Unique read! I was intrigued by “The Girl who Stole the Queen’s Eyes” from the moment I read the synopsis.

The narration style is a lot different from what I am used to, but I thought the concept was great, as well as two separate points of view. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a different kind of read.

I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

I had pretty high hopes for this one; the synopsis sounded fascinating and the cover was just perfection. When I first started the prologue was definitely interesting and I really enjoyed the set-up - with the forbidden romance, the child-that-shouldn't-be, and the potentially evil queen, but when I actually got to the "meat" of the story I unfortunately found myself rather disappointed.

While I think the story has a lot of potential, I think that a lot of the characters and plot fell rather flat for me as the story went on. The main character seemed rather bland and uninteresting, with the only things spoken of being her eyes, her crush on Logan, and her visions of this castle no-one else can see; and Logan (whilst sweet) really didn't seem all that inspired as a love-interest, and was just the "nice, attractive, popular jock guy and friend from childhood." The villains (or "villains"?) also seemed to suffer from a lack of development, and much of it seemed to be "being bad for the sake of being bad" and just making rash decisions. There just wasn't really any explanations or examples as to why the characters were the way they were, and I would have appreciated some more solid motivation from well... ANYONE

I didn't feel that the author devoted the time necessary to get you truly involved in the narrative, and I spent a lot of time going "...but why" when plot points were revealed. [potential spoilers removed]

Overall I just found the world hadn't been fully thought out (or if it had, that this hadn't been well conveyed to the reader) and I really wish that the author had taken the time to flesh things out a bit more and do some world-building and character-building, because I do truly think that this novel had some real potential. It just didn't do it for me unfortunately :/

Thanks to NetGalley and GenZ Publishing for this ARC!

The Girl Who Stole the Queen's Eyes is a YA fantasy following a girl named Camilla who develops a strange power on her eighteenth birthday, and the vengeful queen whose magic Camilla unintentionally stole.

First of all, magical cover alert! I love it so much, I could stare at it all day.

This story sucked me in right from the beginning. The prologue is amazing, and set up the rest of the book perfectly. I enjoyed the dual POVs of Camilla and Extine - I love when the villain is one of the POV characters! I also liked that it gave us a peek into both worlds, our world and Escana, though we really only got to see the castle, and I would have loved to explore more of the kingdom.

My favorite thing about this book was the characters. Each was so well developed, and they all had such distinct personalities it made for a really enjoyable read. I don't know if there is going to be a sequel, but if there is I'd love to see more of Remy, Pearl, and Finn. I felt like the story ended quite quickly and we didn't get to see much of what happened to them.

I also enjoyed the magic system in this book, and the idea of power being linked to the eyes of the queen. The fact that only one person at a time can possess power, and that there is a great price for this power, was refreshing in a genre where magic is often overused and all-powerful.

(My one gripe - if I were fleeing a hidden magical kingdom to hide my unborn child from my queenly sister whose power my child will one day inherit, I would run slightly further than the town literally right outside the kingdom's borders.)

Overall, The Girl Who Stole the Queen's Eyes is an intriguing, fantastical story which kept me turning the pages right till the very end.

I DNF'd this book at 50%. The idea was interesting and concept of eyes holding magic was a good concept but the execution of said concept missed the mark. First, the magic itself was touched on but not explained. Why do royal eyes hold the magic to keep the kingdom hidden? Why does the old ruler fo blind when the new ruler inherits the magic? How does the persuasion work? I understood none of it.

And then there's the characters. Camilla was a normal 18 year old high school student and I have no opinion on her. But Extine? Extine the queen, at least in her 30s maybe 40s, acted like a 12 year old. A poorly behaved 12 year old. Her attitude drove me up the wall. Her 17 year old daughter acts like a poorly behaved 7 year old. How are these people in charge of a kingdom? The manipulation of her husband and her victim act when it stopped working was unacceptable and gross.
This book was just not it.

Interesting premise but unfortunately very weird and a lot of things came out of nowhere. The idea behind this story was so new that I was really excited to read this book. Unfortunately, the story had so many random moments that I was mostly reading it and thinking wth. I think another run-through of the story and some editing would make it an interesting exciting book, but it just isn't there yet.

Extine’s magic eyes have kept her kingdom safe for generations. But the magic is leaving, and Extine? she is going to get them back.

(I was given this book as a ARC or Advanced Reader Copy given through NetGalley as an audiobook for an honest Review. All of these thoughts are mine and at no point was I pressured or swayed in my opinion)

This book comes out on July 13.

Triggers:
Dubious consent (off screen/mentioned)

I would rate this a 2.7/5
The premise and world building was wonderful and had so much that I wanted to explore. But I felt that the execution was lacking a bit.

Camilla has been praised for her eyes for years
But after years of that being the only thing that people seem to take notice about of about her. Things are taking a turn. When her eighteenth birthday comes to pass things around her are taking a turn for the weird.

Especially when she suddenly seems to have some type of hypnotic control powers that come over her when people make eye contact with her.

And Camilla’s mother? She seems to know more than she is willing to tell her.

And speaking of weird, the castle that shimmers in view on the lake?
But that’s not all that has taken a turn for the weird. A castle that seems to be appearing over the lake when it wasn’t there before? Yeah that’s weird.

Let’s not also forget the strange new people that seem to be showing up around town? Strangers who seem to want something from Camilla.

Extine’s family have ruled for years with the power of there eyes
Past down from first born, to first born, there eyes have had the power to keep there kingdom hidden from the world for generations. But when the rulers own first born comes of age they lose the power as it goes to the child.

Which is the fate that has befallen Extine at this exact moment. And Extine? her first born has not yet come of age.

And with Extine’s powers slipping her kingdom is on the brink of being revealed to the world. Extine has to do something to keep herself and her kingdom safe.

Which means that she has to find the person who has stolen her eyes.

I Loved the World Building
This book was filled to the brim with world building and lore that I wanted to skin my teeth into. The kingdom that Extine ruled, her family line, the power of her eyes. All of this I wanted to know more about.

I wish there was more of that was explored in this book as I definitely think that it would have added more to the story. Both to make it more immersive, and in knowing why the story was playing out the way that it did.

The characters were interesting but hard to follow
the characters were interesting in concept and had a lot of potential. There storylines being something that I would have loved to follow.

I wanted to spend more time with them in places. Know more about why there are the way there are. (another nod to wanting more world building)

But I felt the character continuity was lacking in places. And that in turn made the dialogue not flow very well and gave me whiplash in places.

Speaking of dialogue
While the story kept me engaged the dialogue pulled me out of the story from time to time and the characters switched personality and mood from time to time.

Some of them going from mad at a character and snappish to a sudden one eighty and moving on.

This book has a lot of potential
I feel like this could be a great book if it got a little more polish and time. There was some great things in it from the world building, to the characters in it.

And with a little more work it could definitely be something work checking out. But not right now.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I like the concept, the magic and the characters. I do have a few issues/points to get across but other then a few, I loved the book.

1. The characters: While I really enjoyed them and I think that a vast majority of the characters were well flushed out, I think that the Queen, Pearl and FInn were not given anywhere near as much depth. The Queen went from full on psycho to full on supportive and caring in a matter of minutes. I feel as though there should have been more development and internal struggle on her end. I know that they showed some. .but I would have liked to see more.
2. Ok. if I know that I have to go blind as soon as my first child turns 18. . .I would NOT get pregnant at 18! I get that for Pearl, it was a mistake, but I mean for the Queen. ANY of the rulers. Especially knowing that it takes place in the present where we have advances in medicines that make it so that they can pick and choose when they have kids. Im not saying I would wait until I am 50 or anything, but certainly not make it so that I go blind by the time I am in my early to Mid 30s. minor nitpick but still.

What I did like. I loved the main character and Remy. I also loved the magic and the fact that while it takes place in hte modern world, there is this entire kingdom that is hidden from us. It gives the world a sense of mystery and wonder.

I also love the fact that they made Logan love her for her. I really feel like there needs to be a second book because the ending just seemed to be cut short. THey resolved a lof of the story lines but so abruptly that you dont really get to see how everyone was affected. I would have liked ot see more of Remy and her character development as well as more of what happens between Camille and Logan.

Overall though, I really did love this book and would absolutely recommend it.

This book was so good!! It was full of twists and turns which I really enjoyed. I loved the main characters because they were fresh and interesting. All around a great book.

Thank you for giving me a chance to review this book early.
I did honestly like the idea of this book, the synopsis sounded interesting and I was keen to see where the book took me.
Unfortunately the first few chapters did not hook me into the storyline.
I found the world building a bit rushed and the main character was portrayed very young even though she was 18.
I feel like a younger audience would definitely enjoy this book but it just wasn’t for me.

Firstly - hello stunning cover!!! This is a captivating novel full of intrigue, forbidden love and action packed that will keep you engaged all the way through to the last word.

Initially the premise of this book was interesting. The twist about the father of the girl and the current queen was a surprise. The parts of the book that were told in third person were well-done. The countless pages of dialogue just weren’t interesting and didn’t flow well. For the most part there really wasn’t a lot going on in the book other than a search for a kid so they could transfer power. Thus, the lack of complexity left me looking for more.

The Girl Who Stole the Queen's Eyes is a fantastic novel. The story begins with a tale of forbidden love which results with the power of the crown being usurped by an unplanned pregnancy. Fast-forward to the present day we are introduced to the main character, Camilla, a kind and loving girl who feels out of place in her high school.
As the story unfolds we learn that Camilla is the child from the forbidden love that has stolen the crown. On Camilla's 18th birthday her eyes change, she has unbeknownst to her stolen the Crown's power and with it the Queen's sight. The Queen will stop at nothing to get her sight back, even if it means making an 18-year-old blind for the rest of her life.

I loved the concept of this book, the prologue had me hooked from the very beginning. I thought the character development was well done and relatable. My only complaint was that I wish it was longer but that's simply because I devoured it one day.

This book was pretty good. Not my favorite but it wasn’t bad by any means. The narration style was a lot different then what I’m used to but it was interesting to see someone write this way. I thought the concept of the book was cool and I liked that there was two pov’s. Overall not that bad. I probably wouldn’t read it again but I would buy it for my shelves.

I feel bad because this is my first pre-published book read, but I just did not enjoy it. I like the prologue and felt like it was setting up an interesting world, but then we mostly leave that world. The biggest part of this story lives in a present-day high school, with an awkward, self-doubting teen.
I like the cover and found the title intriguing. I assumed or maybe hoped that it was more metaphorical, but it is meant almost quite literal.
Ultimately, Camilla is kind of sweet but for me unrelatable, especially her annoyance with getting compliments for her eyes...

Great idea. Great plot. Although the heroine was a little too mellow and naive to my test. I hope that in the next book, which I am waiting too, this will change.