I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Release date: February 19th, 2018 by Nine Star Press

I remember seeing this wonderful cover on Twitter and hearing that the book would be about queer princesses, and I immediately fell in love. And let me tell you, when I finally got to read it, The Queen of Ieflaria turned out to be everything I hoped for and more.

To say that The Queen of Ieflaria has queer princesses is technically true, but it's a huge understatement. In fact, The Queen of Ieflaria has a main cast made of several unique, funny, supportive and fleshed out characters, most of whom are female. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I was in love with not only both Esofi and Adale, but every single one of their ladies-in-waiting - all of whom had their own unique personalities and beautiful moments. (Lisette is definitely my favourite though, hands down.)

The only reason why I didn't devour this book in one sitting is that I started reading it too late and had to go to sleep at 1am and finish the next morning. I adored the writing style, the characters, the plot... This book has princesses fighting in duels in dresses, princesses fighting dragons, talking magical creatures, good dragons, baby dragons, princesses kissing, princesses in love... I'm sorry, why are you still here reading this review when you could be pre-ordering The Queen of Ieflaria?

I loved how different Esofi and Adale were, and yet they worked together well and both helped each other grow, or see things from the other's point of view. I especially enjoyed their different views on science and religion and how they changed (and yet still stayed true to themselves) during the book.

Note: While this first book unfortunately didn't have any major trans characters, it did have minor nonbinary characters (referred to as neutroi) and even a nonbinary god, and referenced a canon magical way to transition, so I hope this will change in the future installments.

This is my new favourite book, and it might be yours, too.

My rating: ★★★★★

Author Effie Calvin has created a unique and vastly rich universe where magic, science, and mythology collide in a tasteful way. The novel's cover immediately captured my attention; what was within it sealed the deal. The vivid imagery and setting greatly added life to the story and its characters.

The Princess Esofi is escorted from her home the Kingdom of Rhodia to the Kingdom of Ieflaria, her purpose: to fulfill a marriage contract created when she was just a child. Ieflaria has long since been plagued by legions of hostile dragons. Enduring relentless attack, Ieflaria requires the magic and authority Esofi can command. 

However, not everyone is quite accepting to the changes that this future queen will bring to Ieflaria, especially the Crown Princess Adale. Although Esofi's and Adale's initial meeting is shaky, throughout the book both princesses learn that there is more to life than just courtly obligations. Responsibility to be true to oneself and respecting the growing changes in their world will deeply affect them all. 

Calvin displays considerable skill, consistently developing her characters from beginning to end while keeping her readers engaged and emotionally invested with their favorite characters. As further testament to her skill, Calvin plays a delicate hand in weaving the intricacies involved in the royal court to the pantheon of gods the people worship in the novel, along with the emergence of science changing how people live. Her portrayal of magic has a pleasant twist in the world of Inthya; respecting Nature is paramount to this world and all the creatures in it. Calvin captures all these elements in such a way that all readers are in for an indulgent treat stepping into her rich lore for Inthya. 

The last time I enjoyed a fantasy novel of this caliber was over two years ago, and this author has reignited my interest in exploring more books of this genre. I definitely look forward to the next novel in the series and learn what fate has in store for her enriching characters and the beautiful world she has created.

I really wanted to like this book.  I've been reading a little more fantasy lately and the blurb sounded good.  However...it was really really long.  Yes, this from the person that has complained recently about lesfic books being too short.  But there was a ton of "god" stuff in there that really only confused the hell out of me and wasn't even really relevant.  Esofi was the only main character that was really well developed.  The other, Adale was just a spoiled brat and really didn't change much.
I almost DNF'd a couple of times.  In the end, the plot was suddenly resolved.

All in all, it was a very just OK read for me.  2.5 stars rounded up because any world created where non-binary folks are common and welcomed into society deserves a round up.

Arc provided from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Queen of Ieflaria, by Effie Calvin, is the first book in a fantasy series. Esofi, a princess of Rhodia, has been betrothed to Albion, the heir of Ieflaria, since they were young children. When Albion dies in an accident, Esofi travels to Ieflaria with the intention of marrying the new heir, who turns out to be Adale. Adale, as second child, had never intended on becoming queen and, as such, is found lacking, enough that her two cousins throw their hats into the ring for becoming heir and, consequently, Esofi's betrothed. There's also the small matter of dragons attacking Ieflara and the Ieflarian people not having strong enough magic to repel them. Esofi is a gifted mage and has brought Rhodian battlemages with her to help Ieflaria fight this threat.


Oh, man. I really wanted to love this. The synopsis sounded very cool, and I always enjoy reading fantasy books that focus on women. Let's start with the things I liked about this book. My favorite character was Adale because I have a soft spot for characters without a lot of confidence. She doesn't want to be queen, and she often feels like she's not good enough. She's not the heir that Albion was. She can't be as good a ruler as her parents or her cousins. Although her characterization is a little weak--in that everyone says she's a terrible heir, but we never really get evidence of it--she's fun to root for and grows in confidence as the story goes on.


Calvin also presents an inclusive world in terms of sexuality. Gender isn't an issue for Esofi when it comes to choosing an heir. There's a non-binary god and their non-binary followers. There's also a ritual called the Change that allows people to change genders, "though it wouldn't last for very long unless the person being transformed had a soul that was willing to remain in its new body forever." 

 

The dragon attacks and the idea of creating a university to train users of magic were cool. Calvin does some unexpected things with this plotline. I also really enjoyed the tension between magic and science, and I think it could've been explored a lot more.


However, overall, I don't think this manuscript was quite there. There were details that should've been seeded way earlier in the story so that their first mention wasn't just before they became important to the plot. All the side characters are pretty one-dimensional. Esofi says one character is "quiet and gentle" and that "she knew she would always feel safe with him" even though we never see anything to back that up.


The humor feels off, too. When Adale hears Esofi's introduced a new clause to their betrothal agreement, she assumes it's a ban on her drinking. It's played off as funny, but we never see Adale drinking to excess, especially not in a detrimental way. At one point, Esofi is injured, and one of her maids says, "Do focus on recovering, Princess. I need you to get well enough for me to be able to slap you." Far from making me laugh, passages like this made me cringe.


The logic is shaky at first. In the beginning, I was willing to skate over the fact that Esofi has traveled for months to get to Ieflaria's capital and has been preparing for her marriage since she was a child and yet she doesn't know who the next heir is. I would assume this was an attempt to amp up the suspense of the scene.

 

As the story goes on, this tenuous logic gradually unravels. One of Esofi's ladies maids is her cousin but speaks to her rudely, even more rudely than would be allowed by a member of the extended royal family. Another maid is actually a spy/assassin and has zero knowledge of diplomacy even though, again, this betrothal has been in the works for years. Surely, a woman can be trained in both covert intelligence and diplomacy over a decade or so.

 

At one point, it seems that Esofi is being stood up by the person she's chosen as her betrothed, and the servant gives her "a humiliatingly pitying look." But...how would a servant even know this person wasn't at a large gathering, and if they did know that, why would they care? It's an awkward attempt to play up Esofi's broken heart. Also, Esofi's expected to announce her choice of betrothed at a ball without telling the king and queen first. But why would a king and queen be content to let a foreigner pick her spouse from their kin without informing them of the choice in advance. Again, it seems like a blatant ploy to increase the tension of a scene rather than an obstacle that would crop up naturally from the plot.


Ultimately, I don't think this book knows exactly what it wants to be. Sometimes it seems like a character-driven romance with over-the-top baddies, but it doesn't quite dig deep enough into the characters to hit the mark. Other times, it feels like an action-adventure with dragon fights, but again, it doesn't quite sink its teeth into that category enough to really count as one. Although the story presents interesting ideas and can keep the reader entertained, I really think this manuscript could've benefited from another round of revisions to tighten up the world and the logic. I'd recommend it to fans of fantasy romance.

I loved this! The mithology in this book is so complex, and the world has a lot of between-states differencies that I can’t help but love. 
It was just great how normal different sexuality were in this book, it is NEVER a problem. It's so refereshing reading a book so positive about this.
My only problem with this book is that I fell in love with yet another girl. From her first intoduction Adale had my heart. She was great and despite being a princess she was so relatable. She and Esofi were so cute and all I wanted were more scenes with the two of the together.

The Queen of Ieflaria is the first book in the fantasy romance series Tales of Inthya. The second book’s title hasn’t been announced yet, but it will follow different characters.

The two PoV characters and their romance were my favorite aspect of the book. If you’re looking for a slow-paced, sweet f/f romance between princesses with a sideplot about magical creatures, The Queen of Ieflaria is perfect for you.

I loved Adale. She’s not your typical rebellious princess who wants to fight or run away because she’s in love with someone else. She’s just not good at communicating with people, not good at following her tutors’ lessons, not good at understanding nuance in conversations – she doesn’t feel good enough to be queen. I really liked how this book showed that awkwardness isn't the only thing that matters: seeing your subjects as human is more important than etiquette. Adale is flawed at the beginning and is flawed at the end, and maybe will never be a perfect queen, but she isn’t alone.
Esofi’s personality was, in many ways, the opposite of Adale’s. Esofi has been brought up knowing she will not marry for love, and she finds the idea of an arranged marriage almost comforting, which is uncommon – arranged marriage is usually portrayed negatively in fiction. Esofi knows how politics works; she’s born for this. She is a great magician, and good at many things Adale isn’t able to do, but she doesn’t know how different Ieflaria is from her own land.

Adale and Esofi made a cute couple and complemented each other; after the miscommunication at the beginning I found them adorable.
I can’t say the same of the side characters, who were often underdeveloped and one-dimensional. The magical creatures were far more interesting (this book features dragons and a unicorn).

After the slow beginning (the writing isn’t heavy, but often it tells instead of showing and there were some infodumps), the book grew on me. The worldbuilding wasn’t as developed as I would have liked, but the concept was great – not only same-gender couples are common, the world is also pan-normative and trans-inclusive. Most supposedly queer-inclusive fantasy books seems to forget that trans people exist, and while there were no major trans characters in The Queen of Ieflaria, there is a non-binary god and some non-binary minor characters. Also, magical transition is possible.

The magic system isn’t explained in detail, and the theme of the conflict between magic and science could have been developed more – it would have taken Esofi’s arc further, which would have been interesting – but I understand why the book was focused solely on the romantic plotline.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!

Okay now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, on to the review! The first thing that called to me when I saw this book was the cover. It’s beautiful. I’m so happy that the story with in it matches the cover. Two princesses falling in love? Yes please!

Esofi of Rhodia was intended to marry Albion of Ieflaria since she was three years old. Tragedy strikes and Albion is killed by the thing Esofi is supposed to be able to offer protection to, dragons. It’s been her destiny to marry one of the crowned heirs and she’s determined to follow through on the commitment no matter if it is a prince  Albion or princess Adale.

What I loved about Esofi is that she isn’t overly beautiful and not everyone is falling at her feet. She felt like a real person. I personally thought she sounded gorgeous and I loved the fact that we eventually got to hear that from Adale’s lips. Ieflaria doesn’t know how powerful she truly is until she’s tested by a dragon.

Then their entire world is flipped on it’s head. Are dragons truly as terrible as they thought they were? Is Adale the princess for Esofi or should she go with one of the twin cousins?

I love that Adale went an unexpected route to show Esofi that she was interested in their match and believed it could work. She didn’t go for buying pretty things or spoiling her. Instead, she showed Esofi the people of Ieflaria and by sharing the knowledge she found about dragons and the temple and gifts that had been bestowed upon the people.

They were so cute together. Anytime there were scenes with the two of them I was grinning and wishing for more. I started this last night and the only thing that stopped me was the fact I fell asleep. Then I finished it off as soon as I woke up. I want to read so much more of this world! I’m excited that it’s a series! I’ve already went to follow the author on GoodReads and plan on stalking every book she releases. That’s how much I enjoyed this.

I loved The Queen of Ieflaria. I devoured it, staying awake way past midnight to finish reading it. This book has so many wonderful things: strong female protagonist, dragons, a unicorn, battles, palace intrigue, and a romance between the two main characters who are pansexual.

Princess Esofi of Rhodia has been betrothed to the heir of Ieflaria since she was three years old. Her education has been focused on being the best queen possible to what will be her new homeland. Over the years she has gotten to know her future husband, Crown Prince Albion, through letters. After she begins the months long journey to her new home and marriage, she receives the news that the Crown Prince has died in an accident.

Esofi arrives in Ieflaria and is faced with a choice: marry the new heir, marry another in the line of succession or go back home. Esofi chooses to marry the new heir, Crown Princess Adale. Adale never expected to rule. She has not been educated to rule but she does know how to drink, hunt and start a really good bar fight. Yet she is such a wonderful match for Esofi.

From the first introduction to Adale, I fell hard for her. I wanted her to marry Esofi and not let one of her cousins take her place. Adale was strong, vulnerable, prickly and caring. She is such a wonderful character. Esofi carries a touch of superiority because of her education. She needs to learn about her new home from the bottom up. Meanwhile others at court plot to remove Adale from the crown and marry Esofi to someone else.

This world that Effie Calvin created is so unique. Gender is not a barrier to anything, whether it be a crown or a marriage. Under the right conditions and with a little magic help, individuals can transform to the opposite sex long enough to insure a child is conceived. This world also has dragons. Big, fire breathing dragons who do more than just eat sheep. The descriptions of everything from the architecture to the clothing is amazing. The reader learns so much about the world by the author's wonderful flowing descriptions.

I absolutely loved The Queen of Ieflaria and am eagerly looking forward to the next book in the series. This book does have a logical ending so readers are not left hanging but instead are left wanting more.

A brilliant story with a rich cast and fantasy elements. Magic and Science is at odds in Leflaria and I cannot wait to read more about their world. I hope the author writes more about them.