I grew up on Arthurian stories. From reading The Kitchen Knight picture book ad nauseum to singing along to the Camelot soundtrack (the lyrics were quite different in my five-year-old mind), I ate those stories up. Adult me was quite excited to read a slightly less gilded tale of Arthur and Co.

Queen of None is a lush tale of love and revenge, high on the revenge angle. Life wasn’t all peachy for females in King Arthur’s court, and author Natania Barron told the story of Nimue as an angry, hurt, and desperate person. This is the darkest book that I’ve manage to read- and enjoy-in quite a while, and the list of potential triggers is pretty long. Please be aware going in that things tiptoed right up to the brink of SA and there was an incident of domestic abuse. I actually skimmed some bits, because they are things that I prefer not to read.

I almost see Queen of None as Camelot Goes Grimdark. Surprisingly, it works. The story told is gritty and full of rage. Anna, the main character, spent a miserable arranged marriage to the much older Lot of Orkney. She was a victim of politics and was (understandably) relieved when her husband passed away. This is where our story starts: Anna, widowed, has come to Camelot (called Carelon in this book). Nursing a years-long love of Bedevere, she hopes for a happy second marriage. Instead, Arthur decides that she should marry Lanceloch (Lancelot), his favorite new knight.

Events progress, and Anna realizes that Merlin has more power at court, and over her life, than she is okay with. As her satisfaction and hope dwindle, she hatches a desperate plan to get her revenge on the men who have used others for their own political gain: Merlin and, through him, King Arthur. To do so, she will have to travel down paths dark and dangerous. Thus, Nimue is born.

Despite the darker tone, I really enjoyed this book. The author mainly stayed away from battles and wars, using them in the background to further the plot. Instead, the book is political. Anna wasn’t a likeable character, but she was believable. She felt powerless for most of the book, and acted like she was. She even blamed herself for the one instance of domestic violence in the book. I’m sure this is something that many victims could relate to, but it broke my heart. When she finally realized that the system and the druid at the top were the problem, it was easier to read.

The pacing was slower and took its time setting everything up. It is important to know who is related to whom and how, and that takes a while. Camelot was a convoluted (and sometimes incestuous) place in most stories, after all. I do think that there was a chunk in the middle that didn’t serve the storyline and could have been edited, but overall, the pacing was solid.

The writing was confident and never faltered in tone or theme. The author knew exactly what kind of story she wanted to tell and didn’t deviate from that at all. The ending wasn’t exactly happy, but a happy ending would have been out of place in this book. Instead, it was a breath released (one that I’m sure everyone knew they were holding), and tension slightly eased.

Queen of None is not an easy book, content-wise, and would be massively out of place as a vacation read. It is a fascinating, more brutal, story of Camelot. It isn’t one that I will be able to reread, but it was very well written.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Queen of None is available now.

Summary:

Married off at just twelve years old and thrust into motherhood shortly after, Anna, King Arthur's sister, didn't experience the promising youth she had hoped for. Instead, she dutifully bore three sons and secured the kingdom of Orkney for her brother through her marriage. Throughout it all, she remained unseen and utilitarian—valued only for her name, dowry, and ability to bear children.

Now, two decades later, Anna is called back to Carelon, her childhood home, holding the crown of her deceased husband. She must confront the ghosts of her past: her sisters Morgen, Elaine, and Morgause; the manipulative Merlin and his priests; and Bedevere, her former love.

As Carelon undergoes changes, Anna must adapt as well. New dangers lurk in the shadows, and a mysterious power begins to stir within her. To break free from being a mere pawn in others' schemes, she must leverage her own strength and confront her family in pursuit of her ambitions—and vengeance.

Review:

In this captivating novel, the writer presents a riveting narrative of resilience, ambition, and revenge set against the backdrop of Arthurian legend. The story follows Anna, King Arthur's overlooked sister, who was married off at a young age and spent her life fulfilling the expectations placed upon her.

What makes this book stand out is its exploration of Anna's journey from being a pawn in others' plans to a formidable force in her own right. Through vivid storytelling, readers witness Anna's transformation as she returns to her childhood home of Carelon, facing her past and embracing her newfound power.

The characters are richly drawn and multifaceted, adding depth and complexity to the story. From Anna's manipulative sisters to the enigmatic Merlin and her former love, Bedevere, each character plays a crucial role in shaping Anna's destiny.

At its core, this is a story of empowerment and self-discovery. As Anna navigates the treacherous waters of politics and power, readers are drawn into her quest for agency and justice. The tension builds steadily throughout the novel, keeping readers on the edge of their seats until the final, satisfying conclusion.

Overall, this book is a gripping tale that will appeal to fans of historical fiction, fantasy, and strong female protagonists. With its compelling narrative and well-drawn characters, anyone seeking an immersive and engaging story should give this story a try!

I want to start by saying I did thoroughly enjoy the concept of this story. I also like our main character Anna and the array of unique characters we are introduced to. However I rated it 2 stars for a few reasons. The main cause was the sheer number of time jumps and the fact they weren’t often stated. Multiple times I found myself wondering when we jumped months or years ahead. This made it very hard for me to truly live through the story. There was also a magic system that seemed very skimmed over and I would have loved more details about that aspect. I found many grammatical errors and repeats in my copy as well.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. Seemed interesting from the get go, but soon lost my attention. I found myself skipping ahead for something that might interest me, but still found my mind wandering.

Think those who enjoy Arthurian lore and women’s parts in it would find it a good read. Just not for me at the moment.

King Authors sister lived a very different live. Set away from her home at 12 , wedded and using her name for what its worth is all she seemed good for. When her husband dies suddenly she is then thrusted into a different life and forced to confront the trauma of her childhood. This was a fierce read!

Arthurian retelling
Historical
Prophecy
Magic
Romance
Revenge
War
Strong FMC
Marriage of convenience

“Another girl to add to the litany: Elaine, Morgen, Margawse, and now Anna.”

“Anna Briallen Carys Pendragon. Through all the ages, and in the hearts of men, you will be forgotten.”

Queen of None is the first book in the Queens of Fate series. The book follows Anna Pendragon, King Arthur’s sister.

I really liked Anna as a main character, she is strong, witty & independent. I loved how she didn’t need a man to take care of her and didn’t give into the dominance of men.

Both the characters and the world building were well written and interesting. The storyline itself was a fresh take and brought something new to Arthurian legend and the story of King Arthur.

Really well written retelling with interesting female characters and perspective.

Overall a great concept. The ending wasn’t my favorite but other than that I really enjoyed the book.

Perfect book for you if you like Arthurian legends and strong, independent female characters.

Queen of None by Natania Barron
Published by Solaris
4/5 stars!

After birthing her 3 sons Anna leaves her home but returns when Arthur needs her. She returns to face everything she left behind but soon finds herself with a power!
This is such a captivating story and beautifully written, I haven’t read many books inspired by Arthurian legend and so far I’m really enjoying it!

Thank you to Natania, the published and NetGalley for this arc!

Feedback to be published on Goodreads.

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

QUEEN OF NONE - NATANIA BARRON

Thank you to #netgalley and #rebellionpublishing for a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Uk publication date: 21st may 2024 ( but as far as I can tell it has been published before and is coming out again).

I really loved Anna's story. I felt compelled to keep picking this book up because she was such a relatable character. As an Arthurian retelling it was enchanting and clever - I especially love the prophecies as a way of weaving the character's stories and motivations. In fact I loved the first 80% or so of this story. However, I got a bit confused in the last bit - I am not sure if I missed some things - such as the incident with margawse. I'm still not sure what happened there. And I felt that the nimue story line tried to develop a whole character in too short a time so that I had no sense of her character, nor did I understand what happened with merlin at the end.
Maybe it's me 🤷🏻‍♀️ but I will indeed read the sequel!

—Thank you to NetGalley and the publidher for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review!


“First in a sumptuous, female-led Arthurian Fantasy Romance trilogy“
I saw this and was like ‘say less’. And i mean look at this cover, isn’t it stunning?
It was a good start to a series. I’m excited to read the others now. I hope we get to have much more of an inner look into the characters’ personalities and motives. It was a fast read.

DNF at 50%

I’m really gutted I couldn’t get along with this, because the premise is right up my alley. However it quickly became clear that when I put it down, I didn’t feel to inclined to pick it up again. And the longer I took to read it, the more I just… didn’t care. I would forget it existed. Reading it felt like a chore. I kept going for months until I reached the halfway point and realised I didn’t want to continue the slog through the second half.

My main review of the half of the book I did read: There is a distance to the storytelling that gives an old-timey feel to the tone, however it also left me detached from the heart of the story — Anna’s reactions and emotional responses to the plot seemed narrated rather than felt, and I struggled to get invested because of that.

For the most part, I enjoyed this book. It was just too slow-placed for my preference and the writing style was the telling and not a lot of showing type. Which is also not my reading preference.

This is a retelling of King Arthur following his forgotten sister.
For the most part, I enjoyed this book. It was just too slow-placed for my preference and the writing style was the telling and not a lot of showing type. Which is also not my reading preference.

This series is going to be a trilogy, and while I didn’t super love this book I would like to see what else the author does within this world.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an ARC of this title in return for my truthful review

From literature to The Sword in the Stone to Monty Python’s Holy Grail, the story of King Arthur and his knights is embedded in my memory. It is a delight to have such a beautiful retelling with a strong new female character and the refreshed viewpoint of events. I was so happy to hear the follow up is also coming out this year!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

Throughly enjoyed this book

Full of new and interesting factual information.

The author did a fantastic job.

I enjoyed every minute of this read.

Highly recommend

Queen of Nothing
I’m not sure what I was expecting going into this book, but it wasn’t what I got.

Overall, I enjoyed it.
I know ashamedly little about the legend of Arthur, but I do like to think I know more than your average Joe. It was a very interesting take, with a lot of artistic licence (although, with a legend like Arthur’s, who’s to say the author didn’t just read a different telling to that I know?).

At times I found the timeline confusing and honestly, didn’t understand what was happening. Times like the very ending - I’m not sure what was happening there? I don’t want to go into too much detail, because I don’t want to spoil it but, some clarity would be nice?? Also, when Anna was becoming Nimue - I didn’t understand if it was Anna’s body that was changing? Or if she’d created a whole new body for Nimue?

*massive spoiler coming*

I don’t understand how or why Gaheris killed Maugawse?? I get it was some kind of magic that Nimue was trying to pull on Lamorak (I think it was Lamorak, there were so many names I also got confused there too?!), but I don’t understand WHY? Was it supposed to be so Maugawse’s son killed her? I don’t get it??

I was intrigued throughout the whole story; it was slow going, but enjoyable. I liked Anna’s character development but do wish we’d got to see more of her ending with Bedevere after everything she’d gone through to get there.

I don’t know if I’ll hurry to pick up the next few books in the trilogy, but I would like to see what else the author does within this world.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an eARC of this title in return for my truthful review.

In keeping with the legends and myths that the book itself is based on, the narration of the book was probably what impressed me the most and held me captive to the very end of the story. The narrator is the main character, and she tells you the story from a point in the future, so to speak, offering plenty of ominous and foreshadowing context that'll keep you turning the page. Indeed, it'll even prime you for reading the next books in the series.

Aside from the narration itself, I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship dynamics that drive the plot of the story foward. There's a lot of characters, and I would at times have to pause to keep track of ages and familial bonds etc., but for someone without tons of knowledge insofar as Arthurian legends go, I was still able to enjoy myself.

The pacing is fairly slow, especially at the start, but I found myself gripped by the story regardless (which I contribute to the narrator's voice, in large part).

Thank you NetGalley for sending me an earc of this! All reviews are my own!

First off I love Arthurian retellings so instantly I was drawn into this book. At first while reading it I was a little confused; however that quickly changed when the pace picked up. I throughly enjoyed reading this. I think my favorite character was Anna, I felt like I could hear her struggle and emphasize with her based on her marriage. Overall, wonderful job to the author and I will definitely be looking at more in the future by them!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Solaris for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review*

I've read a ton of Arthurians novels but never about Arthur's sister. It was a refreshing change for once. I liked Barron's unique pen and overall Queen of None was a really interesting read.

Queen of None is a female-centered retelling of Arthurian legend. The novel follows Anna Pendragon, Arthur's forgotten sister, who has been used as a pawn for her entire life. But after being wronged countless times by the men in her life, she decides to reshape her fate.

This was such a good retelling! I loved Anna's character and her growth. And the writing was beautiful as well.

**Thank you to Netgalley for an arc of this book**

I love Arthurian retellings, but I will say I didn't remember Anna, the forgotten sister of King Arthur, prophesied by Merlin to be forgotten by all. So it was nice to read through her eyes. Usually the story is told by the popular male characters, so this was refreshing. Anna was standoffish at times, but I understood it. She is strong and is done being at the mercy of the men in her life. I enjoyed the court politics, twists, turns, magic, romance and characters. I can't wait to see where the next book goes.

3.75 rating