The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows

The Orphan Queen (Orphan Queen, #1)

by Jodi Meadows

Wilhelmina has a hundred identities.

She is a princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft. With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.

She is a spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil can’t trust anyone.

She is a threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom. Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the others.

Jodi Meadows introduces a vivid new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, dangerous magic, and one girl’s battle to reclaim her place in the world.

Reviewed by Angie on

3 of 5 stars

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The Orphan Queen was certainly an exciting new Fantasy, but I can't say that if fully wowed me. Much like with her Newsoul series, I believe the author's strength lies in world-building, because the setting was once again my favorite part. The plot was exciting and engaging, but also very predictable. Wilhelmina is a princess displaced from her throne, but it's time for her to take back the kingdom. But first, she has a mission to complete: infiltrate the palace, get her people back home, and stop the encroaching wraithland. Of course, unforeseen circumstances arise, plans must change, no one is who they say they are, and Wil has to decide if she continues doing things the way she has been, or if it's time for change. A very queenly decision.

I basically loved the world of The Orphan Queen. It's a land where some people have magic, but now it's been banned, because there are consequences to using magic, even if you have the best intentions. The best way to explain the connect between wraith and magic is the comparison made in the book: magic is the flame and wraith is the smoke. So I'm sure you can see why there's a ban on magic, but maybe magic is the only way to destroy the wraith? No one knows! All they know is that the wraithland which is this scary, awesome deadish zone is taking over. Evil creatures come out of it and attack people, the weather goes bonkers, and there's no stopping it. Although mirrors can slow it down, since wraiths are apparently afraid of themselves! They are quite scary. That....thing Wil creates on accident...very creepy and weird.

The main reason I didn't enjoy The Orphan Queen as much as I could have was because one of the big reveals was beyond obvious to me. I figured it out 250 pages before it was actually revealed. I desperately hoped that I was wrong, and that all of the obvious hints were just red herrings, but they weren't. So instead of feeling something, anything other than "duh," I was just like "It's about time! Now get on with it!" It was so expected and cliche, and I wished it had gone in a different direction. Also, the ending is one doozy of a cliffhanger! But it's one plot device that I don't fall for. Maybe the joke will be on me when the sequel comes out, but somehow I doubt it. It's just one of those things.

Lets talk about Black Knife for a moment. He's kind of awesome. Imagine Batman and the Dread Pirate Roberts having a lovechild and then plopping him down into Fantasyland. That's him in a nutshell. This super, kickass, vigilante out to save the kingdom from magic users, wraith creatures, and criminals! And of course he's the love interest, because obviously. A masked man who rescues damsels in distress? Or in Wil's case, another super, kickass, vigilante in not-really-distress.

I did really like The Orphan Queen, but mostly for the world-buidling, but luckily the world plays a huge role in the plot. Wil needs to take back her throne, but first she has to make sure there'll even be one for her to sit on!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

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  • Started reading
  • 24 March, 2015: Finished reading
  • 24 March, 2015: Reviewed