Scan barcode
daniellereadslikealot_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was a very anticipated read for me as a huge fan of Arthurian legend. While this is a more character driven novel exploring the “forgotten” sister of King Arthur, the simmering tension of court politics had me hooked very quickly. I loved the way Anna was written. She had so much strength and love even through all the pain inflicted upon her to further the kingdom. I really enjoyed seeing the differences in her relationships with those around her such as Gawain, Morgen, Gwyen, Bedevere and Arthur. I’m intrigued to see how the rest of the story will play out with books two and three.
CW: domestic violence, infant death, descriptions of childbirth, incest, sexual assault, violence, mentions of miscarriage
Thank you to NetGalley for a digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
samkb's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kaavyareadsbooks's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC. I thought I would enjoy this since the concept seemed intriguing. It was alright. Anna's character and prophecy intrigued me. While I loved her character, I wish the story had a little more of something to it. Hardly anything happened and I barely cared.
clemslibrary's review against another edition
3.25
Thank you to NetGalley for an arc in return for an honest review
Queen of None is a retelling of King Arthur from the point of view of his sister, Anna, following her return to court after her husband's death.
This is a story of subtle rage and scheming, Anna was shipped off at 13 to marry a man in order to benefit her brother, and her return 20 years later is filled with pain and suffering. Used as a pawn, Anna desires to have more and enact revenge in ways she does not even realise. Once more she is married off by her brother, but this time she uses her power to create changes alongside her sisters.
Anna is more than just a sister, a wife, a mother - she is schemer and has the power to wield shadows to not be seen, allowing her to move pieces on the playing court to create change. The nature of the story itself is refreshing, Anna is willing to go to extreme lengths to not fall into a pit of desperation and allow men to keep using her.
The narrative is told in an interesting way, it seems as though Anna is recalling her past, and we see nudges and hints to the events to follow from the way she remembers certain events.
I did feel that the last third of the story was very different to the rest, and struggled to fully understand why everything was being done and the purpose of such a change.
This isn't a fantasy romance in my opinion, whilst there is romance the story is much more focused on Anna's growth as a character and her identity within the narrative. And the little romance that is in this is mostly about arranged marriages, something that Anna explicitly does not like.
This was an enthralling fantasy story on female identity, and I really enjoyed all the different character interactions!
Queen of None is a retelling of King Arthur from the point of view of his sister, Anna, following her return to court after her husband's death.
This is a story of subtle rage and scheming, Anna was shipped off at 13 to marry a man in order to benefit her brother, and her return 20 years later is filled with pain and suffering. Used as a pawn, Anna desires to have more and enact revenge in ways she does not even realise. Once more she is married off by her brother, but this time she uses her power to create changes alongside her sisters.
Anna is more than just a sister, a wife, a mother - she is schemer and has the power to wield shadows to not be seen, allowing her to move pieces on the playing court to create change. The nature of the story itself is refreshing, Anna is willing to go to extreme lengths to not fall into a pit of desperation and allow men to keep using her.
The narrative is told in an interesting way, it seems as though Anna is recalling her past, and we see nudges and hints to the events to follow from the way she remembers certain events.
I did feel that the last third of the story was very different to the rest, and struggled to fully understand why everything was being done and the purpose of such a change.
This isn't a fantasy romance in my opinion, whilst there is romance the story is much more focused on Anna's growth as a character and her identity within the narrative. And the little romance that is in this is mostly about arranged marriages, something that Anna explicitly does not like.
This was an enthralling fantasy story on female identity, and I really enjoyed all the different character interactions!
kesbooks's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
This book was interesting. As someone who knows nothing about Arthurian tales, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the story. However, I was pleasantly surprised that I could. Lady Anna is quite the character. I wouldn’t say she was super likable, but I was rooting for her. She’s stronger than I could ever be under her circumstances. My heart ached for her in more ways than one.
One thing I will say is this is absolutely NOT romance. I’ve seen it categorized as such in a few places, but I think that’s misleading. This book is about Lady Anna taking back some power for herself and the women around/before her.
*Spoilers*
My biggest problem with this book was around the end. The first half of the book was strong, but it started to slack once Nimue came to be. I found that I couldn’t wait to get back to Anna’s Pov and when we did get back to her, she gave nothing.
Overall, I enjoyed the book.
One thing I will say is this is absolutely NOT romance. I’ve seen it categorized as such in a few places, but I think that’s misleading. This book is about Lady Anna taking back some power for herself and the women around/before her.
*Spoilers*
My biggest problem with this book was around the end. The first half of the book was strong, but it started to slack once Nimue came to be. I found that I couldn’t wait to get back to Anna’s Pov and when we did get back to her, she gave nothing.
Overall, I enjoyed the book.
charlottereadshistory's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was intrigued by this re-release of a story from the world of Arthurian legend, focusing on the less written sister of Arthur, Anna.
When she was born, Merlin prophesied she would be forgotten about, and when Arthur marries her off to the much older Lot of Orkney, it seems to have already come true.
The plot thickens when she finally returns to court, hoping to be with her childhood sweetheart when Arthur (under Merlin’s influence) marries her off again, this time to the mysterious knight Lanceloch.
Barron perfectly highlights how women’s agency was often stifled in the medieval period, but women’s magic was a powerful force to be reckoned with, especially when women could work together. Various women characters in Carelon utilise magic to try and divert their destinies and fight back against Merlin, including Anna.
As I don’t have a huge amount of Arthurian knowledge, a few scenes slipped past me without a lot of context - two babies got swapped at birth without resolution and an eminent lady of the court disappears without explanation - I don’t know if that’s because a certain amount of knowledge if the myths is assumed, or their stories will get picked up in the remaining two books of the trilogy.
Throughout the book I really felt for Anna - her struggle with her prophecy became self fulfilling and she failed to see her own importance to those who cared about her, a flaw that clearly impacted her children and the course of history as she almost lost her sense of self. I’d definitely be interested to see how the story unfolds!
Thank you to Rebellion Publishing and the author for an advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review.
When she was born, Merlin prophesied she would be forgotten about, and when Arthur marries her off to the much older Lot of Orkney, it seems to have already come true.
The plot thickens when she finally returns to court, hoping to be with her childhood sweetheart when Arthur (under Merlin’s influence) marries her off again, this time to the mysterious knight Lanceloch.
Barron perfectly highlights how women’s agency was often stifled in the medieval period, but women’s magic was a powerful force to be reckoned with, especially when women could work together. Various women characters in Carelon utilise magic to try and divert their destinies and fight back against Merlin, including Anna.
As I don’t have a huge amount of Arthurian knowledge, a few scenes slipped past me without a lot of context - two babies got swapped at birth without resolution and an eminent lady of the court disappears without explanation - I don’t know if that’s because a certain amount of knowledge if the myths is assumed, or their stories will get picked up in the remaining two books of the trilogy.
Throughout the book I really felt for Anna - her struggle with her prophecy became self fulfilling and she failed to see her own importance to those who cared about her, a flaw that clearly impacted her children and the course of history as she almost lost her sense of self. I’d definitely be interested to see how the story unfolds!
Thank you to Rebellion Publishing and the author for an advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review.
charliauthor's review against another edition
DNF at 76% because it was just not interesting.
This was a very interesting concept about the forgotten sister of King Arthur which I found intriguing but nothing about the actual story actually lifted off the page for me in anyway for this to be interesting or engaging or exciting.
We all know varying tales of Arthur and his knights and Merlin and Guinevere etc., so it was nice to see these characters in a different light i.e. from a different perspective but it just wasn’t exciting enough to warrant any real investment. The pacing was too slow so I wasn’t sure what we were trying to achieve. There were too many names, too many strings of plot that didn’t amount to anything and then the magic that was there wasn’t particularly appealing or seemingly well thought out.
There was little to no romance which again is fine. It’s not a necessity but I tend to lean on romance when other aspects of a plot or characterisation or world building is lacking so when there was no romance it just continued to get more boring.
At one point, there’s a baby switching scandal that I’m still not sure why it was done because we don’t discuss it much again. There’s somebody switching magic that I don’t know why she’s done it. There was a blood magic book that she was able to read and I don’t actually know how or why she was able to read it. There was some incest that noone cared about so it was just constant confusion with no drama or action or engagement and it was just not pulling me in enough to continue or see how it ends because there was nothing for me to care about ending.
Thanks, to netgalley for the arc, but this was not for me.
This was a very interesting concept about the forgotten sister of King Arthur which I found intriguing but nothing about the actual story actually lifted off the page for me in anyway for this to be interesting or engaging or exciting.
We all know varying tales of Arthur and his knights and Merlin and Guinevere etc., so it was nice to see these characters in a different light i.e. from a different perspective but it just wasn’t exciting enough to warrant any real investment. The pacing was too slow so I wasn’t sure what we were trying to achieve. There were too many names, too many strings of plot that didn’t amount to anything and then the magic that was there wasn’t particularly appealing or seemingly well thought out.
There was little to no romance which again is fine. It’s not a necessity but I tend to lean on romance when other aspects of a plot or characterisation or world building is lacking so when there was no romance it just continued to get more boring.
At one point, there’s a baby switching scandal that I’m still not sure why it was done because we don’t discuss it much again. There’s somebody switching magic that I don’t know why she’s done it. There was a blood magic book that she was able to read and I don’t actually know how or why she was able to read it. There was some incest that noone cared about so it was just constant confusion with no drama or action or engagement and it was just not pulling me in enough to continue or see how it ends because there was nothing for me to care about ending.
Thanks, to netgalley for the arc, but this was not for me.
books_and_cocktails_afterhours's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 ⭐️
Queen of None follows the life of the long-forgotten Anna Pendragon, the only full-blooded sister of King Arthur. I found the concept of being behind the curtain fascinating. We all know the story of Kind Arthur and his knights, but what about the woman in the story? This is a tale of duty, sorrow and grief, where women fight King’s Arthur’s wars not in the battlefield, but by being married and offered (ridiculously young) as a vessel to bear heirs. What made this interesting is that this is not just Anna’s story, but that of many women through the centuries that were born to be married and remarried to force alliances, forgotten and powerless.
This book sets a new light to the story known to us all. Arthur might have been a king, but in the end he was only a man that was raised to be king. Merlin might have been a powerful wizard, but at what price did he get all that power and influence? Were they really the heroes of the story? And if yes, according to who and at who’s expense?
The plot was very well placed and the writing is amazing, making the reader not just feel for Anna, but also understand her. I really enjoyed the magic, political ploys and the entire prophecy plot line. The characters were flawed, so much so that it made them stand apart and feel real, and the main protagonist is smart, passionate and determined to not just be a pawn anymore.
Thank you very much Solaris and NetGallery for providing me this ARC.
Queen of None follows the life of the long-forgotten Anna Pendragon, the only full-blooded sister of King Arthur. I found the concept of being behind the curtain fascinating. We all know the story of Kind Arthur and his knights, but what about the woman in the story? This is a tale of duty, sorrow and grief, where women fight King’s Arthur’s wars not in the battlefield, but by being married and offered (ridiculously young) as a vessel to bear heirs. What made this interesting is that this is not just Anna’s story, but that of many women through the centuries that were born to be married and remarried to force alliances, forgotten and powerless.
This book sets a new light to the story known to us all. Arthur might have been a king, but in the end he was only a man that was raised to be king. Merlin might have been a powerful wizard, but at what price did he get all that power and influence? Were they really the heroes of the story? And if yes, according to who and at who’s expense?
The plot was very well placed and the writing is amazing, making the reader not just feel for Anna, but also understand her. I really enjoyed the magic, political ploys and the entire prophecy plot line. The characters were flawed, so much so that it made them stand apart and feel real, and the main protagonist is smart, passionate and determined to not just be a pawn anymore.
Thank you very much Solaris and NetGallery for providing me this ARC.
indigovazvezda's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Coming to this story with very little, general knowledge of King Arthur's legends - and mostly knowing them from Lancelot Du Lac's POV (French literature graduate here!) - I can honestly say I enjoyed this book very much!
The story is very captivating and interesting, and as usual, it's always nice to see legends and myths from female POV, especially if those ladies are crucial to the story, but not the center of it. And it was a nice change of pace, as most of these type of stories concentrate on Greek mythology, but the world offers so much more!
I will definitely read books 2 and 3 from this trilogy - I'm hooked!
Big thanks to NetGalley and the author for the free arc in exchange for the honest opinion.
The story is very captivating and interesting, and as usual, it's always nice to see legends and myths from female POV, especially if those ladies are crucial to the story, but not the center of it. And it was a nice change of pace, as most of these type of stories concentrate on Greek mythology, but the world offers so much more!
I will definitely read books 2 and 3 from this trilogy - I'm hooked!
Big thanks to NetGalley and the author for the free arc in exchange for the honest opinion.
books_coffee_cornwall's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Thank you #netgalley for this arc in return for an honest opinion.
Anna Pendragon, sister to King Arthur, returns from Orkney after her husband dies and is married off to the knight Lanceloch. She is unhappy at court and embraces magic to exact revenge.
On the face of it, this book should have been brilliant. Unfortunately, the plot wasn't clear. The last third of the book didn't seem to match the beginning. Some quite in-depth magic occurs, but magic isn't really mentioned as existing, until it happens. The time jumps were quite frustrating.
Sad that I didn't like it. I won't be reading the sequel.
Anna Pendragon, sister to King Arthur, returns from Orkney after her husband dies and is married off to the knight Lanceloch. She is unhappy at court and embraces magic to exact revenge.
On the face of it, this book should have been brilliant. Unfortunately, the plot wasn't clear. The last third of the book didn't seem to match the beginning. Some quite in-depth magic occurs, but magic isn't really mentioned as existing, until it happens. The time jumps were quite frustrating.
Sad that I didn't like it. I won't be reading the sequel.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Incest, and Homophobia