Member Reviews
This started off intriguing. I can’t think of a book where the teen girl wanted to rule.
The world building was ok. But missing some depth. The different social classes would be more interesting if they didn’t seem to all have titles anyway. The beliefs and laws were barely explained. Edar is not religious but that isn’t explained. The myths and lore is not really mentioned. I need some backstory to the place.
When it comes to the main characters if I wasn’t paying attention I would get them mixed up. They sounded the same. Neither character was memorable to me. They felt flat and not powerful or strong like they were supposed to be.
When it comes to their relationship I just didn’t see the chemistry. I felt like we needed more scenes just them getting to know each other. I can’t say this is insta love but it feels sort of like it as time passes but we don’t really see anything happen they just suddenly like each other. No real explanation.
The story itself was underwhelming. The idea sounded so interesting but it fell flat. Sure it had betrayals and assassinations but they never felt that important. Overall pretty weak. I’m disappointed.
This is pretty forgettable for me. I’m sad.
I love books with courtly intrigue and this one felt different. Queer and twisty and dark and fun, I can't wait for more by Helen Corcoran.
After her uncle’s death, Lia inherits the throne of a kingdom in desperate need of reform. To help her improve the lives of her people, and to protect her country from neighbouring kingdoms, Lia needs to recruit a new Spymaster. Intent on revenge after the death of her father, Xania is the perfect candidate. The Queen and her new Whispers must work together for the good of their country, but they did not count on falling for each other. With so many obstacles in their way, will their love, and country, survive?
This is a fascinating story of political manoeuvrings, betrayals, and love. The world-building is strong with a detailed social structure of queens and nobles, politicians and merchants. There is plenty of intrigue and drama and you never know which characters to trust. I did find that a couple of times I got a bit lost with the political schemes, but everything untangled in the end.
The central love-story is this book is wonderful. The chapters alternate between the first-person narration of Lia and Xania which give an insight to the struggles in their careers as well as the struggles in their growing feelings for each other. The romance is slow-burn and heart-warming before becoming intense and high-stake. I liked both main characters and rooted for their success. The secondary characters are also interesting with different quirks and motivations. I particularly liked Matthias, friend to both Lia and Xania, and I enjoyed the witty exchanges between them. I also enjoyed the exploration of loyalties of different characters and the relationships between mothers and daughters.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys detailed fantasy political systems and stories full of love, lies and sacrifice.
Thank you to NetGalley and The O’Brien Press for the opportunity to read and review this title.
2.5 stars
“By the air I breathe, the counsel I listen to, the blood I spill; I swear to uphold the law and govern my people wisely until me death. By fire and vow and blood.”
Queen of Coin and Whispers is a sapphic historical fantasy tale of the courtly happenings surrounding a newly appointed queen.
I so badly wanted to enjoy this story, and I do hope that it finds its audience, because I think the premise of it is really interesting, and it has some shining moments, but overall there were just too many things that didn’t work for me.
I’ll start by diving into the few things that did work and that I enjoyed:
-The coronation scene was so beautifully described, and I thought the words of Lia’s oath were nicely chosen.
-I enjoyed the idea of the deep friendship between Matthias and Lia, and between Matthias and Xania (this is also one of the aspects of the book that didn’t work for me though, more on that later).
- I thought there were some nice moments between Xania and Lia
- Xania's relationship with her family
On to the things that didn’t work for me
From the jump, I wasn’t a fan of the writing style used in the book. It felt really disjointed, and it kept distracting me from the story. I also felt the worldbuilding was lacking, I felt confused by the steps system and the living arrangements and security of everyone.
It didn’t feel like the two main characters who get their own POV chapters had distinct voices. It was really easy for me to forget whose chapter is was and who was speaking. Along with that, their inner thoughts often felt repetitive and sometimes at odds with the current happenings of the plot. I thought their relationship was fine, but I do wish we got to see more from it than the way it progressed and played out.
The side characters felt severely underused, especially Matthias and to an extent Zola. We were told constantly how close Matthias was to both leads and yet we hardly saw any interactions between them, and when we did it was only to relay a piece of news that drove the plot a little bit further. After a while the closeness of the relationships felt like it was just something that was being said but wasn’t actually true.
This happened a lot with relationship developments and even some plot developments, they happened off page and then were just spoken about in scenes after the fact. It felt like a lot of the book happened off page, and so I felt like I was missing out on a lot.
The pacing and the passing of time felt weird and wildly inconsistent throughout.
I had a lot of issues with the plot itself, it felt like nothing happened, and when something did happen, we weren’t allowed enough time to sit with it and let it affect us. At other times when big plot things occurred, it later felt like they weren’t integral to the story. Sometimes characters and events weren’t mentioned for periods of time and then suddenly reintroduced so one part of the plot could work, or just wont mentioned again at all, even though they felt important for the first half of the book. For example, Xania’s role as whispers felt like it was going to be a big part of the story, but after about the 50% mark it felt more like a reason to cross her and Lia’s paths than anything else. By the end of the book, Xania hadn’t done much as a Whispers, and honestly, Lia hadn’t done much as queen.
Finally, I really thought the ending was a good ending, it was just not the right ending for this book. It didn’t fit, at all. For me, the story’s conclusion swept all the other happenings from the first three quarters of the book under the rug, and made them practically null and void. It felt too simple and easy. Also, I don’t feel like Lia and Xania had done enough in their roles that could warrant the ending possible without any serious consequence.
I don’t think this book was terrible, and I do think a lot of the things that didn’t work for me could easily work for someone else. So if you feel this could be something you would enjoy, then please give it a chance.
I was so excited to read this sapphic fantasy between a princess and her spymaster because I was fascinated by the premise. I would have read it much earlier if not for the pandemic messing up with my focus and making me too anxious to read anything. But now that I have read, I’m pretty unsure what I have to say.
It’s not that the writing is bad. It was actually very easy to read and I finished it in a single sitting with very little breaks in between. But I also felt that the story promised a lot more than what we eventually get. I expected a lot of court intrigue and betrayals and assassinations, and while all of them were present in the story, they were written in such a way that it all felt very underwhelming. I kept expecting that something would blow me away and when the said event occurred, I felt deflated - and this happened quite a few times. The worldbuilding is also very limited and we only get to know the basic names of the country and it’s neighbors, and a little about the drought and harvest. There are a couple of action sequences, which again didn’t thrill me as I wanted them to. And the last 15-20% was so rushed, and everything resolved so quickly that I lost whatever interest I still had in the story.
Lia is the new Queen who is an idealist and wants to do good for her people, and uproot all the corruption left by her Uncle. But I mostly felt like it was all words, she was clearly overwhelmed, and didn’t really do much for the supposed common people. Xania is a young noble who wants revenge for her father’s death and unexpectedly becomes the spymaster, and it really intrigued me how she learnt all the skills to be one at her age (she only turns eighteen in the middle of the book). Both of them kinda become friends which turns to attraction and love, and while I could sympathize with their feelings, the chemistry or the longing for being in almost a forbidden relationship was pretty nonexistent.
There are also some side characters but none of them were fleshed out enough for me to care about them. Matthias was a loyal friend to both the Queen and Xania and probably the only one who brought some humor to the dialogue. The villains were pretty in your face about their intentions, so I never really had to guess who was gonna be the betrayer. But I did like the portrayal of the mother-daughter relationships and how much the women were ready to do to protect their children. And it was a very interesting contrast to other women who had to choose between their children and the welfare of their family.
In the end, whenever I feel this way about a highly anticipated book, I always think I put too high of an expectation on them. But I don’t believe it was the case here. While this was an easily readable YA fantasy novel, there weren’t many novel elements in it which we haven’t read before, but I still appreciated the POC/Queer cast and the sapphic romance. I think this would work well for readers who are new to the fantasy genre, but if you have been an avid reader of YA fantasy for years, this might feel a bit unremarkable.
When Lia receives a rider she knows the news he bears, her Uncle is dead and she is to return to court to become the next Queen. Xania has been plotting vengeance for her fathers death for years, she just need the proof to back her up. Though they don’t meet on the best of circumstances Lia and Xania form a wary sort of alliance, tempered by their mutual friend Matthias. Lia will help Xania proove that Vigrante was behind the murder of her father if she becomes her Whispers, the head of Lia’s spy network. Through late night meetings and confessions they start to uncover their feelings for each other, feelings that might get in the way of Lia’s picking a husband. But when three suitors from neighbouring Kingdoms arrive Xania starts to unravel a web of secrets. Secrets that not only put the Queen at risk but also make Xania question everything she knew about her father and indeed herself.
Though I felt that the pacing of this book was a little off, a long slow beginning and a slightly rushed ending, I did enjoy that is was full of court intrigue. The majority of this book is actually set in the Castle and there is virtually no world building, but this added a whole other depth to the story. We get to see behind the scenes of how a Queen rules, how many battles she faces daily, deals with the threats on her life, knows that she must put Country before her own heart an of course how she deals with all the scheming members of court of which there are plenty in this book.
The book is split between Lia and Xania’s point of view and my only issue is, as they spent the majority of their time together there was little chance to develop any minor characters. We know who the bad guy is, but we don’t get as much of an insight into his scheming as I would have liked. That being said we do get Matthias, the Queens oldest friend and the boy that Xania’s father took under his wing. He is the epitome of a cinnamon roll and I thoroughly enjoyed the parts of the book where he was included. Lia and Xania’s characters are cemented early on in the book. Lia wanting to be a better Queen than her Uncle was King, she is determined to bring her country back to it’s former glory. Xania simply wants vengeance for her fathers death, and if becoming the Queen’s Whispers is what is takes then she see’s that as a small price to pay.
My main issue with this book is it seemed to be almost do a 360 on itself in parts. When we first meet Xania she is hell bent on killing Vigrante in vengeance for her fathers murder, but as soon as the Queen offers her the Whispers it seems to be forgotten about. Lia and Xania understand that them being together is an issue and then the Queen tells Xania to tell her family, and parades her in front of court and her suitors. This story is wholly about Lia and Xania’s relationship and everything else seems to play a back burner which, if you’re looking for something romance heavy is fine, I just felt that it left the characters slightly underdeveloped.
The main romance in this book is F/F and we also have a minor character who is Gay. Same sex relationships seem accepted in this world and it is only that Lia is Queen and expected to make an Heir that there is an issue with her feelings for Xania. Their relationship plays a main role in the book.
Overall I enjoyed this book but I doubt I would pick it up, or other set in the same world again. It was a little romance heavy for my liking, and though I am all for romance in Fantasy, or any genre, I just feel that it overshadowed the other plot points that could have been developed and rounded the story out a little more.
3.5 ⭐I liked this book, it had love, secrets and intrigue. It has great characters and a good story line. My only down part is the ending I felt it was rushed!
Overall a good read.
QUEEN OF COINS AND WHISPERES is a YA fantasy about the relationship between two young women, a queen and her spymaster. It's about their relationship and attempts to save the Queen's newly gotten kingdom.
Unfortunately, this book was overall disappointing, as I was incredibly hype for this book. As much as I didn’t love it, I didn't hate it outright. I'll start with the negatives in order to end on a positive note.
The worst part of this book was the weird passage of time. I’d start a new chapter and suddenly be told that weeks have past and the main characters are friends now, with little build up to that fact. Like, there would be a scene where the reader could see that some chemistry or connection as being made, and then be told “this has been happening for the past few weeks” leaving the reader confused at all they’d missed out.
Connected to that, the main characters are… dry. Lia and Xania just sort of act without any emotion for 75% of the book? I never felt like they were truly fleshed out, despite knowing the motivation behind most actions. The one point in which I felt we were getting good character development and I felt I was inside a character’s head, was more than three quarters of the way through. As cool as the plot could be, it was hard to care when the main characters were so meh.
Now for the positives.
I didn’t hate every character, I loved Matthias!
Some aspects of the world-building were hard to pick up, but the world felt relatively lived in. The Steps took a while to figure out, but I got the hang of it.
The plot, while sometimes confusing, was interesting and felt real. Like, it felt like something that could happen in real life, with traitors and spies and budgets being tampered with.
I really was digging the fact that, in a YA book, a character was prepared and wanting to become Queen. It’s something I feel YA fantasy doesn’t normally do, and it felt refreshing.
I don’t know who to rate this book. Somewhere in the 2.5-3 star range? This book had a lot of potential but fell flat in major areas.
Disclaimer: I received a copy free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
After her uncle’s passing, Lia has become Queen. It is what she has been waiting her entire life for, to rule how she wishes to rule. To change things. Her country is bankrupt, and dangers are everywhere – in her court, in parliament, and from their neighbouring countries. If she wants to push through her reforms, she needs to beat the Court at it’s own games, and for that, she needs a spy-master. Xania has been on a quest for revenge ever since her father died. She believes it to be murder, and she knows exactly who did it. So when the opportunity comes along to become the Queen’s spy-master to take down the man responsible for her father’s death, she doesn’t hesitate.
rep: lesbian m/c’s, brown m/c, gay, lesbian, and bi side characters
content warnings: off-page suicide, emotional toture, imprisonment, murder, death, violence
Queen of Coin and Whispers is a brilliant fantasy novel full of secrets, sabotage, and political intrigue. Queen of Coin and Whispers follows both Lia, a newly crowned and idealistic queen, and Xania, her newly appointed spy-master out for vengeance. The relationship between the two becomes one of mutual trust and respect, and soon becomes an intense love story between the two women. Lia and Xania were just so fucking great, individually and as a couple. I’ve been reading so many great fantasies with sapphic romances recently and I’m so here for it.
I absolutely adored the political intrigue, a divided Parliament and Court all determined to see the new Queen fail? the discussions into power and how difficult it can be to push reforms through? the secrets, deceit, and betrayals? it was some good stuff. But what I loved most is the different ways that women navigated through the environment. The women in this novel are ambitious, unapologetic, ruthless, driven, intelligent, witty, kind, and soft. They are multi-faceted and so many hold power! I loved how it showed different ways in gaining power, some were brash, some were deceitful, some honest, some women were feared and some were underestimated, some handled power behind the scenes, while some were visible. Women being underestimated and using that to their advantage will always be my favourite thing.
Queen of Coin and Whispers was a long book, but honestly? Not long enough. I would LOVE it if Helen Corcoran revisited this world in future books, I’d love the read some novels set in the neighbouring countries.
I would recommend Queen of Coin and Whispers to anyone who liked The Priory of the Orange Tree but are looking for something with less pages!! Also, for obvious reasons, I would highly recommend if you enjoy sapphic romances and fantasies.
DNF @ 32%, no rating
I think after trying for two months to get into this it's time to be honest with myself that I'm just not going to finish it, even if I initially only put it on hold. But I've also been reading reviews that confirm that the problems I was having don't get better in the last two thirds of the novel, so this is the right decision although it always hurts a little to put down a sapphic novel.
While some of my problems with it might have also come from a personal place (just a reading slump amidst the general pandemic anxiety), I also think that I would have absolutely stuck with it if I was made to care about...literally anything. But I wasn't. The chapters told you whose POV they were going to be from, but as soon as I turned the page I already forgot who was talking because the two MCs just sound the exact same.
There were way too many names and facts and I didn't care about any of it. Throughout it all I felt like this was a novel that should have been given more pages, and maybe even turned into a series (duology?), with more page time to give each character a distinct voice and personality. The palace intrigues and how they all built upon themselves would have fit much better if made into an adult novel, but like this it was just a big pile of facts and names and plots stacked upon each other.
I really wanted to try and read more to at least get to the romance part, but I realized it just wasn't worth it for me. I just want to point out that I don't think this is a bad book at all, I'm sure the intrigue was very well done if that's something you care about, and I definitely encourage you to look at other reviews and see for yourself about giving it a chance.
A fantasy novel featuring a sapphic relationship between a queen and her spymaster? What could be better, you ask? Well, actually...
First things first, this is not a bad book. But. Unfortunately, there's a but. I can see what this book tries to achieve and I deeply appreciate it, it's just that it doesn't really reach its goals.
Both Lia (the queen) and Xania (the spymaster) are made out to be somewhat ruthless. There's a lot of blood and knives and revenge imagery used, yet no real heat behind any of it. It all ends in descriptions or their inner monologues. And yes, people die in this book, often at the hands of one of the girls. Still, it never feels like the stakes are high, like those girls are actually fierce.
In my mind this comes down to the fact that neither of them is properly fleshed out. It's hard to care about a character and their actions (even if they're in the middle of stabbing someone to death), when said character seems more like an idea of a person than an actual person. The novel is absolutely packed with action, which in theory should help the whole "show not tell" concept, and yet. So much is going on that there's not a lot of space for the characters to react to stuff. And for the reader to get to know them.
The writing style isn't doing the novel any good, either - it's rather dry and devoid of emotions. It's literally just imagery (here in the form of pointed one-sentence paragraphs stacked on top of each other) over substance.
The underdeveloped main characters & the plethora of events form some kind of a vicious circle where the reader doesn't care about anyone in the story due to being overwhelmed with action and politics, but nothing that happens affects the reader due to not caring about the characters.
I imagine Queen of Coin and Whispers would benefit from being a duology, with more pages to properly execute all the cool concepts. I absolutely loved the idea of this book. I just wish I loved the book more.
I had high hopes for QUEEN OF COIN AND WHISPERS and, although I did very much enjoy it, it didn't blow me away. I had added it to my Goodreads TO BE READ pile long before I found it available on NetGalley. I wish to thank the publisher for allowing me to read a copy before its publication.
At first, it was desperately slow and I was pretty sure that I was going to DNF it. However, I continued, and i'm glad that I did as after the scene setting it started to pick up pace and I begun to appreciate it a lot more. So, if you are finding it hard getting through the beginning, I urge you to persist as it does get better. You also see that a lot of the details given are what make the rest of the book make sense.
The world Corcoran weaves is lyrical, as if some of the isle’s magic is hiding under her words. The history itself is brilliant –raw, wild, enigmatic- challenging you to explore it more. Her descriptions caught my breath away –the writing was so colorful- and as for the characters themselves, well, call me a bit biased, but they were pretty great, too.
I really enjoyed this story.
This is a fantastic fantasy debut by an author that shows a lot of promise.
The story revolves around a new queen and her newly appointed spymaster as they try to solve the mystery of the spymasters fathers death while finding out who's trying to assassinate the queen.... all while battling new emotions and feelings emoted by one another.
A great story, fabulous word building, realistic and convincing characters and, in general, a wonderfully written novel, a recommendation from me and this is an author to watch!
Royals. Court. Political intrigue. Commonplace same-sex relationships and marriages. Enough murder and assassination attempts to warrant a spy network for each ruler.
‘Queen of Coin and Whispers’ is well-written with complex, likable, and capable characters. Even the secondary characters are full of life. The kingdom’s class hierarchy and traditions are detailed and clear to follow.
Twists and turns keep us guessing at the identities of the Queen’s enemies and the intricate secrets and backstabbing in attempt to destroy her reign.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.
I was fascinated by this book because one of my favourite author, Samantha Shannon, talked about and I was so happy to read it thanks to the publisher and Netgalley.
Lia is a young woman who became queen when her uncle died, leaving her a bankrupt and vulnerable kingdom. Eager to be a better leader, a strong and just one, Lia collaborates with her new spymaster, Xania, who is determined to find her father's murderer and avenge her parent. Lia and Xania fall for each other, their love making their own goals and plans even more complicated, uncovering a treason that could ruin everything.
Queen of coin and whispers is a wonderful fantasy debut, full of plot twists, political intrigues, love, treason, secrets and interesting and skillfully written characters. I liked the writing style and the plot, very captivating and it was impossible to put down this book because I needed to know what would happen next. Lia and Xania are amazing, complex and really well written and rounded. I loved their relationship and how they are so determined.
Okay, this one sounded so hot; I mean, a queen and her spymaster? Think of the tension! And it was good! Queen of Coin and Whispers was a standalone fantasy full of political intrigue and yearning.
Lia has just taken up her throne after her uncle passes away; she’s trying to navigate her new responsibilities. Xania falls into her position as her Whispers, the spymaster. They grow to know each other better and fall in love.
There was quite a bit of political intrigue, which is what you’d expect form a book about a queen and her spymaster. They have to fend off a lord who’s grown to have too much power, a cousin trying to steal Lia’s throne, and numerous marriage proposals. Oh, and a number of assassination attempts, just to spice it up.
However, I found this book very confusing, and it’s really a tossup whether or not it was because I just couldn’t understand it or because the book itself didn’t make sense. I’m leaning towards the latter. The book is a standalone, which means everything moves faster. However, this just made all of the events seem so disconnected; we’d be told one thing happens and then suddenly it would be months later and then ANOTHER thing would happen, and they would not seem connected in the least.
Likewise, I found that the romance moved very quickly. There just didn’t feel like there was as much development as I was expecting. I did like Lia and Xania though; it was nice seeing them together amidst all the stresses of their lives. Also, LGB relationships are normalized in their country, which was nice.
I also liked the side characters. Matthias, in particular, was cool; he was just trying to keep Lia safe. It was hard to keep track of some of the people because there were just so many side characters.
The prose was really good! This was the author’s debut, and I’m excited for what she has in store for the future. Pick Queen of Coin and Whispers up for a wonderful f/f couple in fantasy and a lot of political intrigue!
Oof. That was rather disappointing. While the beginning was promising, I found that the longer I read, the more I just didn't care and was frustrated by the various elements that let me down.
First, I found the romance quite lacking. Apparently it was supposed to be slowburn, but I did not see that at all, and was frustrated by how quick they got together, which led to me not caring.
Second, the world building was quite confusing. It took me way longer than it should have to understand which direction the Steps went in terms of power.
And third, the way passage of time was written in this book, did not work. It takes place over a year, but that was only apparent when it'd suddenly mention that it'd been two months since one event or a year since another, which was very jarring and frustrating.
Overall, I'm just pretty frustrated I didn't love this.
Wow, this was just GREAT. Perfect royal/spymaster romance with lots of political intrigue. Longer review to come.
Plot:
This book follows a dual perspective of two characters. We have Lia, a young queen ascending a corrupt throne determined to be better than her predecessor and root out the corruption that has overtaken her court. We also have Xania, a baroness determined to avenge her father’s suspicious death. The two women are united by their mutual friend Matthias and by their plots to take down the same man, Vigrante. Xania becomes Lia’s spymaster, known as Whispers, and the two begin working together to better the court and country while also developing feelings for each other.
My thoughts:
The most difficult reviews to write are the ones for the books you love. It is easy to pick out flaws but much harder to find a dozen different ways of saying how much you love something so I apologise in advance for what may not be the most coherent review as I ADORED this book.
Okay, I have to be honest here, my favourite part of this book was by far the romance. I loved loved loved Lia and Xania together, their chemistry and their yearning. I adored the flirting through sapphic novels and now have unrealistic expectations for my future girlfriend. The slowburn aspect was really well executed and I loved that Xania was demi and we could see this through her POV. On a similar note, I really loved that there is absolutely no homophobia in this world, that different sexualities are completely normal and not even labelled. There were also so many queer characters in this book and I really adored how casually even minor characters' sexualities were mentioned (for example, 'his husband', 'her wife', etc.).
Although I was admittedly mainly reading the book for its romance, I also really enjoyed the main plot. The court and political intrigue was really interesting and twisty, I just loved the dynamics of the court and trying to figure out the truth and people’s loyalties. There was some great action as the characters tried to uncover the corruption and deal with the people involved. Xania’s position in the treasury was also really interesting and I loved how it played into her duties as Whispers.
However, where the book fell down for me was the world building. The reader isn’t told an awful lot about Lia’s country, Edar, and the political system that plays such an important role in the book. This made it sometimes a bit confusing to follow. The step system which is used to divide the nobility into classes of who’s the richest/most influential also isn’t explained. I did eventually work it out from context but I feel like it should have been explained, especially as this element of class plays a real role in many of the characters’ relations and Xania’s position in court.
But overall, I really did enjoy this book. I adored Lia and Xania’s relationship and the sapphic positivity really came through when I needed it. I mean, this line? “She loved me as I loved her, fierce as a bloodied blade.” Gorgeous. We love fierce sapphics who are only soft for each other.
*eARC received in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley*
I was impressed by the complexity of the political webs (if a bit confused at times, though part of that may be due to the long breaks between reading lol) and machinations, so if you're looking for political fantasy, here you go! I appreciated the economic dimensions of the politics as well, since I don't think those are often addressed. However, they did seem to be... forgotten about at the end. I also appreciated how Lia wasn't automatically an amazing ruler and fell into others' political traps despite her determination not to, and took actions she hated but that would serve a necessary (or... she THINKS they're necessary) purpose.
While I was a little hesitant with Lia and Xania in a relationship at first, especially because of the power imbalance, these concerns were addressed enough in-text for me to forget about it. However, thinking back, I feel like they were just dropped and smudged around the edges enough for me to forget they were an issue. Xania's building and use of the spy network was glossed over a bit as well, and there were times I squinted suspiciously and was like 'really?' when she talked about various contacts.
I love Matthias as a character and his casual and close friendship with both Lia and Xania. Actually, I liked most of the side characters more than Lia and Xania, whoops.
One thing I did appreciate was how queerness was just accepted and literally the only reason Lia couldn't marry Xania was due to the need for an heir and the laws of the kingdom saying she needed a blood heir as opposed to an adopted one.
My biggest hangups with this book are how it dragged at times (though we're going to attribute part of my inattention to the state of my courseload and also the world and my consequential mental state) but how the ending seemed incredibly rushed, starting slightly before Lia's abdication and kidnapping. So many of the side threads got dropped, such as the economics portion, for example, and everything was wrapped up conveniently and quickly. It was a bit dissatisfying for me as the reader after I sat through the entirety of the rest of the s l o w and carefully built up plot just to have it END.
However, I (for the most part) enjoyed reading this book while I was reading it, despite my problems with it upon reflection, and it's a solid political fantasy with f/f queen-and-spymaster main relationship!