I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I really enjoyed the concept of this story and what it was trying to accomplish. It is a tale of a girl who goes by the name Coin. She comes from a world that has three classes: Royals, Legals and the Nameless. Coin is a nameless that have to struggle to survive and in her world when a ruler is dying they whisper the name of the next ruler and a black crown tattoo appears on the person. Coin gets the mark and is scared what this means her and those like her. She is thrown in to a world that she does not know. She is not sure how she is going to accomplish anything when she is constantly looking over her shoulder for dangers. I wanted a little more from this book, but I enjoyed getting a little lost in the story.

Love a good fantasy with a twist thing going. But just want to say that I'm kind of getting tired with titles with Queen in it. They all run together in my head and I have a hard time sorting them out.

I read this when I was first given access to this and forgot to submit my comments on the book. I did write up something for the book but I haven’t put it on my goodreads yet. I remember that I thought the story was slow to start and was missing something in the beginning to really grab me as a reader. That being said I did enjoy the book, but I look at books from a teen point of view for my job and for my voya reviews. That’s why I only gave it 3 stars. In truth this book had real potential, but I see it as a book that maybe a few of my voracious readers will pick up and get through, but the majority of my teens may start it and never get past the first chapter. My real review will be posted on goodreads with a thank you to the publisher and netgalley.

Coin was doing fine living on the streets as one of the Nameless...until a tattoo shows up on her arm, marking her as the next queen. Rebecca McLaughlin's YA fantasy NAMELESS QUEEN is full of twists and turns as Coin learns to navigate the world of the crown as she once did the streets. She also discovers who she really is and what it means to open herself up to others. A thoughtful and thrilling tale of an unlikely queen.

One of the things about reading that I really dislike is when I DNF a book. And, unfortunately, Nameless Queen is one of those books. I really wanted to love Nameless Queen. The summary really intrigued me, and I liked the idea of a Nameless inheriting the throne, leading to a huge conflict with the king’s daughter and people wanting her dead. But, unfortunately, I just was not connecting with this story like I wanted to.

Coin, the main character, was someone I could not connect to at all. She was not entirely believable in her role. She’d instantly become great at everything she learned, especially the powers she inherits after receiving the crown tattoo. It is like she knew how to use those powers from the beginning, instantly knowing when someone is lying or threatening her. Everything Coin sets out to do she does so effortlessly, basically without any consequences, which led to more scenes and character actions not being believable. I also felt that, from the pages I did read, Coin did not really show many emotions. I had a hard time connecting with her personality and finding reason in some of her actions.

On the pro side, I really liked the author’s writing style. The author had a way with words and describing the world (though I would have liked to see more development of Seriden), which is one of the reasons I continued reading for as long as I did.

Overall, I did not want to stop reading this book because I try to avoid DNFing a book as much as possible, but I just was not feeling this story. I am hoping that I’ll come back to this book in the future and feel different about the story. But as of right now, this story was just not for me.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I wanted to like this. I like the idea of it. But the book made me mad for its dumbness. Which sounds like a juvenile word to describe it, but it is perfectly appropriate.

In a world of Royals, Legals, and Nameless, Coin is just another Nameless girl trying to survive. Until a magic tattoo appears on her arm and marks her as the heir to the throne. Navigating the Court turns out to be just as dangerous as the streets. (Duh!) But proves necessary to do as she tries to rescue her young friend and carve a place for the Nameless caste.

The book generously gets a star each for its beautiful cover and the cookie-cutter but enjoyable peasant to ruler trope. Young teens may like it as an introduction to dystopian fantasy, but I did not.

#netgalley #namelessqueen
This was quite the adventure, the Nameless Queen was a fantasy that I can't wait to read again.

Thank you Publisher and NetGalley for this early copy!

Did not finish - I could not connect with the writing or plot and decided to put this one down.

Solid YA fantasy. Kept my attention and loved the unique premise. Will definitely read the next novel by this author!

I wasn't too sure how I liked this book when I first started reading it...I was flopping back and forth. As the world and story progressed, I began to like it a little more. Are there things about the book and story itself that I still am not fond of? Yes, but I'm sure that I'm not the ideal target group for this book. Overall, I liked the story as a whole and would be interested in reading more.

A debut YA fantasy that's also a standalone! It really does accomplish all the story beats without needing more than one book, although I really wish the story was a bit longer. Additionally, it does fall into some predictability troupes which did bring my rating down a bit. That being said, I'm interested in seeing where this author heads in the future because I did enjoy her writing style.

Delightful! This YA book explores class, the concept of family and inheritance with a large helping of magic to spice the dish! Coin is a ‘Nameless’ girl in the city of Seriden. She is an accomplished pickpocket, grifter and thief who suddenly wakes up with the royal tattoo signifying that she is the new queen. Here begins the accounting of who can or can’t be the ruler based on their status in society. I won’t say anything else because I don’t want to spoil it-I try to never read reviews from others before I read and #namelessqueen was no exception. Thank you to the publisher and #netgalley for this ebook to read and review. I hope there are more set in this world to come.

In the YA-land of Seridin, people fall into three categories: The Royals, the Legals, and the Nameless. Coin falls into the last group, and as a Nameless, she’s grown up on the streets, learning to steal, con, grift to get by. When the King dies, everyone expects his daughter to inherit the throne. So why does the crown tattoo that signifies the King or Queen show up on Coin’s shoulder? And can she live long enough to find out? I haven’t read much YA as of late, but this one caught my eye and I’m glad I got to read it. I’m not familiar with this author, and there were parts that were long/drawn out, bordering on repetitive, but it was still a good book. If you’re looking for something different, this might be for you!

NOTE: Special thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was surprised at how much I loved this book. The world was so different from others I have read. A class system built around names is a hole you can never dig out of. You cant even fake or buy your way into a name. If you are nameless you will never be able to pass a name onto a child. How often has a mother held a child hoping that they can have it better then she did. That dream is gone. She has no choice but to give birth to a child doomed to repeat her fate. The level of hopelessness a nameless must feel is crushing.

I am also a huge fan of having characters that aren't bad people but doing "bad" things to survive. This is the case with the main character, Coin. When you are nameless you have no other choice. But then to find out that her father "The King" put her in this position so she would have perspective, so he could have two daughters one raised on each side of the poverty line is a little messed up. I would be so angry but she seems almost indifferent.

All in all good story building. I felt that some characters were a little flat. But would read more from this author.

Unfortunately I couldn’t get into this book. I put it down and picked it back up several times to make sure it wasn’t a mood thing for me. At about 45% I was still disinterested in the plot and was not invested in the characters. The premise sounded interesting to me but as I continued to read it just came off the same as so many other ya fantasy books. I will not review or rate this title on any book platforms as I didn’t finish the book and don’t believe it’s fair to do so.

What I Loved:
I really enjoyed all of the secrets that this story held! I felt like peeling back an onion and layer upon layer created new views and new realizations.

How I Felt:
The writing was able to take the story and make it come to life. The world Nameless Queen resides in is a fantasy world, which means the author has to describe everything so that the reader understands the setting. I could really see the streets and alleys the nameless wander down, the vivid colors of the royals, and the vast corridors of the castle. It was well-done and created an interesting, different world for me to read about.

The story begins with a good introduction of what life on the street is like for a nameless person. The realm’s class system has three groups: Royals, Legals, and Nameless. The Royals and Legals have rights, jobs, a place in society, while the Nameless are just there. Royals and Legals do not want them there, and so, ignore them completely. Nameless have no homes and no way to live other than cons and theft. There is magic in the realm, held by the King or Queen through a tattoo. This mark is passed from one sovereign to the next by speaking the name of the next heir before their death. Since the Nameless have no names, one could never be given the tattoo…until Coin wakes up with a crown marked on her arm. What now, as a Nameless, it will be believed that she has illegally forged this tattoo and she’ll be executed. She must hide it at all costs…until she must use it to save a friend.

The characters were wonderful. Coin, the main characters was kind of a bad-a$$. She can street fight and has this attitude that created this tough-exterior. She’s snarky and has these great comments that had me giggling constantly. And yet, inside she struggles to understand her feelings, she cares deeply about some characters, but growing up as a nameless, she can’t quite understand what love, family, and trust are. Her character growth was lovely to watch.

Other characters that I enjoyed were Esther, the heir-apparent of the throne and “Glen-Beard”, the guard assigned to Coin. They were interesting and complicated. I feel that Rebecca McLaughlin took time to think through her characters and their backstories to give them depth and personalities, and it really showed throughout the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed Nameless Queen. The ending left room for a sequel, which I will be excited to read if one does get published! I enjoyed the characters, the world, and the entire story.

To Read or Not To Read:
I would recommend Nameless Queen to fantasy fiction fans that enjoy YA, strong female leads, and royal intrigue.

I was provided an advanced reader's copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

I dig this book! The cover is so dull and cliche but the story inside is fabulous and totally original. The main character's voice is relatable and so real. The characters are full of personality and the author really brings them to life. I highly recommend this book!

I received this as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for giving me access.

If you loved Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, then you will love Nameless Queen! There are several similarities, but this story really does stand on its own.

We follow Coin on her journey of going from a nobody to the Nameless Queen. In the process she develops friendships, sisterhood, and family. It was a wonderful story about finding ones self and breaking down the walls of the different classes.

**3.5 Stars**

I found Nameless Queen to be a really fast paced story set in a new kind of fantasy world where there is a clear divide between classes- and the Nameless are on the bottom and basically treated like criminals (if people bother to acknowledge they exist at all). Coin, the heroine of the story, gets sucked into a situation she never could have predicted or trained for- named as the next ruler to the kingdom, and she has to make a choice whether to make a stand for her people.

I thought the book was very easy to read, the pacing of the writing was fast and there was a nice balance of action, danger, con-artistry and snark to keep me engaged. There were a few things about the world building that I feel were hazy but it was not enough to hurt my enjoyment of the book. Nameless Queen also did a great job of emphasizing found families and creating great familial relationships and friendships with all kinds of random characters which was nice and different. There was no romance, so if that is what you are looking for, this is not the right book. But it was a sweet feel good story overall, which was not really what I expected.

I feel like the ending wrapped up pretty well, not leaving me hanging but I would love to have a sequel to see what Coin will be capable of next. This is great for anyone looking for a quick royal kingdom read with touches of magic and danger.

A name can be an identity, a future, and power.



Coin has made a living on the streets, a Nameless in a caste system of Royals, Legals and Nameless. She doesn't know her real name, but when she is impossibly named the heir to the throne, she must fight for her life and for the lives of her people.



A engaging young adult read from debut author Rebecca McLaughlin, set in a well constructed world, with surprising twists and allies along the way.



Coin is a clever heroine, having survived on the streets by her own wits for years when suddenly a new destiny is thrust upon her. She is emotionally distant from others, and doesn't trust anyone, but over the course of the book we see her long held standards challenged. I admired her determination, fighter's spirit, she doesn't back down, and isn't afraid to play the long game.



There were many fantastic characters, especially strong females. I really liked Esther, Devil, and Hat, with her child-like innocence and enthusiasm. But of course Glenquartz was a fantastic character, and rather unexpected.



Well written, engaging, with great world building, and characters, with a compelling concept and subsequent consequences. I also really liked how this book proved that you don't need a romantic storyline to tell a killer story, instead focusing on strong themes of friendship, family, power, and identity. Lots of action, and political intrigue, with a satisfying ending.



I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.