The Orphan Queen

The Orphan Queen, Book #1

By Jodi Meadows

ISBN# 9780062317384

Author’s Website:  http://www.jodimeadows.com/

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi

Princess Wilhelmina Korte watched in horror as her parents were killed before her eyes, when she was just a child.  She was taken with the other highborn children to an orphanage and the Indigo Kingdom took over their land.

Patrick was the one that came and got them out of the orphanage and they have followed him ever since.  They are teenagers now and Patrick will do whatever it takes to reclaim Aecor and put Wilhelmina back on the throne.

Patrick’s plans lead Wil and her best friend, Melanie, to go to the Skyvale Palace posing as survivors of a town that was destroyed by Wraith (the toxic remnants left behind from the use of magic).  There the two will gather as much information as they can so they can finally reclaim Aecor once and for all.

While sneaking out of the palace at night, Wil keeps encountering the vigilante, Black Knife.  She goes from once fearing him to working with him, and even forming a friendship of sorts!  The more time Wil spends at the palace and working with Black Knife, the more she starts to question Patrick.  She must decide if regaining her kingdom is worth doing all that Patrick demands and if it’s worth hurting innocents in the process. 

I’m not a big fan of the YA (young adult) genre so I didn’t expect much with this book.  This story didn’t really read much like the YA books I’m used to which are riddled with immature whiny teenagers.  This novel wasn’t one that I was rushing to read, but yet, I found it interesting, especially towards the end.

I expected a big love triangle, and there was a tiny one, but it really wasn’t a big focus of the book.  There were plenty of men at the palace to gain Wil’s notice.  The prince, James, and of course Black Knife!  Well that last one wasn’t technically at the palace.  I thought James was a lot of fun, but Black Knife was my favorite.  Since he stayed masked, Wil didn’t know who Black Knife’s real identity was.  I figured it out early on though so the big reveal wasn’t all that surprising.  I was a bit disappointed at Wil’s initial reaction when it happened though.

I found this book ended in an odd spot.  And, it has left many readers screaming “Cliffhanger” from the rooftops!  It does technically end in a cliffhanger, but it doesn’t really bother me.  That could be because I wasn’t so engrossed in the story that I couldn’t put it down.  In fact, even with the cliffy I’m not sure when or if I’ll pick up the next book in the series.  I have nothing against the book, but I’m indifferent to it.  I don’t love it, but I don’t hate it … it was a decent read, nothing more.  I think the predictability of the storyline kept me from ever getting truly excited about it because I could see everything that was going to happen from a mile away. I guess only time will tell if I learn what happens next by reading The Mirror King.