. The ultimate decision Brienna must determine is: Who will be that queen?
Well, to start off with—WOW! The Queen's Rising built up into an amazing read; packed with crafty planning, plenty of action and a hint of a romance... I was hooked! Our main character Brienna may not have understood who she was or where she was from, but it didn't hold her back from creating her own destiny.
Right from the beginning, I could see that Brienna had a bond with Master Cartier, and although it took her a while to figure out she wanted to master knowledge, she worked hard to ensure she would graduate with the other girls. I liked her determination and the easy way she was able to interact with her master, despite their student/teacher relationship. However, Brienna's journey didn't go as planned, and soon she was on a journey of self discovery, and was involved with a plan to bring order back to her rightful country.
I really loved how this story unfolded, and even though it was a little obvious at times, it didn't detract from the way the story was headed. I liked getting to know Brienna's new Patron family and realising how important these people were to a whole nation. Special bonds between strangers were created that I'm sure will last a lifetime and a few old friends also returned who added a little extra support where needed.
For Rebecca Ross's debut novel, I was pleasantly surprised as to how much I enjoyed it! She was able to create a world that I could easily get lost in. I was intrigued by the characters, and the storyline became so exciting and dangerous, that I could not put it down! It truly was a well crafted read and I'm looking forward to how things will go next for this group I've come to adore! Bring on the next book, The Queen’s Resistance due out in 2019!
Complimentary copy provided by HarperCollins Publishing Australia via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the first quote, it certainly was an important flashback. The second quote was so sweet!
“...But know that one day, a daughter will rise from your line, a daughter who shall be two in one, passion and stone. And she will bring down your House from within and undo all your crimes. But perhaps the greatest wonder of all? She shall steal your memories to do it.”
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“I will take and love all of you, Brienna MacQuinn, your shadows and your light, for you have challenged me; you have captivated me. And I desire no other but you,” he whispered, his fingers tangling in my hair, in my wildflowers, as he drew me close to him.
He kissed me in the quiet shadows of his house, in the sweetest hour of afternoon, when light desires to surrender to evening. His fingers trailed down my back, touching every star he had given me. And I let the wonder cascade around us as I tasted each of his promises, as I woke the fire that he had long tempered in wait for me.
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Hosted by Anna @ Herding Cats & Burning Soup
Rebecca Ross was born and raised in Georgia, where she continues to reside with her husband, her lively Australian Shepherd, and her endless piles of books. She loves coffee, the night sky, chalk art, maps, the mountains, and growing wildflowers in her yard. And a good story, of course.
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