Not gonna lie, this was a strange book.

The beginning when the story was firmly the "ordinary" world started off okayish, though I found the portrayal of bullying/outcasting to be a bit of a caricature. The setup of the grandpa to granddaughter clairvoyance was the only bit of fantasy bit I was taken in by, only for the goddess sister plotline to come through and complicate the worldbuilding far too much. I couldn't really wrap my head around what exactly the other elements are other than the main four (earth, water, fire, and air); I still don't get what prime elements are even after my reading. Maybe if the reincarnation reveal came sooner (It took nearly almost half the book for Jolie to come to the conclusion) the story would have more room to relax on the high fantasy elements, but as is, it just made my head hurt.

I also didn't find Jolie to be all that compelling, to be honest. It's ironic, considering her character arc was all about her learning to utilize perceived weaknesses as her strengths, but I found her irritable for most of the book. Her coming into reincarnation only made her more self-righteous in her beliefs and made her the obvious better one against her cartoonishly evil siblings. The arc with her sister could have worked if the mystery around Huong was more subtle, because it made Jolie appear to be so dumb for not noticing the twist.

The book ended literally on the climax when the fight was won. I won't spoil, but there definitely should have been a chapter or two showing the aftermath. I was only mildly annoyed, as I was only invested in order to finish the book, but my point still stands.

All in all, a weird read that has some good but more choices that muddle any enjoyment it garnered out of me.

The Lost Queen tells the story of two sisters, two dragons, from Vietnamese legends. The premise of the story was intriguing, and the bending of time and space was inventive. I enjoyed learning about the myths and prophecies, and how they were woven into our story. I found Jolie and her “family” to be lovable characters. The first half of the book sets up much of the story to come, but I did find the first part of the second half a little repetitive and predictable. The ending wrapped up some loose ends, but felt a little bit of a let down at the very end. I was clicking on the kindle going where’s the rest. Overall, I found it intriguing enough to read through to the end.

I've always loved a well-crafted fantasy retelling—color me curious when you throw in dragons and magic—and The Lost Queen does a fantastic job blending the Vietnamese folklore of the Trung Sisters/Queens with modern-day struggles. Stories based on Vietnamese legends are rare, so I truly appreciated the chance to learn more about this history and culture.

Jolie, a high school student and descendant of a thầy bói (fortune teller), begins experiencing unsettling visions in class, which leads to her being labeled a pariah. As she unravels the mysteries of her past, the narrative moves at a fast pace. While I found some of the puzzle pieces easy to put together (I had more Huong tendencies, growing a bit impatient for Jolie to catch up), there were still some great surprises and satisfying "aha" moments when everything clicked into place. I also appreciated how we got to uncover Jolie’s past alongside her, experiencing each revelation as she did.

One of my favorite aspects was how seamlessly the story wove California’s earthquakes and wildfires into magic and mythology, bridging past and present in a way that felt natural and immersive.

Now, my complaint—or rather, my protest—is that I wanted more time with the supporting characters. Since this is a duology, I’m hopeful we’ll get to meet Jolie’s biological father from the modern world. I understand that this story was primarily about Jolie and Huong (and in some ways, Jolie’s journey of self-discovery), but I wished for more interactions with her grandfather and more insight into her training with him. The small moments we did get were lovely, and I wanted to see even more of her biological family and friends. Also, the ending felt like it needed a stronger hook—just a little more insight into what’s to come would have made it more impactful.

A good fantasy that incorporates Vietnamese folklore. I would recommend for readers that like any fantasy that involves mythology.

Thanks to NetGalley & PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was pretty trippy, to be honest. It was entertaining enough but...just very confusing. The beginning works fine but once it hits the middle, the author throws a ton of complicated fantastical plotlines and character stuff that it started to lose me. It focuses on worldbuilding...but more fantasy worldbuilding rather than real-world stuff, even though the book is mostly set in the real world.

The school is the big setting but it starts melting away into obscurity as the more fantastical stuff happens and I'm just left wondering what's happening in the real world as all the weird fantasy stuff occurs. I couldn't turn my brain off to stop thinking about these characters (especially her grandparents) since they were already established in the real-world setting.

I also thought the protagonist was especially dumb for not seeing the lying characters a mile away. She's not very smart and I got frustrated at her often throughout the book.

This was so much more than I think I was expecting it to be! I have not had the opportunity to read as many Vietnamese-based fantasy and this has made me want to find more! (Publishing: find more!) I think the story is great for young readers and I can’t want to get my hands on a physical copy for my students.

It has been some time since I really fell into a YA Fantasy book.
Harry Potter and Percy Jackson have been two literary characters that I have read and re-read time and time again, but as a middle-aged woman, YA has been on my TBR less and less.

So when I won a handful of YA books recently, I put aside some of my darker and smuttier stuff and decided to read a few YAs in a row.

I began with The Lost Queen, and it was an excellent choice.

Immediately I remembered why YA Fantasy is so fun- the MAGIC and wonder!
In this we meet Jolie Lam, a high school sophomore who's having a pretty bad year. No one can forget the swim meet when she had a mild freakout, in front of everyone! Her fortuneteller grandmother doesn't help by spewing visions of earthquakes and other devastation on a daily basis. Like most sophomores, Jolie is just trying to survive the year.

So when she saves the life of Huong, the IT girl, and starts having telepathic thoughts of her own, well, let's just say it's another obstacle in the path of "surviving the year"

Enter Vietnamese folkalore, mythology, magic and destiny. This book will sweep you up into a world of fantasy, you will NOT want to escape.
Thank you to NetGalley for this E-book, but I feel a physical copy deserves to sit on my Percy Jackson/Harry Potter shelf. It was engrossing and enjoyable!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!
Wow! I loved this story so much, I started down a rabbit hole of researching Vietnamese mythology and lore. This book includes sisterhood-like drama, dragons, time travel, and more. I was completely invested through the entire book. There really was not a chapter or page that didn't keep my interest. The author does a good job of tying the story together without ever feeling forced or jumping around. I've added their other books to by TBR.

I loved getting to learn about Vietnamese mythology! I liked how the prose fit the fantasy aspect of it though it is set during modern times. The cover is also a standout. I will definitely revisit this book in the future.

,The Lost Queen‘ by Aimee Phan is a ya- fantasy based on the vietnamese legend of the Trung-Sisters who led the vietnamese army to fight against the Han warriors.
Jolie (our main character) was raised by her grandparents, her grandfather is a Thầy bói (a fortune teller) and he makes his living of predicting the futures of others. Jolie starts having visions which get far more frequent after rescuing Huong (her classmate) from drowning in the school pool during swimming class.
I really liked the first third (?) of the book but after that I started to enjoy it less. To be honest I‘m not quite sure what exactly it was that put me off so much, there were still scenes I enjoyed but it was quite the same. There are some pretty well done twists in this book.
One thing which still confuses me are the two realms that are introduced in this book, it wasn‘t quite clear for me wether they are changing history when they do something in Vietnam like what is the working of this?
Overall I did enjoy it and it has made me interested in researching Viatnamese mythology, but it wasn‘t really a life changing book

After an embarrassing swim meet incident that led to her best friends shunning her, all Jolie Lam wants to do is finish high school without drawing any more attention to herself. But fate has different plans for Jolie after she saves popular girl Huong Pham from drowning; she is having visions that tie to the old mythology book her grandfather is obsessed with.

This was such an interesting book! I was skeptical if I'd enjoy this because I am over a decade older than the intended audience.. but it was pretty good! I am a sucker for mythology, and the tie-ins to Vietnamese myths turn this coming of age story into something really unique. I think the twists will be perfect for early teens. This book is perfect for someone who wants to read about a typical Vietnamese high schooler, with not so typical fantasy elements.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the eARC! Projected publishing date: May 6th, 2025

I really liked this book, its in the same subgenre as the girl who fell beneath the sea, and i just couldnt stop reading.
However. some things were a bit unclear to me, such as what makes the dragon and fairy swords so special? And what is the difference between the two? Also why didnt jolie find her grandma in the egg when she also found luna and daphne?
I really liked the plottwists though, and the way the story really comes together throughout the book. It keeps you on the edge, it keeps you wondering throughout the book.

While there are a lot of amazing things about this book, I found that it just simply wasn't for me. It wasn't anything against the book, but more because of my personal tastes.

Well-crafted and imaginative fantasy based on the Vietnamese legend of the Trung sisters, queens who led the Vietnamese army against the Han warriors. It is surprisingly difficult to find English literature, retellings, or translations on Vietnamese folk tales, and I actually never learned about the Trung sisters until last year.

Jolie is a high school student who’s a descendant of thầy bói (fortune tellers). She starts getting unsettling visions in her classes that become stronger after rescuing her classmate Huong during swim class. Soon, she finds her grandfather’s ever-changing book on Vietnamese myths, is finally able to understand Vietnamese, and can read other people’s minds.

This tale blends modern day San Jose with ancient Vietnam, magic, and dragons. Once the story gets moving, it doesn’t stop, and there’s an element of mystery surrounding the past that ropes you in. Plus, the cover for this book is absolutely breathtaking.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are independently my own.

This was an easy fun read. Not what I was expecting but still something I was invested in until the very end. Thank you for providing me with this arc!!