A stunning blend of vivid fantasy and political drama, The Vanished Queen is the timely story of a young resistance fighter working to overthrow a totalitarian ruler’s regime of terror and lies. “[G]ripping…this is the novel the world needs now” (Kate Heartfield, Nebula Award finalist and author of Aurora Award-winning novel Armed in Her Fashion). Long ago, Queen Mirantha vanished. King … Long ago, Queen Mirantha vanished. King Karolje claimed she was assassinated by a neighboring ruler, but her people knew the truth: the king had Disappeared her himself.
Now the queen’s disappearance is hardly a memory–merely one among many horrors the king’s reign has wrought. But when Anza, a young student impassioned by her father’s unjust execution, finds the missing queen’s diary, she is inspired by Mirantha’s words–joins the resistance group to overthrow the king.
Prince Esvar is the second son to an evil king. Trapped under his thumb and desperate for a way out, a chance meeting with Anza gives him the opportunity to join the resistance. Together, they might have the leverage to move against the king–but if they fail, their deaths could mean a total loss of freedom for generations to follow. In this dangerous game of court politics, one misstep could lead to a fate worse than death.
Set in a world where resistance is as dangerous as it is important, The Vanished Queen is a “big, dark, intricate novel” (Lousia Morgan, author of A Secret History of Witches) about the courage and sacrifice it requires to take on a tyrant.
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Fiery autumnal hillsides, twilight, and lamplight gilding the mist; but what you smell in the air is revolution.
The Vanished Queen has everything to satisfy a fantasy fan: exquisite prose, great action sequences, politics, visceral detail; Campbell has an eye for beauty, but doesn’t shy away from death, injury, and poverty.
Genre elements are used sparingly and with great taste; after all, at its core, this is a story of a mother’s love for her sons (balanced by their hatred for their own father) and a woman’s journey to discovering herself.
One of the strengths of this novel is the character development. The author skillfully utilizes point of view, dialogue, and events in the plot to create well-developed, dynamic, and interesting characters.
I love that the story is narrated from three different points of view. This gives the reader a well-rounded view of what is happening in this world. Furthermore, by including Queen Mirantha’s perspective using journals from the past shows how long King Karolje’s oppressive and murderous rule has devastated their kingdom.
Prince Esvar’s perspective is much different from his mother’s, which is vastly different from Anza’s. Yet, they share the same goal. Using the varied narration allows the reader to see a rebellion on all levels and from different perspectives. Small and large rebellions have significance and worth in the lives of these characters, and they all work toward the betterment of their kingdom.
I also like the growing relationship between Anza and Prince Esvar. They are very similar in their loneliness and isolation as well as in their desires for the kingdom. They are both complex and dynamic characters that do unsavory things even though they don’t want to. They see the bigger picture and do what they have to for those they care about. They definitely have a strong connection, and their love story is a bright spot in an otherwise heavy story.
I do think that the story is a bit slow. There is a tremendous amount of character and plot development. Extended conversations, interactions, and thoughts lead to strong and dynamic character and dynamic world-building, but sometimes get tedious, especially at the beginning. That being said, the political intrigue is engrossing, as are the stories of the major characters.
Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
The Vanished Queen was a huge struggle for me to read. The cover was a draw, and the synopsis sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately, the execution fell terribly flat for me.
My main issue was the characters, especially the main ones, Anza and Esvar. They were all very dull and boring without any distinguishing characteristics. I could not relate to or care about either of them, and that’s a major reason why the rest of the story didn’t work for me.
The story in general dragged on and on and on. It seemed as if a lot was going on, but then nothing actually happened. I even put it away for awhile and came back, hoping I’d be in a mindset where this book would appeal to me. No such luck.
Also, I’m sure this wasn’t the case, but at times it felt like every other character in the book was one of Anza’s past lovers. It was a bit much.
There is a significant amount of dark content and possible triggers for some people (rape, abortion, torture, abuse and the like). While these subjects were never really discussed in depth or especially descriptive, it may bother some.
I really hate to give such a low rating, but I struggled HARD with this one.
***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***