Thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for an Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Chosen Queen is a retelling of the story of Igraine from Arthurian legend. The way Davey chooses to tell Igraine’s story is immersive and detailed. The prose is consistent, poetic, and descriptive, and Davey has undeniable talent. The narrative follows Igraine through the breakup of her family, the use of her personal magical powers, and the start of war and her partial imprisonment.

The pacing of the book was my number one issue. While the female characters are compelling, most of the plot drags throughout the book. There isn’t much character development for any of the leading ladies until the very end of the novel. There was an element of repetition that I couldn’t get in to, and I found myself hoping that something exciting would happen.

The portrayal of some of the secondary characters was also a little ‘cookie-cutter’. Merlin and the Lady of the Lake come across stiff and single-faceted, as does, at times, Igraine’s daughter, Morgan. I found myself wanting more from these characters, as they are considerable players that move the plot forward, but they consistently fell flat for me.

As this is the first in a planned series, the story has a lot of potential. With a tighter edit and further fleshing out of the cast, I think the next installment could be much improved!

This book, while very intruiging in the premise, was a struggle for me to get through; the content and information was wonderful and learning more and exploring many things I'd never thought of in the story of Camelot was a great chance—especially with the incorporation of sorcery—but the pacing was very slow and it was not quite enough to pull me in entirely.

A decent interpretation and exaggeration of the Arthurian legend. The story is based around Arthur’s mother, the Lady Igraine. The premise is filled with drama, both personal and political.
Unfortunately i found the flow of the story a bit choppy, occasionally stagnant, making it hard to read.

Review:

This book was enjoyable for what it was, a take on the Arthurian legend but focused on Igraine. There were things I liked and things I didn't. I loved the element of magic and focusing on the old pagan beliefs while the new Christian religion was rising. The relationships Igraine had with her half sister and her own daughters were incredible. I loved that we got to see her daughters grow in their magic and wants even for how young they were. I felt like Gorlois caused some unnecessary problems with Igraine as he was interested in the New religion and she was firm in her beliefs in the old ways. Though he still deserved better than what Uther did to him. Uther pissed me off in so many ways. Even if he was manipulated by Merlin and the Lady of the Lake, he could have said no or handled it differently. I still didn't like him, even after admitting their part in his actions. He was a big part of the problem. I honestly don't think I could hate Merlin and the Lady of the Lake any more than I already do. Despite my anger at many things I loved the writing and how this book was about Igraine instead of Arthur. I am curious what will come next for Igraine and if she will stand up for her son and herself as this seems like it will be a series. I am kind of hoping she gains some revenge for everything. Overall I enjoyed this story and take on the Arthurian legend, even if I spent a lot of the book seething over those around Igraine and how they behaved.

This is such a cute little book. I love anything to do with King Arthur, so this book felt like it was written for me. Give me more.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Diversion Books and Sam Davey for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

2.5 Star Rating.

I absolutely adored the sound of this book, as I’m a huge lover of historical fiction and I hadn’t read anything around this time period before!

A positive to this novel was the feminist twist to the Pendragon prophecy. I was very pleased with the ending, as I did get worried about where it was heading during the last quarter.
The author also gives some beautifully detailed descriptions of the setting, which you can envision very easily because of this. I really enjoyed some side characters, such as Elaine, Jago and Bennath, as they had a certain sense of agency to them.

However, personally this felt like it could have been edited a little more to include less bulk. Whilst the story is a good one, there’s so much text here and some moments went by very slowly. I just felt that it needed a tighter finish overall to make it more enjoyable to read. This unfortunately meant that I kept losing concentration, which took away from the flow.

The only other thing that I felt uncomfortable with was Lady Vivian’s manipulation (although this is definitely the point of her character), but I hated that Uther went along with such an evil plan. Igraine lost everything and in the end, was almost forced into a marriage just so that she had a future. However, it made me feel very claustrophobic, which does show a clever writing style. I did also feel that Morgan’s character felt way older than four, although I appreciate that she is supposed to be full of wisdom and magic beyond her age.

Therefore, I’m giving this a rating of 2.5, as I enjoyed it but also felt that it wasn’t 100% what I was expecting! A really interesting plot though, so I recommend reading if you like a detailed story and love a bit of medieval history with a feminist twist!

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.

I love reading various adaptations of King Arthur and Camelot, and so was very excited to read this book. However, I was beyond disappointed. Telling the women the entire peace of Britian is her responsibility if she doesn't let King Uther rape her? She is already married, by the way. The whole gaslighting by Merlin, 'no one saw Uther try to rape her, so it never happened, besides, tell the truth, you wanted it'. Seriously? Then there's the whole, she doesn't want Uther to do anything and is trying to stop him, but is turned on. Because that's how rape works.

Gave it a two star instead of a one just to be generous, as the story did capture my interest for the first couple chapters and writing style was good. Until the whole thing got horrible. Which, it went downhill very quickly.

Didn't even finish the book. First DNF in probably five years.

This has definitely been the year of Arthurian retellings for me! After falling in love with The Lost Queen and Legendborn, I was excited to start this ARC of The Chosen Queen by Sam Davey. There were elements I genuinely enjoyed but there were also some major drawbacks. I thought the prose was really beautiful and captured the whimsy and mystique of the time period well.

But overall, it had some pretty major issues that made it hard for me to fully enjoy. If you’re thinking about picking this one up, I highly recommend checking the trigger warnings first as several themes were unexpectedly heavy and distracted from what could have been a really great retelling.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

2.5/5 ☆

Thank you to NetGalley, Diversion Books, and Sam Davey for the ARC!

I typically enjoy myths and retellings however this was a miss for me. Davey’s writing is immersive and descriptive but sometimes so much so that it felt too long. The pacing was also too slow and I found myself skimming through most of the book. I also didn’t feel connected to any of the characters nor did I feel invested in the plot.

Overall this may be better suited for those who enjoy immersive, rich descriptions and less focus on plot.

Quite the wonderful book this was! So immersive in the time period, I wanted to read more! It gives a great insight of Arthur’s mother, which I didn’t know I needed in my life!

The Chosen Queen is beautifully detailed, retelling that brings to life a very important woman in King Arthur's life. It is a perfect addition for all King Arthur fans. 💫💫💫💫💫

Igraine is the wife of Gorlois, Duchess of Cornwall, and mother to Morgause and Morgan. Gorlois and Igraine have a beautiful, trusting, and equal marriage. It all changes when Igraine becomes aware of the King and his desire for her. At a ball, King Uther makes it clear he wants Igraine, and with the help of Vivian, a very skilled witch, Uther makes a move. Igraine refuses and tells Gorlois about the king trying to take advantage of her. Here is where the story takes a turn, and Gorlois must save his and her honor.

The story takes its time to deliver the plot, the themes, and the ambiance. They are very specifically detailed that you feel deeply immersed in their time. 
The characters take you on a journey of a tale told many times over, but this time through the eyes of the most important woman that will give birth to the future King Arthur. 

Thank you, Netgalley and DiversionBooks/Xpresso Book Tours for my Arc. All opinions are entirely my own.

For readers interested in Arthurian mythology, this could be a fun read as it is written from the fresh perspective of Arthur's mother, Igraine.

The pacing is a bit slow. A lot of different characters get introduced, and they all have descriptions of who they were, bogging the first half of the novel down. Paired with the dialogue, which fell a bit flat for me, it further slowed the reading.

But the prose is beautiful. Especially when it comes to setting, there are always vivid descriptions, making it very easy to imagine the world. You can also tell that there was a lot of research done with this novel from the retelling to the setting.

Overall, I would recommend this to individuals who have a great interest in Arthurian retellings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Diversion Books for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was excited for this Arthurian retelling, but it missed the mark for me. The pacing was off and I was hoping for a strong female lead.

I like Arthurian myth retelling but this one did not do it for me.
I liked knowing the story of Igraine before Arthur was born. But some parts were too long and did not really move the story forward...
I preferred the parts where Igraine used her vision powers with her daughter.
The pacing was slow and I almost did not finish the book but I wanted to see how it would end. And it was a nice ending. Igraine finally found peace.

Firstly, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to NetGalley and Diversion Books for providing me with the eBook ARC. DNFing a book, especially an ARC, is never easy, but after more than a week of reading and only reaching 46%, I’ve decided it’s time to move on. There were certainly aspects I valued—the writing was genuinely beautiful, and the world-building was impressively intricate, creating a vivid landscape that initially drew me in. I also applaud the author for authentically representing the time period in both dialogue and events. However, the pacing became a substantial obstacle; it felt painfully slow. The excess of filler and lengthy explanations failed to propel the plot forward, and as a result, I found my interest waning. I even started to feel like I might take up drinking if I encountered the word “wihist” one more time! While I recognize that this is an ARC and some imperfections are to be expected, it was evident that a more thorough editing process was needed before it was made available for review. With the right adjustments, it could shine as a beta read, but the lack of refinement ultimately hindered my ability to fully engage. Lastly, the theme of Arthur and the Round Table has been explored extensively in literature, and this particular take felt more akin to fanfiction than a fresh and innovative interpretation of the story. (Keep in mind this is my take at 46%)

The Chosen Queen: A Novel of the Pendragon Prophecy by Sam Davey gives the reader a view into Igraine’s journey. I was initially drawn to this because I am a sucker for a retelling from the historically muted female voices of the myths and legends we grow up with. Unfortunately, this book did not meet those expectations. There was a missed opportunity here to provide a strong female character demonstrating some agency in her circumstances but are left with an Igraine that just lets life happen to her.

Thank you to Diversion Books for the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Audiobook Rating: 3 Stars
Pub Date: Jun 03 2025

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#DiversionBooks
#TheChosenQueen
#SamDavey
#RitaWoods
#ArthurLegends
#Womens Fiction
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The Chosen Queen puts a cool spin on the Arthurian legend by focusing on Igraine, Arthur’s mother. I liked seeing her story told from a stronger, more independent angle—it made her feel like more than just a side character in someone else’s tale. Some parts moved a bit slowly, but overall, it was an engaging read with a fresh perspective. If you're into myth retellings with powerful women at the center, this one's worth picking up

I enjoyed The Chosen Queen a lot. This book brought me back to reading The Mists of Avalon as a teenager. I appreciated the deep historical research, and the different perspective on the Arthurian legend. I especially enjoyed Morgan le Fey as a precocious child.

As someone who grew up loving BBC’s Merlin, I was excited to dive into The Chosen Queen by Sam Davey — and it didn’t disappoint. I loved seeing the Arthurian world through Queen Igraine’s eyes, with rich world-building, strong mother-daughter dynamics, and a thoughtful take on prophecy and fate. The pacing was a little slow at times, but the emotional depth and fresh perspective made it a really satisfying read for any fan of Arthurian legends.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Arthurian stories, especially ones that promise a new perspective—but this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The pacing felt lopsided: it started with promise and wrapped up fine, but the middle lost momentum. There’s a lot of description, but it didn’t do much to immerse me in the world. Instead of enhancing the setting, it often felt like a list of details rather than something atmospheric or intentional. And when the language did try to be lyrical, it sometimes veered into inconsistency—like using multiple, slightly clashing words to describe the same thing. That kind of thing might seem small, but it adds up when the story already feels distant.

The biggest disconnect for me was the main character. Igraine is such a crucial figure in myth, but here she felt strangely passive—more like someone things happen around than someone steering her own story. I get that there’s a historical angle to that, but even so, I needed something—some inner fire, some resistance—to hold onto. Instead, I often felt like I was being told how she felt without being given the chance to actually experience those emotions with her.

That said, there were flashes of something intriguing, particularly in the dreamlike scenes involving Morgan. Those were some of the most vivid and engaging parts of the book, and they hinted at what the story could have been if the rest of it carried that same energy. Overall, this might appeal to readers who enjoy a quieter, slower mythological retelling—but I was left wishing for sharper character work, stronger emotional grounding, and more immersive storytelling. ⭐️⭐️.75