The Hidden Queen by Janelle GarrettMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Overall I quite enjoyed this story as it was intriguing with lots of twists and turns, and with some very strong, well-drawn characters, including Gwen the Queen, plus Nathaniel and Charles, her main romantic interests. Unfortunately, there were several things I found disappointing. The book is described as a historical fantasy and the only link that I could find with the past was the allegorical reference to the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the spread of Christianity during Gwen’s conversations with the disgraced monk, Jakob. Considering the expected archaic times in which the tale is set I found most of the conversations jarring because they included too many modern words, phrases and idiomatic expressions. Perhaps it was intended, due to this novel being aimed at a young adult readership, but I prefer conversations in a historical novel to have some authenticity in the dialect and expressions used between the characters.
The plot and the method of telling it are excellent. A farm girl who suddenly discovers that her mother is the Queen of Rodasia and that she will be expected to soon take over quickly captures the reader’s attention. The story is told through two timelines, and uses Gwen’s memoirs as well as the third person narrative, which worked well much to my surprise. Her political and social discussions with her maids and advisers in the royal court are well done and believable. The biggest disappointments, for me however, were the number of required edits and the abrupt ‘ending’ to the book. The story was not rounded off properly and could not be called a stand-alone novel. It was so obviously a lead-in to the next novel in a series but not done well, which as I said made ‘The Hidden Queen’ an intriguing, captivating tale requiring some serious polishing.
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