Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I read this entire book in one sitting. Okay I was trapped on an airplane, but regardless this was the perfect book for the trip. Queen of All follows young Jena who is a farmer's daughter. Jena has never known her mother and no one in her household speaks of her. Her only friend Sisi is a lost heir to a noble Numebered household and the Kingdom's famed beauty. The two have spent almost all of their childhood together, but when Sisi is asked to come to the palace as a guest of the Prince, both of their lives will change forever.

As far as action and plot goes, this book is very much character based. It's focused on Jena's growth as a person and her and Sisi's adventures in the castle. While there is a plot, it is very slow moving. More time is spent developing the world and mythology system--which I greatly appreciated. I loved learning more about the Kingdom's relationship with magic and the history of it. The ending really hints at a sequel and hopefully one that will focus on the relationship Jena will develop with other people.

Jena was a smol bean, and I really just wanted to protect her the whole book. She's more introverted and hangs out in Sisi's shadow a lot. The friendship between these two girls was everything. I loved that neither of them would give up on each other. I was kind of sad that Jena's crush was unrequited, but I'm sure she'll find someone who will be able to return her love--if she wants of course.

Overall, this was a great introduction to the world and I really loved meeting all these characters.

Unfortunately there was an issue with this book as the file downloaded only seemed to contain the front and back covers, so I can't give an accurate review of the whole of this book; however, I did track down and read the sample from Amazon, and I enjoyed what I was able to read. The writing seems to flow well and the characters are well-introduced. I look forward to perhaps reading this in future.

i enjoyed the narration and prose of this book! it was extremely satisfying to see jena’s character grow the way she did. however, the plot had too many holes in it for me to give this anything more than 2.5 stars (rounded up to 3). the threat made by ricard at the ball never came to light, nor was anything done about returning magic to the kingdom. furthermore, no one is ever found for the murder of garem which i found highly unsatisfying seeing as everyone was sure it was ricard. the plot could’ve been wrapped up neatly and dealt with whilst also projecting the message of jena’s story in my opinion.

I was really excited to read this book as soon as I saw the blurb, however, it did not meet my expectations. I found it way too long for the actual plot. It felt slow and redundant. I didn't really enjoy the romance plot either. I love a slow burn, unrequited love story but this one had maybe a bit too much sad pinning and it wasn't fun to read about. I think overall Josephs has a good writing style and good character development, but there just seemed not to be enough story to really fill all the pages. I think most YA readers could read this one and I applaud the author for shedding light on some topics not seen a lot in fantasy, like weight.

This was just okay. The writing was good but the story was lacking. I love sapphic, YA fantasy, but unfortunately this wasn’t the book I was hoping for. While this was disappointing, I did see some clear potential in the writing. Since this is the start of the series, I still might read book 2 when it comes out in hopes that Josephs’ can find her story magic.

I really enjoyed the beginning of the book and I found the writing style to be very easy to read. I liked the main character Jena, who’s POV we are in, and I liked that she was plus-size. Although some of her internal fat-shaming was a bit much at times, it was nice to have characters with curves. Jenna is pretty young when the book starts out, most of the time she is 15. Her character did feel a little young at times, but I did see some growth by the end of the book.

While this has the LGBTQ tag, there is no romance. Well there is an M/F romance between two secondary characters, but our main character is a lesbian who is stuck with a giant crush. It’s an unrequited love storyline so there is no main character romance.

The biggest problem I had with this book is twofold. One, the pace was pretty slow at times. The book would just meander along and I would keep waiting for it to pick up. I talk about how fantasy books often start off slow, which happened here, but this book never stopped being slow.

The second problem, which was the biggest, is that nothing happened! There was not much plot in this book. This book was about farm chores, traveling, learning palace etiquette, the secondary character dating, and one finale storyline that I’ll keep secret for spoiler reasons… but that is it. That was the whole book. There was never any conflict to drive the story. It looked like a villain was appearing, but that fizzled, then a problem for the characters to face, but then it was quickly solved. There was just nothing to keep me reading. It was only the fact that I figured something had to happen, so I kept reading even though nothing ever did.

As much as this book didn’t work for me plot-wise, I’m still tempted to read the sequel. It feels like to me that this should not have been a complete book one. This book could have been easily cut down by a third or even a half and it should have just been part one. This book just seemed to end when the story might actually begin, so the second book that is coming out next year should have been combined with this one in only one book. I know authors love to write fantasy series’, but fantasy is tricky and writing bigger epic books always works better than short chopped-up half stories. In the end I can’t really recommend this one, but I won’t say stay away either. This series will really depend on how good book 2 is. The potential is there but it needs a gripping plot.

While I enjoyed this book, I gave I four stars as I feel like it jumped around more than I’d like to and the romance aspect wasn’t explored more. It seemed convenient that the mystery was solved quickly and the ending seemed rushed. I do think there’s lots to explore in this world that was set up and I hope another book is published so it can be more fleshed out.

☆☆☆☆,25 /5
(English below!)

Je ne savais pas trop à quoi m’attendre de cette lecture et j’ai eu l’impression d’en ressortir grandie. Je ne sais pas exactement, mais l’auteure a provoqué quelque chose en moi. Son histoire m’a faite énormément réfléchir, prendre du recul et je ne l’en remercierais jamais assez pour cela.
¤
La seule chose intéressante à propos de Jena, jeune fille de quatorze ans, ce sont les autres autour d’elle. Sa mère a disparu quand elle était bébé, et sa meilleure (et unique) amie, Sisi, n’est pas seulement l’héritière perdue d’une noble maison numérotée, mais aussi la beauté la plus célèbre du Royaume. Jena elle-même est juste maladroite, anxieuse et souvent seule : tout le contraire du modèle de la protagoniste héroïque. Mais quand une lettre convoque Sissi à la cour royale, les deux filles trouvent leur propre avenir, et celui du Royaume, entre les mains d’Iéna. Sissi, pris entre le roi et le prince héritier, cherche un secret magique que le prince est prêt à tuer pour garder. Jena peut la sauver : mais seulement si elle est prête à la laisser partir, peut-être pour toujours… Mais comment laisser partir la personne dont on est follement amoureuse et pour qui on ferait tout ?
¤
L’histoire est assez classique dans le style des romans de fantasy. On se retrouve avec une protagoniste, pas forcément celle qui ressemble le plus à une héroïne, et il est question de prince, de cour royale, de secrets. Pourtant, ce qui ressort pour moi de ce roman, ce sont les émotions que l’auteure réussit à transmettre au lecteur.
J’ai été touchée, bousculée par cette histoire et le personnage de Jena. La jeune fille ne se fait pas confiance. Elle vit effacée, habituée à être dans l’ombre des autres. C’est triste et pourtant, c’est une vie dont elle semble s’accommoder sans problème… Tant qu’elle reste avec Sissi. La relation entre les deux jeunes filles est mignonne. Mais ce qui est beau dans tout cela, c’est l’amour puissant que porte Jena pour Sissi.
Autant la jeune fille n’a rien d’une héroïne, elle ne prend pas d’initiative et ne s’impose pas. Autant, pour Sissi, Jena serait capable de tout.
On suit l’histoire du point de vue de Jena et c’est incroyable de voir comment elle voit Sissy, comment elle la décrit. J’ai ressenti l’affection qu’elle lui portait dans ses pensées, dans ses réflexions, dans ses paroles et même dans ses gestes. J’ai été touchée par sa discrétion, par sa pureté. L’auteure nous balance un personnage dont les émotions confrontent son lecteur, et pourtant avec pudeur et tendresse.
¤
Le récit en lui-même se déroule à un rythme tantôt lent tantôt rapide. On en apprend plus sur la cour, sur l’univers dans lequel l’histoire prend place. C’est plutôt intéressant, bien que pour moi, cela a été passé au second plan.
J’ignore si une suite ou un tome compagnon va être écrit, mais j’ai trouvé que les dernières pages de l’auteure nous offraient plein de possibilités !
Ça a été une très belle lecture, une lecture que j’aurais voulu avoir lorsque je me posais des questions sur les sentiments amoureux, comment les ressentir, comment les manifester, qu’est-ce que l’amour pur.

•°•°•°•

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book and I felt like I matured after my reading. I don't know what she did exactly, but the author did something inside me. Her story made me think a lot, take a step back on how I see some things and I couldn’t thank her enough for that.
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The only interesting thing about fourteen-year-old Jena is other people. Her mother disappeared when she was a baby, and her best (and only) friend, Sisi, is not just the lost heir to a noble Numbered house, but also the Kingdom’s most famous beauty. Jena herself is just awkward, anxious, and often alone: not exactly heroic material. But when a letter summons Sisi to the royal court, both girls find their own futures, and the Kingdom’s, in Jena’s hands. Sisi, caught between the king and the crown prince, searches for a magical secret the Prince is willing to kill to keep. Jena can save her: but only if she is willing to let her go, maybe forever. It’s hard to do that when she’s in love with Sisi herself.
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The story is quite classic in the style of fantasy books. We have a protagonist, not necessarily the one who most looks like a heroine, a mysterious prince, the royal court and secrets.
However, what made me adore this book are the emotions that the author manages to convey to the reader. I was touched, shaken by this story and the character of Jena. The young girl doesn’t trust herself. She lives erased, used to being in the shadow of others. It’s sad and yet it’s a life she seems to be accommodating without a problem ... As long as she stays with Sissi.
The relationship between the two young girls is cute. But what's beautiful about all of this is Jena's powerful love for Sissi. As much as the young girl is not a hero, she does not take initiative or impose herself. As much, for Sissi, Jena would be capable of anything.
We follow the story from Jena's point of view and it's amazing how she sees Sissy, how she describes her. I felt the affection she had for her in her thoughts, in her reflections, in her words and even in her actions. I was touched by her discretion, by her purity. The author throws us a character whose emotions confront her reader, with modesty and tenderness.
¤
The pace was sometimes slow and sometimes fast. We learn more about the court, about the universe in which the story takes place. It's kind of interesting, although for me it took a back seat. I don't know if it will be another book in this universe but I found that the final pages promise plenty of possibilities!
It was a really nice read. It was a read I wish I had when I wondered about romantic feelings, how to feel them, how to manifest them and what is pure love.

Queen of All tells the story of Sisi and Jeni. While Jeni is the main character the storyline seems to be all about Sisi. However, this didn´t bother me at all in this debut with a hint of LGBTQ+. This book is a relatively slow but magical read and is a promising start in the series!

CW: childbirth, fat phobic language, controlling behaviors/unbalanced power dynamics

Thank you to NetGalley and Gen Z Publishing/Zenith Publishing for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Jeni is a poor farm girl who lives with her mashup family, far out of the city that sits of the center of the four corners that make up the kingdom. Everything changes, however, when her cousin by marriage, Sisi, receives a request to journey to the city to meet Lord Ricard, Second in the Kingdom. Reluctantly, Sisi goes, with Jeni and Aunt Mae in tow. Sisi is determined to uncover where the kingdom's magic went, and Jeni will do whatever it takes to protect Sisi, even if it breaks her heart in the process.

I am not big on fantasy, but after finding out that this book has fat and LGBTQ+ main character representation, I had to pick it up. Jeni is the type of MC you root for. She's honest about her downfalls, but never in a "woe is me" sorta way. This is well written to a point where I got mad at one of the villains, and felt myself becoming more invested in the girls' wellbeing, but you'll have to read it to find out what happens! I recommend this for people who are hesitant about fantasy and don't need world-building, while also enjoying a little magic ✨

Dnf @ 13% Ch 3

Sadly im going to have to drop this story, its just not connecting with me at all.

While the writing is interesting and the prologue was stunning, i find Jena very frustrating and down on herself. Those around her seem awful too in their treatment of her. I already hate Sisi. Theres no character thats actually grabbing me at the moment.

I think i was just expecting something different from the premis, the concept is fascinating and the base idea intriguing. However the lack of an enjoyable character for me, leaves me without much care for what happens next so no reason to continue reading.

Thank you to NetGalley & Zenith Publishing for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This title appeared intriguing from the very beginning - the fairytale aspects, the lore, the promise of a sapphic fantasy all appealed to me. And yet I was sorely disappointed.

While I loved the world building and the magic system...nothing really came of anything and Jena and Sisi were not characters I particularly enjoyed Reading about. The narrative set up was also slightly unconventional which did little to add to my enjoyment.

Some of the scenes are truly wonderfully written but, for the most part, the novel feels more like it simply had to be released to set up the rest of the series which, to me, is unappealing. The villain was no real threat, the offered romance came out of nowhere and made little sense.

Also, plus-size representation is only positive when there isn't an onslaught of casual fatphobia, Overall, this book had so much potential but it never lived up to it.

Five stars.
I haven't been able to read high fantasy for years, so I was reluctant to give this a chance—I shouldn't have been. I sat down to read a chapter and Queen of All sucked me in for hours. Jena is loveable, but more importantly, she is relatable. It is so easy to slip on her shoes and follow her "cousin" (they aren't really cousins...) anywhere, out of love. Sisi, too, is well-developed, although I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed with her in the end... (but we'll see if she has more to accomplish.) The prince was milder than I expected, more bark than bite, as far as dystopian rulers go. He couldn't really act on a lot of his threats, and the narrator seems to forget about him in the last part of the story, even though it would be in character for him to have continued plotting.
There's the perfect amount of background to make the palace seem like an adventure. The worldbuilding is simple but paints a vivid picture. The writing is clever and intricate, and the story unfolded into everything I could have hoped for. I was a little sad near the end, because I thought there were going to be too many unanswered questions, but shame on me for forgetting that fantasy books, especially teen fiction, are often not standalones. Anyways, I couldn't really have asked for a better ending. It's a little heartbreaking, but realistic, and thus a great lesson for 14 year old Jena to learn. I think that while she hadn't changed much through the story, she did grow, if that makes sense. Now she's shifting priorities, which is promising, and a nice wrap to this book.
Fantastic debut! Now to wait until the sequel rolls out.

I enjoyed this book as a nice and easy read after a stressful day.

This book is told from Jena’s (Jeni) perspective who’s more of a side character than the main character, which works. Because most of the angsty moments happen to Sisi rather than Jena, I found this story rather soothing. Jena is quite naïve, but it makes sense considering her fairly secluded background. By the end of the book, I’m invested in seeing her further adventures.

Sisi is what you expect from typical YA main characters—beautiful, smart, every guy wants her. And, I’m kind of glad the story isn’t told from her perspective. Sisi is the center of Jena’s world, and telling Sisi’s story from Jena’s eyes, tinged with Jena’s adoration and annoyance of Sisi’s perfection, makes Sisi’s storyline more relatable.

The worldbuilding and pacing also work. Perhaps people hoping for a fast-paced adventure/intrigue driven story might not like this book, but I thought the worldbuilding and pacing happen quite organically. There are a few anxiety-inducing moments, but nothing major.

This book contains quite a bit of diversity and representation. However, if a reader is expecting something deep in relation to diversity and representation, then they might be disappointed. The diversity is just there and isn’t really part of the plot, which I didn’t mind.

Finally, the LGBTQ+ elements and romance. This element disappointed me the most because I hoped for more. However, Jena is still fairly young (14 at the beginning of the book; 15 at the end), so her LGBTQ+ storyline is realistic.

Overall, I think this book works well.

I received a free copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to the publisher and the author!

Argh… I really, really wanted to like this book.
Fantasy? Check.
Sapphic? Check.
Okay, well, that’s really all I need, actually. Sapphic fantasy is my jam. I was so ready to read about a 14/15 year old girl Realising Things, and having this grand exciting journey, but this book was… not that.

I’m not sure if Leigh Josephs has done this on purpose, a la The Rest of Us Just Live Here, but Jeni/Jena is not the main character of this book. She is a side character. All the actually interesting plot stuff happens to Sisi, which means we as the reader get a second-hand account of everything that has happened, when Sisi tells Jeni.

It’s a lot of telling, folks. Like, pages and pages of stories being told to us by other characters, because Jeni is literally not present during any of the plot. Everything happens around her, and is then explained to her after the fact. Everything happens to Sisi.

Side-note: Sisi is not actually a very nice person. She has moments of being kind, where we are given reasons other than her beauty for why everyone is obsessed with her, but for the most part, she is waspish and unnecessarily mean, both to Jeni and to other characters who are doing nothing but helping.

But I digress.

There is also a villain, which I was really excited about, because I thought the stakes were finally being raised and that something thrilling was about to happen. Alas, twas not to be. SPOILER: We find out he is responsible for a bunch of heinous stuff, and then he threatens to do more heinous stuff, and then he is never mentioned, ever again, except for one throwaway line about him at the royal wedding. Nothing ever eventuates from his threat. END SPOILER.

Now, the romance. SPOILER: it’s unrequited. END SPOILER. It also seems to come from nowhere – suddenly, Jeni is saying, I’m in love with Sisi, and we’re like, girl, she is your cousin, and Jeni is like yeah but she’s my first cousin, and also only by marriage and we’re like, Jeni, you are fourteen and she is eighteen, and Jeni’s like, but she’s the most beautiful woman on earth! Which is fair, I suppose.

There is a really lovely scene between Jeni and her aunt, where they talk around the topic for a bit, and made me a bit emotional. But other than that, I found the whole Jeni-in-love-with-Sisi plot point to be actually quite sad.

Also, fatphobia and internalised fatphobia is rampant in this book. Be warned. I was not expecting to read paragraph after paragraph about how the main character (Jeni) is like, sooo fat, and sooo rectangular, and sooo ugly. It was not a fun time. I would have forgiven it if it had grown into something, even something like 'Jeni is fat and she is happy with herself and people love her' but it was just… extensive ragging on this fourteen-year-old girl for being fat and ‘unwomanly’.

Here is what I will give this book – the magic system and the Numbered system is quite interesting. I would be interested to see what happens in the next books, because the last quarter of the book seemed to really pick up pace and became more of something I would want to read more of. Jeni’s character shifts, and we see her really come into her own. I just wish the rest of the book had been more like this, rather than reading like a three hundred page prologue to something much grander.

Thank you to NetGalley and to GenZ Publishing for providing me with this ARC.

In a long slow burn and character driven story of self exploration and a constant processing of emotions, Jena is a main character I would have latched onto heavily if I had found this story at 14. She is a main character living as someone else's side character.

Jena is 14, not conventionally attractive, and is slowly understanding that she’s gay and in love with her one and only friend, Sisi, the most beautiful girl in the kingdom and someone much too straight and old for Jena to ever actually enter a romance with. It’s difficult and it’s heartbreaking and Jena’s low self esteem seeps deeply into her internal narration in just about every single chapter. If Jena were older, I’d complain that she’s whiney and repetitive but she’s a young girl who has been made to feel out of place and less than her entire life.

There a fascinating and complex relationship she has with Sisi where Jena struggles with being in love with her and being jealous of her all at once.

As painful as it is to see more stories of the gay girl in love with her straight best friend, this is still an incredibly common occurrence and to see it take place in a royal fantasy setting while uncovering ancient Magic and secrets was an interesting cross-section.

This is not a story for those interested in fast-paced build ups or explosive ends. Queen of All is slow, incredibly detailed and emotion-focused.

This book went in a direction I didn't quite expect - it almost feels more like a prequel than the true first book in a story, and our main character Jeni is an unusual heroine, though not in a bad way. We see the whole story from her perspective, but at least for the story contained in this book, she is a secondary player in much of the action, the "sidekick" if you will. It's very clear she holds much more than that, and both she and her "cousin" Sisi (there's some stuff to unpack there and I've got to say that even an unrequited crush on a non-blood relative is making me itch a bit... I'd love for fantasy stories to stop making pseudo-incest happen when they could just.... not) know that she's formidable in her own way. But the climax of the story, the potential consequences and the big choices, largely center around Sisi and not Jeni, which may be why I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and for Jeni to become the central actor. She didn't quite, but I am intrigued about where this story is going - it seems to be clearly leading towards a sequel, one I'd definitely love to pick up. I tore right through this book, and was intrigued - I just felt too much was missing (including that I don't quite think the villain was defeated, like, at all... and it wasn't mentioned as much as I thought it should be) and will wait for the next installment of the series to decide if the parts that were missing were on purpose and will be handled later, or if they were simply overlooked. I did love a queer fantasy story that wasn't centered on a reciprocal romance, but I will note that although an interesting queer story, this is not a queer normative world, but flush with deep seated heteronormativity.

Thanks to NetGalley and GenZ/Zenith Publishing for the ARC!

*Thank you to Netgalley and Zenith for sending me an e-arc in return for my honest review.*

3.5/5

Queen of All is overall an enjoyable read, with a nice pace and some sweet, sweet sapphic representation. It shines brightest when it focuses on the main character but loses some points when it comes to the characterisation of side-characters.

In general I didn't mind the unrequited love trope, sapphic representation doesn't have to be requited in order to be valid. Nevertheless, as time went by, I felt a little annoyed at the attention that seemed to be solely put on Sisi's character, as I enjoyed the chapters focused on solely Jena the most.
Some of the side-characters felt flat in my opinion. Especially Jena's family seemed very underdeveloped which could be attributed to the fact that they were so many and had relatively little scene time. Still I would have wished to get to know them a little more.
The villain, at times, falls a little flat as he seemed relatively easy to defeat.
Jena, for me, is really the most interesting character in the story. I enjoyed reading the parts where the author focused on her, her past (her mother) and her magical abilities. I just wished she wasn't so obsessed with Sisi, as her journey continually seemed to take a backseat in favour of her crush.

I have a lot of mixed feelings on this book. I loved the magic and the world, and the plot was interesting but the main character just wasn't relatable at all, and I really wasn't a fan of the romance. It was cool, and I wouldn't be opposed to reading another book by this author, but this one just wasn't for me.

Queen of All could have a been a great book with plenty of representation (there needs to be more sapphic fantasy novels!!) but it ended up being a disappointing read.

I wasn’t very connected to the characters and the villain was too easily defeated. I also didn’t expected the sapphic love to be one-sided so that was actually quite disappointing.

Thank you to Netgalley & Zenith Publishing for allowing me to review Queen of All.

Al I received was cover art. It was flashy, eye catching, and intriguing and the story sounds interesting but that is all I can review not having read the actual story.