Pretty decent villains origin story. Great world building and character development. I love fantasy books and this was right up my alley. Excited to start book 2 and see where the story goes

Excellent book, love it! Looking forward to more from this author! Apologies for the lateness of my review

4.5/5 stars.

This is an omnibus so it has all three of the books + bonus scenes and an art work at the beginning which is pretty much a huge spoiler. I'll talk about each book at a time.

The first book talks about how she discovered her powers and when she shared it with her trusted friends they started using her and soon enough even blackmailing her. Feeling cornered she did her best to protect herself from them. She also starts going to the castle, hiding her reason from her father. Soon enough he finds out and threatens her, so once again she finds herself in a position where she needs to do things that are not very nice, just to protect herself. Personally I found it a bit bland, but I was intrigued enough by her shapeshifting powers to keep reading.

In the second book, the action takes place in the palace, where we got to learn more about the politics of this world, about the magic system and we also get a bit o romance. Personally, this part was my favorite, finding it the one where I learned a lot about this world, with an complex, but easy to understand world building and an unique magic system. We also get to know the FMC's mom, which was unexpected and I really hoped to see more of her.

The last book presents the humans, and their world. These particular humans are actually very powerful, since they are mixed with the dragons. At first, I found this book to be a bit slow, but soon enough I was really invested. However, this part is once again filled with betrayal and it just shows the last bit needed for the MC to take everything she wants and not care about others, finally transforming into a villain. I was absolutely heartbroken for her, but everything makes sense.

The bonus parts were cute, but also sad, and it shows that while the FMC still wants to give people another chance, she is so scarred by so many, that she feels she can never trust again.

While the ending was not really a happy one, I enjoyed this complex books a lot and I wholeheartedly recommend giving them a try, because the author did a wonderful job and they deserve to be read and enjoyed.

Tropes:
- touch her and die
- betrayal
- enemies to lovers
- magic

I loved reading this omnibus. It was so good to be able to read each book one after the other without having to buy the rest of the books in the series and waiting for them to arrive.

Thanks so much for this chance saying that I loved this books is not enough this was really the Queen Rise and it was amazing, I was reading and seeing the Evil Queen when she was good before she was betrayed and aren't we all a little bit like that? Jezebel was the perfect character that needed that development

If you were someone that ever wondered “how did the villain come to be?” This might just be the book for you. Bethany wonderfully crafts these ‘twisted retellings’ in a way that feels fresh and new. Not to mention this being a three book omnibus? Even better.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts and review. 3.5⭐️

Imagine if the evil fairy tale queen wasn't born wicked...

Jezebel is just an innocent girl harboring a dangerous shape-shifting ability. If anyone discovers her secret, they'll fear and shun her at best. At worst, they'll try to remove it... killing her in the process.

But when a portal to the human world offers the perfect opportunity to slip away, she seizes her chance to explore her power.

Until someone sees. Someone Jezebel thought she could trust.

Exploiting her power for his own gain, small demands turn into ruthless blackmail until Jezebel's caught between two impossible choices: keeping her freedom or her innocence.

This omnibus includes three novels-The Secret Gift, The Secret Shadow, and The Secret Curse-along with two exclusive bonus scenes. Set in the same universe of The Stolen Kingdom series, it unveils an origin story of a minor character. You do not need to read one series before the other; both series stand on their own.

If you are looking for a no spice story, this is one of those. Swoon worthy, if you can hold out until book three. I was completely enthralled by the plot of the third book.

The first two books were a struggle to get through for me, but the last one was more to my liking.
I didn’t care for Jezebel, and I really couldn’t care less about Shem. Two just ok people with an ending I personally thought was good for them. I understand the whole point was insta-love doesn’t build good relationships, but twice girl?! Really?! There were parts of Jezebel’s thought process I couldn’t follow. And to be honest that ending was a bit of a let down. I don’t know. I didn’t want it to necessarily end happy, but I also wanted some stuff resolved completely. I see what was trying to be done, and I was so close to feeling all these feelings, but then it just didn’t take me there completely.

I don't think my rating is completely fair because this is the first Young Adult novel that I've read and, unfortunately, I don't think YA is a genre I enjoy.

At the 32% mark, I DNF'd the book, however, I really liked the overall concept of the story.

Characters:
For some reason, I couldn't connect with most of the characters, including Jezebel who I thought spiraled too quickly. It would have been nice to see her interactions with her friends more so any betrayal on their and Jezebel's part would have had a larger emotional impact for me. Or, if they weren't as trust worthy as they seemed (the girls in particular), it would have explained Jezebel's actions better.

After the first book, I was only concerned for Shem and the Jinn around Jezebel because she was clearly dangerous and didn't seem bothered by the events of the last book despite the short time frame. The impression I got was that Jezebel probably would have been a villain no matter how the story went (which was probably intentional).

World:
I would have loved to see more of the Jinn world in the first book. More detail about their society and their fear of shapeshifters might have helped me to better understand Jezebel's escalation. Plus, who doesn't want to read about floating islands?

Overall:
Again, I'm not sure what star rating to give this. For readers who enjoy YA, this is probably a 4 star book, but, unfortunately, the genre is just not for me. I look forward to hearing more about the author in the future and, who knows, maybe one of her future books will make me a YA reader yet.

The Queen's Rise is a wonderful tale about Jezebel, a Jinn girl. We follow her from her poor life with her nasty father to a different life altogether. Although slow at times, it is a must read story that draws you in the further you go.

**Features:**
- Villain origin story
- Non-human main character with shifter abilities
- YA fairytale retellings
- Court intrigue, deception, and the exploration of the nature of evil

**Summary**

For most Jinni, the awakening of their Gifts is something to celebrate. But for Jezebel, blessed with the ability to shape-shift, it is a nightmare. Fearing that they cannot control an ability like hers, those that won’t seek to control her will seek to destroy her. Jezebel’s only option is to keep her true abilities a secret. But when she is inevitably discovered by someone she thought was a friend, she is thrown into a world where trust is a fantasy and freedom can only be one through deceit.

**Thoughts**

I love a good villain origin story and this collection is that and more! It is important to note that this is a YA trilogy and it definitely reads like one. However, it isn’t afraid to go to some dark places and create a main character that is truly morally gray by the conclusion. Each book in this trilogy is a loose retelling of a fairytale in a way that is similar to The Lunar Chronicles but with a much different world and feel. Jezebel’s evolution from scared teenager hiding from the world to a woman trying to control her own destiny is both heartbreaking and satisfying. Despite some of her questionable choices, Jezebel is a character you still find yourself rooting for.

Jezebel is a villain character from “The Stolen Kingdom” series which takes place long after the events of this trilogy. The first book in this trilogy does a wonderful job re-establishing the world for new readers, so I never felt like I was missing something important having not read the previous series. That being said, returning readers will already know how this story ends and I really appreciate that this series doesn’t really try to change or excuse it. Though she shifts freely from ‘hero’ to ‘villain’ in her own story, the series as a whole is more about understanding than it is about redemption. If you are a believer in the saying “villains are made”, then this is the perfect series for you. It’s even better now that you can read it straight through!

A Fairytale With An Engaging Villainous Heroine

Although I found myself face-palming at several of Jezebel's choices throughout the novel, I still followed her coming-of-age journey with enjoyment. She is a complicated fairytale heroine/main character in the style of the original Grimms' stories and I love her for it.

📚️Book Review 📚️
👑 The Queen’s Rise by Bethany Atazadeh 👑
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A great series for an omnibus format! The three novels in this book were fast reads, making it great to have them all in one book set. Each book has its own identity, yet weaves together as we learn the origin of a villain. I completed this series before the Stolen Kingdom series that inspired it, and was able to enjoy it without having read those.

We follow Jezibel, whose life changes when she becomes empowered by her magic. This series truly explores the question if a villain is born or made. It just may be an answer inbetween!

Oh my goodness, this book was amazing 🤩👑✨🎉 I'm not a fantasy girl, but books like this one make me want to become one!!

I so desperately wanted everything to turn out alright for Jezebel in the end, but knowing it was a villain origin story, I tried my best to not get too attached 😭 Still, her character arc was beautifully executed, and I was able to relate with her even while I despaired at her choices. I love Koda so much, and I wish things could have turned out better for them, but again, I knew it couldn't 😢

The worldbuilding was phenomenal!! I was able to easily understand how things worked without feeling overwhelmed or like the information was dumped on me 🏰

If you're looking for your next gripping read, add this omnibus to your tbr! I promise it won't disappoint 😉👑

(And just a little side note, I started following this author back when she was writing these books, so finally reading them felt like a full circle moment for me 🥺💕)

This one just wasn't for me. I had trouble connecting to the characters and story. I won't be rating it anywhere as I don't have the right to since I didn't finish reading it.

I got throught this surprisingly fast for a three book omnibus! It was dynamic and engaginc and I felt like with every finished book, I was more and more passionate and excited about reading the next. Although some parts seemed a bit predictable, I still loved the pacing and the plot twists!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

I enjoyed this a lot! I ended up reading the majority in a day because I was so eager to see how it ended (my heart broke a little bit). Some parts were a bit predictable, and some things seemed to develop almost too quickly and others too slowly, but overall the plot was good and I loved the characters.

5/5 Stars

This is such an immersive story that I couldn't get enough of! Each stage of Jezabel's story took me or a wild ride, and made me understand her a little more. I loved Koda, and started rooting for him. This is fairy tale retellings done right. Readers should be aware this is a omnibus, which means you get three books in one, along with bones materials. In this case that's a chapter from Koda's POV and a chapter set twenty years after the end of the story. It was amazing. I need more from Bethany Atazedeh. NOW.

This was an entertaining and absorbing read. When I read the first book in a series I enjoy, I am impatient to get the subsequent installments as they are published. So when I learned about this three-in-one Omnibus, I was eager to pick it up. I'm not usually drawn to Jinn stories, but the characters and unexpected twists and turns kept me turning pages to the end. I was intrigued by the synopsis and was not disappointed. I read this title as an eARC as a member of the Launch Team, prior to it's release in print.

The Queen's Rise by Bethany Atazadeh was such an amazing read. It has all the great things a villain origin story needs to be exceptional. This was one of the fastest reads of a 3-in-1 book I've ever read and it was mainly due to the pace of the story. The first book is slightly slow and makes a good foundation for the next two books and that's where it really started to pick up. Jezebel is a fierce lead character who will do anything to keep her freedom, which I can respect immensely, after making a life-changing decision she gets thrown into the palace where she has the chance to gain the power and respect she so greatly desires. The only thing that I didn't like was how fast Jezebel's heart went cold after the betrayal of her friends. I feel like that aspect of the story could have be expanded on a little bit but other then that I overall truly enjoyed reading Jezebel's story and I love Bethany's writing style I will definitely be checking out her other books which from what I've read from review are part of this interconnected universe (which I love).

Thank you NetGalley and Grace House Press for providing the eARC!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It had a good plot as well as steady characters. They remained true to their attributes but had their own moments of growth. I felt like the overall story was really good, but there were just a few point, especially near the end, where it was either rushed or slightly forced where some characters did some things that wouldn't be in their nature. That being said, it still was an enjoyable read and would still recommend it!