Review: The Queen's Gift
On the surface, Jean is a standard Preternatural: The daughter of a Genie and a Half-Incubus, she seemingly has minor powers destined to someday match her the glory of her mother's. Unfortunately, Jean's life is a lie. Hiding the fact that she is powerless with slight-of-hand and other "Common" stage magic, Jean just wants to attend a Preter school in the hopes that something will spark her power, wakening in her the magic of a Genie.
They always say that you should be careful what you wish for.
Attending her new school, Jean finds herself surrounded by friends and circumstances beyond her expectations. When monsters appear in Tokyo and the Queen's Door appears, Jean starts to realize that instead of hiding in the shadows, she is somehow in the center of the whirlwind. For what she wished has come true, and her powers have started to awaken...Unfortunately, no one expected her to have The Queen's Gift.
The author has created a complex world of preternatural beings, pulling from legend and expanding to make them feel like real children, teenagers, and adults. Add in the politics of an Assembly grasping to keep their power, others who would prefer to have a Queen rule again, and even the petty jealousy of a teenage shifter, and you have a whole lot of turmoil that the main character must navigate through...And somehow the author keeps it from being too overwhelming. Yes, the cards are stacked against Jean, but the author manages to thread hope and possibilities throughout the story.
While I wasn't so fond of Michael as a character, he does feel like a real teenage boy, complete with hormones. Ashley is the epitome of the spoiled girl in high school that everyone hated but wanted to be, and pitting her against Jean gives us a real glimpse into the differences between a popular "Common" twit and the beast that Ashley really is...While this may feel like a stereotypical cast of high school teens, we quickly see their differences, and the politics when dealing with the different preternaturals gives us a larger glimpse into the actual Preter world that Jean finds herself in.
This review wouldn't be complete without a mention of Spider. Spider is in fact my favorite character of this book, both complex and yet at times obvious in his actions and affections. You can tell that the author put a lot of thought into how he would interact with the different Preters in his school, and with Jean in particular. With each chapter, you learn a little more about Spider while realizing how much you still don't know. I look forward to reading more about him in the next story.
My only complaint about this book is that I want to read the next...And it's not here yet! Write faster, T.R. Allardice, please!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
They always say that you should be careful what you wish for.
Attending her new school, Jean finds herself surrounded by friends and circumstances beyond her expectations. When monsters appear in Tokyo and the Queen's Door appears, Jean starts to realize that instead of hiding in the shadows, she is somehow in the center of the whirlwind. For what she wished has come true, and her powers have started to awaken...Unfortunately, no one expected her to have The Queen's Gift.
The author has created a complex world of preternatural beings, pulling from legend and expanding to make them feel like real children, teenagers, and adults. Add in the politics of an Assembly grasping to keep their power, others who would prefer to have a Queen rule again, and even the petty jealousy of a teenage shifter, and you have a whole lot of turmoil that the main character must navigate through...And somehow the author keeps it from being too overwhelming. Yes, the cards are stacked against Jean, but the author manages to thread hope and possibilities throughout the story.
While I wasn't so fond of Michael as a character, he does feel like a real teenage boy, complete with hormones. Ashley is the epitome of the spoiled girl in high school that everyone hated but wanted to be, and pitting her against Jean gives us a real glimpse into the differences between a popular "Common" twit and the beast that Ashley really is...While this may feel like a stereotypical cast of high school teens, we quickly see their differences, and the politics when dealing with the different preternaturals gives us a larger glimpse into the actual Preter world that Jean finds herself in.
This review wouldn't be complete without a mention of Spider. Spider is in fact my favorite character of this book, both complex and yet at times obvious in his actions and affections. You can tell that the author put a lot of thought into how he would interact with the different Preters in his school, and with Jean in particular. With each chapter, you learn a little more about Spider while realizing how much you still don't know. I look forward to reading more about him in the next story.
My only complaint about this book is that I want to read the next...And it's not here yet! Write faster, T.R. Allardice, please!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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