A review by ryuutchi
In the Court of the Nameless Queen by Natalie Ironside
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- 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
2.75
I really wanted to like this book, I really did. It had some spectacular moments. But the plots were shallow and most of the characters were basically cardboard cut outs. Steff and Freydis were the only characters who got actual character development, and even then their interior lives weren't given the kind of depth I would have liked.
Sex scenes were great, but honestly the best part for me was the ovipositor scene at the beginning.
The character voices all tended to blur together, to the point where Freydis and one of her friends separately describe dissatisfaction with the Nameless Queen as "royal consort not doing enough consorting" two scenes apart. The pet names are all basically the same (there are only so many times I can handle "little pet" and "pretty girl" before I start wanting to mix it up a bit.)
The weird choice to include IRL gods as the point of worship for all of the non-protagonist communities REALLY threw me. Why is Christianity in this universe? How are Pan and Dionysus gods that supposedly exist in this universe that is not using contemporary stuff anywhere else. (Also Yasmine mentions "the prophet, peace be upon him", so Islam exists I guess too). Maybe there's world building that didn't make it into this book that explains why Christianity and Greek gods and maybe Islam exist in Celtic/Viking Spider Magic Land.
Sex scenes were great, but honestly the best part for me was the ovipositor scene at the beginning.
The character voices all tended to blur together, to the point where Freydis and one of her friends separately describe dissatisfaction with the Nameless Queen as "royal consort not doing enough consorting" two scenes apart. The pet names are all basically the same (there are only so many times I can handle "little pet" and "pretty girl" before I start wanting to mix it up a bit.)
The weird choice to include IRL gods as the point of worship for all of the non-protagonist communities REALLY threw me. Why is Christianity in this universe? How are Pan and Dionysus gods that supposedly exist in this universe that is not using contemporary stuff anywhere else. (Also Yasmine mentions "the prophet, peace be upon him", so Islam exists I guess too). Maybe there's world building that didn't make it into this book that explains why Christianity and Greek gods and maybe Islam exist in Celtic/Viking Spider Magic Land.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Deadnaming, Gore, and War
Minor: Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry