Queen B’s Decree: The magic system was interesting and drew me in immediately.
Runa is a twin (with her brother), but twins are prohibited in her land, so she’s lived her entire life as her brother—and they switch places every other day. Then on a day when she is supposed to be hidden at home—the evil viscount comes for her brother…so she leave with them to save her family. And when her magic is discovered…yikes.
What happens next was hard for me to read. It basically was trauma porn, where Runa is starved and tortured…constantly. Runa is forced to read, bestowing magic upon those who listen. And when she breaks the rules and reads to the others (because her cousin forces her to participate), she’s caught and more bad things happen.
The romance felt like it was not the focus of this story, and I’m expecting more to come in the next book.
But the cliffhanger at the end has me intrigued, and I’m hoping Runa has some character growth. I’ll be keeping an eye out for the next in the series.
Book: The Reader by Hope E. Davis
Series: The Reader #1
Genre: Fantasy
Plot Devices/Tropes: secret identity