This book started really strongly for me, but as it progressed my intrigue waned as the story felt underdeveloped and confusing.
I really liked the start of the world building but the characters misssed the mark for me, they felt flat and the descriptions often read as surface level.
Unfortunately this wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

I tried to read this book a while back. The cover was interesting, as was the description.

However, I really struggled to read this book. The ideas seemed very early stage and were quite jumbled and hard to follow. This was a pretty long book that felt more like a forever increasing run on sentence.

Unfortunately I can’t find myself recommending this book. Perhaps after work with an editor, the story and writing style can be refined.

It was a little bit to get into and all the switching perspectives made it slightly difficult but was enjoyable. There were things I wished I knew more about and had more details on. I wouldn't be mad if there was a sequel made eventually. There was not much explanation on why the world was set up the way it was so we do not really get to grasp what would happen, without much spoilers LOL I'm trying haha

The Unburied Queen is an original read with a unique fantasy world, I liked the concept and plot of the book, however, the reading and development are pretty tedious.
For example, the beginning was intriguing and I loved it but as the book progressed it became more and more confusing, especially with the load of information regarding how the world works, it felt unnecessary. In the same way, several chapters were filler that didn’t contribute anything to the main plot. Most of the characters are stressful as well as their decisions.
The book is marketed as an 'adult' book but it’s not, it is more of the YA genre since there are no scenes that can be considered explicit.
In general, it’s a book that needs a very good revision, the concept is excellent and original but the way it is presented is not working.

My thanks to the author Capes, Capas LLC, and NetGalley for the opportunity to get this ARC for an unbiased review.

3.5

I'm a huge fan of sentient islands and places, because believe it or not this isn't the first book I've read with them. Sometimes I got a litle confused about the world-building, but overall I enjoyed it.

I don't know what I was expecting with this book, but it wasn't THIS.

I absolutely loved this book, though it took me a while to get through. I didn't love the info-dumping in the form of conversation, because it stalled the movement of the plot. I enjoyed the characters though and don't mind dialogue, but I just think there could have been a better way to give information.

I think the book was intriguing. It had some interesting characters and some great plot twists, but I really struggled with the writing style. I think there was a complexity to it the writing that actually acted as a hindrance to my reading experience because I had to focus on what I was reading, rather than being able to sink into the text itself. I do think there’s an audience for this book but it just isn’t me

The Unburied Queen – Capes



I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in order to provide an honest review.



Capes is a pseudonym for the author TL Adamms. TL Adamms strives to give a music festival vibe into the adult fantasy fiction that they write. Her first foray into the world of fantasy fiction was the Decagaon Series.





The Island is a beautiful, mystical and peaceful place with much magic. The Royals are of a sacred line where one from each generation give themselves to the Island as the Heart – so that the Island can contribute to grow, flourish and be; giving all of the inhabitants of the Island are happy and safe place to be.

Loon grew up as a Royal, never knowing exactly who her brothers and sisters were but always visiting her mother, the heart of the Island, as she lay in the pond – one of the most sacred spaces on the Island. Life was good and peaceful – Loon had her best friend Nomor to keep her company and trust her secret, that she was a Royal.

But for poor Loon and the rest of the Royal – life was about to take a very dramatic and life-threatening turn. Loon’s mother was removed from the pond and as heart of the Island, which set off a cataclysmic chain of events.

Life on the Island became hard for the inhabitants of the Island with a lot of natural disasters occurring and taking life of many Islanders. Cassandra, one of the Mages of the Island, decided to take this moment as an opportunity to bring about a revolution of the Island and destroy the line of Royals once and for all. So began the bloody reign of terror for the Royals as they were slowly hunted down by Assassins and killed.

With the help of some friends and Nomor, Loon went into hiding and tried to live a normal life, while doing all she could to help preserve the Island and become the next Heart.





“The Unburied Queen” is an invigorating and original fantasy story, with some wonderful Mother Earth elements woven into the fabric of the story. I do feel like at times the story took a while to get to a certain spot in the storyline and at others felt it was rushed there, and things where a little stop and start. While it was a good read I feel if some of the elements flowed together a bit better and wasn’t so stop start it would have been a more enjoyable read.

3. 5
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review
The premise of this book was very intriguing and it carried me away as soon as I started it.

I was curious about the story, the kingdom and the reasons behind so much of the things already presentend in the first chapters of it, and more importantly about the characters.
I instantly fell in love witht the protagonist, Loon, and the strenght and determination she started to show since the beginning. The "mistery" of the unburied body kept me interested for a while too, also thanks to the story around it and the fact that it was meant to happen again.

Unfortunately, this interest didn't last throughout the whole book, sometimes it was too slow and focused on things I couldn't really follow, disperding a bit the general sense of the story.
The author anyway was able to re-put everything in line and catch the reader again, I think also thanks to the multi-POVs, which I personally adore, and were very useful to keep gaining new informations not only about the different charqacters but also the different paths they were following and the political aspects of the story.
I would have like, anyway, an even more in-depth descriprions of the main characters, especially Loon.

I think this is the main thing the book kinda lacks of, deeper descriptions of a lot of things and characters, throughout the whole books and not just in few parts of it.
But in any case, it was a good read and a fantastic premise that I almost never saw before, and kept me glued to the pages till the end. I am very interested in reading new works from Capes.

The world in this book is breathtaking as well as its characters. With beautiful writing filled with action and love along with incredible twists, turns, and an overall intriguing plot. There are a lot of high-stakes while making the world and characters feel very real. This book is a bit dark which isn't something I have ever shied away from in books and I believe the author did a fantastic job dealing with characters who make mistakes, morally grey areas, and bigger parts like life, death, and violence. This was a very interesting book to read as a highly built yet realistic fantasy novel.

This is one of those books that once you start it, you cannot put it down. Each of the digital pages sucked me in and refused to let me go. From the incredible worldbuilding to the amazing characters to the stakes that kept the story moving, The Unburied Queen is a book I'll definitely be rereading again in the future, as well as recommending to friends who also enjoy an engrossing and fantastical reading experience. Thank you to Capes and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Okay well I liked the book for writing twists I did not actually see coming. Greatly detailed world. Oh that is my weakness is describing a intricate magical world. Best of all it did not end in a sequel hook. It was a complete tale.

2/5

Didn't pick this up for long and then never got back to it so I am not finishing it because it has been months. I was really intrigued by the cover and the the description but it wasn't for me.

I DNFed this book. It just wasn’t for me. I think it might be for younger readers and I’m sure they would enjoy this.

I thought this was a story about a girl and her journey toward rescuing the Island, but I more so believe this to be a story about her King - this was a wonderful fantasy novel, full of action, love, and a really engaging plot. Loon struggles with her place on the Island her whole life, especially since the rule is that Royals remain anonymous; she hasn't really met her siblings, even though one of them is the future Heart of the Island. However, when her mother Queen Petrel is unburied and her parents are dethroned, Loon must go on the run. A Mage is taking advantage of the chaos to attempt to remove the royal family once and for all, and Loon is the only one standing who can ensure the Island's survival. The love story between her and Kala is interesting because it's one of love, but also of sacrifice - I enjoyed how both characters developed over the course of the story, something that is always hard to do. I wish I could see how the next generation continues in a sequel! I definitely recommend this book if you enjoy fantasy on par with Eragon or Lord of the Rings.

The book started out somewhat interesting, but I fell off the wagon fast. Around 12% I was somewhat bored. The characters weren`t holding my interest as much as I would like, neither did the story…I ended up skimming the last parts.

This was an interesting book. I had very different expectations going into it than what the book actually ended up being. For example, I thought the romance was between two women (I thought Kala was a woman’s name—it wasn’t). I expected the story to subvert some of the very well-trodden tropes it used (it didn’t). The result was a muted version of the story I had expected. It reminded me a lot of Dune in how it felt like an old-school style that played its genre tropes straight.

On the positive side, it has a Deaf secondary character and extensive conversations in sign language. In fact, on the Island it’s very common for people to sign and speak at the same time. There’s also some (admittedly dubious) bisexual representation from a different side character. There are other analogues to various disabilities although I can’t speak to their accuracy.

I think the book would have been better if it followed up more on some of the philosophical questions it raises about the Island’s religion and traditions instead of tacitly accepting them. The ending seemed like it was heading for a twist, but instead it played out exactly as expected from the beginning.

TL;DR: I thought the book had very unique worldbuilding and a really cool concept but it fell flat due to its holding to old tropes and not providing closure to some of the internal questions it raises.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for providing a copy of The Unburied Queen.

So I felt this book is one of those hit or miss kind of tales. The writing style was unique, but I found it hard to commit to the story because of this. I loved the characters and the plot twists were interesting, but the writing style really let the book down for me. In saying this, some people will live the intricacy of it, but not me.

The Unburied Queen by Capes - 5 stars!

Wow, this was a bit of a mind-bender. It felt weird and eerie, full of strange characters and unsettling moments, and yet I was absolutely glued to the story. As the cover describes, it's a metaphysical fantasy, with a diverse cast of characters that sparked so many feelings.

Bits I liked:
- it felt unique. Reading so much, you come across the same sort of stories again and again, but this one felt like it came out of nowhere and lived in my mind for days
- diverse BIPOC and LGBTQ+ characters that were far more than just a nod to these features. Each character was complex and fraught with internal struggles, and I loved slowly uncovering their motivations as the story progressed.
- amazing Deaf character and a great look at Sign being a widely-used language across the island (I am not Deaf myself so I can't really confirm this is good rep, only that to me it was refreshing to see it included, please do correct me if not!)
- writing style was vivid and lyrical, so I saw every word in my mind. The descriptive world-building meant I felt immersed in the strange island and its people's beliefs.
- unpredictable plot with varied pacing, a lot of emotive moments and certainly not your typical happy ending.

Bits I liked less:
- there were a few more typos/errors than I'd expect, even in an ARC. It didn't matter too much, it just throws you out of the story a bit.
- a couple of big moments didn't affect me as much as they should have, and I'm not sure why. I think some things happen so close together or so quickly that you don't have room to process, and so they didn't hit me quite right.

I've seen really mixed reviews on this and some do surprise me - mentioning they thought the island should run differently or that they didn't feel the characters behaved the way they thought they should. I can't quite see those points, though everyone experiences things differently. I completely felt the reasoning behind Loon, Kala, Nomor, Peter, Tetra and Slugs' difficult choices and emotional moments, and I loved how unique each of their stories were.

I'm still thinking a lot about them, and I feel like that's the mark of a truly good story. I hope I can experience their world again, and I look forward to reading more by Capes!