Today on my blog I’m delighted to bring you my review of The Queen’s Wing by Jessica Thorne. I was delighted to receive an advanced copy of this book from the publishers Bookouture via NetGalley. Below you’ll find the cover (which is stunning) and the blurb for the book followed by my review.

The Queen’s Wing by Jessica Thorne

‘I was born to fly,’ I told my brothers. But it isn’t true. I was born to be a pawn in the great game of royal houses, married to someone – anyone – my family deems suitable. If I’m lucky, he’ll be my own age and bearable. If I’m very lucky, he’ll be someone who understands my need to fight, and to fly…

Bel, born to nobility, would do anything to spend her days alongside her brothers – soaring through the heavens in her beloved flyer. She’s faster than any of them, but she knows her days in the skies are numbered.

When a surprise attack on the palace lands Bel’s father on the throne, her life is forever changed. In order to secure her father’s empire, Bel must travel to a distant land to marry the recently widowed young ruler, Conleith.

But Bel’s new home is less than welcoming: compared to the refined ladies at court, Bel seems like a wild woman, and assassination attempts, treason and mystery threaten her at every turn. With a growing attraction to Con, her life is further complicated by the attentive leader of her bodyguards – a warrior called Shae whom she has loved since childhood…

A heart-stoppingly magical new novel that will keep you turning the pages. Perfect for fans of The Selection, Bella Forrest and Sarah J. Maas.

The Queen’s Wing – My Review

It took me a little while to get into this book. First off, I should have paid more attention to the blub and not just the cover (which is amazing). I assumed I was delving into a fantasy romance novel and when the book started with planets and spaceships I was a little thrown. I did continue reading because the writing was excellent and the action gripping and found that I was hooked.

Bel is the main character and after the royal family of Varian (her distant cousins) are murdered by the Gravians, Bel becomes a princess and her father the King. A marriage with the prince of Anthaeus is arranged and Bel leaves her planet for his. There’s plenty of action on the way to the new planet and we get to meet Shae, Petra, and Thom. Bel has been in love with Shae for as long as she can remember, but will never get to explore this now. Bel is torn between her feelings for Shae and doing the right thing by her planet. She’s a strong character and well written. She’s by no means weak and proves herself to be extremely strong and competent in the final parts of the book.

Con is the prince and we don’t really get an insight into his character. He’s portrayed as being a brilliant inventor but we don’t get to see why this is. He’s a likeable character all the same and I look forward to finding out more about his as the series progresses.

There were so great things in this book. I loved the Rondet and the mind speak between Bel and Con. This to me was the fantasy elements. I loved the underground city and the author’s descriptions of places. The sci-fi weaponry and flying machines were a little out of my reach but I’m sure they are spot on and fans of sci-fi books will love them.

The love triangle played out well and I feel there was a good conclusion to it. The raging war, the battle scenes, and the destruction at the hands of the Gravians was well written too and by the end of the book, I did wonder how this could become a series. There was nothing really left to do except for Bel and Con to get married. Would each book just be another war for Bel and Con to fight? The end of the book does give a snippet from book 2 which I was excited to read. Unfortunately, this is told from Petra’s point of view and I immediately thought of The Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard. A brilliant first book, but drawn out boring books 2 and 3 with action only appearing towards the end. I’m hoping this isn’t going to be the case for this series as I really enjoyed this book and happily give it 4 stars.

The Queen’s Wing by Jessica Thorne is out now and available at all ebook retailers including Amazon.

Until next time,

Keep reading and writing,

Amanda