One day I was strolling through Threads, and saw the Natania Barron herself talking about this book and how it was to become available on Netgalley. I read the synopsis, found it right up my alley, and just felt compelled to give it a chance.
And I am so happy I did - what a pleasant surprise this book was !
This book tells the story of Arthur's youngest full blooded sister Anna, after she is widowed and comes back live at Arthur's court. She believes she might found some peace and quiet after a miserable existence at Lothian/Orkney. Unfortunately, she is once again at Arthur and Merlin's mercy, and will be used as a means to an end, as most women were at the time, at the expense of her own happiness.

The author bent the legends here and there to fit the story, and I did not mind it, but i know some people might not like it. I liked Anna and her struggles to find agency, and liked to see her attempts at building relationships with her estranged family after so long. It was also good to see, through Anna's eyes, the beginning of the decline for Arthur's kingdom.
My critique is minor, I think . The pacing was a little off for me in the second half, where we have the revenge plot. That plot was good enough, but as other readers pointed out, would have benefited from some more build up/refining in my opinion.

Overall, it was a solid read. It is a first book on a trilogy, but it does leave loose ends, which i appreciate. Interest to see how the others will come about.

I thank Solaris Books and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

"Queen of None" is like diving into a rich tapestry of Arthurian fantasy, with Anna Pendragon at the forefront. Married at twelve, a mother, and often overshadowed by her legendary brother Arthur, Anna's life takes a compelling turn when she returns to Carelon bearing her late husband's crown. The story beautifully unfolds her struggles against political webs, old demons like Morgen and Merlin, and newfound powers. The mix of familiar legends and fresh characters like Lanceloch creates an immersive world. It's not your typical Arthurian tale; it's a nuanced journey of a woman balancing ambition, revenge, and an awakening strength. The complexity might be a challenge for those new to Arthurian lore, but for those seeking a female-led fantasy adventure, "Queen of None" is a captivating start to a promising trilogy.

This was pretty interesting but I felt like it was lacking in some areas. The characters weren't super compelling and I felt myself drifting.

Queen of None by Natania Barron will be released May 21, 2024.
This is an absolutely beautiful book, and I'm not just talking about the stunning cover art.
A breath-taking story about Anna finding her own power, literally, and taking back her life.
Used as a pawn to gain her brother, Arthur, more power through marriage at the young age of twelve, then a mother to three sons. She was, as Merlin prophesied at her birth, forgettable, used for her name and her womb.
Twenty years later she returns home, at Arthur's behest after the death of her husband, Lot of Orkney. She returns and hopes to live the rest of her life married to the man she once loved, Bedeveere. Arthur, however, has other plans. Faced with the demons of her past, Anna must learn to embrace the power brewing within her, using a spell book gifted to her by a banished relative, and take the reins to her own life.

The magic system, the intrigue, the court politics and the storytelling are all incredible in this book. The character development is beautiful, as is the overall arch of the story. I can't wait to see what Natania does with the next two books in this series.

I want to thank NetGalley and Natania for allowing me to ARC read this book for an honest review.

First of all, I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read and review the Queen Of None.

I love retellings, arthurian being some of my favorite. That was the main reason I chosen this book. This retelling offers a new perspective of the world, telling the story from Anna Pendragon's view. The forgotten sister of Arthur, unlike other sisters in this legend. I loved that we were gifted with a more mature character, a mother and a widow. It is a character seldom represented in the genre.

The premise was different and intriguing, the writing in accordance to the story. I did find myself skip through some chapters, which is one this isn't a full 5 stars. Still, it's a solid 4 star book for me, worth reading if you enjoy the legends of Arthur and his time.

Thank you Netgalley, Solaris, and author Natania Barron for providing an ARC in exchange for a review! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 stars (rounded to 5)

Queen of None chronicles the life of the long-forgotten Anna Pendragon, the only full-blooded sister of King Arthur. A tale of duty, sorrow and grief, where women are nothing but a pawn in a game of thrones, a vessel to bear heirs. Sadly, this isn’t only Anna’s tale but of most women – born to be forgotten, their stories completely erased from history or altered conveniently to fit men’s will.

I ought to confess I’m not as well versed in the Arthurian legend as I would like, and therefore I had to research a bit before I set foot in Carelon. This groundwork proved out to be crucial when it came to understanding the profoundly complicated family trees and the relationships between the characters. 

The plot in most historical books tend to be overly slow and dragging, however we don’t find that in Queen of None. Although not fast-paced either, Barton makes us engrossed in magic, political ploys and undesired prophecies. This novel was beautifully written, as if you yourself were bewitched by the lines you’re reading. The characters were flawed and real, and our protagonist is witty, passionate and determined, and she’s finally ready to take the reins of her own life and defy fate. 

I was captivated and spellbound by this book, and I’ll be patiently waiting for the next instalment in this series!

A very interesting tale about Kings author full blooded sister Anna, and how males dominated over females.
And her refusal to do so.
To me, this book portrayed a voice unheard.
The writing was beautifully almost lyrical.
With a heartgribbing story plot.

So beautifully written. The book is about a fantastical world, of which the story follows the sister of King Arthur. In a way she is the “symbol” of the forgotten women in history. The book truly keeps you hooked, the plot is intriguing and with twist. The mysteries and more. I highly recommend this book!!

This was a beautifully written novel about a fantastical world many have grown up knowing the tales of. The story itself followed the sister of King Arthur, who as written, is much forgotten to all. However, she spins a world all her own in this book and entrances the readers in who she is and what she stands for. She represents all of history's forgotten women and the paths that they have blazed for those to come. The plotline of this story is what originally intrigued me, and it did not disappoint. The more I read, the more I wanted to know about what was to come. I enjoyed the characters, I loved the dialect, and I loved the mysteries they all created. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for magic in unexpected places along with a well-known fantasy retelling.

Thank you Solaris and Netgalley for giving me an ARC of Queen of Nothing for my honest review.

I'm a big King Arthur fan. There are so many names and changed names that pay homage to the old stories in this book. I enjoyed the easter egg hunt in finding who was going to be connected where. Now, mind you, this story is Greek god level of interconnected. Everyone is related to everyone and there is a lot of people sleeping with a lot of people.

This was a fine read though. If you're looking for something that's not problematic like 'Mists of Avalon' then this would be a fun read. It sets up the Arthur story, and gives a reason for a few characters to exist.

Personally though... I could have thrown out half of the romances. This book's synopsis made me think I was getting a bit more swoony reading, instead, I found myself annoyed at Anna and the rest of the cast. Lanceloch to me had the worst case of character whiplash. I felt like the book wanted to pin women as the ground-down party and make every male character an asshole. It felt strange when Lanceloch lashed out when he seemed to be the best of everyone there. The other romances were surface level, there was a lot of talk about sex and desire without any growth of relationship. Lanceloch and Anna had the most growth and then stuff happened. If you're looking for a spicy read, this really isn't it. With how much sex is talked about, I almost wanted to see the scenes play out. That or remove how much sex there was in the book. I felt like sex was a theme but it wasn't fully explored. We get a lot about a woman's plight when she cannot make a choice for herself, but I don't think this book says anything new about that.

I felt like this book needed a sequel. One where Anna has to manage the consequences of what has happened, but at the same time, I don't know if it's needed. The book sets up the tragedies for the end of the Arthur mythos, and in a way I hate Anna for it. There's all this talk about taking back your choices and not letting prophecy define you, but Anna lets everyone else's prophecies play out. It felt like a hallow victory, and that there is a lot more story that needs to be told. Personally, Arthur's daughter sounds fascinating and I need to look to see what the other books in this world are about. Cause if they are about her, I'd give them a read.