I liked this, but it needs some more work... a lot of this felt rushed.

I thought the characters, were interesting but the story felt a little one dimensional. Also, I do think the language (minus the cursing) was kind of simplistic for a New Adult book. Genuinely, I think this could be a nice middle grade book if the mature/intimate scene was axed? It felt weird for a 13 year old kid to already be engaging in that?

I stumbled upon this one while browsing @netgalley and the description drew me in immediately. THE QUEEN OF SATURN AND THE PRINCE IN EXILE is set in 1970s Boston and follows a young black boy, Sean, as he is raised by parents who are closely tied to the BDP, a local auxiliary branch, of the Black Power Movement.

The momentum of this plot is exquisite; the orientation, exposition, and resolution blend so smoothly together and none outpace the others. Nunnally’s prose is gorgeously atmospheric to a level at which I felt swaddled in it from beginning to end. For a novel under 200 pages, its pure literary artistry leaves a lasting impact.

Similar in scope to GREEN and poignant like THE MARROW THIEVES, I would highly recommend picking this one up in the new year! If you’re hesitant about the sci-fi themes, don’t be; Nunnally’s tasteful and accessible inclusion of sci-fi motifs offered just the right amount of mystery to drive the plot forward.

Thank you to @clashbooks and @netgalley for the digital review copy! THE QUEEN OF SATURN AND THE PRINCE IN EXILE officially releases on 4/22/25. Definitely one I’d recommend you add to your 2025 anticipated releases!

Anyone looking for a good science thriller with an in depth background of characters perspective and why they have the perception can read this book. The story is well written

This book was not what I expected, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The storytelling was beautiful and emotional, and really helped bring the wonderful characters to life. I particularly enjoyed how all of the different relationships Sean had with all the different characters were explored, as they felt so honest and real.

The mystery and intrigue around the backstory of some of the characters, particularly Sojourner, was compelling, and I really wanted to know more!

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to people!

This was not a book for me and I DNF:ed it about 100 pages in because I could not get into the story. I would like this to not be a fantasy because the political stand point is so important. I received a free eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity.

The story revolves around a boy, who has grew up listening to his mother's ridiculous stories about being some otherworldly creatures. He has always thought about those stories as the product of her imagination, but the story starts to be distorted when the cracks in reality appears. He has lived all his teenage years under the shelter of his parents, having a privileged life, pursuing an innocent love, now faces the gruesome reality of terror as faced by black people.

The story is well-written and I was firmly intrigued by the character of sojourner. Her story is truly fascinating and saddening. The dialogues are well-intended, the only query I faced was the awkward scene of intimate connection between Sean and his lover. I didn't felt that the scene needed to be there.

Anyone looking for a good science thriller with an in-depth background of characters perspective and the whys of their perceptions, they can read this story.
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This was a wonderfully done novel, it had that parallels to real life events in the 1970s and had a scifi element that I was looking for. The concept worked well overall and I thought it worked well overall with the characters. I thought the Civil Rights era worked overall and glad it told the story it did. Errick Nunnally has a strong writing style and glad I got to read this.

I cannot describe The Queen of Saturn and the Prince in Exile as a coming of age book. It is a fantasy-tragedy about a young teen, Sean, whose parents are involved in a Black power group.
As someone interested in the era, and who enjoys political analogies in a fantasy book, I was interested in reading this book based on the blurb.
Though, after careful consideration, I do not recommend this book.
Nothing about it held my interest, and unfortunately, the idea, the clever, and perhaps curious idea behind this book did not feel well-executed to me at all.
The writing is not subtle, the coming of age aspect, and Sean’s position in this story are not detailed, which is unfortunate. The major twist/event takes a large chunk of this book, and the potentially more informative and insightful parts are given less space.
I wish the book the very best of journeys. This was not my cup of tea.