Reviews

Queen of None by Natania Barron

readwithanna's review against another edition

2.5

This started off strong enough but then int he second half it fell through completely. I just didn't see what the point of the story was after that. Why were we still here? What are we meant to take in? 
And then the book just ends. Or, rather, the sentence comes to a close and then the book is over. 
I liked the prose so I might pick up something else by this author but the plotting was a mess. 

madscrain's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-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

3.5

trish_beautifulchaosreviews's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

4.5 ⭐
1 🌶️

Queen of None is an enjoyable read from cover to cover. The author's writing was smooth and appropriate for her characters' time. It was easy to get pulled into the narrative. Anna's POV was, at times, frustrating because she did things and made questionable choices, but it was her story, and you were a witness to it. In many ways, I felt Anna's story was a feminist story of a woman who had all her choices taken away by men, and this is how she took back her narrative. That is an oversimplification, I know, but it was fun to read how a woman could do that in the time setting of the book. As I said, the author's writing was just lovely, and although she was given the language and atmosphere of the time, it was accessible and easy to read--very smooth with a nice pace. If you enjoy a historical retelling of Arthurian legends with fantasy elements, you will enjoy Queen of None.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the eArc of this book. These opinions are my own.

urbanka's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Thank you NetGalley and Solaris for this eARC.

Queen of None by Natania Barron is an amazing spin on the Arthurian legends.
It is a historical fiction told from perspective of Anna Pendragon, the full sister of King Arthur, whose presence in the legends has been outshined by that of her siblings.

I applaud Natania for retelling these well-known legends in a completely unique and gripping way.
If you are, like me, still pretty new to stories of King Arthur and Merlin, you will find this book fascinating, especially in how history mixes with fantasy into this beautifully written world. 
For more hardcore fans on Arthuriana, I still think that Queen of None is a refreshing read, since it brings to the forefront women of Carelon (Camelot), their everyday lives, struggles, and influence, so often overlooked but vital. Rather than focusing on bloody battles, Natania talks about conflicts between fate and choice, family and love, and even duty and loyalty.

hedgehognerd's review against another edition

3.5

A magical story with a new focus on old myths. I loved Anna’s character and how she is portrayed. I also liked the focus on women’s duties in that time, political manoeuvres and most of all the feminism and revenge! It’s well written and lovely to read, although the pace is generally slow it doesn’t deter from the story, everything is relevant and interesting. Captivating and rich storytelling. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

slow_reader3's review

dark reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

sarah_bell's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

An interesting twist on Arthurian legend and its women, with a focus on Arthur's forgotten sister, Anna. 

I really liked Anna as a character - she felt like a realistic portrayal of a woman in a medieval-esque world without removing her agency as a character. She's remarkably flawed but in a believable way.

The magical concept of

Nimue, the person Anna creates and inhabits as part of her final scheme to take down Merlin, is fascinating and well-execeuted.

However, I did also have several issues with this book. One example is the character of Merlin - hatred for him is a large factor of Anna's later actions, yet he feels like a non-entity. We are told a lot of what he has done in the background - pulling the strings that effect the lives and remove the choices from Anna and the other royal women - and about Anna's hatred, but never really shown it, so that whilst I logically understood why Anna was angry, I never felt it, nor had a good grasp of him as a character or a villian.

This was part of a larger problem where we are told a lot about characters rather than shown and also how, with such a big cast of characters, there were those who fell into the background (Margawse, for example, who we are briefly introduced to near the start and then don't really see again until

she is killed.

)

Overall, anyone with an interest in Arthurian legends, particularly the women, might enjoy this, but it wasn't quite as immersive as I would have liked.

courtneystrong's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

4.0

Thank you to NetGalley and Rebellion Publishing for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I requested this on NetGalley solely based on the stunning cover and was pleasantly surprised when I started it to find it was an Arthurian retelling. This story was written so well. It got a little bit confusing at times with such a large cast of characters, and a little bit uncomfortable at times with the marrying off of young girls, though I understand it was not uncommon back in the medieval times.

However, I truly enjoyed reading this and found the blending of legend with a new unique storyline to be captivating. I am very curious to see where things go in the rest of the series with how it ended! Would definitely continue the series!

samrushingbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

daniellereadslikealot_'s review

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.