Review: The Orphan Queen

The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows
Series: The Orphan Queen #1
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on October20, 2015
Genres: Young Adult -Fantasy
Source: Borrowed
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An epic fantasy filled with adventure, intrigue, and romance from Incarnate series author Jodi Meadows. This duology is perfect for fans of Graceling by Kristin Cashore, The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson, and Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo.When Princess Wilhelmina was a child, the Indigo Kingdom invaded her homeland. Ten years later, Wil and the other noble children who escaped are ready to fight back and reclaim Wil’s throne. To do so, Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate the Indigo Kingdom palace with hopes of gathering information that will help them succeed.But Wil has a secret—one that could change everything. Although magic has been illegal for a century, she knows her ability could help her save her kingdom. But magic creates wraith, and the deadly stuff is moving closer and destroying the land. And if the vigilante Black Knife catches her using magic, she may disappear like all the others. . . .

I had my eyes set on this book ever since I read Jodi Meadow’s Incarnate trilogy. I was so captivated by her story that when finally finding the courage to read her next series, I could not wait a second longer. The idea of finishing my reading for school and going to bed early was pushed to the back of my head and the mere thought of what I could be expecting rushed forward and propelled me through this book that I hate myself for putting off for so long.

The story follows a young girl, Wil, who just happens to have a variety of identities. Living in a world where magic is forbidden, her identity must be kept a secret, and she is continuously trying to escape the mysterious Black Knife, we follow Wil on an adventure in which she hopes to reclaim her rightful spot on the throne.

I loved Wil. She is such a fabulous heroine. Trying to first understand her life in the beginning can be kind of slow but once you get through the first couple of chapters the story grabs hold of you and you are forever in its hold. I felt that Wil has her ups and downs in the story but in the end she grew from where she was and a potential she did not think herself of holding surfaces. Melanie for me has this kind of love hate relationship. She is the friend that you know would do anything to protect you but feelings get in the way and she is left to deal with consequences. I just hate Patrick. I had a bad feeling from the beginning and that kind of fueled my hatred as I progressed through the story. Finally the Black Knife is such an interesting character. I do have to say that I found out pretty fast his identity but the idea of leaving it a mystery allowed me to fully gasp when appropriate.

There are so many secrets of past events that soon come up further and further in the story and with every revealing, there are things that kept me on my toes. I love how Jodie Meadows uses the Wraith as the villain but even though we are supposed to fear it, there are certain things that we do not know about it.

Overall Jodi Meadows has once again captured my attention in yet another captivating series that I will be anxiously waiting to read the next book to follow. There are not enough words to say how much you need to add this book to your reading pile. A magical adventure is awaiting your discovery.

Happy Reading!