The Forgotten Queen

by Tini Howard

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of The Forgotten Queen through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Forgotten Queen is a series that traverses across time itself, telling the tale of one woman and all of the damage she’s caused during her time on earth. She goes by many names, but one of the best known is probably War-Monger.
This graphic novel is a little bit of a blend. It has elements of the four horsemen of the apocalypse (war). It also is a tale told through time, and references several different historical figures, events, and myths.

The Forgotten Queen is a graphic novel with an enormous amount of potential. That’s why I wanted to read and review it, truth be told. I was immediately captivated by both the concept and the artwork.
I honestly think that the reception to The Forgotten Queen is going to depend entirely on one’s preference for a few things. For example, I don’t typically love it when real historical figures are pulled into fantasy stories. But others might like that.
Personally, I enjoyed the decision to have the story told through two perspectives. One covered past events, while the other focused on the present. As mentioned above though, this may be something that other people enjoy a bit less.
War’s tale was an interesting one, on the whole. It was a little heavy handed at times, but interesting nonetheless. I would have liked it if they had explained how the two timelines (past and present) ended up together. But perhaps the next volume will handle that.
The present timeline was a bit more confusing. Mainly because it was lacking an explanation for how War came to be where she was. It felt like they were leading up to explain that, but then just never got around to it?
As for the artwork, that absolutely held up to my expectations. It handled the more graphic scenes in a way I appreciated – they weren’t overly graphic, but they also didn’t shy away from what needed to be shown. It’s a tough balance to find and maintain.
I’ll be curious to see if another volume of this story comes out. And if so, what it’ll focus on. Will it tell us more about War, or will it focus on one of her brothers?

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