<i><b>“One day, a queen will rise”</b></i>


<u>Tropes</u>
• Slow burn Romance
• Historical
• Rebellion
• Deception
• Betrayal
• Secrets

<i><b>“But know that one day, a daughter will rise from your line, a daughter who shall be two in one, passion and stone.”</b></i>


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was different to books I normally read and it definitely helped to get out of my comfort zone and try to journey into the world that Rebecca Ross written. This is the first book I’ve read from Rebecca Ross and heard many good things about her books!

I was Pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the first book in this series. Yes, it does start off a bit slow and I usually get bored with slow-paced books but I was surprised when I was so intrigued of Brienna and hoping she could passion in knowledge. I definitely related to her with figuring out what I wanted to after my years in secondary school and unsure of it. Along the way I did figure my joy in life like Brienna.

I saw the connection between Brienna and Cartier and was hopeful that they were possibly end up together. To both my surprise when they both went their separate and was so happy that they found each other again even though they both had secrets of their own.

I can’t wait to get into the next book to see what happens next!

<b>Thank you so much NetGalley, Rebecca Ross, and Harper Collins for the chance to read and review this e-arc in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions remain my own.</b>

As a prolific lover of both the Divine Rivals Duology and the River Enchanted duology as soon as I saw this come up to request it was an immediate yes. However, I'm not sure if I was the best audience for this book. As a teacher myself, the fact that the romance in this book surrounds a student and her teacher who she refers to as 'Master' at points just soured the whole book to me. Yes, while she is over 18 and no longer their student when they finally 'get together', the fact there is even a caveat is off putting to me. I decided to finish the book as I am not one to DNF a story and I give this an additional star as enjoy some of the other external relationships such as between the 'Passion' sisters but a lot of the story felt underdeveloped in places. You can definitely tell this is a debut novel, especially as Brienne as a character feels unfinished with no real personality besides liking books and history.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity.

Brienna is such an amazing character to follow, being a student of the five passions and wanting to become a Mistress of a passion. Much of her life is unknown to her and she is now getting these visions \ memories that are trying to tell her more. This book took me on a very twisty path and I loved every second. Everything was unexpected and I loved every moment!

This book is told in the first-person perspective of the main character Brienna. From the first page, I was truly captivated by this story. I found the narrative style so engaging and easy to understand.
I've come to love all these characters so much. Brienna is a girl who was raised by her grandfather without knowing who her father was. Her mother died early. Throughout the story, Brienna is portrayed as very ambitious yet sympathetic. She has her flaws, but she balances them out well with her loving nature and perseverance. I liked her from the start. She's very pleasant, and I could understand her decisions throughout. Even though she's not an extremely extroverted character - nor an introverted one for me - she handles being in the center of events well. I liked her way of dealing with problems and how she kept a cool head - which is rare for many female main characters.
Cartier is truly a great character. Unlike the common image that many male characters portray, he is a very calm and composed person who approaches things thoughtfully and skillfully. Cartier doesn't rush into anything, and I found the way he treated Brienna so loving and mature.
Secondary characters, like Brienna's friend, have been really well integrated. They're not overly described, but they don't remain as empty shells in the story either. Each supporting character has their own story and appearances that are important in the book. Intrigue, a kingdom with the wrong king on the throne and families coming together to restore the kingdom to what it was. I had to keep looking at the map and the family trees because of the character connections and the locations. That's not a bad thing, though, because that always happens to me with good, complex books. On the one hand we have Brienna, who doesn't know who her father is and who at the same time begins to have visions that are from the past. On the other hand, we have Cartier, who knows quite a bit about the location of the kingdom where Brienna's father comes from. Some families will approach the reader, but that shouldn't put you off because everything is explained really well and comprehensibly. A big aspect that I really like is that there is a kingdom in which women are supposed to take the throne. Women's bodies are more receptive to magic, making women stronger than men. This kingdom has women who go to war. You can like it or hate it, but I find it very rare in books that women play such a strong role. So this detail alone convinced me. I really liked the book.

THE QUEEN’S RISING is an engaging read, with a fascinating world. I loved the contrasts between the two countries, and how their flaws were so clearly laid out. Warrior vs arts, but with both praised and picked clean. There was a tug between these two for Brienna and the other characters who were either natives of both or grew up in a country other than their own. That tension of home, nation and self was so well done and it meant that Brienna’s final choice for her future was so satisfying.

This is a much slower paced book than most YAs. I liked that, as it meant there was more time for world-building and developing the relationships. It also drew out the different loyalties the characters had, giving the reader time to understand the complex characters.

The found family dynamics take centre stage of the second half of the book. I loved watching Brienna with Jourdain and Luc, they interacted so easily and so friendly, immediately accepting and loving one another.

I loved the friendship between the passions. The way the six girls were supporting each other through the stress of the final weeks at their school, then the interviews with patrons, reminded me of the way my best friends and I supported one another. I appreciated the way that one of the girls was brought back for the second half, to maintain the connection to the school.

The romance is not a pivotal part of the book, but it is a teacher-student relationship. Yes, she’s graduated, but she’s only just and that relationship dynamic always makes me uncomfortable. Teachers are in a position of trust and authority, which a romantic relationship breaks.

This book reads like a standalone, but it’s the first in a duology. There’s no big cliffhanger, which was a nice surprise. I’m excited to see where the next book goes, as there was no hint in this book.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

When I first heard about this book, I was immediately intrigued, because I'm always on the lookout for new fantasy series, especially from debut, or new to me, authors. I preordered it as soon as I could - thank you Christmas money, and discount codes - and when my copy came around my birthday, I dove straight in.

The Queen's Rising tells the story of Brienna, who when she was a young girl was sent to the exclusive Magnalia House school, in order to master a passion in one of the five main arts. Her only problem, she doesn't have any particular affinity to one in particular, instead she can master a bit of each. When she finally decides to pursue the passion of Knowledge, with only 3 years left to master it, rather than the usual 7, she's in a for a bit of a struggle. Her main hope is her master, Cartier, who's life before the school is very mysterious. They have a connection with their love of folklore and history in particular, and when they discuss the legendary queens of Maevana, something clicks in Bri, and she begins to have visions that are so realistic, it's as if she actually lived in the past, rather than a simple memory.

This is the least of Bri's current problems, though, as she has had no-one to become her patron, and ends up jumping at the opportunity to travel to Maevana with a man called Jourdain, who masquerades as her father, in order to protect both her, and himself. Brienna knows her grandfather always told her never to go to Maevana, for her safety, but she can't help wanting to know just why she needs to stay away. As she learns more about herself, and her family history in Maevana, she finds herself entangled in a coup to restore the Kavanagh family to their rightful throne.

Every single thing about this book was outstanding, from the plot, to the characters, to the sublime world building. For a lover of fantasy, I couldn't believe how much I loved the book, and how different it seemed from others. And, for a history lover, it has the perfect amount of historical reference that intrigue my own knowledge, and made me think so much of Scottish history. Obviously, Ross has done her research in order to make the book as genuine as possible, and I can't wait to see where she goes with the rest of the story in subsequent books.

The romance in the novel was slow burning, and at times I was questioning whether they would be able to be together, but it had all the feels, and was perfect for what the story needed. Unlike some other fantasy books you read where the relationships ends up taking over from the plot, this was more of an added bonus, and when the plot needed precedence over any sort of romance drawing away attention, it took a back seat - really, the plot never suffered, and I loved that. As much as I adore reading relationships in books, I hate if that takes away from the whole story line, and, luckily, The Queen's Rising didn't suffer from this.

All in all, I'm so happy I bought this book, and can't wait to get my hands on book two, because the ending of this one was perfect, but left enough there for me to question what would happen to all my favourites, and just how everyone would react and recover from all the revelations.