I LOVED this book. the first part was a little slow and hard to follow only bc it was repetitive, but once that court drama started to flow i was HOOKED. Norah is badass. I relate to the rage she feels as men around her plan and use her as if she isn't even there. i loved seeing her grow into herself and what she wants. ALSO loved the world building and magic.

I was super excited to read this ARC as I’ve been obsessed with books along this style lately; realistic fantasy. After Nora found herself in the woods with no recollection of how she got there, the books instantly takes us on a journey. Nora had to learn to navigate a kingdom, while also protecting herself as she can trust no one. The books gives you the story of a strong-willed princess who is determined to gather her life again. North Queen is written beautifully with intriguing world-building and a plot that sucks you in from the very moment you open the book. Lovely all the way around!

Oh my goodness this book literally had me in such a chokehold I couldn’t put it down once I started! Loved this one and can’t wait to see what’s next!

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for an opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this arc. 🖤

Right from the start the story is gripping and draws you in making you want more! Norah has no memory and finds herself on the edge of a forest dazed and confused. Immediately she finds herself in danger, frightened and questioning who can be trusted.

This story had me hooked! I honestly couldn’t put this book down! 😍 Norah is a great FMC and I loved her so much! 🖤 The world building was brilliant, writing style was easy to read (the words flowed beautifully), and the plot was VERY interesting!

If you’re looking for a new fantasy read filled with mystery and intrigue, this is the book for you! 🖤

Queen o' the Norrrrth.

This was buckets of fun. Incidentally, I read it right after finishing Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros which is currently popping off absolutely everywhere on Booktok and Booktube, but I personally had a much better time with THIS book.

In "North Queen," Nicola Tyche takes readers on a pretty wild ride. I thought I knew where this book was going in the first quarter and was happily on board with the general set-up, then whoopsie! Not so fast!

To give you a spoiler-free flavour of what it's about, or at least how it starts... Our protagonist, Nora, wakes in the Wild woods with no memory of how she got there or who she is. Also, there's a fox looking at her weirdly. Very shortly after, she's discovered by someone who seems to know her as Nora, the lost princess of Mercia, who's been missing for 3 years after being secreted away by her father the King. She's brought back to the castle and thrust immediately into a world of expectations, pressures, and prophecies - of which she is a central figure.

I really liked Nora as the main character. She is 25. She's spirited, strong and determined. She's not bad with a blade but still maintains the qualities you'd expect of someone raised as a princess.

I loved the plot too, though it's quite an angsty read that occasionally hurt my feelings. I'm not complaining, though. A nice gut punch in the feels never hurt anyone! Or rather, it did, but they probably liked it. 😈

For some reason, I'm also a sucker for a memory-loss plotline. You just never know who to trust or who knows more than they're saying. I mean, where the heck has she been? Three years is a long time!

I won't say much more about the plot because going in blind means you'll know exactly as much as Nora - nothing.

To sum up here: If you like a medieval-style fantasy setting, a strong heroine, romantic tension, plot twists, warring kingdoms and prophecies, then definitely check this one out. It's on Kindle Unlimited and book two comes out next week! What have you got to lose?

4 stars ★★★★

ARC received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

The book was such an amazing read. As a fantasy beginner, I was so excited to read this book and from the very first, the book captivated me.

The story is about a lost Princess, Norah who has forgotten all her memories and is forced into her fate by the kingdom. The King of the Shadowlands wanted nothing more than to kill her, while her Grandmother, the Queen Regeant wanted her to marry another king to get the army to fight against the Shadowking. This showed Norah's helplessness to control even her own life. But things started to change and fate started to decide things for her.

There was suspense throughout the book about Norah and her memory loss. Why she lost her memory is still something that Norah couldn't understand and it caused curiosity in me. The book also focused on various romantic tropes, especially the enemies to lovers trope and I enjoyed it. Overall, the book was a great one!

FINALLY! This is the book I have been waiting for, for soooo long. An intensely, intricately plotted original fantasy that grips you from the first page. It has been so long since I have read a truly good fantasy for young adults, and I am so grateful to this book for ending that dry spell. Now the only problem is I have to wait for the second! Write fast please!!! Highly recommended!!!

I absolutely loved this book. I was in a pretty bad reading slump and this got me out. If you’re a fan of throne of glass and bridge kingdom this book is for you. Do not wait read it now.

ENGLISH

This. Book. Is. Amazing.

I want more and more and more.

Okay, now let's talk about how good this is. Do you know a book called Gild? Yeah? Well, read this one and then talk to me. Gild is one of my favourites books of this genre: fantasy with some politics not that much magic and a subplot of romance that involves the personal evolution of the female protagonist. Okay, so this book is that same sort of story. And I devoured it in like two days. I had to stop to eat, and I just wanted to go back to it, like it's so good.

I honestly do not know what to say because I don't want to spoil anything, not even the start. See, I read the synopsis once to know if I could be interested or not, but then I forget about most of it. I like going in blind. So I would love for you to do the same because it’s worth it. Believe me. 500 pages in almost two sittings.

The main character has no memory of her life, like at all. So you learn everything with her, which gets you more and more inside it all. Who do I trust? Who is saying the truth? What happened really? Why would this person betray her? They cannot be lying, so that is okay. Basically: you are as lost as her.

I loved that part because you get to know the world building by seeing how the other characters behave, the stories they tell (whether it is a lie or not) and how Norah sees things for the first time. I hate, like HATE when authors tell you everything instead of showing you. For example: let's say Norah, who has no memory of anything, meets someone and that someone tells her the whole story of her kingdom. Like, no? That would not happen. Of course, they will tell some things, but it’s not a history lesson, babe. So I enjoyed the little details, even more because you don't really know whose words to trust.

Outstandingly amazingly captivatingly good. A 10 read. Can I get the next books like now? Thank u.

SPANISH

Este. Libro. Es. Increíble.

Quiero más y más y más.

Vale, ahora hablemos de lo bueno que es esto. ¿Conoces un libro llamado Gild? ¿Sí? Pues lee este y luego me cuentas. Gild es uno de mis libros favoritos de este género: fantasía con algo de política no tanta magia y una subtrama de romance que se basa en la evolución personal de la protagonista. Vale, pues este libro es ese mismo tipo de historia. Y lo devoré como en dos días. Tuve que parar para comer, y sólo quería volver a él. Es buenísimo.

Sinceramente no sé qué decir porque no quiero estropear nada, ni siquiera el principio. Mira, me leo la sinopsis una vez para saber si me puede interesar o no, pero luego me olvido de casi todo. Me gusta ir a ciegas. Así que me encantaría que tú hicieras lo mismo porque merece la pena. Creedme. 500 páginas en prácticamente dos sentadas.

La protagonista no recuerda nada de su vida, para nada. Así que te enteras de todo con ella, lo que te va metiendo más y más dentro. ¿En quién confío? ¿Quién dice la verdad? ¿Qué ocurrió realmente? ¿Por qué esta persona la traicionaría? No pueden estar mintiendo, así que no pasa nada. Básicamente: estás tan perdide como ella.

Me encantó esa parte porque llegas a conocer la construcción del mundo viendo cómo se comportan los demás personajes, las historias que cuentan (sean mentira o no) y cómo Norah ve las cosas por primera vez. Odio, pero ODIO cuando los autores te lo cuentan todo en lugar de mostrártelo. Por ejemplo: digamos que Norah, que no recuerda nada, conoce a alguien y ese alguien le cuenta toda la historia de su reino. ¿No? Eso no pasaría. Claro que contarán algunas cosas, pero no es una lección de historia, nena. Así que disfruté de los pequeños detalles, incluso más porque realmente no sabes en qué palabras confiar.

Sobresalientemente asombroso y cautivadoramente bueno. Una lectura de 10. ¿Puedo conseguir los próximos libros ya? Gracias.

-Ele

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The Kingdom of Mercia is missing their princess, soon to be queen. She turns up 3 years later after a war began, missing her memories. Now, Norah must find her memories while also winning the war and being thrust into the Queen's seat.

A lost heir, a father changing her fate, and a loyal commander. Love.

Multiple POVs, Norah, Alexander, Salar. One silly complaint I have is wishing I knew whose POV it was before jumping into the chapter, but regardless I love having all POVs.

I enjoyed this book very much; I was engaged from the first page, I could not put this book down.

All I have to say is... I cant wait for August so I can get mu hands on book 2!

Be warned: This book will keep you up all hours of the night reading!

This classic fantasy novel brings out all the favorites: slow burn, warring kingdoms, council politics, knights, family baggage, forbidden romance, and more!

There are small dashes of magic and spice mixed in, but they don’t take a central role in this novel.

One of the romantic storylines reminded me a lot of Khal Drogo and Khaleesi from Game of Thrones.

Norah’s journey is compelling, and I can’t wait to see what she does next!

I havent read many books where the fmc has amnesia, but it might be my new favourite trope. I cannot wait for the next book.

4.5 Stars

I was blown away by this book. I read it in one sitting, staying up late just to finish it. You will fall in love with Norah and witness a great character that takes you by surprise in the best way. She was so three-dimensional and realistic while in the midst of a fantasy world that I think that many will be able to relate to her. I was intrigued by just how the author could make you second guess your assumptions by having different characters she light on events, make you second guess what you thought was "true" and this made the plot twists so amazing. I can't wait to read the next book and plan on buying this as soon as it comes out!

Thank you Nicola Tyche and NetGalley for allowing me the chance to discover such an incredible story and character!

Thank you netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Aren't we all in our romantasy eras of reading? I know I am! This one had all of the lovely tropes we love in a fantasy romance. As the first installment, it did a pretty good job of having me immersed with every word (once I got past the initially setting up of the story). I definitely enjoyed.

Thank you so much netgalley for this arc! It was a bit slow to start but around the 25% mark it picked up and I couldn’t put it down! I absolutely loved this story and there is no better trope than one horse! I can’t wait for book 2!

*Huge thanks to the author and Netgallery for the opportunity to review an ARC of this book*
This is a really good debut novel, it has it's imperfections but it was an enjoyable read.
I really enjoyed the following aspects of this book.
-Villain gets the girl
-Forced proximity
-Marriage of convenience
-Fun magical creatures
-Confident female lead
I also enjoyed the world building that happened, some aspects reminded me of the Dothraki in games of thrones which I really liked. It could do with more world building to enhance the story but overall it wasn't necessary for the plot progression at this point.
I won't lie I struggled to get through the first 25% of the book, it just didn't grab me as much as I wanted and I felt as confused as our MFC. It picked up and the pacing got better throughout the story however I did feel that the plot didn't have clear direction at times.
Onto the romance, I was impressed that the author made me care about Alexander, she did a good job making me care for them and the relationship even as friends. Obviously this didn't last long when the shadow king appeared. Speaking of the shadow king, I wanted more character development from him and more relationship development between them. However, what we did get was pretty good and I was rooting for their relationship.
I enjoyed this book and it was really good for a debut novel, keep up the good work Nicola.

I DEVOURED North Queen! @nicolatyche has pulled me from the depths of a reading slump and I am salivating for more.

The story opens with Norah waking in an unfamiliar forest with no memories of her life or how she came to be there. After wandering for a while and experiencing a few unnerving encounters in the frozen wood, she stumbles upon a man who knows her. A man who claims to have been searching for her for the past 3 years. A man who claims her as his princess. She allows him to take her back to the Kingdom of Mercia, where she discovers that he was being truthful and she is to take her deceased fathers throne. Norah fights to move past her discomfort at what is expected of her, however events are set in motion that dismantle all of the ideas that she has been instructed to adhere to. Unsure of the correct path, Norah faces a struggle against what she has been taught and what her heart tells her is right.

When I tell you that I couldn’t have predicted the way this book would end, I mean that in the sincerest way. I was holding my breath and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I was so disappointed when I came to the end, but elated when I saw that the series is completed and all books will be released by the end of August. The angst and animosity is next level and the enemies to lovers tension is so thick it could be cut by a knife. Nicola Tyche is definitely an author to watch and I am enchanted by the world she has created with Mercia and Kharav.

WELL TICKLE ME PINK 🐷
I gobbled this bad boy up so quickly once I reached the 25% mark.

Norah is the the heir to the Northern Kingdom’s throne. But Seer’s all around the world have seen her fate and it is the demise of their kingdom. So her father sends her away. This story begins as Norah wakes up in the forest with zero recollection of who she is and where she has been.

I absolutely adored the feminine rage! Norah is consistently used as a chess piece by powerful men in their political games to win wars. Some of Norah’s one liners had me in fits. So we have MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE PEOPLE, but it is not what you expect.

This story also did an amazing job of showing how truth bends and changes shape depending on the lens of who tells it and who hears it. Not everything is as it seems.

Some of the plot twists made me GASP. There was one moment that FLOORED ME. Unprepared. And I still genuinely can’t work out if this is going to be a polyamorous, why choose relationship, or who end game will be and it’s SO EXCITING!

Highly recommend this book if you’re looking for:
- political intrigue
- feminine rage/fuck the patriarchy vibes
- easy worldbuilding
- morally grey MMC’s (yes, plural!)
- an FMC finding herself and her ferocity (through love and care for everyone) (gives big mother energy)
- interesting, understated magic
- inquisitive animals (foxes, horse)

This was low on the spice but I imagine it will pick up in the next two books
1.5 🌶️

Negatives were that I thought it got repetitive at times, needed some more world building, more feeling from the characters/internal dialogue, less rhetorical questions and more exploration through those questions asked.

Excited to see where this goes!It’s

Title: North Queen
Author: Nicola Tyche
Publisher: Columbia River Publishing
Publishing Date: July 4, 2023
Pages: 574
Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

WOW. One of my top favourite reads of this year. Not even just in the ARC category, but like, of all the books I’ve read this year.
Tyche’s writing style is intensely captivating and really immerses you into the Crowns world. The characters all have a purpose and are so well written- with great development. The whole book was easy to read and really hard to put down from start to finish. I read this in 2 sittings and it’s just short of 600 pages. I kind of wish I took my time with it, but I just ate it up and could not stop!
The chapter lengths are perfect, imo- short but not too short. Approx 10 pages each chapter, which I love.
Some great tropes that occurred were enemies to lovers, forced marriage, SLOW burn, and a little hint of spice! When Norah said “what are you doing to me?” I almost LOST it and sunk into my chair!
The King’s character is my favourite. He is the perfect amount of everything and I can’t really get into it without spoiling, but he is… UGH. So well written.
The ending was an amazing set up for book 2 and I’m so excited that it comes out this year, as well as book 3, because I CAN’T WAIT.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tish Thomas for sending this book for review consideration! All opinions are my own.

I can't believe I waited this long to read the North Queen. This book has so many things going on, many of which I enjoyed. I am glad that the next one is coming out sooner than later as I am ready for it. I am hopeful that all of the elements will come together by the end of the trilogy. I can't decide which relationship I'm more excited for but either way, August 1st can't come soon enough.