Series: The Orphan Queen (bk. 1)
Genera(s): High Fantasy/Romance
Subjects: magic, kingdoms, queens and kings, princes
and princesses
Setting: The Indigo Kingdom (The map in the book
resembles Virginia and Maryland)
POV/Tense: 1st person POV, past tense:
Wilhelmina Korte
Age/Grade Level: Teen
Length: 391 pgs.
HC/PB: Hardcover
List Price: $17.99
Publisher: HarperTeen: Katherine Tegan
Summary/ product description: “Wilhelmina has a hundred
identities.
She is a
princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other
orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s
capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft.
With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.
She is a
spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their
foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but
enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey
missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil
can’t trust anyone.
She is a
threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic
has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the
land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom.
Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the
vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the
others.
Jodi
Meadows introduces a vivid new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, dangerous
magic, and one girl’s battle to reclaim her place in the world.”
My Review: I
enjoyed this book a lot. I’m a fan of Jodi Meadows’s Incarnate Trilogy, so I
was excited when I found out about this book. The title made me unsure of
whether I would like it. I’m not a fan of high fantasy that sticks to the whole
classic, historical medieval Europe-like society. This one was different,
thankfully.
It’s got kingdoms and magic, but there’s some mention
of technology created by magic, like railroads and architecture, and now that
magic’s banned, they use gas light. The magic has created wraith the way using
fossil fuels has caused global warming. It’s almost an alternate world, or a
metaphor. This book is full of fighting creature made by wraith, deception and
scandal. The Orphan Queen is similar to books like the Young Elites by Marie
Lu, Snow Like Ashes by Sarah Raasch and the Red Queen by Victoria Avyard.
Wilhelmina is an interesting heroine and narrator.
She’s a princess trying to take back her kingdom. She pretends to be a duchess
to gain entry into the Skyvale Palace. She also forges documents and has
learned to copy handwriting. She’s great at fighting and jumping from rooftops.
She can animate objects with her magic. She’s part of the Ospreys, a group of
orphans of Aecor’s nobility. Their parents were killed in the One Night War,
and their kingdom taken over by The Indigo Kingdom.
There’s also a vigilante called the Black Knife. He’s
kind of like the fantasy version of Arrow or Daredevil, but he wears all black
and uses a sword. I really enjoy the combination of fantasy and superhero
elements. The Black Knife doesn’t have magic or powers though. I was not
surprised when I found out his identity. He’s obviously not some random street
guy. He’s someone that Wil has meet earlier, not wearing a mask. No spoilers
though. But I find the whole vigilante romance kind of hot.
I can’t wait for more. I’ll read anything by Jodi
Meadows.
Cover Art Review: I love that cloak on the cover. So
beautiful. And the colors are gorgeous. Indigo like the kingdom. I with the
jacket was actually metallic.
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