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adamrshields's review against another edition
4.0
Short Review: This is the last of the Westmark Trilogy. And just as much, and maybe more, the theme of this young adult book is duty before personal desires. It is odd how much a book about the monarchy and revolution and democracy can be apolitical. But this one is. It is too bad that this trilogy is out of print and not available digitally or on audiobook. Hopefully it will be resurrected at some point. I really like it.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/beggar-queen/
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/beggar-queen/
pagesofpins's review against another edition
2.0
Not as strong as the first two in the series. A lot of borrowing from Les Mis, some new characters introduced only to be promptly killed, too many paragraph-long metaphors loosely related to anything (stop talking about Skeit's nose already), things dragging on then wrapping up absurdly quickly. The beginning of the book was promising, with the siege of the palace and the plot against Constantine's life, but quickly grew too convoluted. And what were we supposed to learn from Connie, anyway? Kill your uncle and you can stop sleeping in a little racecar bed? At least Mickle and Theo have some screen time together, and everything ends well, if predictably and with a bit too simplistic a resolution.
abcastro's review against another edition
3.0
The Beggar Queen. the big ending to the Westmark trilogy.
How would I rank the three? I gave both Westmark and Kestral a 4, I'd keep that with this book but if I did it all again, I would give Kestral a 5 because I ended up really liking it, that's my favorite of the three. Next would actually have to be Westmark, for kicking it off and introducing everything, maybe it's a matter of firsts but for now anyway I'm going to put the Beggar Queen last. There were some really standout moments and it doesn't falter in quality compared to the other two, it still has a good amount of surprises and has Alexander's excellent writing.
What I would have liked to see is 'more' in all honesty, the ending is fine and I think I should have ended there but there are parts of the book where you think it's a tease for something later on down the line, Florian for example, they talk of him a great deal but he himself is barely in the thing, which in retrospect is fine but the fact that they hype him up just seems unearned. There are parts where a lot of stuff happens and it's just kind of skimmed, even for a light novel, like what happened to Weasel's arm? The Kestral made me a fan of Constantine and his character sounds super interesting where he's at now but I would still like to see more of him. It fixed a lot of problems I had with The Kestral but also brought some back.
How would I rank the three? I gave both Westmark and Kestral a 4, I'd keep that with this book but if I did it all again, I would give Kestral a 5 because I ended up really liking it, that's my favorite of the three. Next would actually have to be Westmark, for kicking it off and introducing everything, maybe it's a matter of firsts but for now anyway I'm going to put the Beggar Queen last. There were some really standout moments and it doesn't falter in quality compared to the other two, it still has a good amount of surprises and has Alexander's excellent writing.
What I would have liked to see is 'more' in all honesty, the ending is fine and I think I should have ended there but there are parts of the book where you think it's a tease for something later on down the line, Florian for example, they talk of him a great deal but he himself is barely in the thing, which in retrospect is fine but the fact that they hype him up just seems unearned. There are parts where a lot of stuff happens and it's just kind of skimmed, even for a light novel, like what happened to Weasel's arm? The Kestral made me a fan of Constantine and his character sounds super interesting where he's at now but I would still like to see more of him. It fixed a lot of problems I had with The Kestral but also brought some back.
bazayas's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jrgowin's review against another edition
3.0
Loyd Alexander is one of my favorite authors, which is why I was so surprised by this series. The characters are all predictable and seem to follow the classic character types. Theo, the idealist that unwillingly becomes a bloody revolutionary haunted by the lives he's taken. Mickle, the beggar queen who forgot her royal heritage and then becomes a benevolent and abdicating and idealist queen. While enduring, and maybe even the archetype of these types of characters, Alexander spoke too much through them, especially in the second book.
Alexanders writing style is simple and easy to read, sometimes too much so.
The series, when read along with other books of revolution, begs the question: can a revolution be done well? What are affordable losses? What government is best for the people? In the West, it's undoubtedly a Republic. But in light or the stories of Westmark, Persepolis, A Tale of Two Cities, and even Plato's fall of the Republic, can a republic be mercifully established?
Alexanders writing style is simple and easy to read, sometimes too much so.
The series, when read along with other books of revolution, begs the question: can a revolution be done well? What are affordable losses? What government is best for the people? In the West, it's undoubtedly a Republic. But in light or the stories of Westmark, Persepolis, A Tale of Two Cities, and even Plato's fall of the Republic, can a republic be mercifully established?
rachel_abby_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Kestrel explored Theo's descent into war madness as an almost mindless act. In this book, he is asked to become a war leader again, a hidden instigator, directing insurrection from within the capitol city. The question of his motivation is explored, as well as the hidden motives of other characters. It is a story of war, with allies changing and shifting depending upon circumstance. We are reminded that in war, no one is really safe, and that we can't always anticipate the motives and actions of our enemies.
This book reminded of me of two others that I have read (although it was published before either of them): The Lion and the Sword, which explores the reclamation of ones country from the inside, and Night Watch, also about internal political instability as people seek to change their government.
This book reminded of me of two others that I have read (although it was published before either of them): The Lion and the Sword, which explores the reclamation of ones country from the inside, and Night Watch, also about internal political instability as people seek to change their government.
stiricide's review against another edition
3.0
The final book in Alexander's Westmark trilogy had a distinct George RR Martin vibe to it - by which I mean, the quickest way to advance the plot was to kill everyone we met in the last two books. That's a bit of a bummer, and I didn't feel like it did justice to anything that had been built in the last two books.
BQ is, unfortunately, probably the weakest of the three books. Things hurtle towards an vaguely inevitable conclusion, and the choices taken to get there seem clunky and rushed. That said, Alexander crams a remarkable amount of thought and action in to a juvenile fiction book that weighs in at less than 200pp. Any kid that can keep up with this series deserves a gold star, and probably should be advanced a reading group or seven. If you've already been through the rest of the series, you may as well finish it up. I wouldn't use BQ to rope anyone in, though.
BQ is, unfortunately, probably the weakest of the three books. Things hurtle towards an vaguely inevitable conclusion, and the choices taken to get there seem clunky and rushed. That said, Alexander crams a remarkable amount of thought and action in to a juvenile fiction book that weighs in at less than 200pp. Any kid that can keep up with this series deserves a gold star, and probably should be advanced a reading group or seven. If you've already been through the rest of the series, you may as well finish it up. I wouldn't use BQ to rope anyone in, though.
swampthingsarah's review
5.0
This is my favorite book series from when I was in middle school, and I can officially say now that I've reread the whole series that still, even now, I would rank these books as some of my favorites of all time. I was enthralled the whole time I read them and got emotional as I approached the final lines because I knew it was ending. Some character endings I remembered, and others I didn't, meaning I got the full force of those emotions all over again (and Lloyd Alexander pulls a fake-out with one of the last ones that had me genuinely worried!). I cannot recommend these books highly enough.
That's really all I want to say in this review- uncharacteristically brief, for me- but I'll add a few things just in case you're reading this for useful information:
- I refer to this series often as "Les Miserables for middle grade," and nowhere is that more true than in this book. Be prepared to get songs from the musical stuck in your head as the narrative describes barricades going up.
- If you thought the second book hit the limit on character deaths you're willing to read about, maybe quit while you're ahead, because you're gonna part with more in this third installment. Your emotions may not recover.
- Middle grade in general doesn't get enough credit for the nuance its authors often manage to put into stories for younger readers, but this book/series in particular astounds me now that I'm an adult with the weight of its story and the complexity of its characters. You can see, for instance, why Theo adores Florian, but also why he resents and is frustrated by him at the same time for the situations Florian compels Theo into- the situations that compromise the morals Theo clung to so strongly in the first book, challenging them while not actually making him immoral. Alexander gives us very sparse interactions to establish these dynamics, but quantity is not more important than quality- every scene in these books matters, and you get every bit of the emotional resonance.
- These books are action-packed without necessarily feeling high-energy in a lot of ways. Some very tense moments are dealt with matter-of-factly; some more ordinary narrative explodes off the page with surprisingly beautiful prose. For some readers, that contrast may not be what they're looking for. But for those of us who love Lloyd Alexander's writing, it's what really makes the book jump off the page.
I hope you enjoy these books. I've been loving them for over 20 years, and it looks like my time of obsession with them is far from over!
That's really all I want to say in this review- uncharacteristically brief, for me- but I'll add a few things just in case you're reading this for useful information:
- I refer to this series often as "Les Miserables for middle grade," and nowhere is that more true than in this book. Be prepared to get songs from the musical stuck in your head as the narrative describes barricades going up.
- If you thought the second book hit the limit on character deaths you're willing to read about, maybe quit while you're ahead, because you're gonna part with more in this third installment. Your emotions may not recover.
- Middle grade in general doesn't get enough credit for the nuance its authors often manage to put into stories for younger readers, but this book/series in particular astounds me now that I'm an adult with the weight of its story and the complexity of its characters. You can see, for instance, why Theo adores Florian, but also why he resents and is frustrated by him at the same time for the situations Florian compels Theo into- the situations that compromise the morals Theo clung to so strongly in the first book, challenging them while not actually making him immoral. Alexander gives us very sparse interactions to establish these dynamics, but quantity is not more important than quality- every scene in these books matters, and you get every bit of the emotional resonance.
- These books are action-packed without necessarily feeling high-energy in a lot of ways. Some very tense moments are dealt with matter-of-factly; some more ordinary narrative explodes off the page with surprisingly beautiful prose. For some readers, that contrast may not be what they're looking for. But for those of us who love Lloyd Alexander's writing, it's what really makes the book jump off the page.
I hope you enjoy these books. I've been loving them for over 20 years, and it looks like my time of obsession with them is far from over!
jessalynn_librarian's review against another edition
3.0
This one felt a bit grimmer than the first two - be prepared to see characters killed off. Alexander isn't afraid to tackle tough dilemmas for characters in this fictional world that feels historical. The first book felt like an adventure, the second was more of a battle story, and this third one is a sort of reckoning. Each one has resolution, but they also all build off of each other. Some fantastic side characters liven things up.