I was just a little boy with a toy boat hoping to find adventure. You were the girl who could fly.
Queen's Catacombs
by Jordan H. Bartlett
Genre: YA Fantasy
About: Jacs has the crown and she's ready to unite the Lower and Upper realms. Her people desperately need her to, but her Council have other ideas. It is they and their traditions who have ruled the Queendom for all these years, they who hold the puppet strings behind the crown, and they who might possibly be holding Jacs' mother and mentor hostage. Jacs needs all the allies she can get but even Connor, her most trusted advisor and the boy with the boat, doesn't believe there's any conspiracy to fight.
Thoughts
Contest of Queens was a relatively quiet, cosy story with a boy who dreams of being a knight and a girl full of inventions looking to make a difference in an unjust world. Its sequel keeps the cosy in the sweet friendships and romantic relationships, but explodes with secrets and intrigue, conspiracies and a dark underbelly.
Jacs life has become complicated. Her mother and mentor are missing, she's unable to sign into law any policies without her Council's support - who are dead set against her, and the boy she loves doesn't believe that there is any danger around her. Connor simply thinks she needs to 'adjust' to the role and the Upper Realms ways. He's so easily manipulated by the people around him because they're his people. Bartlett does a wonderful job of showing how a person's belief system doesn't change overnight or over one person. Connor may love a Lowrian, but he switches easily into base insults and casual xenophobia towards Jacs' people at the slightest provocation. And despite all the evidence he's shown against the Council, he continues to support them and believe their intentions are good. He's an Upperite, a product of his upbringing, and he doesn't suddenly forget all his prejudices simply because of Jacs.
We also get more POVs in this one. Instead of switching only from Connor and Jacs, we now get Lena's and Amber's POVs. I did like that this opened out the action, though the POVs I really wanted were Yves (such a cool character!), Hera, and Philip. Yves I think I could read a whole book about, but Hera and Philip both have very interesting roles to play in the story and I liked the greyness of their actions.
The writing is also really beautiful. Bartlett really knows how to set a scene and this world is such an easy one to fall into. From the castle gardens, to local taverns, to underground caves, there's a real atmosphere that's completely captivating.
Overall, Jacs is a standout heroine with patience and cunning in a world that never wanted her to succeed - despite it being a female-led society. The heart-breaking choice she has to make at the end destroyed me. But not to worry, part three is incoming!
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