Witchling Wanderer: REVIEW: The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

REVIEW: The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows

^^ Does this banner look weird?? ^^

I've been wanting to add bookish photos to my blog so it's about time I test it out. I'm not too sure about the middle font. I tried about a million fonts and I'm too indecisive about which I like best so I might switch it around.

Now about The Orphan Queen... It was the first book I read this year and it was EXTRAORDINAR!! I had the chance to read the second book recently and it's just as good!!

The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows

Publication Date: March 10, 2015

Publisher: HarperTEEN

Genre: Young Adult, High Fantasy, Romance

Series: The Orphan Queen, #1

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

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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.

I never imagined that I would completely fall head over heels for this story. The characters especially Black Knife really captivated me and my heart!! I'm really happy I gave this another try even though I didn't find it fascinating with my first attempt.

When Wilhelmina was very young, her kingdom was conquered by the Indigo kingdom. She and the noble orphans (the Ospreys) were taken to the capital of the Indigo, Skyvale. That is until they escaped, plotting to take back their beloved home and give Will her rightful place as queen.

She and her best friend, Melanie, forge their way into Skyvale Palace to gather intellect on their enemies to be able to fight back on the anniversary that their kingdom was taken. But they run into all sorts of trouble.

What I Liked

I tried reading this back when it was a month away before it's release. But I felt like the characters just made it unrealistic since they were trying to pull off a big heist for their age. I put The Orphan Queen aside for a really long time and I didn't want to even read it. But after some insisting from my blogger friends, I gave it one more chance. My only regret is not reading sooner!!!! IT WAS COMPLETELY EPIC!!

I thought it was very predictable. I figured out something about a certain someone from page 40. I wasn't sure at first but I ended up being right. But I liked that this didn't take away my enjoyment of the story. I was still pulled in and kept going.

There were still tons of twists that I didn't see coming and it kept me up until 2am just to finish it. There were so many revelations that made me question who the real antagonist is. After I was done, I was mind-blown and crying. I. Could. Not. Go. To. Sleep.

I need the second book like I need air!!! It's not fair!

I didn't expect much romance but I was so satisfied with what I got. I kept abusing the heart-face emoji on Twitter from fangirling too much.

Black Knife is not what I expected at all. I expected him to be portrayed as a more dangerous and nefarious character. But he just turned out to be so intriguing and irresistible. I completely loved him and found him to be worthy of swoons. It's no surprise that he's my favorite of the entire novel. He can capture me any time he wants!

What I Disliked

I felt like the first half of the book was a tad slow and not easy to get into but once I reached the middle, it just made me loose track of time.

I had problem with the characters. I wasn't connecting with them. I had no feelings for them that. If one of them were to die, I don't think I would have cared at all.

I also think the characters weren't as easy to relate to. They were enjoyable but I just didn't connect. But that's my experience. I think it will be very different for everyone.