Book Reviews: The Queen’s Rising and Grace and Fury

The Queen’s Rising by Rebecca Ross is not the type of book I typically read. It is a YA (young adult) fantasy and even though I read a ton of YA, I don’t often read fantasy.

This book is beautifully written.

Ms. Ross has a way of crafting lovely sentences and description. Sometimes a bit too much description for me because I usually read more fast-paced books, but I didn’t get bored.

The main character is a girl named Brienna. In the first section of the book, she desires only two things: to master her passion and to be chosen by a patron. Growing up in Valenia at the renowned Magnalia House should have prepared her. While some are born with a talent for one of the five passions—art, music, dramatics, wit, and knowledge—Brienna struggled to find hers until she chose knowledge.

Several characters are introduced in this part of the book and each one is well-drawn, from the lady who runs the school to Brienna’s young master teacher, Cartier. Brienna has a huge crush on Cartier. However, Brienna’s greatest fear comes true: she is left without a patron.

Months later, her life takes an unexpected turn when a disgraced lord offers her patronage. Suspicious of his intent, she reluctantly accepts. But there is much more to his story, for there is a dangerous plot to overthrow the king of Maevana—the rival kingdom of Valenia—and restore the rightful queen, and her magic, to the throne.

This is when the book picks up speed and excitement, so naturally the last half of the book is my favorite.

The writing style is still flowing and languid but contains a lot of drama. I enjoyed the world Ms. Ross created, much like renaissance France but steeped in fantasy and magic.

The story contains romance, drama, intrigue and passion. There is a sequel but the book ends with a satisfying conclusion. I appreciated this because some YA books are ending on cliff-hangers lately. As a reader, I don’t like to feel compelled to read the next book.

I give this book five stars for beautiful writing and plot and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a slower paced read. The book doesn’t contain any sensual content or objectionable behavior, though there is a bit of violence. It is not a Christian book but I am comfortable with Christian teens reading this book.

Grace and Fury, Tracy Banghart

Grace and Fury, by Tracy Banghart, is the type of book I enjoy reading. It is well-written, fast-paced and full of excitement. It is a YA, speculative book and the characters live in a cruel world.

Serina Tessaro has been groomed her whole life to become a Grace–someone to stand by the heir to the throne as a shining, subjugated example of the perfect woman. It’s her chance to secure a better life for her family, and to keep her headstrong younger sister, Nomi, out of trouble. But when Nomi catches the Heir’s eye instead, Serina is the one who takes the fall for the dangerous secret her sister has been hiding.

Nomi is miserable in the male-dominated palace and feels guilty that her sister has been sent to an island prison. Serina struggles on the island where she must fight to the death to survive.

What an exciting plot! I was very anxious to read this book and zipped through it quickly.

I had hoped to be able to give Grace and Fury a great recommendation but I can’t. I award Ms. Banghart a five star rating for her writing ability. She is a great writer, but I find a few things objectionable so I can’t recommend this for younger teens.

The male-dominated world described in this book is very brutal, especially during the prison scenes where women are forced to fight one another and the violence is rampant. At the palace women are treated like decorative objects who must please men.

Sisterhood and equality are themes of the book and that is admirable, and a couple of the male characters are honorable, but for the most part men are portrayed in a negative way. The fact that a teenage girl causally mentions that she was in love with another girl, and the harem- like atmosphere at the palace may not be issues that teens are ready to explore. 

Older teens and young adults will enjoy this book because it is thrilling and captivating, but sadly I cannot recommend it to young teens, readers searching for Christian values or very sensitive individuals.

I would love to know what you think about these reviews. If you’ve read these books I’d enjoy knowing your opinions.

Happy Reading!