The Impostor Queen

Fine, Sarah, The Impostor Queen. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2016.

Elli is next in line to be queen - to wield equally the power of fire and of ice. She was chosen the day the current queen ascended the throne, and has been trained her whole life for this position. However, when the queen dies and Elli takes her place, she does not receive control of the magic the way she is supposed to. Fearing for her life, Elli is forced to flee to the outside, where she learns for the first time what the kingdom and the queen look like to those who have been banished.

I read this entire book in one sitting, which is an extremely rare thing for me. I loved the character development, the world-building, the unique twist on a standard fantasy story, I thought this book was well-paced, as I enjoy both page-turning sections of intense action and more moderately paced world-building sections in stories. And as I said, I read it all in one sitting. It is a very rare book that makes me stop everything else just to finish it.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: moderate fantasy violence
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Shadow & Bone, Three Dark Crowns, A Thousand Nights