Favourite Books - The Queen's Rising Duology

It's been about a year since I wrote one of these book reviews. Lately I have been really craving to talk about the books I loved. As a bookworm, I could talk about books forever. But I don't do it as often as I would liked, mainly because I have a hard time gathering my thoughts or bad memory. Or both. So this book review might not be as thorough as it could be, but hopefully it will tell what it needs to say.

Photo by Oswaldo Ibáñez on Unsplash

Today, I will be reviewing The Queen's Rising and The Queen's Resistance by Rebecca Ross. If I remember correctly, The Queen's Rising was originally planned as a standalone. And I'm so glad it became a duology.

But first, before we get into my detailed thoughts, here's book one's blurb:

Born out of wedlock, Brienna is cast off by her noble family and sent to Magnolia House - a boarding house for those looking to study the passions: art, music, dramatics, wit and knowledge. Brienna must discover her passion and train hard to perfect her skill, in the hope that she will one day graduate and be chosen by a wealthy patron, looking to support one of the 'impassioned'. As Brienna gets closer to the eve of her graduation, she also grows closer to her smart (and handsome) tutor, Cartier. He can sense that she is hiding a secret, Brienna chooses not to reveal that she is experiencing memories of her ancestors - memories uncovering the mysteries of the past that may have dangerous consequences in the present. A daring plot is brewing - to overthrow the usurper king and restore the rightful monarchy - and Bienna's memories hold the key to its success. Cartier desperately wants to help Brienna, but she must chose her friends wisely, keep her enemies close and trust no one if she is to save herself and her people.

Book 1 rating: 💜💜💜💜 

Book 2 rating: 💜💜💜💜💜

Content: mild violence (book 2 has a mild torture scene)

Genre: fantasy

Why I love this series:

It's hard to pin point what made me fall in love with this series. I enjoyed but didn't love book 1. I liked it enough to pick up book 2 after all. I enjoyed the world. The education system - studying the passions as they are called - showed in the the beginning part of the book was fascinating to explore. And it was only deepened when Brienna found a connection to the other country next to the one she was living in (sorry I don't remember the names 😅). I love the worldbuilding in that country the best. It felt distinct if not unique. And I loved how it focused on character relationships and interactions rather than action. Because of this, the pacing of the story was slower and more casual, not afraid to let you immerse yourself in the world and learn something about each and every character on page. It focuses more on the intrigue, the mystery surrounding Brienna and how that is intertwined with everything important in the plot. But despite all those things, I came away from the story dissatisfied. While I know the romance was definitely a big factor why I didn't love it (more on it later), the main reason why I didn't was that I felt disconnected with the characters. It wasn't because they weren't written well, they were fully developed and not lacking in humanness at all, I just didn't care that much for them? The romance might have affected it a bit but it would only ruin the main characters for me and not the side characters. Yet I didn't care for them either. I'm not sure why, but nonetheless it stopped me from just completely loving this story. I need to care for the characters or the story is meaningless to me (I have real solid evidence that this is true for me 99% of the time). So overall not a waste of my time, but nothing special.

*enter The Queen's Resistance* I was in love on page 1. I have such a clear memory of just loving every single second of this book. I was instantly attached to everyone. Honestly, I was quite surprised how much I love this sequel. Yes, the writing was improved. The world was expanded perfectly by showing more traditions and culture. There was more emotional scenes and tension. Everything was done better, but really only by a little bit. It didn't feel much different from the previous book, rather using it as the foundation to build off into new areas. I know without everything book 1 had, it would not be the book it is today. It's the same with the characters. They weren't different from the last book. Again, like I can't explain why I didn't love the characters in The Queen's Rising, I can't explain why I loved these characters in this one. I know why at the end but that is spoilers and it doesn't explain why I was so hooked from the very beginning. None of them had taken the journey yet that had so decidedly confirmed to me more and more that these characters and their stories were something that I will treasure forever. I cried while reading this book, and I knew from the moment tears fell, that this story had hit me hard. I don't cry easily with fiction, as I have mentioned before, so if a piece of fiction can make my cry I know it's good.

So this world has both slowly and quickly stolen my heart. I think it was amount of the time I spend with these characters convinced me that they were worth loving and cheering on for. And I was not disappointed. My favourite scene in book 2 was the most horrible and emotional one, which sounds weird but it showed me so clearly how much the protagonist was real to me. It hurt me as much as it hurt her, but seeing her overcoming that scar was so meaningful to me.

While on the topic of Brienna, she's my favourite character and so need some attention. She goes through so much and yet is stronger because of it. I admire her strength a lot, how she doesn't let certain thing define who she is. Her strength too is more quiet than bold, like generally she doesn't focuses on her physical ability to fight through her situations, rather on her knowledge, inner courage and her sense of justice to do her goals and pursue her dreams. And I relate so hard to her because I'm the same. It's encouraging to see that a more feminine woman can fight for better things in a less traditional way. I also love how she isn't the most important character in the story. She isn't the heir to the crown. In a different story, she could have easily been that side character who would have created an interesting subplot alongside the main plot. The story could have still worked this way, but it wouldn't as good as it is with her being the protagonist. It subverts expectations this way, and I'm all for a different perspective.  

I don't think I can properly express how important this series became to me. There's no words really. Part of it is because it's been a while since I read them, but another part is that the most hard-hitting and meaningful scenes in The Queen's Resistance are the ones that must not be spoiled. The lessons and growth the characters gained from them are forever in mind.

Also Cartier having a POV in book 2 was the best addition to this story. It added so much more depth. Depth to the conflict, depth to his character and backstory, depth to the culture and world, depth as the love interest to Brienna. His POV is one of the many reasons why I loved The Queen's Resistance more than The Queen's Rising. He just didn't feel quite real as a person in the first book. He was just a character playing his role designed to him in the plot it felt like. I can safely say not one moment was he lacking of his human representation.

I don't think The Queen's Rising ever lacked what book 2 had now with hindsight. I just didn't see it. I definitely believe rereading it will give me a whole new experience and a deeper appreciation for it. I don't think it will be better than The Queen's Resistance, but most books I know of can't either so.

Pet peeves:

Disclaimer: this is a section which won't always be here. Most of the time I don't have big enough or any issues to talk about. It's called pet peeves because I thought it would be the best way to show that these are personal preferences and not something bad to do with the story or major flaws with characters, plots, worldbuilding or style. Generally if a story I find has those things I don't like them and won't ever review them here (if they are 3 stars I might review them on Goodreads). Also note that personal preferences do affect the rating and the overall enjoyment. And be aware that spoilers will likely be present here. Don't worry, I will warn you before I talk about them if they do show up.

As you've noticed above, The Queen's Rising and The Queen's Resistance have a different rating. So far when I have rated book series, they have the same rating. But The Queen's Rising has one major problem for me. (I will be going into *SPOILERS* here so you have been warned.) And that is how the romance is between a teacher and a student.

Technically, the romance was unofficial and not fully realised when they were a teacher and a student, the romance properly happened when they weren't, but it is undeniable that it started, blossomed, during that time. Even though the characters did not acted on it, they still had strong feelings for each other. It's very clear that their foundation of their romance started when they were a teacher and student to each other and not afterwards. Which is why I personally found it a little inappropriate even despite that they technically didn't have a relationship while they were a teacher and a student.

Also it bothers me how young this dude was as a teacher. Why is someone so young teaching young girls?! Isn't that like asking for an inappropriate relationship to happen? Honestly, at first I thought he was older than he actually is because he's a flipping teacher and his first appearance did not at all capture the feeling that he was really young. Of course he was young in a child's view. #lowkeyhatethis.

But book 2 mostly redeemed this relationship for me... by making me forget, except for a moment or two, that he was a teacher to her at all. Which honestly didn't technically redeemed it at all. But I adore them as a couple and I find them so cute together (I have been so brainwashed by the sweet romance in this book not going to lie). I just erased from my mind that they were a teacher and a student once and then I'm a very happy romantic. 😂 #headcanon

Overall, this is a light fantasy that will take you on an emotional and immersive journey through both a familiar and unfamiliar world. This is a story that uses tried-and-true elements of fantastical storytelling while simultaneously adding something new to the table. 

Have you read a sequel that was better than the first book? Has a sequel changed your opinion about the first in a good or bad way? Have you read or heard of this duology?