Arise the Queen by Tanya Anne Crosby – Book Review

7 days ago

3 min read

Arise the Queen by Tanya Anne Crosby Book Cover

Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ .5

Series: The Goldenchild Prophecy (Book 4)

Genre: New Adult Historical Fantasy

Spice: Medium

Summary:

Betrayed by her lover, Málik, Gwendolyn of Cornwall finds herself alone and unprepared in the underground world of the Fae. Gwen was on a mission to take back the flaming sword that will help to convince her grandfather to lend aid in her campaign against the nefarious Loc of Loegria, when she was pushed unexpectedly through the portal. Now Gwen is in the right place to seek the sword held by the Fae King, but unsure of who to trust. In this magical place, Gwen will learn truths about herself and remember a past life that will help explain why Gwen is prophesied to save her people. In this fourth installment of the Goldenchild Prophecy, Gwen will strive to complete the journey she set out on after escaping from Loc’s clutches, but this time she will have to persevere without her trusted friends by her side. She must master herself and become the Queen she’s always envisioned if she has any hope to save Pretania.

Reaction:

I had mixed feelings about the end of Gwen’s mortal journey. On the one hand, I thought the main plot was wrapped up satisfyingly. On the other, I was left with many questions regarding Gwen’s past. That backstory was told in a rather piecemeal fashion, and there was never a point where the entire story was put together in a way that I could wrap my head around. Again, I had minor qualms with plot structure and pacing. Compared to the prior books, I felt like some of the events in this book were rather rushed. That being said, the story is still filled with scenes that I thoroughly enjoyed reading that were heart-wrenching, adrenaline-inducing, and a few purely happy events sprinkled in there. I also appreciate the character growth that Gwendolyn continues to display through this book. She really completes her transition into a confident, smart Queen that is ready to lead her people. I thought the choices she makes towards the end of the book were characteristic and held true to the core of her person. Overall, I’ve enjoyed reading this series, and Arise the Queen offered a pleasant close to this arc in Gwen’s story.

What I enjoyed:

· As this book starts with Gwen alone except for the Púka, it is filled with reunions. One of those reunions was my favorite because it provided an opportunity for Gwen to heal from trauma, and I thought it was well-written in a way that was anticipated, but at the same time surprising.

· The author does a great job of addressing the ending of many of the characters we’ve met throughout the series, even those we meet within this book.

· Finally, in this fourth installment Gwen completes that journey to developing her own morals and goals. All her doubts she had about herself, or her predecessors and how they went about leading are molded into the type of leader she strives to be. From being annoyed at her character in Book 1 to truly appreciating her in Book 4, the character has grown on me a lot.

What I didn't enjoy: