I found myself utterly taken with this novel at the outset: The Queen's Spade is as educational as it is entertaining, as determined to pull the curtain back on the true, dark history of Victorian Britain as it is in exploring an alternate fate for its real-life heroine. Raughley's take on Sarah Forbes Bonetta is so delightful. She's sort of a brat with a mind set on revenge — and rightly so! Every step of the way you understand exactly where she's coming from; Raughley's colorful, measured prose seethes with righteous fury, a fury that compels you to get to the end of Sally's crusade. Comparisons to The Count of Monte Cristo are definitely warranted, but at turns it also reminded me of The Woman King and The Crown. I'm not entirely sure that its Bridgerton-inspired bits totally worked all the time — Sally is juggling so many suitors, and sometimes I wished we could focus more on her friendships than on her potential romances — but when they did, they brought some great levity to this cycle of rage and paranoia.

I especially loved Raughley's dissection of the diaspora: what happens when people of color are expected to bend against white supremacy, how it changes us inside, makes us bitter and afraid and unsure. Those themes are really well-woven into this tale. At turns, I admittedly felt more intrigued by the world that Raughley was building rather than her protagonist, but that's only because of how well-researched this story was. It helps that everything eventually ties back to Sally, which keeps her from getting lost or overwhelmed in this dense world. Her revenge snaps the story back into focus time and again, especially in its back half.

Pacing does, admittedly, become an issue as Sally's quest goes on, and there is a bit of repetition in the prose towards the end. A few adjectives were reused in a way that felt distracting here and there, along with Sally's mantra — but the escalating intrigue and scandal kept the story from falling into a true rut. It's definitely worth sticking around to see exactly how this story ends. Overall I was really compelled by this and its bittersweet ending — and I'm so grateful to have had the chance to read an advanced copy!

This was a big no for me unfortunately. I love historical fiction but this was... something else. Maybe I'm a stick in the mud, maybe as a Black woman I should've like this, yet I didn't

I just simply couldn't get into this. I was always confused about what was happening and who everyone was and their importance. Starts out with a bang but then quickly gets boring and slow-paced.

The Queen's Spade is one of the most moving reads i have ever read. It is gripping in it's intensity and at times unbelievable, yet, knowing the plot is possible all the same. Although cheering for Ina seemed unthinkable, cheering for the queen was just as disturbing. The Queen's Spade will leave you feeling if this is was what our ancestors suffered and could be still suffering, then this world needs a wake up call!!!!

“The Queen’s Spade” is a historical fiction book by Sarah Raughley. This book is based on Sarah Forbes Bonetta, who I’d heard about but knew very little about. This book filled in a lot of information - and Ms. Raughley’s list of sources she used was wonderful. I really liked how this book opened - a wonderful revenge arc. As gripping as that beginning was, the story slowed down and, for me, took a long time to become as gripping again. There were also a number of characters that I felt a list of who was who would’ve been a great addition. I think it was (and is) a great idea in bringing Ms. Bonetta’s story alive for modern audiences, but it didn’t always work in a way that I found an enjoyable read.

The historical romance/fiction genre works for many readers because authors provide a fantasy world. It feels distant that readers feel comfortable and settle into it treating it as fiction. They get swept up in the glamour, the marriage mart, and ultimately love stories filled with grand gestures. Believe me I love a historical fiction/romance. But I read and consume the content aware of the history constantly left off the pages. I think about the oppressive systems. The tough topics of: slavery, indentured labour, violent racism. So much more rarely touched in the genre, but it's starting to change.

That is why I love The Queen’s Spade. While Sarah Raughley dabbles in fiction for this book, her character is real. Sarah Forbes Bonetta, an African princess forcefully taken from her home, transported across the world just to be gifted to Queen Victoria. A human being treated as a gift to a queen, think about that.

A story lost from history books and conversation given new life by an author writing with such fire. Words so sharp that they will resonate. The legacy that Raughley weaves in with fiction is done with care but also infused with a gripping revenge arc. Including the character of Rui was sublime and allowed the narrative to fully expand. We got to see two characters plotting, scheming, and dominate.

Raughley, lists numerous sources at the end of the book (I love an author that does extensive research) and it’s a great place after The Queen’s Spade to learn more about Sarah Forbes Bonetta's life. Something I highly recommend after completing this book.

This was a highly anticipated read for me, and I was hooked from the first chapter. Out in 2025, you don't want to miss this. Thank you so much to Sarah, and HarperCollins for providing an ARC.

Yes. 1,000 times yes. Everything about this is a yes for me. The MC, the time period, the revenge plot…all of it. This book did not disappoint.

From the first sentence, I was pulled in. I enjoyed how it started and how Sally was stopping at nothing to get her revenge. But it started to get slow for me as the story picked up. I eventually found myself reading with my eyes and not my brain. I wanted this book to just highlight the entire plot instead of everyone else. Speaking of everyone else, there were so many characters in this book that it was hard for me to keep up. But anyhow, maybe I can revisit this book later on but I know for now it just didn’t work for me.

This book wasn’t for me. I felt like there was a really good plot, with good historical information. But the writing just didn’t work for me. I felt confused and had a hard time following.

Incredibly full of rage.

I remember learning about Sally when I was in fifth grade and had been naively confused as to why her story was presented as a happy ending. And maybe it wasn't, but I was ten and had not yet learned to read critically.

Here, Ina is glorious. Here, she is hurting, here she is planning. Here she is alive, she has a personality, and she is able to take risks and speak up for herself, and be herself, and it is beautiful and hurtful and a reminder of the horrors that her historical counterpart and the other "wards of the empire" went through. I think many of my students would appreciate this.

A well researched and profound revenge novel that brings an overlooked historical figure to vivid life.

This book is absolutely incredible. Smart, inventive, and full of raw emotion. I'm a huge fan of Sarah Raughley's, and this is one of my favorite books by her!