We should first of all take a second to admire this breathtaking cover because good lord 😩

I absolutely LOVED this book! It captured me from start to finish, I legitimately could not put it down, I read it all in a day.

Although the beginning was a little more slow the story quickly picked up it's pace and we find ourselves getting lost in it. In it's fantasy world. In it's words. In it's story.

Following Norah on her path since she wakes up in a forest without a single memory of who she is up till she's found by her childhood best friend and quickly taken to her kingdom where she's crowned Queen of the North... And even more, pardon me for I don't want to give any spoilers although I must alert to a certain love triangle - or should I say square? Tihis book will hold my mind captive for the foreseeable future, I'm sure. Especially with the promise of the rest of the story next month. I can't wait till we get to have the other 2 books of this series on our hands. I'm itching to read them and find out what happened next.

Bottom line is, I STRONGLY recommend this book. And I'll defend my stance on this. This is my hill to die on.

Thank you so much to netgalley for the earc of this book.

First, let's take a minute to appreciate what a beautiful cover... ⌛️
Done? Ok, now let's get started.

North Queen and I didn't start off well. If it hadn't been for the commitment of it being an eARC, I most likely would have abandoned it.
That's why I'm here to tell you the secret I wish I had known at that time: it has a faulty beginning, you'll have to be patient with it, but it's worth it.
The story evolves on such a scale that it will be your heart that suffers trying to keep up with it.
In case you're wondering what I mean by "faulty beginning," I'll clarify, from the perspective of someone who has never written a book, that it seemed incredibly redundant, overflowing with unnecessary scenes: completely lacking contribution to the plot. And if I indulge in very personal opinions, I can also add to the negative criticism the memory loss, one of the tropes I least like to read; represented by a protagonist who, although interesting to me in the first few pages, quickly became a flat and complacent character, with very poor decision-making. This dynamic persisted throughout the first quarter of the book, at least.

Ahhh, but then, EVERYTHING improves, and I emphasize EVERYTHING: the pace, the plot, the character development...
Just when you think you're convinced of the direction the story will take, the author turns the world upside down, and what you once looked at with certainty is now a sea of doubts.
When you reach the middle of the book, everything is going well; but when you reach the last chapters, oh my goodness! How is this her debut novel?

Anyway, the only reason I give it a rating of 3.75☆ is because those first hundred pages felt torturously eternal to me, and in my opinion, it could have been something correctable with good editing...
Anyway, it will be a delight to see this author grow through her future works.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

North Queen is a phenomenal start to a romantic fantasy series. This is Nicola Tyche's debut novel and I was blown away by how good it is.

Norah wakes in a forest with no memories and is found by her childhood friend Alexander, who tells her she has been missing for three years and she is to be crowned Queen of the North. Norah embarks on a journey to understand politics, war, and her duties while trying to remember who she is and what she wants for her people and her future.

I love Norah's character she is a badass MC and is deserving of being a Queen. I enjoyed watching her unsure self be thrust into this new role and she handled it all with grace. I enjoyed the secondary characters and the sort of love triangle that is going on, it kept it interesting, and while I could root for both sides I do currently have a favorite ;) It's giving forbidden love and enemies to lovers and I am here for it.

I'm just obsessed with this book, the setting, the fighting, the war, the politics, and the different territories. It's action-packed and all the world-building kept me engaged the entire time. I didn't want it to end. There is still so much mystery and I'm hooked.
There's also a bit of foreshadowing of where Norah was for three years and why she is connected to the Wild, the forest she woke up in, and the animals that belong to it. I've got some theories going and I cannot wait until the next installment!

Huge thank you to NetGalley, Columbia River Publishing, and the author Nicola Tyche for an arc in exchange for an honest review. I highly recommend picking this one up, it is out today, July 4th!

Thanks to NetGalley and Columbia River Publishing for providing me with the arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars
I'M OBSESSED WITH THIS BOOK OMG. The first couple of chapters took me a little while to get into but then I was completely hooked!! The author has a great prose and the pace was excellent, I didn't want to put it down! I loved Norah's character and how she develops through the novel, and I need to know more about her past... Speaking of her past I also liked Alexander a lot, his interactions with Norah and how much he loves her and wants to protect her kept me shipping them so hard... BUT THEN Mikael appeared and I also loved him a lot, he intrigued me at first and then I adored how he treated Norah and how they start getting to know each other. The only reason I'm taking half a star is because of a plot point that has a sort of trope I don't like and I was so angry lol but then everything was okay again and I was obsessed again! I also enjoyed the world a lot and I'm excited to see how the author will expand on it later. I cannot recommend this book enough, can't wait for the other two books in the series!

Review in Spanish:

Gracias a NetGalley y Columbia River Publishing por brindarme el arc a cambio de una reseña honesta.

4.5 estrellas
ESTOY OBSESIONADA CON ESTE LIBRO DIOS MÍO. Los primeros capítulos me costaron un poquito de leer pero luego me enganché por completo!! La autora tiene una gran prosa y el ritmo fue increíble, no podía dejar de leer! Me encantó el personaje de Norah y cómo evoluciona a lo largo de la novela, y necesito saber más sobre su pasado... Hablando de su pasado, también me gustó mucho Alexander, sus interacciones con Norah y cuánto la ama y quiere protegerla me hizo shippearlos fuertemente... PERO ENTONCES apareció Mikael y también lo amé mucho, al principio me intrigaba y luego adoré cómo trataba a Norah y cómo comenzaron a conocerse poco a poco y como se va desenvolviendo su relación. La única razón por la que le estoy quitando media estrella es por un punto de la trama que tiene un medio trope que no me gusta y estaba muy enojada jajaja pero luego todo volvió a estar bien y estaba obsesionada de nuevo. También disfruté mucho del mundo y me emociona ver cómo la autora lo ampliará más adelante. No puedo recomendar este libro lo suficiente y no puedo esperar a los otros dos libros de la saga!!

North Queen had a fantastic premise - and I will be continuing the series as it comes out - but there were a few plot details that bothered me in particular that I'm sure many other readers will not have any issue with. While the main character is working at a disadvantage with the knowledge of the world she's in, I felt that there were times where I, as the reader, was meant to be picking up on some details while she didn't, but the writing hindered my experience and I was left confused on a few points. There were a few times where scenes felt very flat, like the characters had no agency, and that's not great in a story about people trying to change their destinies. Some moments between the two leads didn't feel earned because of this, even though the spic scenes themselves were well-written. Again this was just my experience, and I'm still incredibly invested in the series, so it wasn't that big of a deal, but it did bother me at points.

I was honored to get to read this as an ARC for an honest review & I found myself thinking about this book constantly when I wasn’t reading it! I needed to know what happened next & was constantly surprised. It’s an enjoyable read, I liked the writing & set up, but I could see some of the in between moments being too lengthy if you’re not a fantasy world fan. I really love the characters & that no one is quite what they seem. Everyone has their own story that’s worth being told & I loved seeing that in this book. There were some key things with the FMC I thought would have been a bigger deal later in the book after how big it was in the beginning but it seems to be used as the build up for the next book. I was hooked into the plot from the beginning of this one & I’m so longing for the next already cause I need to know how it all unfolds, can you change your fate?

I highly recommend this book if you enjoy:
-fantasy world building
-enemies to lovers
-forbidden love
-Lord of the Rings
-political tension
-1/5🌶️

This was an interesting read and I had some pros and cons but overall I enjoyed it and would continue the series!

This book was absolutely incredible. The plot, the politics, the romance, the fights.. UGH IT WAS SO GOOD. I could not put it down! And when I had to put it down, I just kept thinking about it!
Norah is a badass MC who speaks up for what she wants and knows her way around a sword. Even tho she doesn’t remember who she is we definitely get to see who she is and who she’s become. She cares for people and isn’t afraid to stand up, even in the face of evil, for herself and for what is right.
I really enjoyed a lot of characters in this book. But there are definitely some I hate and some that seem nice but I don’t completely trust.
To me this had a decent amount of world building. Not a lot but not none. You mainly experience the world with the MC. So there is room for more world building and I am very interested to see it in future books.
There are hints of a magical element being at play here so I am VERY excited to see how that unfolds and what power comes along with it.
AND THE ROMANCE!? The almost touches!? The held breaths!? Ah it was everything! Absolutely amazing. I kept stopping reading to smile and make some weird, excited facial expression.
Honestly this book has it all. I don’t want to give too much away but we get fight scenes, politics, tension, forced proximity, childhood friends (maybe to lovers??), enemies (maybe to lovers!!!), an arranged marriage, a spice scene (nothing intense), and a badass FMC. I wish I had a physical copy of this book so I could hug it and put it out for people to see 😭🖤
5 out of 5 stars for me

I am always hesitant to jump into a book 1 in a new series but this book was worth it! It was beautiful written and has set the scene for what will be a great series. I really enjoyed the authors writing and how she made the characters so complex, yet easily to read. I cant wait for additional books to be released!

I was pleasantly surprised! went in having forgotten everything about the plot and I let it this (unexpectedly) long book carry me through the story.

I wish the story would have picked up sooner and faster, it was a real slow start and the slow and smooth atmosphere continued until the end, even when things were going down it felt..... light. not enough dramatization and intensity imo

While we're on the things that bugged me, the main thing was the lack of physical description to create any kind of tension. Norah was barely thinking about the features or traits she found attractive and vice versa, it felt a bit flat and again too soft. I get that it can get too much real fast in romance books but a little comment about his height or his haw or his shoulders here and there...... it wouldn't have hurt anyone, quite the contrary

The best aspect of the story was Norah herself despite her name that I just personally dislike. She's super down to earth, realistically brave and not over confident or over independent. She's strong despite the circumstances and still manages to hold her ground, yet she's still flawed and weak at times, a perfectly rendered personality. I just wish she had more power moves and less storming out pouting. I know her moves are limited in those situations but it happened over and over again, someone disrespecting her and she can't do anything about it so she leaves almost throwing a tantrum. Special mention to her pettiness which was the side of her I loved most, it brought a lighter funnier side to the story and it allowed to rebel however she could.

Loved the world building, not overly complicated with a million new names and systems thrown in there, it was easy to follow and to adapt to and the passages at court had a perfect balance of political schemes and court drama. Another occasion to shine for Norah who's really open minded and respectful of a culture she'd been described as horrendous and barbaric. But our girl is better than that <3

Will definitely check out the next books, I finished this one early today and I'm still randomly thinking about it as if it was some dream my mind wants to go back to! (Review posted on Goodreads)

Oh my lord this BOOK. I couldn't put it down. I saw a review saying fans of Outlander and ACOTAR would love it, and boy, did I. I can't remember the last time I stayed up until 2am to finish a book!

The premise:
Norah, princess of the kingdom of Mercia is missing. She is found in an enchanted (not in the fun way) forest after being gone 3 years, and has no memory of who she is or where she's been. She can't remember her life prior to disappearing either, and that includes her grandmother, the Queen Regent, and Alexander, lord justice and a man she can sense was important to her once. Now she must navigate her impending coronation as well as all the political ramifications of her return, all while the mysterious Shadow King threatens peace from afar.

Thoughts:
This story captured my attention from the first few pages. The world building was so well integrated into the story that it didn't ever feel overwhelming. The political intrigue was just enough to pique my interest, and it simmers throughout the story before building to a peak that will be sure to continue in books 2-4. Norah's arc in this first book was so satisfying as she gains confidence and comes into her own as a queen, challenging the status quo.

I love a good enemies-to-lovers, and the North Queen delivered. The slow burn...the tension....I was HERE FOR IT. I cannot wait to find out what happens next, and I'm so happy I don't have to wait long!

Tropes:
enemies to lovers
morally gray MC
touch her and die
forgotten past
arranged marriage

Spice:
1/5🌶️

Thank you to NetGalley and Columbia River Publishing for the early digital copy of North Queen. I loved this book so much. I couldn’t put it down. Norah is a petty queen and I loved every second. I will be purchasing this immediately and preordering the sequel. The writing was fun and fast paced. The world building was amazing. Please go pick up this book immediately, you won’t regret it.

Actual 4.5 stars
This was an excellent start to a trilogy and set the stage for lots of action and intrigue in the next 2 books. Norah is a very compelling main character who wakes up in The Wild with no memory of who she is or where she comes from. She is (conveniently) found by her childhood friend and her grandmother's lord Justice and brought to home to Mercia where she is told she is to be queen and is to marry the king of a neighboring kingdom to secure resources and an ally in the war against the shadowlands.

On her way to secure the alliance she is kidnapped by the Shadow King and endeavors to create a new circumstance for herself that will create peace. Of course nothing quite goes as she expects and she is forced to confront truths about herself and assumptions made about the Shadow King.

The world building for this book was really well done and I appreciated how the author teased out the details about the main characters that the story follows to give us just what we need as we need it. The reason I did not give this a full five stars was I was expecting a big reveal at the end of the book giving us some of the information being hinted about during the book and it didn’t really happen.

Nora is the lost queen. After being lost for 3 years she is found in the Wild forest, with no memories. No memory of why or how she was in the Wild, and no memory of her past. Nora learns that she is set to be coronated in only a handful of days and then married to the neighbouring king a few weeks later. All because her kingdom, Mercia, has been at war with the Shadowlands for 10 years.

When Nora is kidnapped by the Shadow King on the way to her wedding, she must make choices that will impact herself, those around her and the people of Mercia. What happens when Nora realises she used to be in love with a member of the royal guard? Who is the Shadow King and how will Nora impact his reign? When it comes time to choose between her love and the Shadow King, who will she choose?

What a cracking start to a series! This is an amazing story full of twists, turns and a little spice. Being from multiple points of view really makes this story well rounded, especially since Nora has no memories prior to the Wild. I have many questions and I am super glad the publication date for the next in the series has already been announced, and it's not too far away (thank god!). I can't wait to read the next one!

Big thanks to Negalley, Columbia River Publishing and Nicola Tyche.

💫4.25/5 |🌶️ 1.5/5 | Enemies to Lovers | Forbidden Romance | Love Triangle | Arranged Marriage | Politicial Intrigue | Third Person Narrative

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. My review and opinions are solely my own and given freely.

I could not put this book down! It kept me so engrossed that I am fully invested to follow through with the rest of the series. It was addicting, unpredictable, and well-developed. There is a lot of fantastic character development with the already complex characters and you guys know how much I love secondary characters that just complete the book and make it well-rounded. For my morally grey lovers out there, you might find your new obsession with Mikael.

The book follows our FMC Norah who wakes up in the middle of the wild with absolutely no memory of anything. She is then found by Alexander, Lord Justice of the Kingdom of Mercia who instantly recognizes her because of their past and because she happens to be the Queen of Mercia. The book focuses on her finding her path as she is thrown back into a world she doesn’t recognize while carrying the weight of the crown and making decisions that is for the best interest of her people.

Their Kingdom has been at war for 10 years with an enemy Kingdom led by the Shadow King, Mikael. There is a lot of plot twists and politicking that I really liked that kept me engaged. There are arranged marriages and a love triangle that is not annoying at all, in fact, I can’t seem to choose who I favor because I swooned for those little moments and nuances left and right. I might have gotten whiplash from trying to decide who I want for Norah. Just saying! LOL

While Norah was on her way to marry the King of Aleon, Norah gets captured by Mikael to initially be used a bait for Mercia and to rage another great War. But things change quickly as Mikael offers Norah to wed and become her Queen to end the war. She agrees but they are from two completely different worlds with different customs, morals, and traditions; and we see her internal struggles in reminding herself why she agreed to do it; and of course, Alexander not wanting to lose her to the Shadow King makes everything more interesting.

All in all, fantastic read! Luckily we don’t have to wait long for Book 2, Shadow Queen! YAY!

I was over the moon 🌙 when I received an advanced readers copy of North Queen from Nicola Tyche! I immediately moved it to the top of my TBR and DEVOURED it!

If you crave adventure or want a change of pace AND scenery, please do yourself a favor and pick this gem up. This book has it all! Action, adventure, heartbreak, healing, magic, mystery, enemies and lovers and a little bit of spice 🌶️

The story begins with Norah, the heir to the Northern Kingdom who wakes up in the middle of the Wild with no memories of who she is or how she got there. From page one we meet the magic that this book has to offer as she meets a fox who appears as any fox, except for his eyes. There’s a knowledge in his eyes and a connection that Norah feels to this animal.

Norah is attacked and while on the run, she is rescued by Alexander, the Lord Commander of her army. Alexander knows Norah, but Norah doesn’t remember him. So follows the tragic story of lovers lost to duty.

We meet Norah’s grandmother, Catherine. A fierce woman who loves Norah dearly but upholds their laws, their values and commitment to their country. Norah, a free spirit who values empathy and peace appears to butt heads with her Grandmother a lot.

The Shadowlands are as beautiful and brutal as the men who come from them. We meet the ominous Shadow King, Mikael and his “brute” as Norah calls him; otherwise known as Soren, the Lord Commander of the Shadow Army.

Free and wild Norah is, you become her, feel with her, mourn with her and fall in love with her. She is fearless and brazen, kind-hearted and strong. We get to grow with her as she becomes her own person, her own ruler. Every character in this book is easy to connect with, except perhaps Artem, the Captain of the Shadow Army.

I love stories that introduce us to two dimensional villians, magical creatures, seers, kings and queens, soldiers and loyalty. This novel brims with everything you hope for in the fantasy genre. I haven’t been this excited for a series since the Twilight Saga!

It was my pleasure to accept a Digital ARC provided by Nicola Tyche in exchange for an honest review!

Book ONE: NORTH QUEEN releases on JULY FOURTH, 2023!
Book two: SHADOW QUEEN releases on AUGUST FIRST, 2023!
Book three: WAR QUEEN releases on AUGUST TWENTY-NINTH, 2023!

"North Queen: Crowns - Book 1" introduces readers to a captivating world of fantasy and adventure, crafted by author Nicola Tyche. With its intricate plot, well-developed characters, and a touch of political intrigue, this book sets the stage for an exciting series.

The story revolves around the central protagonist, a young woman who unexpectedly finds herself thrust into the role of the North Queen. As she navigates the challenges of ruling a kingdom and the burdens that come with it, she must unravel the mysteries surrounding her own identity and confront the forces threatening her realm.

The book excels in creating suspense and tension. The author skillfully weaves together political intrigue, power struggles, and hidden agendas, keeping readers engaged and eager to uncover the truth behind the mysteries that unfold. The pacing is generally well-maintained, with a balance between action-packed sequences and quieter moments of reflection.

However, it's worth noting that as the first book in a series, "North Queen” lays the foundation for the story, and as such, some readers may find the plot development to be slower than anticipated. Certain plot threads and mysteries are left unresolved, serving as hooks to entice readers to continue with the subsequent books.

4.5⭐️
WOW. JUST wow.
This had everything.

Pining romance, Enemies to lovers, Political intrigue, Feisty imperfect heroine, morally grey characters, feral characters….

The story follows Norah, our main girl, as she wakes up in the middle of the forest with no memories of who she is or where she comes from. Soon after she is found, she learns that she is heir to a kingdom that’s been at war for over 10 years with a dark enemy. Norah is immediately thrust under the huge weight of responsibility of leading this kingdom and feels so unprepared as she still doesn’t no who she used to be.

I really like the direction this story is taking place and how the characters are written. The wide range of characters who are good or bad, or even have a mixture of both.

The characters have complex relationships with each other which makes it super interesting because you are always like, okay do I support this or no? Haha 😆
I love the twists and turns as we read the story, and I will admit that the first 25-30% of this book was hard to get into. But afterwards, I was HOOOOOKED.

The way I need the next book ASAPPPPP, I need to see more of Norah and other certain characters👀 as we start to buckle in for the wild ride that’s coming! We still have questions that need to be answered, and more romance that needs to develop!

Also I’m kinda feral for that one feral character🫣🔥

3.5/5 for this one.

I was really captivated by the story from the first chapter and the writing was great. This book was really shaping up to be one of my favorites. The plot seemed original although predictable, I was really enjoying it.

That is until the wedding...(around 70%) everything after that felt like a poorly written fanfic. It almost felt like the author didn't really know where the story was going and just threw something together. Around this time is where the FMC became unsufferable and the big scary shadow daddy turned into a pining little simp who did everything and anything the FMC asked for so he could hold her hand. It was almost as if they were 2 completely different characters from the beginning.

I also wasn't hooked at all by the cliffhanger, it felt like she just ended the book in the middle of a chapter. The stakes weren't high and it was left with a lot of loose ends (but not in a good "omg I cant wait for the next book to see what happens!" kind of way. It was more so the "wait? that's really it?" kind of way.

All in all, it wasn't terrible and it had a lot of promise but I was disappointed by the ending.

This book was fantastic. Norah is relatable in the best way, and everything that happens is a roller-coaster ride to the very end. I can't wait for the next book to be available!