No, you may not understand the summary of The Impostor Queen. That’s okay; I didn’t either. I did not read this book because of the summary; I read it because I read Sanctum by Sarah Fine a few years ago and just loved it. Having just read my second Sarah Fine book, I am hooked on her creative world-building and complex characters.
SERIES: The Impostor Queen, book 1
PUBLISHER: Margaret K. McElderry
PUBLICATION DATE: January 5, 2016
ISBN: 9781481441902
PAGES: 336
SOURCE: Edelweiss
GENRE: fantasy
SETTING: Queendom of Kupari
GIVE IT TO: MS, HS
SUMMARY OF THE IMPOSTOR QUEEN
As the next in line to become the Valtia, or magical queen, of Kupari, Elli lives a sheltered life inside the a temple. She is taught by priests and elders so that when the current Valtia dies, Elli’s body will fill with magic, specifically, the power to wield fire and ice.
But when the current Valtia dies protecting the city, the magic does not enter Elli’s body. Nothing happens at all.
Disgraced, Elli runs away, leaving the only life she has ever known. When she is found near death in the outlands, Elli is brought to live with a band of thieves and outlaws, where she learns of deceit in the temple and a missing prophecy that gives insight to Elli’s lack of magic.
REVIEW OF THE IMPOSTOR QUEEN
It took me a couple of days to get into this one. The world-building is intricate and takes some time to develop. Eventually, though, I was unable to put it down. I finished the last 300 or so pages in one sitting! I loved the characters and the slow-building romance between Elli and Oskar. Sig is an especially interesting and complex character, and I look forward to reading the sequel to find out his fate.
Great ending! I know I’m not saying much about the plot here, but it really is so hard to explain. If you like books like Bardugo’s Shadow & Bone or Golding’s Dragonfly, this one is not to be missed!
THE BOTTOM LINE
Top-notch world-building and complex characters make The Impostor Queen one of my early 2016 favorites. The story takes some time to build, so I recommend this for stronger readers who love high fantasy.
STATUS IN MY LIBRARY
On order.
RATING BREAKDOWN
- Overall: 4/5
- Creativity: 5/5
- Characters: 5/5–love Sig especially!
- Engrossing: 4/5–a little slow to start
- Writing: 5/5–incredible world-building!
- Appeal to teens: 4/5–best for strong readers
- Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5–loved that ending!
MATURE CONTENT
- Language: mild; one hilarious reference to a man’s “balls”
- Sexuality: mild; kissing; castration; non-sexual nakedness
- Violence: high; whipping (described in some detail); murder; blood-letting and blood-drinking
- Drugs/Alcohol: none
- Other: evil priests; overall “dark” feel
READALIKES
- Dragonfly (Golding)
- Shadow & Bone (Bardugo)
- Eon (Goodman)
- Girl of Fire and Thorns (Carson)