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A review by tiombaby
North Queen by Nicola Tyche
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This book had me in the first half, not gonna lie. But I’m going to include the quote that turned things around for me. “Although their faces were covered, Norah could see they were darker-skinned people, the color of bronzed sand.” Nothing wrong with the quote itself, right? But then the rest of the story happens. And as Norah is whisked deeper into the land of Kharav and pulled into the customs of their people, it was like the beginnings of colonialism. Norah, in this land with people of bronze skin. They kill and murderer without thought and it is so unlike the North where she and her fellow pale people live. The bronze skinned people take multiple wives and go in various states of undress which the North shames.
And meanwhile this king, which she has mixed feelings for, is forgoing customs, bending rules, allowing Norah to break terms of their agreement, all because he fancies her. Every complaint Norah has about the customs of Mikael’s people, he addresses and changes. It didn’t sit right with me.
It put a bad taste in my mouth and really underlies the importance of sensitivity readers. We have seen time and time again where people of darker complexion are seen as “savage” and “uncivilized” because their ways are not what white people are used to. And though this story may not use those terms, it’s written in between the lines. If someone from a marginalized community of color had read this, maybe it would’ve been caught. Maybe someone of a marginalized community did read this and saw no error. But I take that and raise changing the rhetoric we continue to spit in the world that white is pure and good and dark is bad.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
And meanwhile this king, which she has mixed feelings for, is forgoing customs, bending rules, allowing Norah to break terms of their agreement, all because he fancies her. Every complaint Norah has about the customs of Mikael’s people, he addresses and changes. It didn’t sit right with me.
It put a bad taste in my mouth and really underlies the importance of sensitivity readers. We have seen time and time again where people of darker complexion are seen as “savage” and “uncivilized” because their ways are not what white people are used to. And though this story may not use those terms, it’s written in between the lines. If someone from a marginalized community of color had read this, maybe it would’ve been caught. Maybe someone of a marginalized community did read this and saw no error. But I take that and raise changing the rhetoric we continue to spit in the world that white is pure and good and dark is bad.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.