The Orphan Queen

****Won a free ARC through a giveaway***** “The Ospreys, these children, were my life. Without them, I had nothing. But with them… With them, I would take back my kingdom.” This is most definitely one of my favorite books of all time! It has monarchy/kingdom plot elements, love, combat, thievery, forgery, action and adventure. It has questions of identity and morality. For readers of all ages this is a story that would appeal to you. "They were grotesque, with bulging shoulders and arms, the muscles bursting through their clothing. Two were enormously tall, practically giants, while the others were as wide as doorways. All of them were revolting with red-veined eyes, cheekbones like shelves, and fat lips. They stank of wraith. They were glowmen: men turned into monsters." If you've read the Incarnate series you know that Jodi Meadows has a very distinct writing style. The only way I can explain it is by calling it "soft". Her description, dialogue, and storyline are very pretty and poetic. Nothing wrong with it, its just very different. Even her characters tend to be the softer, thinker, dreamer types. In Orphan Queen she takes a turn towards the more "hard" style. Details are more clear, more harsh, more real. The mirror palace was so cool to imagine as Jodi describes it! There is not always one right answer in OQ, and even if there is only one choice it is not an easy choice to make. The plot surrounds a deposed queen living as a thief and forger, her gang, the Ospreys, other orphans from the defeated kingdom of Aecor, a vigilante bent on stopping all magic use and cleaning up the Indigo Kingdom, and an unlikable, cold and aloof, prince. Jodi asks difficult questions in this novel, making the reader think hard about what they would do or what they think Wil should do. Both Wil and Black Knife have to decide who they want to be and how they want to accomplish their goals. "Women are constantly underestimated. Women can be just as cunning and clever as men, and oftentimes are. Our triumph is simply overlooked or unnoticed, because men do not expect it or know to look for it. . .Use your perceived insignificance to your advantage. Its what we all do." The worldbuilding in OQ is exceptional. While I have an ARC, I am eagerly awaiting the finished copy so I can get a look at the awesome map I hear it has! No reader, whether they usually read fantasy or not, should have any problems entering the world of OQ and understanding the history or the use of magic. It is all well described and outlined without any obvious or boring info dumping. While I learned little about the other kingdoms in this world, I would find that information extraneous since our main characters are all from the Indigo Kingdom and Aecor and the other kingdoms are slowing being eaten by wraith(the dark material believed to be created by magic use). "A queen who wouldn't protect her subjects was no queen at all." I love the multi-faceted characters! Wil is just an amazing main character. Wilhelmina Korte, deposed Queen of Aecor, forger, thief, impersonator, good with knives and an animator, able to awaken inanimate objects and have them follow her commands. She is a fabulous role model for young girls. She is strong and intelligent, but cares for and protects her people and those that can't care for or protect themselves, even citizens of the kingdom that destroyed hers. A true queen who knows how far to go for the people she loves while still drawing a hard line for herself that she won't cross. She struggles, realistically, with the decisions she has to make due to the responsibility she feels for the orphans who depend on her and the fate of her kingdom. “Try to be polite." "I'm always polite." "You're always eyeing people's valuables. That's hardly polite.” Melanie is a great foil for Wil. While Wil is motivated by duty and has a strict value system that controls her actions, Mel is motivated by love and allows herself to be lead astray by people she loves. Mel seems stricter, more determined to do what needs done to restore Aecor and return Wil to the throne. In reality Mel loves Wil and Patrick and allows them to tell her what she should do, where Wil thinks independently and refuses to kill to get what she wants and won't put her Ospreys in danger. Mel's humor is also a good foil for Wil's constant state of worry and serious-ness. In the end I think Mel is proving to be a valuable friend, and a quick thinker. "A memory welled up, like blood from a thin cut, of standing on a ledge and watching my city burn. My hand in Tobiah's. Tobiah Pierce and me: this was why the Indigo Kingdom had won the One-Night War." I could write epic poems devoted to Black Knife and how much I love his character, unfortunately that would involve a lot of spoilers! Continuing the theme of multi-faceted and troubled characters, we have Black Knife. He is a vigilante who seems to be a thorn in the Osprey's sides. However, his motives are very pure, he wishes to keep the Indigo Kingdom safe by stopping all magic use, catching all the bullies and vandals, and by eliminating the wraith drug trade. He starts out as Wil's enemy but evolves into so much more, especially when we find out his secret identity! He is a man who makes mistakes but when confronted, does what it takes to fix them and admits his wrongs. “I was there was the war began. And when it ended.” The secondary characters in OQ help bring the story to life, and no character feels flat. Patrick is one of those love to hate characters. Prince Tobiah is both intriguing and annoying. James, his bodyguard provides useful information and some depth to Tobiah's character. The other Osprey's give Wil's character more meaning, providing both motivation and explanation for her actions. They give a face to the ambiguous goal for retaking Aecor. Every character and description in Orphan Queen is both beautiful and necessary in its own way. If you haven't preordered you most definitely should!

The Orphan Queen has so much hype surrounding it and it really does deserve it. I really enjoyed reading this one and I cannot wait to read the Black Knife novellas and The Mirror King. I LOVED Wil. I loved that she was fully aware of who she was. It seems that most royal heroines discover their birthright or get on the throne through another way, so it was nice that Wil already knew she had a kingdom to take back. I also loved her growth as she took on her role as a leader. I loved her morals and toughness (that didn’t turn abrasive). She seemed . . . different from most royal heroines Black Knife was one of my favorite parts of the book. Oh my, he was amazing. I puzzled over his identity for such a long time. I was sure he was one guy, but I didn't want to get my hopes up too high, so I was also open to the possibility for him to be another guy. It was a mystery for me, which just made the book more enjoyable. I loved Wil and Black Knife's dynamic. They made an awesome duo and OH, the chemistry! I loved it--simply loved it! James was a delight and Tobiah was a grump. I loved both of them, for the most part. That’s all I’ll say about them. Melanie was a good character. I appreciated the presence of a partner in crime, of sorts. She gave the small friendship focus. I would like to get to know her more, though. I really liked the world. The mirrors, the wraiths, the glowmen, the danger, the magic...it was REALLY cool. And pretty well built. I need more of it! I really want to learn more about it. I loved the action! There was no dull moment. I also liked how the book dived into it right away. The ending had a big twist--and I do mean BIG. You can sorta see it coming (or maybe I'm just saying that because I had been fearing the event that did happen to actually happen). I refuse to believe it! Yet . . . I've come up with many reasons to believe it. It was a like I was in shock afterwards. I was staring at my computer screen with a blank, wide-eyed stare. There’s a reason why there’s an #OQSupportGroup on Twitter. I wasn't COMPLETELY wowed by the book, but I feel like the sequel will make this series a new favorite. This happens to me with fantasy series a lot, though. I really like the first book, but don’t LOVE it. I usually like the sequels more. (This happened with the Throne of Glass series and maybe even the Grisha Trilogy.) Overall, The Orphan Queen is a great start to what I expect to be an amazing YA fantasy series. You don’t want to miss out on this one! Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars *I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When Jodi Meadows announced she was releasing the first of a new fantasy series, The Orphan Queen, last year, it was no surprise that I was overjoyed. As a big fan and book pusher of Jodi’s debut Newsoul series, there was no question that I wanted to get my hands on this story! When an early copy made its way into my hands, I tore through it immediately – and then waited a month or two before doing a reread. If I were going to sum up my feelings about The Orphan Queen, it would be like this: OH. MY. GOODNESS. But obviously, I won’t leave y’all hanging like that. So, here’s a bit more detail on what I thought of The Orphan Queen: Part I: The Parade of Players Well-portrayed characters are an essential element of a great story. If there’s one thing I can count on Jodi to do, it’s to create an entire cast of characters for me to love or hate, depending on the character in question. There are many characters introduced in The Orphan Queen, but here’s a quick breakdown of some of the main players Wilhelmina Korte: She’s the princess of the lost kingdom of Aecor, a rebel and spy who operates as part of the Ospreys, a girl too young to take on so many difficult endeavors and capable of wielding magic. Because of her multiple identities, we experience a lot! We are witness to the secret planning sessions, but also see court affairs, the corruption of the Indigo Kingdom and the pursuit of the truth about magic. Wil is easy to like, because she’s clever, capable and determined to fight for her kingdom. She’s always in the thick of things, unwilling to let others fight her battles for her. I really liked seeing how conflicted she could be about what was right or wrong, what was truth or a lie, because it felt like a real struggle that any person – teenage princess and heir or not – would go through too. The Ospreys: This is the group of rebels, all that remains of Aecor’s nobility, and mostly children at that. They’re led by Patrick Lien, the son of the former general of Aecor, whose ultimate goal is to help Wil regain her throne and her kingdom – whatever means necessary. The dynamics between the members of the Ospreys are real interesting as there are usually different opinions on how to handle certain situations. Tobiah: He’s the crown prince and heir of the Indigo Kingdom, which means he’s got a whole lot of responsibility to deal with. He heads up the committee that studies wraith and how to fight them, for instance. Tobiah gives off the distant, aloof vibe of someone who feels superior, often quiet and just on the edge of civil during social gatherings. However, he also often demonstrates kindness, compassion and loyalty when a situation calls for it. Black Knife: He’s a masked vigilante, who appears to have made it his mission to rid the city of wraith and magic users (also called flashers). While he appears to have good intentions for those without magic, it’s still questionable to think about what does happen to the magic users he happens to capture. Still, he’s got a full range of fighting skills and there’s just something so appealing about a masked renegade trying to make the world a better (in his eyes) place. Part II: A Spectacle of a Story The Orphan Queen tells a story with multiple plots threads. While this could potentially be a mess, I’m of the opinion that Jodi masterfully wove them all together to create an incredible story tapestry.Each word contributes to the weaving of this incredible tale. There’s magic, mayhem and magical mayhem; there is enmity, friendship and romance; there are secrets and lies, truths and reveals. It’s a concoction of major proportions, and it goes down so smooth for the reader. Part III: Emotions on Exhibit If there’s one thing the Newsoul series taught me, it’s that Jodi isn’t afraid of putting her characters in difficult situations. She stays true to the story, no matter what sort of high emotions it’ll provoke in the reader. While I was reading The Orphan Queen, I felt happy, sad, angry, fearful, restless, content, tense… Let’s just say that I was emotionally wrung out (in the best way) by the time I hit that (very emotionally volatile) ending. Part IV: The Telling of Truths There are additional specific things that I feel should be mentioned about The Orphan Queen. Here are the truths I can give you about my reaction to the book, shared rather haphazardly and instinctively: It starts off a bit slow. But that’s only because Jodi has to set the stage and players for this story properly before it commences, and I’d say it’s totally worth it. It has less action than you’d think. While there are some great fight scenes described, and some really scary stand-offs too, this story actually has a heavier focus on Wil learning about herself, her capabilities, her loyalties and the truth about magic and wraith. The magical aspect was easy to understand and a curiosity. It’s fairly simple to note that there is magic and that it grants the person with one special ability. What is really going to be interesting is seeing how this wraith problem will be dealt with, whether it’ll be defeated with or without magic. Oh, and finding out what will happen to the people who do possess magical abilities too! I loved the friendships. There are some great friendships portrayed here, both established and new. There’s even a point where friendships and loyalties wind up being tested too. Jodi paints these friendships in a real light, and I enjoyed them tremendously! I loved the romance. Oh yes, of course, there is most definitely a romance here! Jodi writes another swoony first kiss scene, which is her specialty. But she approaches the romance in a decidedly different way than in her first series, and I appreciated that. And may or may not have swooned a lot over it too. Part V: A Reader’s Recommendation All in all, it’s pretty safe to say that The Orphan Queen has cemented a place for itself among my favorites! (And I’m totally not surprised because it’s Jodi, and I love her stories.) Once again, Jodi has woven a captivating tale riddled with characters that I adore and a plot that had me gasping, yelping, tearing up, yelling… Well, you get the picture. Any book that inspires such a strong emotional response from me? It’s totally worth the read. So, this is my official recommendation for The Orphan Queen – YOU should read it, whether you’re a fantasy newbie or veteran!

The Orphan Queen by the--evil, BUT wonderful--Jodi Meadows is an amazing book I was dying to get since like ever! And by ever, I mean: since the day I saw Jodi announce her new book on twitter, heh. Yes, I did wait a long time to get it, but you know what? THE WAIT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT! Why? Well, keep reading and you'll get to find out. . . One of the many why I thought the wait for this book was totally worth it was: Jodi Meadows writing. Why? Because I found that everything was so well written and described, and that really helped me connect with the characters and the wonderful story that comes to live through the pages of this beauty. Another thing that I really, really loved (and that it can't be missing on my reviews) was: the plot, but that's not surprising at all, right? Now, why did I loved this plot? Easy, because I felt like everything was very well paced and original. Everything happened at the right time, and not even once did I got to feel either lost or bored. Isn't that great!? But besides that, I also loved it because of the magical story that came to life through it. I mean, I loved the way we get to see how Princess Wilhelmina Korte lives in her present/current state with The Ospreys, how she plans to take back her kingdom Aecor from the hands of the Indigo Kingdom with their help, and how she actually starts moving forward with their plan. Also, loved how she is a princess, but not a common one, because after so many years of training, she now is a master in forgery, a really good thief, a spy, and a really good fighter with daggers (and without them), and one of the few flashers left! In other words Wilhelmina is an amazing main character. But do not think this was all I loved, because you're still missing something. The last thing that I loved about this beauty may surprise you. Why? Because it was the romance, and that's something you don't see coming from me everyday, right? The main reason why I loved the romance was because, as a reader, you get the chance to see how the romance grows between the two main characters. It wasn't some sort of insta-love, and I loved that! It went from hate and annoyance, to respect, then to something more, until they finally fell in love. AND THAT HAD ME SQUEALING AND SCREAMING IN PUBLIC ONE DAY, and I guess that says enough. . . Now, let's move on to the characters page, shall we? This may surprise you guys as well, since I'm always complaining about characters, but hmm. . .I completely loved every single one that I got to meet through Wilhelmina's story. And yes, by every single one of them I mean it! Why? Probably because after knowing a little (and enough) from their past, I got to connect with them and understand the reasons behind what they did. There aren't many characters, but as you read, you'll probably find yourself caring for and loving Wilhelmina and The Ospreys, hating the king of the Indigo Kingdom, wanting to punch Prince Tobiah, laughing and loving James, loving Black Knife with all your heart and soul, hissing at Melanie from time to time, face-palming and being all OH NO HE DIDN'T with Patrick, rolling your eyes at Meredith and Lady Chey, and last but not least, fearing the wraith, but loving every single thing about it at the same time. And I guess that's all I can say without sending some spoilers flying around, but anyway, I can tell that you'll enjoy their company like I did. In conclusion, for being my first book read by Jodi Meadows, I really loved her writing, and The Orphan Queen ruined me (in the best way possible, of course). It was such a bad-ass, magical and fun read that I definitely recommend it to you all, because a little magic once in a while isn't so bad, right? In other words, if you're searching for a book full of magic, action, loyalty, royalty and an orphan queen trying to take back her stolen kingdom with her ospreys, well this is the one for you! Make sure to add it to your tbr-list, you won't regret it!

Oh man. THE ORPHAN QUEEN by Jodi Meadows. Where to start with this book? There are so many things I can say, but I will keep it short and simple for those of you who haven't read it yet, or for those of you who are waiting closer to the release date of its sequel, THE MIRROR KING (I don't blame you for waiting. The first book leaves you with quite the cliffhanger). I tried to hold out myself. I wanted to wait a few months after it was released to read it, Because everyone was so upset about the ending. And though I only waited four months after its release, I still don't have to wait a WHOLE ENTIRE YEAR for the next, and last, one. But on to my thoughts! When I first opened this book, I wasn't sure what to expect. This only the third or fourth fantasy I have ever read. And I'm picky when it comes to Fantasy books. But just from the start of the first chapter, I knew our main character, Wilhelmina, was a bad ass. She is a princess whose kingdom has been conquered by another. And now, she wants nothing more than to take it back from the people who conquered it. But she isn't helpless and frail like most princesses tend to be. No. She is a warrior. Wilhelmina is part of this group known as the Ospreys. They are noble children who used to live in the Skyvale kingdom before it was conquered. They all work together to create an army to march in, and take back what is rightfully Wilhelmina's. One thing I really like about the novel, is its ban of magic. Yes, most fantasy novels have that part covered. the whole, magic is illegal thing, etc. But this book has a good reason for its ban. By using magic, people create this by-product known as wraith. It's a toxic gas that is slowly spreading throughout the kingdom, and taking out cities one by one. Once the wraith is there, there is no way to get rid of it. So magic was banned. Another thing I enjoyed about this book was that the King who rules Skyvale, isn't a ruthless monster like most other kings. He is actually very nice, and his reasons for coming into power are not stupid. He had good reasons to take over, but not necessarily by doing it the way he did. And Wilhelmina tells the story of how it happened almost all the time. The characters were not hard to like. I enjoyed Wilhelmina quite a lot. She was not full of angst like a seventeen year old would be. She isn't full of conflicting emotions between people. And she isn't focused on love in this story. Yes, there is a love interest, but it takes a long time to get there, and when it happens, it's not mentioned a whole lot again. Some of the other characters included Patrick, the leader of the Ospreys. Melanie, Wilhelmina's best friend, Prince Tobiah, the heir to the throne, James, Prince Tobiah's bodyguard and cousin, and Black Knife, a vigilante who runs around Skyvale, saving people in the night. There are a few other character's, but none that are too important to the story. My favorite was probably Black Knife. I found him to be hilarious at times, and he also has a sweet side. There weren't many things I disliked about this book. But for me, something I really didn't like was the second chapter, where everything gets explained by Wilhelmina. I get that we need some background information on the world we are in, and what is going on, but when she was explaining it, she explained too much. I felt like I was on information overload. And even now that I finished the novel, there are still a few things I'm unclear on. I'm sure they were explained in that second chapter, but I was already retaining so many things, I forgot what it was I needed to know. For me, I like discovering the world as the character explores it. Like instead of explaining things all at once, try explaining it as the character crosses that obstacle. Other than that small thing, there really isn't anything else I disliked about the book. It was very good. I won't count this as a dislike, because really it's not important to the story at all, but I really do not like the main character's name. I didn't even know how to properly say it until I asked my mom about it. Wilhelmina's name just seems really out there when you're in a place full of normal names like Melanie, Patrick, Connor, Theresa, James, Etc. Unless her name represents something I failed to see, then I'm not a big fan of it. But I don't let character names influence my opinion of the book at all. After all, it is just a name! If you like books with magic, illegal actions, sarcasm, and drama, this book is for you. The sequel, THE MIRROR KING, will be released April 5th, 2016.

I really, really loved this book. It’s so exciting when you get to start a new series and even more exciting when you fly right through the book and love it! I would definitely recommend this book to fans of Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch, The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson, and Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. It almost felt like a mash-up of those three books with a little bit of Batman mixed in there. That might sound weird, but it worked. Believe me. There is a lot going on in this book. At first I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep it all straight and I’d get lost along the way, but it actually worked really well together. Once I got the hang of the alliances and kingdoms and the wraith, everything else just fell into place and it all flowed really well together. Sometimes when there are so many elements happening at once, something just doesn’t fit in, but it all fit together nicely, especially the further on in the book I got. Pieces just kept falling into place and I loved that. One of my favorite things about this book was the characters. I really love Wilhelmina. She started off knowing she was the princess of a fallen kingdom and wanting to do nothing but get her kingdom back. She was a fighter and a protector but not really a leader. She spent so much time thinking about those who were close to her and protecting them that she hadn’t really spent the time thinking about what winning her kingdom back would really mean and what the best way to do that was. When she had the time to think about it, everything changed. I loved to see her go through that and, in a sense, really grow up and become a leader of her people. And even though she changed and grew up throughout the book, I liked her both in the beginning and at the end. I also like that we know who she is from the very beginning. There’s no big reveal about how she’s the lost princess or anything. We just know. The supporting characters in this book were so good, too! They were so well developed and interesting and had me questioning what I thought was going to happen. They didn’t always turn out like I thought they would or do the things I wanted them to. They kept me on my toes and turning the pages and I loved that! There is some secret identity things going on and some romances and while I didn’t necessarily like every character in the book (which we aren’t suppose to do), I loved the roles they all played. I can’t wait to learn more about them in the next book and see if some of my predictions are right about where they might be going and planning! Which leads right into the next thing I need to talk about. This book has one of the biggest, meanest cliffhangers ever. And I’m not exaggerating. At least, I don’t think I am. Maybe there are some out there that I haven’t read yet. But this one is seriously bad. I definitely had one of those moments turning the page back and forth wondering if maybe my ARC had been missing a page or two. And maybe it was. I’m still holding out a little hope that when my finished copy shows up, there will be a couple of more pages in the end of it. It’s definitely what I’ll be looking at first thing I get my hands on it! I don’t want to keep hammering on the same thing, I just want to prepare all of you for the pain that comes at the end of the book. It’s so good, but most definitely painful. In some sick way, I kind of loved it. But mostly I just want to know what happens right after the book ends! I NEED TO KNOW!! If anyone has any kind of information about this, please share it with me! Okay, enough with that. I feel that I’ve warned you plenty about the pain this book can cause. And I certainly don’t want you to be turned off by that. It’s definitely worth the pain. This book was seriously good and very addicting. If you’ve read all of the Throne of Glass books and need a new series to start, I highly recommend this one. It’s full of action, political intrigue, princes and princesses, runaways, secret identities, spies, magic, a little bit of romance, and a kick-ass heroine!! I loved it! Now go read it!

This is literally one of the best starts to a series I have ever read, and I want more...now. I'm actually really surprised by the rating of this book because I expected it to be so much higher. This is a must read for fans of fantasy, action,adventure, magic, and strong female leads. I could not put this book down, and I was heartbroken by the cliffhanger ending. Seriously, it should be a rule that you can't end a book like that. Jodi Meadows has created such a wonderfully original and unique book that truly stands out among competing fantasy books. Scenes are richly described, characters are amazingly well-developed, and the world-building is perfect. I could read this book all over again, and would never get tired of the story. One of the things I loved the most about this book was the world-building. It was so thorough and richly described that I felt I truly had a sense of the world from the beginning. A lot of times these days, most of the world-building you receive is from the inside cover description. It's something that irritates me because I don't want to have to keep going back to the description to understand the world. Ms. Meadows does what every author should, weaves the world into the story with finesse and grace, and gives the reader a very good understanding of what has happened in the past as well as the what the world is like now. You honestly are never confused as to what has happened and what is going on. The scenes are also richly described, and I felt like I could picture every single thing in the scene; from what the characters looked like and how they dressed, to the tension in the room. Seriously, you could feel the character's emotions coming off the pages. Any reader will quickly love Wil, our lead character. She is strong and fights with everything she has in her. Wil is extremely brave and selfless. She truly wants to do what is right, and seeks justice to right the wrongs of the past. Wil has a very thorough process in thinking, which I appreciated. She didn't rush into things and just make rash decisions. Granted, there were times where she did that, but it wasn't a constant recurrence, and even in those times, she did think about the consequences of her actions. I loved that she didn't back down, especially when it came to Patrick. She held her own, and stood up for herself and others. Some of my favorite scenes were when she was kicking some major butt with the Black Knife (a vigilante who is fighting for peace in the kingdom by taking care of the dangerous wraith creatures roaming the streets). The Black Knife and Wil has an amazing dynamic, and I had my guesses of who the Black Knife was. I will tell you that the Black Knife's identity is somewhat predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless. The Black Knife is one of the many amazing secondary characters that furthers this book, and makes reading an even more enjoyable experience. I also loved Melanie, Wil's best friend. However, she made me question her many times, especially in regards to her true loyalties. But I think at the end of the day, she is truly with Wil. James and the prince were also wonderful additions to the story. The secondary characters never fade into the background, and each have a crucial part in the story. The romance in this book is present, but it is not the main focus, which I greatly appreciated. However, I can't say too much on it because it's better left for the reader to discover. But I will say that it's not insta-love (THANK THE LORD), and it adds yet another exciting element to the story. Now the ending was exciting, action-packed, and set up the next book perfectly, but the last page just broke my heart. And I do not want to wait for the next one because I NEED to know how the events of the ending will turn out. I highly recommend this to everyone. This is an action-packed fantasy novel that will put you on the edge of your seat. If you like a well-written novel (and who doesn't?), that has a richly described, unique world and even more amazing characters, you will adore this book. I can't wait to see what happens next! Happy reading :)

It's never been a secret that I love Jodi Meadows. Back when I first read - and 100% loved - Incarnate, I was probably 14. (And so, SO embarrassing. Cringe-worthy. I don't even want to think about this. I am so sorry.) So of course, when I got back into the blogging community and saw that she had a new novel, I immediately had to go buy it. (And wound my poor, poor checking account.) Wilhelmina is a fantastic narrator. Strong, determined, and incredibly caring, Wil is trying to take back her kingdom from the man responsible for the murder of her parents - the murder that she herself had to witness at quite a young age. She struggles with the urge to use magic to get her out of the sticky situations she often finds herself in. But magic is, of course, forbidden, and so Wil tells herself only to use it in emergencies. (And let me tell you, there are a lot of them.) Wil felt very natural and genuine and I truly enjoyed reading from her perspective. I was always rooting for her because I love how brave she is. She wants her family, her Ospreys, to have their kingdom back, too, but at the same time, there's a fire in her - someone else is ruling her kingdom, her legacy, and that someone is responsible for the massacre of her parents and many of their friends. "A queen who wouldn't take risks for her people wasn't worthy of being a queen at all." There were plenty of secondary characters to keep me happy - Melanie, Wil's best friend, Patrick, the troubled leader of the Ospreys, Tobiah, the Crown Prince that Wil has a bit of history with, and more. Though I wish we could have seen a bit more of the Ospreys, Wil's story definitely needed to be focused on her time in Skyvale as she tries to unravel the mysteries of the wraith while simultaneously reporting back to Patrick so they can come up with a plan to take back the kingdom. It's a lot to handle. A lot of these characters are living in a vaguely grey area - Patrick especially, Black Knife, who stalks in the night and arrests anyone and everyone using magic but believes he's doing the right thing. And although Wil is certainly a character fighting for the right thing, I definitely spent the first half of the book wondering just what Wil may do in The Orphan King to save her kingdom and how just and fair it might actually be. I sort of lost that feeling in the second half as she began to focus more on the mysteries surrounding the wraith, but I still have hope. "Somehow, with that single command, I'd brought the wraith to life. And it knew my name." In other news: Black Knife. I love the idea of him. These people live in villages fraught with fear of the approaching wraith, and the masked vigilante Black Knife provides hope for them. They leave messages on walls, pleading for his help. Children play game after game with each other, pretending to be Black Knife. He's definitely a character I enjoyed. The problem is that I saw his identity coming from miles away. There weren't many options for who he could be, and his real identity was a pretty obvious choice. While I'm happy with the man behind the mask, I wish more had been done to throw us off the trail. Meadows really ramps up the action in the last fifty pages, and I can definitely say that I did not see ANY of that coming. There was, of course, the mother of all cliffhangers, and I absolutely can't wait to see what happens with the wraith (and THE CLIFFHANGER. WHY.) in the next book! "Wishing has never changed anything for me." Overall: Full of magic, mystery, and a false kingdom, The Orphan Queen is a novel I would absolutely recommend. Though it didn't stir all the emotions in me that Incarnate did, Meadows really shines in her characterization. And come on, the hashtag #oqsupportgroup literally exists. (I need it. I really do.) How could you not want to pick it up? 4 stars.

Meadows' story is compelling, and I literally could not put it down. Four hours after the file download on to my kindle, I was crying over the ending. The characters are interesting and, for the most part, beautifully layered. I would have liked to have seen more of the Ospreys, other than the introduction and fleeting glimpses throughout the novel, but also understand that, given the nature of the plot, it wasn't possible - hopefully in the sequel, it will be. The plot itself needs a fair amount of attention to follow, but if you do, is pretty darn solid. I can't think of any gaping plot holes off the top of my head, just the endless list of questions about and for Black Knife. Now on to the fun (and slightly less coherent? I had four hours of sleep, and am still emotionally compromised over that ending, so bear with me on this) part. Wil was a delight of narrator, and personally I would be honoured to call her my queen. Watching her grow and develop was beautiful, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it happen. Patrick was a douchebag, as advertised. No surprise there, though his dead-set, stubborn need to go against everything that Wil said really pissed me off. This woman is supposed to be his queen, and here he is, basically ordering her around like she's his slave. I hope he gets his comeuppance. A review of OQ wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention Black Knife. Don't worry, dear skittish readers, I won't divulge his true identity - half of the fun is trying to figure it out for yourself and (I'm very proud to say), I guessed rightly after her first encounter with him. I don't care what happens, or what anyone says, if they don't get married, I give up on life. Yes, I am aware that there are numerous things in the way of that, but what good love story doesn't have a little adversity in it? (admittedly, the ending does pose the possibility of more than just a "little" adversity, but still). Melanie really bothered me, and I'm not entirely sure I trust her quite so readily as Wil does. She's too emotionally attached to the cause. I really hope we find out more about that side of things. Was it worth the wait? Absolutely. Hold on to your hats, grab your defibrillators (you'll need it, that ending is just cruel!) and dive in!

Der Einstieg ins Buch fiel mir zugegeben etwas schwer. Man wird sofort ins Geschehen hinein geworfen und hat kaum eine Chance, sich erst einmal zu orientieren. Ich habe so die Angewohnheit, mir den Klappentext - wenn überhaupt - nur einmal beim Kauf durchzulesen und danach nicht mehr, um mir selbst etwas die Spannung zu bewahren. Leider wurde ich dadurch von der ersten Szene etwas überrumpelt und es dauerte zwei-drei Kapitel, bis ich mich allmählich zurechtgefunden hatte. Aber dann ... Ja, aber dann hat das Buch seine Krallen ausgefahren und ich war total gefangen. Ich hätte einfach nicht gedacht, wie viel Gutes in diesem Buch steckt, gehofft? ja, geglaubt? nein. Und ich bin so glücklich, dass ich mich dafür entschieden habe, es zu kaufen. Die Protagonistin Wil ist eine starke Persönlichkeit, die schon sehr früh mit dem Gefühl von Verlust und Schmerz umgehen musste, weil sie mit ansehen musste, wie ihre Eltern König und Königin von Aecor hingerichtet wurden. Sie selbst wurde wie viele andere Kinder in ein Kinderheim gebracht, wo sie von dem Sohn des früheren Generals von Aecor befreit wurde. Gemeinsam führen sie die Gruppe Ospreys an (Kinder von Aecor) und hecken einen Plan aus, um Wil wieder auf ihren rechtmäßig zustehenden Thron zu bringen. Leider haben sie nicht mit Black Knife gerechnet, ein Einzelkämpfer, der die Straßen von Skyvale von Magienutzern säubert und ein hohes Interesse an die Ospreys hat. Der zweite, sehr spannende Punkt im Buch ist der Aspekt, dass es verboten ist Magie zu nutzen; nicht weil man Angst vor Magiern hätte, sondern weil man der festen Überzeugung ist, dass das Nutzen von Magie das Wraith kreiert. Etwas Dunkles, das sich immer weiter landinwärts vorarbeitet und alles auf seinem Weg verpestet. Wil fühlt sich dafür verantwortlich, auch hierfür eine Lösung zu suchen, um ihr zukünftiges Reich davor beschützen zu können. Sie begibt sich in große Gefahr und kreiert etwas noch nie Dagewesenes ... Vielleicht hat man es schon an meinem Ton bemerkt, aber ich bin hellauf begeistert, auch wenn ich zunächst dachte, dass das Buch nur ein Einzelband wäre und ich danach ziemlich enttäuscht war, dass es schon wieder ein Mehrbänder werden wird, bin ich jetzt ganz froh darüber, denn ich war noch nicht bereit, Wil gehen zu lassen.

Jodi Meadows' The Orphan Queen is the book that got me through the recent floods. So thank you Jodi for that :) What I loved about this book was that the reader was not subjected to an overload of information, which is sometimes where fantasy authors can go wrong. For a fantasy book, it was an easy read so for those of you that see the word fantasy and turn away, DON'T. It is not a high fantasy novel that can be difficult to follow it is on the lighter end of the fantasy side. The Orphan Queen would be a great read for fans of Sarah J Maas. It has the royalty, the espionage, the magic and the danger. I can see Wil and Celaena being close friends :) The Orphan Queen is Princess Wilhelmina Korte. Ten years ago the Indigo Kingdom invaded her homeland, Aecor in what became known as the One-Night War. She is one of the leaders of the Ospreys, a group orphans who are all that remains of Aecor's nobility. Rather than being taken to live in the Indigo Kingdom's capital the Osprey's escaped their orphanage and the Indigo Kingdoms grasp. Now the time has come for them to put their plan into action so that Wil can take back her throne and their kingdom. Wil will learn that she has to find her own path as a ruler and forge her own destiny. Friends and foes are easily mistaken in The Orphan Queen. At first I found it difficult to grasp the magical element of the novel. Essentially magic creates the Wraith, the Wraith is a by-product of magic and the Wraith is toxic. The Wraith kills, I imagine it to be something like a gas cloud. To stop more kingdoms from falling to the Wraith and to slowdown the spread all magic has been outlawed. That much I understood but I could not understand why and it was driving me crazy, I couldn't predict how it was going to be defeated. Then I realised I couldn't understand it because the characters don't. They don't know where it came from and how to stop it. Sometimes an author's characters can appear to be overconfident; because the author knows all. The author knows that the character will survive and the journey that it ahead of them (and sometimes the ending). But with The Orphan Queen I truly felt like I was on the quest with Wil, that we were seeking answers together. I would be interested to know how much of the bigger picture Jodi has fleshed out. Perhaps it appears so authentic because Jodi herself does not know. That and the fact that she is an awesome writer! I stumbled across The Orphan Queen as a kindle recommendation and when I finished the book I was quite disappointed to learn that it had only been released in May 2015 and that the second book The Mirror King is not out until April 5th 2016 :( In the meantime there are several novellas that can help ease this burden; The Hidden Prince (out now), The Glowing Knight (out September 1st), The Burning Hand (out December 1st) and The Black Knife (out March 1st). To summarise the suspense is killing me!

Tipico fantasy YA, niente di più e niente di meno. Davvero, non c'è niente di nuovo in questo libro, ho indovinato la vera identità di Black Knife dopo pochissime pagine (e non indovino mai niente di solito!!). Però allo stesso tempo un capitolo tira l'altro e la storia generale è carina.

I loved this novel when i first read it when it came out.