Member Reviews
Not for me. I tried several times to read this and couldn't get into it. Thank you for giving me the opportunity.
Peasant to ruler is always fun, but I've seen other stories do it much better. Didn't really find this to be that original, but it was still entertaining.
I really loved the unique idea of this story. Coin made a great MC. She was complicated and pragmatic. The mystery of her tattoo and how she came to possess it, kept me hooked. There were a few lulls in the story but not enough for me to put it down. I do have some questions about the background of the book setting. I hope some of that and the little nugget of information left hanging at the end of the book will be answered in the next installment.
Great read for anyone 14 and up.
Mild to moderate adult situations and violence.
Not too far off the general idea of Red Queen, i had the nagging thought that I’d already read this book as I read it. It was entertaining but not overall very different from other books in a similar genre.
I absolutely adored this book. It grabbed me from the very beginning, and held onto me the whole time. The characters were so strong and well written, relatable and engaging. The story kept me guessing as to what was gonna happen next, how was it all going to end. Definitely a must read for those looking for a well paced YA fantasy with excellent character development.
Fans of The Red Queen will love this book. A standalone novel that explores what happens when the lowest class of a city, people not even considered citizens, inexplicably gets named Queen. This book is fast paced and surprising in direction. Loved it. and while i am glad it wasnt part of a series (tired of cliffhangers) i find myself wishing for more.
I have been trying to read The Nameless Queen for a long time and I can't finish it. I'm a third of the way in and I'm still not hooked. I'm going to put this book on the back burner and do a more thorough review if I ever get the desire to pick this book back up.
Here are the reasons I am DNFing:
-Too much like other YA Fantasy, it doesn't feel unique enough to finish.
-I am almost halfway into the novel and nothing has hooked me
-The protagonist isn't very likable or relatable
What I do like:
-The world is built really well
-Has a clear hierarchy
-The plot is easy to follow
I actually quit this book because I wasn't in the right mood for it at the time.
I don't have any issues, and intend to give it another try in the very near future!
Full review to come!
Synopsis: One girl must make a name for herself–or die trying –in this royal fantasy where an unknown peasant becomes the ultimate ruler. But how long can she keep the crown if everyone wants her dead? Perfect for fans of Furyborn, Red Queen, and Everless.
Everyone expected the king’s daughter would inherit the throne. No one expected me.
It shouldn’t even be possible. I’m Nameless, a class of citizens so disrespected, we don’t even get names. Heck, dozens of us have been going missing for months and no one seems to care.
But there’s no denying the tattoo emblazoned on my arm. I am queen. In a palace where the corridors are more dangerous the streets, though, how could I possibly rule? And what will become of the Nameless if I don’t?
Nameless Queen follows a girl who calls herself Coin, a Nameless non-citizen of the Kingdom of Seriden. She’s a grifter, thief, and master escape artist. Not to mention full of sass.
The world building was fully immersive. I loved the feel of the Kingdom and the minimal discussions of the 13 other kingdoms that were part of the “Treaty.” It left a lot of room for growth and things to be explored in the next book(s).
Bonus points for this book: female friendships +10, no romance +5.
One issue that I had was the conversational flow throughout the book. Nearly each time people interacted with each other, it felt stiff and awkward. I much preferred the internal dialogue. But, as we all know, a book with a weird communication issue does not a 5 star make. Unfortunately, this was the main issue this book receives a 3 from me.
With that said, I am very much looking forward to the next book in this series. Nameless Queen has a HUGE potential for growth, and I am fully on board with this world that Rebecca has built.
Thank you to the publishers and those over at NetGalley for sending me an eARC.
I made it 15% through the book and just didn’t care. Like at all. It moved too quickly and too slowly at the same time for me.
I thoroughly enjoyed this. Just goes to show that I just have to take reviews from others with a grain of salt. Especially if the book centers around an unlikely girl taking the throne because that's pretty much catnip for me.
I realized that I enjoy worlds with caste systems. The Royals/Legals/Nameless system was kind of reminiscent of The Selection's number system. I also liked how the Nameless were literally nameless and they created their own names (Coin, Hat, Devil, Marcher, etc.). There was also one part I loved in the middle of the book where someone asks one of the Nameless why she chose a specific name and Coin jumps in to say that it's not an appropriate question because sometimes names are chosen for private and personal reasons. I just loved how that simple little rule existed for the Nameless, like they created their own social etiquette.
A tattoo that transfers to another person once the Royal speaks their name as heir? Love it.
Political intrigue and deception? Love it.
A battle for the crown? Love it.
So many things to love.
As for what I didn't love, everything seemed to happen a bit too smoothly and predictably. I was hoping for a twist that never came just because I wanted to be surprised. I think this story had such a potential for a huge reveal, but Coin finding out who she is was a little anticlimactic because it was easy to piece together myself. This book does leave some things open for a possible sequel and I'm hoping there will be some unexpected bombs in that one should this continue onto a series.
Overall, a fun, quick read and it'll please anyone that likes a good squabble for the throne.
This was an amazing read! It's been a while where I've read a book that was as engaging, interesting, and truly thoughtful. The characters were complex and genuine, and they really pondered the social issues presented in the book, instead of jumping to a superficial and ultimately unsatisfying conclusion.
There were many twists along the way, which kept you on your toes and never knowing what to expect next.
Perhaps what I love the most about this story was how quotable it is. There were so many lines throughout that just resonated with me and spoke so much wisdom and truth. It was a fun fantasy story, but it went beyond entertainment to make me stop and think about what it means to be a good citizen and a compassionate person. You can't ask more from a book than that.
NetGalley allowed me to read this book, but the review and opinions are entirely my own.
I reaaaaally wanted to like this one, but I just couldn't gel with the story.
I felt like the pacing was slower than I normally prefer, but understand the necessity.
It wasn't for me, but it's mainly because I'm very finicky when it comes to this genre. I do think that others may feel differently, so I'm curious to see other reviewer thoughts.
I liked a lot about this book - especially the the emphasis on family and the author's writing, which was well done. But I just didn't love the story. The world wasn't very well drawn and the characters didn't feel very real to me. I didn't see certain aspects of the plot coming, which is always a plus, but I wasn't left feeling like I had just read a story that I couldn't wait to read more of. There are definitely better YA fantasies out there to spend time reading.
Wasnt my favorite book. There were several things I didnt like. The names disorganized world building, kinda predictable. Mary Sue acquisition of her royalty status and power wouldn't a favorite.
I wouldn't recommend this to a friend but that's just my opinion!
This was a really fun fantasy read, with a strong sisterhood vibe, and a really interesting system of magic.
Coin and her best friend Hat are Nameless. Orphaned, and living on the street, they get by as a shadow class of people, immune to law, and to its protections. And yet, when a new queen is named, it's Coin who bears the impossible tattoo, declaring her the next leader of her kingdom. Suddenly, she's empowered with magic that no Nameless should know, and every royal in the kingdom seems to want her dead.
I found this to be a super fun read, with a cool world and a strong class structure and political backbone.
A few elements gave me hesitation: allusions to slavery and implications of sexual assault. Neither of these was explored in a very deep way, and their presence was just enough to be disturbing without resolution.
I'm not sure I would want to see a white writer tackle deeper experiences of slavery, but it did give me hesitation to read a book with am implicitly white cast alluding to these elements in a topical way.
As for the implications of sexual assault, I'm not sure if they were even intentional, but by characterizing a male character as very bad and dangerous without clarifying why, this gave way to a nauseous rendering of all the things he might have done. To me, this felt like a great horror that went unaddressed. In this case I think being more explicit about what did or did not happen in the past would have quelled some ugly distractions.
This was a book filled with powerful women, and relatively few men. I adored how obsessed Coin was with a royal guard's beard, and this made for a special friendship with one of the very few men with a central role.
I did read the protagonist as super super gay, though there was no on-page romance. The only amorous advances toward her were by another Nameless girl, and I was a little sad that nothing came of their budding friendship.
I'm hoping that this book is the start of a series, and that more can develop there!!
I had such high expectations for this story, I found the synopsis to be very intriguing, but ended up being lackluster, I was deeply disappointed by this book.
The biggest issue I had with the book is the female main character Coin herself, she was a Mary Sue protagonist. Coin was instantly good at everything she did, she completely lacked the learning curve when it came to her skills. She wouldn't have any previous experience in something, and she would immediately a master in it. She as a character was one of the two things that completely ruined the book for me.
The other thing that ruined the book for me was the world-building, which was terrible. Some rules were stated in one section of the book and then would completely contradict it in another section. I also could tell you anything about how Seriden is as a place, or about the people who live there, these things are never elaborated or expanded on in the book.
To be honest, the only reason I didn't just DNF this is because I was given it as an ARC but it took me a long time to read and finish. If you want a book that contains royalty, thieves, and a fantasy castle system, there are better books out there you could read.
The concept was something I was very much interested in and had so much potential, but sadly, it made zero sense. The world building was weak and poorly defined. The characters were monotone, similar in many ways, and there was no chemistry. It felt like it was written by a twelve year old who has a dream of becoming a writer and maybe in a few years after she’s learned a little more on how to construct a story that can actually move someone to feel the characters emotions and believe what the main character is fighting for, then she should rewrite it and publish it then. It was inconsistent and even the timeline was sloppily edited (For example, in the same conversation she state there’s six days until the festival but lasted in the conversation mentions it’s the next day).
he publisher provided me with the opportunity to read this in exchange for providing feedback. (via NetGalley)
Easy enough read but felt like it was missing some things. It seemed like the characters just did things and there was little world building/the types of people were barely described. I know it's a fantasy type world but it seemed like some things were just too easy. She fell into magic and was all of a sudden an expert??
This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 4 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!