A review by ariellesbookreviews
Queen of Myth and Monsters by Scarlett St. Clair

  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

This book really took a left turn. What Scarlet St. Clair started out in King of Battle of Blood has disappeared. Readers are shown entirely different characters with completely new backstories. 

In book one, the reader is led to believe that the kingdom of Redvak is misunderstood and is not filled with brutal monsters. However, what has developed in Queen of the Myth and Monsters seems to show some truth to the rumors. King Adrian has essentially become an ineffective and terrible ruler. He continuously murders his people for disagreeing with him and continues his quest to conquer; however, the reader is never given a definitive reason. Adrian is shown to place his motives above those of his people and Isolde. 

Isolde continually makes excuses for Adrian and his abhorrent behavior, but she has no real power. Isolde is overlooked by both Adrian and the court during court decisions despite having better leadership skills and care for the people. Since King of Battle and Blood, Adrian says he wants more than a wife; he wants a queen, but he continually dismisses Isolde’s thoughts and feelings. I cannot see a way forward in this series for me to continue to root for this relationship, and at this point in time, I believe Adrian is becoming the villain. Perhaps he always was.

A Queen of Myth and Monsters is a lot darker than its predecessor. While there were some darker aspects to the story in the first book, the amount of graphic and horrendous backstories readers are getting has dramatically increased. St. Clair intersects trauma with smut scenes, and it is very discombobulating and can feel inappropriate. Going from reading about someone who is being assaulted to getting a sex scene between the two main characters is jarring and uncomfortable.  

It sometimes feels like the author is just adding trauma to the story for trauma's sake. For example, you learned that Yesenia was assaulted before she was murdered by Dragos, but that has no effect on the story. Isolde does not remember the trauma of the assault, so why it is brought up to the reader does not make sense. Dragos has already been villainized in the story, so adding these assaults seems almost redundant. St. Clair may be trying to create a narrative of anti-misogyny, does not develop soon enough in the storyline to better the plot. 


Some of the finer details of this book also do not make sense. At one point in the story, hundreds of thousands of humans are turned into vampires over maybe a week or two. The timing and logistics do not make sense, and it seems like an easy plot hole to pick out. How did just a couple of people turn so many into vampires so quickly? Where were these newly turned vampires getting food? Why would all of these vampires agree to fight in an army? Many other aspects of the ending were not developed, including Isolde's transformation into a vampire. Isolde was turned, and nothing changed, and a separate pivotal part of the book lasted only a page and a half.

At this point in the story, it feels like scarlet St. Clair has absolutely no idea what is going on and did not plot out the storyline. She appears just as confused as the reader. The book has no structure and seems to develop on a whim. Queen of Myth and Monsters was a disappointment compared to the first book, and I do not know if I will continue this series.
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