Scan barcode
A review by books_and_cocktails_afterhours
Queen of None by Natania Barron
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.