I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the premise of someone from a lower caste becoming queen but it just wasn't executed well for me. I didn't really feel like the universe was developed well enough and it just came up a bit empty. So many questions were left unanswered and I felt like there were just so many things that were impossible. None of it really came together for me.

Looking back at the book, I felt like nothing really happened at all. There wasn't any action until the very end of the book and even then it was so anticlimactic. Most of the plot was predictable and cliche. It just didn't really stand out for me.

I did, however, like the relationships that Coin had, although I wish those had been focused on more, along with a better central conflict. I think you might enjoy this if you enjoyed the Red Queen series.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers of this book for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book. It started off very intriguing and Coin was very clever and devious and I really enjoyed her character. The book seemed to be headed in the direction I expected. But then it took a turn and I'm not sure where exactly it started going wrong but the whole world created just didn't feel right.

A seemingly large group of people without names? Why couldn't they create their own names? Real names, could no one really just decide their name was Johnathan maybe even throw in a last name, was it really necessary for them to call themselves things like Coin or Hat. Not to mention these "nameless" must have had children of their own and could give them names.

Beyond that annoyance the biggest issue I have is the fact that there were no laws for these nameless. That doesn't make any sense to me. It doesn't seem even remotely plausible a civilization would decide that this large group of people didn't need any laws to follow? Typically the lowly cast has more laws or at least held more firmly to those laws than people of higher classes.

I also didn't understand how this magic system worked. The nameless weren't affected by the magic but clearly the "nameless Queen" had a name because the king spoke it. Maybe I'm missing something but regardless of how she grew up if she had a name she should have been apart of this magic system but throughout the book she was clearly on the other side of it.

Towards the end I was still intrigued enough to finish it but I didn't really care how it ended, it was beyond redemption at that point. And I didn't grow attached to any of the characters, except maybe Glenquartz, he seemed like a decent guy. But the book as a whole just didn't work for me.

One of the more exciting books I have read in a while. I found myself comparing the issues in the book to issues in real life. Do names define who we are or do we grow into people we want to be despite our names?

The story was gripping and exciting, but I was confused and a little disappointed of how the story was resolved at the end of the book.

It was still a thrilling story entwined with mystery, suspense, and dynamic plot twists from beginning to end.

McLaughlin created an interesting world. Power and duty are as often as curse as a blessing and this is especially true in McLaughlin's novel of a street rat who suddenly has a chance to be Queen. On the surface it sounds like it should be a dream, but when looked at in the light of day the reality is not so bright.
She explores issues of economic class and social justice in an accessible way. Her 'villains' are not the evil plotters seeking chaos or complete destruction as in most fantasy epics. Her 'villains' are much more realistic. They are mortals with their own motives and goals, but they are no less villainous to the story.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this book and how much I enjoyed it! I loved that there wasn’t too much teenage angst! I also loved that they got over their hurt feelings pretty quickly like adults and worked to get stuff done. Also glad that it ended on a happy note, but slightly open ended in case it’ll be a series :)

NAMELESS QUEEN is the debut novel of Rebecca McLaughlin. The concept sparked my interest, but the delivery didn't quite meet my expectations. The story takes place in a dystopian fantasy where where its residents operate on a caste system. There are three types of citizens. The lowest of which the main character belongs to. After a king's death, there's a hectic search for his successor. A magical tattoo of a crown appears on our heroine, Coin, thereby thrusting her into the role of queen. However, there are traditions that allow contenders to fight for a chance at the crown thereby jeopardizing her newfound title. A title that if she keeps can change the treatment of the Nameless for the better.

I wasn't impressed with this story. While I liked Coin's journey, I couldn't help but compare it to Mare's and the Red Queen trilogy (which I wasn't a fan of). Both MCs live in a high fantasy dystopian-like world. Both MCs are apart of the lowest caste system. At the start of the story, both are thieves. Both MCs suddenly receive magical powers thereby thrusting them into the highest tier of society, masquerading with titles of nobility that neither want, and surviving enemies at every turn. Even the titles are too similar to be ignored. The rags-to-riches story is nothing new under the sun, but the similarities between both stories really pulled me out of my whole reading experience.

Here are some things I did like:
* crisp clean prose
* decent pacing
* no love interest
* strong female friendships
* the MC's overall character arc

This wasn't a standout debut novel to me. I hear the author has a second book in the works. I'm very curious to see what she has up her sleeve next.

This is an amazing book. The ending threw me off just a bit. I wanted more! The twists and turns keep the reader guessing. Coin is homeless and nameless. She becomes queen. The how and why are pretty awesome. Can you rule effectively? Can she even maintain her status without being killed? Read to find out.

Nameless Queen was good, but it wasn’t anything spectacular. The premise of the story is that there are three classes of citizens, the lowest of which are denied rights and steal to get by, and one of these criminals is abruptly named queen. Coin was a strong female lead, and I liked that the author never made her seem naïve or dumb. Hat was her closest friend, but she never really did anything for me. Neither did Glenquartz, who seemed too good to be true and was thus unbelievable. Esther, the young lady everyone expected to queen, was decent. She was kind of one dimensional, but I liked what she stood and fought for. There was also a brief, one page reference to a gay couple, and that inclusion was nice. The setting itself was okay, and there was clear effort to flesh it out. I don’t really know what this story was missing, but it just didn’t catch my attention. I never wanted or felt like I had to read it. I don’t know how to add that spark to this story, and it really wasn’t all that bad, but at the same time it wasn’t anything spectacular.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. Opinions are my own.

I enjoyed reading the Nameless Queen -- it was a quick and fun read, yet slightly confusing at times. Coin, a Nameless in a society where Nameless literally have no names (aside from the names they chose themselves ---and those names are chosen out of personal and traumatic events) and no rights, she is magically chosen to become queen. The small country, already uneasy with whisperings of rebellion is ready to erupt as Coin learns how to be queen in circumstances beyond her control. This book is based on Coin's survival as Nameless, and as Nameless Queen. While I was slightly disappointed at the lack of romance (yep, a sucker for a 'smoldering look' sometimes), I liked being able to focus on the character of Coin herself and how she navigated the deep waters of reigning without literacy. I will definitely keep my eye out for other books by Ms. McLaughlin.

I really enjoyed this book. A few details I wish were more thought out than they were in the book, but it's still a very interesting concept that I feel had some very real sentiment relating to true experiences minorities have and still do go through. I'd really like to see the next book, if there will be one, touch more on the magic and the history of it. A deeper backstory of the interesting world that has been created.

Really wanted to like this book. I love the bad ass heroine that comes from nothing and fights her way to the top. Unfortunately, I did not find that here. The best way to sum this book up is to use the main characters own words, "Everything about me and my life - is impossible. What's one more impossible thing?" There were several too many impossible things for me. Each step of the story there were bigger and more impossible circumstances. The story dragged in places because there was too much that had to be explained with each new nuance of the story. I did finish the book but will admit that, toward the end, I was ready for it to be done.

This was a pretty good book! The writing wasn’t quite natural, the characterizations a little flat, and it was predictable in some parts but I enjoyed the story and I think the author had a lot of potential!

What a forgettable read.

“The Nameless Queen” begins with the death of the king and while the country awaits its new monarch a Nameless their named Coin sets off to work a con only to find her partner in crime arrested and a crown tattoo on her arm making her as the new Queen. With her loyalties to her people but her power to Congress she finds herself torn between two worlds and both wish to see her dead.

This book has an interesting idea but it never lets itself really go there in terms of the plot, instead it plays it rather safe with predictable “twists” scattered along the way that are all components of the fantasy genre that we’ve read time and time again. This was only highlighted with the world building and the questionable way it tried to handle the caste system especially since the rules never managed to make sense especially when it came to the laws and why they were “nameless” when it seems loopholes could be easily made which we learn later.

While I enjoyed Coin I thought she was one of the weakest characters in a story where there already weren’t any standouts and if I had to pick a favorite it would be Devil who sadly only stuck around for a handful of chapters.
The one aspect I did like was that there is no romance in the novel which I think worked well for the book as it spent what time it did grant towards love to that of family and what binds people together.

Overall this book isn’t bad but it also isn’t anything that will make a mark in this genre and if I can remember it in the morning I’ll raise it a star.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

"One girl must make a name for herself--or die trying --in this royal fantasy where an unknown peasant becomes the ultimate ruler. But how long can she keep the crown if everyone wants her dead? Perfect for fans of Furyborn, Red Queen, and Everless."

Coin belongs to the Nameless tier in her society.It is the lowest and no one in it is thought to be worthy enough to even have a name so they make up their own names.She discovers a tattoo on her arm one day and her life changes from that point on.
I absolutely loved this story. It had a big suprise at the end that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Story was fast paced and witty with heart.
Thankyou Netgalley for this ARC

This was an interesting read. Coin is a Nameless, the lowest sect of whatever Fantasyland this book takes place in. She ends up, through the means of magic, becoming the next Queen of Fantasyland. Will she survive to claim the throne?

There isn't anything too special with this one, to be honest. It's immensely readable, but there's not anything that sticks out as a "wow" factor (notice that I can't even remember the name of the town that this takes place in). One huge plus is that there was no romance in the book; just a straightforward fantasy adventure.

Not sure if it's worth a buy, but definitely worth a read.

3.75/4 rounding up

This book turned out to be better than I expected it to be, so I'm pretty happy about that! It was a quick read due to the story being easy to swallow. The pacing was a bit everywhere though: the beginning was incredibly fast, about 5 chapters in it becomes a good pace, sloooowwws down a ton once we reach the middle, and gradually build back up to a quick pace the closer we get to the end. I had major issues in the beginning and middle, as the pacing was just off to me. Another factor that went into that was that I was uninterested during a good chunk of these sections. I kept thinking to myself "when is it gonna get good again" even though the story going on in that portion was interesting. Luckily for this book, the characters are really what make this shine. Their individual stories, backgrounds, and characteristics were all wonderful. Some you love, others you love to hate, and there's 1 in particular where you just want to strangle them lol Characters are what made me bring my review up.

While the story was interesting, the pacing does get rocky in numerous sections throughout the book. However, characters really bring this home, and the way this book wraps up makes it all the better. I would be interested in seeing a sequel to this book, maybe not with the same MC but instead a different person. I'd love to know a bit more about this world and the outcomes of the finale.

ARC provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The names were an interesting concept that I had never read before. And the world building was very well done. I hope there will be another book or novella after this so I can see what happens next!

Holy fudge. If wanting to reach into a book and strangle a character for a nasty surprise they pulled on the protag is your idea of a good story, then you'll love Nameless Queen. (Especially since said character got WAY worse before the end!)

Sometimes I think of writing a review and I'm daunted by the idea of putting my delight and joy into words.

And then I realize that I don't have to be any more specific than that. As a fellow novelist, adjectives like "delight" and "joy" are all that I need to hear.

It wasn't a super exciting book (except for wanting kill the previously mentioned character, of course.) But I'm still delighted that it's coming out on my birthday.

And one more thing? Read it for yourself. Don't trust someone who is too spetzing stupid to stay away from fantasy if things like magic tattoos offend them.

Nameless Queen was a fun, quick read with engaging characters and a unique magic system. I really liked the way that the magic was rooted in people's names, as well as the crown tattoo that appeared on the arm of the next ruler. Coin was a really interesting character; she was smart, tough, and resilient, and I really loved her sarcastic sense of humor. Even though she seemed cold sometimes, I liked seeing her form relationships with other characters like Glenquartz and Esther, as well as her existing relationship with Hat.
However, the ending changed my opinion of the book quite a bit. Everything was resolved so quickly, and there were no deaths or anything that would make the ending less than perfect. I also thought that the revelation about Coin's parentage was very convenient to the plot, when there could have been another, more complicated explanation.