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Petronella, Queen of Epera, must conceive an heir to ensure her famine struck Kingdom’s survival. But her husband, King Arion, is a cruel, violent man who seems intent on war with their neighbouring countries. When she still hasn’t become pregnant after ten years of trying, she knows her life is forfeit. Her soul, you see, is tied to the land she rules, and if she can’t conceive, then the only way for her husband to ensure a legitimate heir is born, is to kill her, so that he may marry anew and coronate a new queen. As Petronella tries to navigate the backstabbing court, her own maidens included, she knows she has only two options. To sacrifice herself for the Kingdom’s future, or escape and find a cure for her infertility. Will she have the strength of mind to do what she must and accept the forbidden magic that she possesses?
Queen of Swords is set amongst a backdrop of courtly intrigue, festering betrayal and morally grey villains. Its heroes and heroines are swarthy, beautiful and slightly stereotyped; damsels in distress, in need of rescue and dashing knights in shining armour types. While the tropes are often over-used, Cazaly does manage to wield them well and with skill – turning some of them on their heads. King Arion is a despicable character initially; but with artful story-telling, she has managed to make him at least understandable, if not likeable in places. His motives aren’t black and white; it’s not necessarily greed which drives him as such – more of a desperation to succeed.
What makes Queen of Swords unique, is that it’s based loosely around the lore and art of tarot cards. Cazaly states that she wishes for the book to ‘add flesh to the bones of the tarot court.’ And it does, to an extent. But you have to have some knowledge of tarot to catch the subtle nudges towards it.
Although artfully and even beautifully written, Queen of Swords is some almost too descriptive. Cazaly writes long, flowing sentences filled with intense imagery, which slows the story down to an almost sluggish pace. It’s a long book, with passages that meander like a lazy river, taking an age to get to the point. Indeed, if the book was an eighth shorter, with a little less description, it would have warranted a five moon review. Unfortunately, the sheer amount of wordy descriptions for every single thing made it a challenge to read. If you’re looking for a fully immersive read while you have nothing else to do, then Queen of Swords is definitely for you. Don’t be put off by this three moon review, it’s purely because I prefer a faster paced tale.
S. A.Â
First published on Reedsy Discovery as part of their ARC programme. You can read the original review here.
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