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A review by brittney_tyler
The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst
5.0
Star Rating: 5 stars!!!!!!
My local library recently was able to get a finished copy of The Reluctant Queen by Sarah Beth Durst early so I decided to pick the 1st one up off my library shelf and read it to see if I was interested in the series and wanted to read the new one. The 1st one is called The Queen of Blood and it is the story of a girl called Daleina who at the age of ten goes through a very traumatic experience- her entire village is destroyed by rampaging nature spirits with her family being the only survivors due to her discovering an ability to control the spirits. Because of this experience, she decides to learn more about her ability and, potentially, use it to save others from going through an experience like hers.
One of the best things about this book is the setting and how that setting plays into the story. Renthia, the land in which this book is set, is filled with different kingdoms that have different environments, mostly due to the fact that each land has an affinity for a certain kind of nature spirit. There are the mountains of Semo, the frozen wastes of Elhim, the meadows of Chell, the islands of Belene, and the kingdom in which this story is set, the forest of Aratay. Within the towering forests of Aratay, the citizens have adapted to their environment by building their entire infrastructure within the boughs of the giant red-wood height trees, connecting them with zip-lines, bridges, and ladders. With every structure that is built, though, the forest spirits become angry because they want nature to stay pristine and not be touched by anyone, and since humans leave such a scar on the land, they are particularly vindictive towards them. It is the job of the queen, her champions, and her heirs (girls trained to take over in the event of her death) to keep these spirits from wreaking havoc. This ancient conflict adds an interesting perspective to the story because it gives the land a voice and allows Durst to show us what the land would feel about our actions concerning it. It was a nice change to the whole villain troupe too because most books have a human/magical creature as a villain, but in this one Durst makes the very land itself the villain and it was just a nice shakeup to the traditional villain troupe, which is a breath of fresh air for those of us who read a lot of fantasy.
Speaking of shaking up troupes, Durst does that multiple times in this book. Whereas books usually feature a “chosen one” as the main character, Durst chooses a girl filled with self-doubt that is at the bottom of her class as her hero. Daleina desperately wants to become a hero and she has the right intentions at heart, but she doesn’t have the power that heroes traditionally have, not like Merecot. Merecot has al l the traditional traits of a hero, but she has no desire to be- all she wants is power. By flipping these two troupes, Durst gives the story a whole new meaning by showing us that you don’t have to be perfect or have all the power or answers to be the “chosen one.” You just have to willing to step up and do the right thing even when no one else will. Another example would be Ven, the disgraced champion. Instead of being the young, dashing warrior whom everyone loves, he has fallen out of favor with the queen and is now forced to roam the forest taking on mercenary jobs. However, while all the other champions are ignoring the signs concerning the queen (trying not to give spoilers), he sees them and sets out to do something about them, even if it means forsaking everything that he loves. By the end, he proves that he is willing to make the hard choices for the good of Aratay, thus proving that, again, just like Daleina heroes can come from surprising places.
When it comes down to it, this book spoke to me on a deep emotional level because it had the immersive quality that I loved so much and characters that I could relate to. I started this book and was, immediately, able to sink into the story and get lost. I see this as the hallmark of a good book, if it can help an anxious, socially awkward person get out of her head and away from people who don’t understand her. It gave me the escapism I crave and allowed me to go on an adventure which I would never have the courage to go on by myself. If you like atmospheric books with classic themes told in interesting ways, than this book is for you!
My local library recently was able to get a finished copy of The Reluctant Queen by Sarah Beth Durst early so I decided to pick the 1st one up off my library shelf and read it to see if I was interested in the series and wanted to read the new one. The 1st one is called The Queen of Blood and it is the story of a girl called Daleina who at the age of ten goes through a very traumatic experience- her entire village is destroyed by rampaging nature spirits with her family being the only survivors due to her discovering an ability to control the spirits. Because of this experience, she decides to learn more about her ability and, potentially, use it to save others from going through an experience like hers.
One of the best things about this book is the setting and how that setting plays into the story. Renthia, the land in which this book is set, is filled with different kingdoms that have different environments, mostly due to the fact that each land has an affinity for a certain kind of nature spirit. There are the mountains of Semo, the frozen wastes of Elhim, the meadows of Chell, the islands of Belene, and the kingdom in which this story is set, the forest of Aratay. Within the towering forests of Aratay, the citizens have adapted to their environment by building their entire infrastructure within the boughs of the giant red-wood height trees, connecting them with zip-lines, bridges, and ladders. With every structure that is built, though, the forest spirits become angry because they want nature to stay pristine and not be touched by anyone, and since humans leave such a scar on the land, they are particularly vindictive towards them. It is the job of the queen, her champions, and her heirs (girls trained to take over in the event of her death) to keep these spirits from wreaking havoc. This ancient conflict adds an interesting perspective to the story because it gives the land a voice and allows Durst to show us what the land would feel about our actions concerning it. It was a nice change to the whole villain troupe too because most books have a human/magical creature as a villain, but in this one Durst makes the very land itself the villain and it was just a nice shakeup to the traditional villain troupe, which is a breath of fresh air for those of us who read a lot of fantasy.
Speaking of shaking up troupes, Durst does that multiple times in this book. Whereas books usually feature a “chosen one” as the main character, Durst chooses a girl filled with self-doubt that is at the bottom of her class as her hero. Daleina desperately wants to become a hero and she has the right intentions at heart, but she doesn’t have the power that heroes traditionally have, not like Merecot. Merecot has al l the traditional traits of a hero, but she has no desire to be- all she wants is power. By flipping these two troupes, Durst gives the story a whole new meaning by showing us that you don’t have to be perfect or have all the power or answers to be the “chosen one.” You just have to willing to step up and do the right thing even when no one else will. Another example would be Ven, the disgraced champion. Instead of being the young, dashing warrior whom everyone loves, he has fallen out of favor with the queen and is now forced to roam the forest taking on mercenary jobs. However, while all the other champions are ignoring the signs concerning the queen (trying not to give spoilers), he sees them and sets out to do something about them, even if it means forsaking everything that he loves. By the end, he proves that he is willing to make the hard choices for the good of Aratay, thus proving that, again, just like Daleina heroes can come from surprising places.
When it comes down to it, this book spoke to me on a deep emotional level because it had the immersive quality that I loved so much and characters that I could relate to. I started this book and was, immediately, able to sink into the story and get lost. I see this as the hallmark of a good book, if it can help an anxious, socially awkward person get out of her head and away from people who don’t understand her. It gave me the escapism I crave and allowed me to go on an adventure which I would never have the courage to go on by myself. If you like atmospheric books with classic themes told in interesting ways, than this book is for you!