A review by _groovyginger_
The Lost Queen, by Signe Pike
2.0
**2.5 stars** The Lost Queen is full of beautiful and poetic pieces of prose. From the beginning, the writing is insightful and lyrical. That's probably the most positive thing I can say about the book.
Languoreth is such a passive and reactive character. I wanted to root for her, but she doesn't actually do much or do anything of her own accord. She's almost weak, but with such a fiery temperament you wouldn't think this would be the case. I wanted to like her, and I did at times, but it never really lasted. This book has far greater characters who would have made great narrators. Languoreth doesn't seem like she's at the forefront of her own story, when the author could have chosen to make her be. If her story is truly so 'lost' and unknown, the author absolutely has the power to make her more of a hero in her own tale. It seems like I was just watching the men's actions through Languoreth's eyes. This book also seems too YA for me.
One of the biggest critiques I have is that so much is left out of this book. This is a trilogy, right? That should mean there's enough room and time to include more of a complete and well-rounded story. From the beginning, I wish there could have been more scenes or flashbacks with Languoreth's mother. But the more I read, the more I realized so much is left out and skipped over just to be recounted in short, bland summaries. Why not just include it? The departure of Ariane, for example. Ariane was one of the best characters and best aspects of this book, only for the author to write her off abruptly. I mean, the goodbye between her and Languoreth happens off page! Why?!
I'm sure (at least I hope) Ariane shows up in the other books in the series because she was so intriguing and I almost hoped she was a time traveler. This book was compared to Outlander, after all. But Ariane just leaves, and the rest of the book makes almost nothing of it.
This book is almost bloated with dialogue; there are certainly more talking scenes than action scenes. My favorite part was during the mid summer celebration where Languoreth was able to have a little more freedom with her lover. That was well done, but it didn't last. The book falls off again after this section.
Finally, Part Four begins with a 17 YEAR (!!) time jump, with only about two pages of a recap. Two pages to reorient the reader after 17 years. There were just a couple sentences to say goodbye to some truly great characters who died off-page in that 17 year period. I had grown to love some of the characters who died in that time, only to be robbed of any real closure. If this is truly a trilogy of Languoreth's whole life, surely there is room enough for everything. I expected a small time jump, that certainly happens in novels often, but nothing like this. If there was nothing 'interesting' that happened in those 17 years, why not rewrite Languoreth's story so there would have been?
The author took too few liberties and I honestly think Languoreth is still the 'lost queen' because her story hasn't been told to satisfaction yet. I don't think she would be pleased to be presented so passive and boring. I truly hope the subsequent books are better, but I'm not sure I'll be reading them.
Also, one last thought. The Lost Queen is NOTHING like any of the books it's been compared to: Outlander and The Mists of Avalon. These feature strong women, and in the case of Mists of Avalon, female Arthurian characters who have their story told in a more active and empowering way. The Lost Queen can hardly be compared to any great works of Arthurian legend, unless the other books in the trilogy get better.
Languoreth is such a passive and reactive character. I wanted to root for her, but she doesn't actually do much or do anything of her own accord. She's almost weak, but with such a fiery temperament you wouldn't think this would be the case. I wanted to like her, and I did at times, but it never really lasted. This book has far greater characters who would have made great narrators. Languoreth doesn't seem like she's at the forefront of her own story, when the author could have chosen to make her be. If her story is truly so 'lost' and unknown, the author absolutely has the power to make her more of a hero in her own tale. It seems like I was just watching the men's actions through Languoreth's eyes. This book also seems too YA for me.
One of the biggest critiques I have is that so much is left out of this book. This is a trilogy, right? That should mean there's enough room and time to include more of a complete and well-rounded story. From the beginning, I wish there could have been more scenes or flashbacks with Languoreth's mother. But the more I read, the more I realized so much is left out and skipped over just to be recounted in short, bland summaries. Why not just include it? The departure of Ariane, for example. Ariane was one of the best characters and best aspects of this book, only for the author to write her off abruptly. I mean, the goodbye between her and Languoreth happens off page! Why?!
I'm sure (at least I hope) Ariane shows up in the other books in the series because she was so intriguing and I almost hoped she was a time traveler. This book was compared to Outlander, after all. But Ariane just leaves, and the rest of the book makes almost nothing of it.
This book is almost bloated with dialogue; there are certainly more talking scenes than action scenes. My favorite part was during the mid summer celebration where Languoreth was able to have a little more freedom with her lover. That was well done, but it didn't last. The book falls off again after this section.
Finally, Part Four begins with a 17 YEAR (!!) time jump, with only about two pages of a recap. Two pages to reorient the reader after 17 years. There were just a couple sentences to say goodbye to some truly great characters who died off-page in that 17 year period. I had grown to love some of the characters who died in that time, only to be robbed of any real closure. If this is truly a trilogy of Languoreth's whole life, surely there is room enough for everything. I expected a small time jump, that certainly happens in novels often, but nothing like this. If there was nothing 'interesting' that happened in those 17 years, why not rewrite Languoreth's story so there would have been?
The author took too few liberties and I honestly think Languoreth is still the 'lost queen' because her story hasn't been told to satisfaction yet. I don't think she would be pleased to be presented so passive and boring. I truly hope the subsequent books are better, but I'm not sure I'll be reading them.
Also, one last thought. The Lost Queen is NOTHING like any of the books it's been compared to: Outlander and The Mists of Avalon. These feature strong women, and in the case of Mists of Avalon, female Arthurian characters who have their story told in a more active and empowering way. The Lost Queen can hardly be compared to any great works of Arthurian legend, unless the other books in the trilogy get better.