The Orphan Queen (Orphan Queen, #1)

by Jodi Meadows

[jnikkir]

This review can also be found at my blog, There were books involved...

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I honestly don't think I've ever been more terrified to be the black sheep about a book. O_O Usually when I'm the black sheep, I'm not that much of a black sheep -- maybe I didn't like it quite as much as others, or maybe it wasn't for me, but I can usually appreciate why others loved it...

So, this one is tough. I pushed through The Orphan Queen (for eighteen days, save me), because so many people were so vocal about their love for it. I mean, you know me, I have no problem DNFing and dropping a book if I hate it -- but I pushed through. Why? Because at first, I didn't actively dislike much. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it, and I kept hoping something would finally click and I would See The Light...

Spoiler Alert: I didn't end up Seeing The Light. I can usually at least understand the appeal even if I didn't love a book myself, but with this one... I'm stumped. I don't see it. I don't get it. And that makes me sad. :(

So, here's why this book didn't work for me. Many of these things, I know, are personal pet-peeves and things that I just never enjoy, so take them as you will...

The magic and worldbuilding . . .

First off, the "magic system"... wasn't really a magic system? I'm still very unsure about the whole thing. It's "magic" in the sense that people can do crazy stuff for inexplicable reasons... but there doesn't seem to be tons of logic to it. Wil's magic basically lets her manipulate inanimate objects however she wants... except when it serves the plot to make something unfortunate happen instead.

Much of the worldbuilding was done via info-dumps, especially the world's history and what brought our characters to the situation they're in. There were info-dumps in the narration, and info-dumps done through dialog, and all of it seemed super awkward to me.

Now, this next point is probably going to be my weirdest point of contention, but: the characters' names...? Francesca, Tobiah, James, Patrick, Wilhelmina, Melanie, Theresa, Connor, Ezra, Quinn, Julianna, Meredith... To me, they don't feel like names from a fantasy book. To me, they seemed random, pulled from different cultures and time periods, and I couldn't piece together any kind of coherency to them, within the world of The Orphan Queen. Maybe there was some rhyme or reason to them that I completely missed...? But when something about the worldbuilding and culture (to which names are inextricably tied) seems random... that bothers me.

The plot, characters, and romance . . .

The plot was... okay? Wil is basically trying to regain the throne of her kingdom, while at the same time trying to figure out how to stop the Wraith, a deadly fog caused by magic, which threatens the whole world, her own country included. There's court intrigue, spy stuff, plenty of action, some surprises... But honestly it never really grabbed me. The court- and spying-stuff, especially.

My main issue was that I didn't believe that Wil and this small group of orphans could be capable of what they were doing. I mean, obviously they were capable, because they were doing it, but it had me side-eying them the whole time, as to how on earth they were pulling it off. The Ospreys (Wil and her group of orphans) are very young, they've been runaways for years, but they're good enough to pull off being spies? Able to track down groups of rebels to build an army for Wil to reclaim her throne? I didn't buy it. (And yes, I obviously read a lot of YA where teens are the heroes -- I rarely have a problem with this believability factor, or at least not enough of one to raise issues with it. But I definitely had some issues here.) They were doing things that seemed, to me, to be too big for their little group, and there were so many moments when I didn't understand how Wil was actually pulling off the undercover-in-the-palace thing. She really didn't strike me as having her emotions under control, which seems important for that kind of work... I don't know, guys. I just had a hard time going along with most of it.

I also didn't find the characters to be terribly engaging. I think a lot of this came from the fact that I didn't find them believable. But also, I felt like their emotions weren't adequately conveyed. It wasn't that the emotions were always told (there was telling, but it wasn't exclusive)... I just felt like they didn't have quite enough depth, and I never found myself caring or becoming emotionally invested. All of the Ospreys obviously have tragic backstories, some even more than others, but the characters who grew up out of those tragic circumstances just didn't elicit much of a reaction from me.

And the romance...? Where was it? I seem to have missed it, up until the point the kissing started. I never felt any chemistry, and I especially didn't understand Wil's trust in this character whom she had no reason to trust, and every reason to avoid. But then they're working together, and suddenly she has feelings for him... I just didn't get it. I also found his character to be pretty flat. :(


In conclusion...

All-in-all, I'd say this is definitely on the "lighter" side of fantasy, which is rarely something I'm a huge fan of. The worldbuilding wasn't anything too mindblowing, the magic system was disappointing... To me, certain things seemed not-well-thought-out, there wasn't a lot that added depth to the world, and the characters weren't ones I found believable or engaging.

And all this, without mentioning the ending -- which is my least favorite type of ending ever. Things wrap up pretty well... until the last scene, the very last page, where something happens out of the blue and a character is left holding onto that metaphorical cliff as the screen cuts to black. To me, that just feels like bait to make the reader pick up the next book. Unfortunately, this works the opposite way with me. :(

Honestly, I probably should have DNF'd like some people were telling me I should, but people love this book a lot, and I sort of thought if I kept reading, I'd eventually see why. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. But hey, at least I can say I read the whole thing and gave it a fair shot, right? =/

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There were books involved...