Actual Rating 1.5

I was interested in how this book started off, and I enjoyed the direction the author was taking it. While I was excited to see how the author would integrate the fantasy, it ended up not working for me. It as introduced so slowly that it was difficult to remain invested in the tale. The tone of this work also felt more MG than YA, especially when it came to the good versus evil elements.

The book also feels really disjointed. The dimension hopping was an interesting idea, but it wasn't incorporated well. There were times when something would be happening that made no sense, then halfway through the scene the author would mention as an aside that they'd travelled into a different dimension. There were other times when it was unclear if Jolie time travelled to the past or if it was a flashback, which made it feel even more disjointed. Additionally, there were a lot of elements introduced that were thrown in near the end that weren't resolved.

I did like the inclusions of Vietnamese culture and how well they were integrated throughout, but that's about it. My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

DNF @ 15%

I quickly lost interest in this book. I felt the writing could have improved with "showing and not telling." The Lost Queen is for a younger audience but I think it won't hold up to adults who still like to read YA.

"The Lost Queen" is a great story about a young girl finding herself through purpose and confidence.

The story includes:
- bullying from former friends
- family ties
- mythology retelling
- believing in oneself

Maturity: 12+

Reading this book reminded me a lot about the experience of reading the American Girl books when I was young. It had many of the same messages about friendship and growing up. Its cute and even though I kept mentally begging Jolie to stop telling people about her visions, I really liked her character and think she is a good example for young girls.

I received this eBook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Aimee Phan, and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted to GoodReads check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863 and it will be posted to my bookstagram account https://www.instagram.com/tinynightingales/ and booktok https://www.tiktok.com/@tinynightingales?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Such a great read. I loved reading The Lost Queen by Aimee Phan it was very well written and I can't wait to read more by this author

Good story, but I felt like the ending was so out of character for her sister? Like she spends the entire book being SO set in her ways and as a master manipulator but suddenly she's like "oh i've seen your path!"

This had an intriguing premise: characters from Vietnamese folklore brought to live in a California high school. However the story alternated between repetitive, and incomprehensible. The characters were very hard to make a connection to. I ultimately stopped after reading a third of the book.

Full Disclosure: Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free galley to read of this book in return for an honest review.

Beautiful, complex, layered, heartbreaking, riveting.

Modern retelling of Vietnamese Mythology.

This was so interesting, I enjoyed this book a lot. I look forward to future books in this series.

I now want to read even more Vietnamese mythological books.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

The Lost Queen is hard to define in a good way. Aimee Phan weaves a complex narrative between Vietnamese mythology and the modern world, not a retelling, not inspired by, and not a remix. A unique story for those who enjoy mythology and fantasy.

Jolie is 15 years old, half Vietnamese and half American, being raised by her paternal grandparents after her father abandoned her when she was 7, long after the death of her mother. Like many teens, she had a falling out with her two best friends, leaving her socially isolated and bullied by other students. Unlike other teens, her grandfather is a thầy bói, a fortune teller - and it looks like Jolie may have inherited his gifts, although all known thầy bói in the past have been males of her father's line. But there is far more going on than that, as Jolie will soon find out.

Books based on mythology are among my favorites, and I had high hopes for this one; novels using Vietnamese mythology are rare, and this one started well. But it stumbled as it went on; despite a solid start, the middle was muddled (where DID those eggs come from?) and the ending seemed rushed. I don't know if the author was trying to complete her story within a page limit, if she knows the mythology she uses in the novel so well she slid over pieces that should have been explained, or something else, but the last third of the novel was choppy when compared to the beginning, and somewhat hard to follow. Even in the beginning, some of the details were inconsistent; for example, readers know from the beginning of the novel that the main character, Jolie, lost her mother at birth, but midway through the story, she tells another character than her mother died of cancer early in her life - the discrepancy is never explained. Still, for those interested in mythology - especially Asian mythology - this novel is worth reading. Hopefully, as the underlying idea is good, the planned sequel will benefit from better editing.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Lost Queen is a modern retelling inspired by the Trung sisters. It has Vietnamese rep with dragons and reincarnation for a contemporary YA book.

I was really wanting to like this book. It has everything I like for a magical read. There is a mix of dreams, flashbacks and time travel that makes it hard sometimes to figure out where we are in the story. I don't feel any connections to the characters, didnt care what happened to them. The book to me focused too much on the high school drama and not on the mythology or lore. The magic wasn't explained thoroughly enough to me.

Did not like the reveal of Jolie being Huong's sister. The vibes I was getting at first was romantic not sisterly. That was jarring when it was revealed. Also did not like that the Trung sisters turned on each other cause of jealousy. That didn't feel natural or real to me. They are revered as symbols of resistance.

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Teen for an EARC of the Lost Queen

This wasn't exactly the novel I was looking for when I think of Vietnamese inspired fantasy, but I do appreciate that it tried. The story was a little confusing at times, which really detracted from my reading experience. But most of all, Jolie was a mean girl who gave pick-me vibes with how condescending she was about girls who wear makeup. Her hatred for her classmates went beyond the typical teen angst of being misunderstood and awkward and went straight to vitriolic territory. I really wanted to like this book but it was a little hard.

I appreciate the author's take on the story of the Trung Sisters and putting the spotlight on such important Vietnamese historical figures.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
I enjoyed this YA fantasy with elements drawn from Vietnamese folklore. Really nice interweaving of source material with magic.

This is a Trung sisters retelling that ended up leaving me confused.

The book started strong. We meet Jolie, who had a freak swimming competition accident one year ago and her previous best friends are now mean girls who leave her miserable. Then at another swim meet, she saves a popular girl Huong and this starts a series of events where Jolie discovers more about her past. There are memories regained, reincarnation, true identities revealed, and time travel.

This book started off strong but then just fell apart. The second half was just a jumble of rushed action, decisions that didn’t make sense, reconciliations, betrayals, giving and receiving of magical elements with no explanation, and family dynamics filled with resentment but no depth. It felt rushed and completely confusing.

1.75 ⭐️

*Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC for an honest review. All opinions are my own*

Jolie Lam comes from a long line of Thây Bói—Vietnamese fortune tellers—and she has always respected her grandfather’s gift for the craft. The Thây Bói ability passes down the male line in families, which prompted Jolie’s father to leave her in her grandparents’ care eight years earlier. Strange things have been happening in Jolie’s midst lately, though—things that can only be properly explained by supernatural means. And with each new revelation, the truth and the life Jolie has always known are called into question, and Jolie must sort through all the facts in order to realize her own destiny. This compelling young adult novel blends Vietnamese folklore and culture with contemporary American society in a way that stands out from similar novels in this genre. Brief chapters lay out succinct, intentional scenes that often generate more questions than answers. As the novel progresses, readers learn about Vietnamese folklore through the lens of an American girl with Vietnamese roots, effectively enriching the reader’s understanding, especially when these stories are unfamiliar. Alongside the supernatural elements are the conflicting emotions Jolie is feeling, including her ostracization from her friend group at school, her grandfather’s descent into dementia, and her own existence being raised by Vietnamese grandparents in the United States. Readers who identify with more than one culture will especially empathize with Jolie’s story, while others will observe the circumstances of Jolie’s reality in a compelling and unique light. Best for young adult readers due to the intensity of the plot, this novel is approachable and engaging for a range of teen readers. The first in its series, this book sets the stage for a sequel and is a memorable addition to library collections for young adult readers and up, especially those with an interest in global folklore and magic realism.

I was really excited for this book! Inspired by Vietnamese lore and a retelling of famous women? Gimme more, please. However, this one felt a bit awkward in many ways.
I loved that it was a contemporary fantasy but on the other hand, to me, the balance was off. I wish we left the high school swimming drama behind and delved more into the lore.
Reirnacarnation is a hit or miss for me, and while I enjoyed the girls figuring out the truth, the shift was jarring. To me, the relationship between Jolie and Huong read a bit romantic, but then they were reirnacarnated sisters...
I also wish that details and references were weaved into the story rather than be told in exposition or separate sections.
Overall, it feels that this was overly ambitious and tried to do and be too much in a short time. I would still read future books by this author, though!

I DNF-ed this pretty early on. It just felt very flat and awkwardly paced, and wasn't keeping my attention. The cover is gorgeous and the premise is really intriguing, but it just wasn't for me!

I guessed the ending very early on in The Lost Queen. I think because I’m just a suspicious person or the fact that I read a lot of stories like this and it was obvious. Aimee Phan creates a great world filled with magic and drama. I think knowing the answer kind of dulled the journey for me. The ending though seemed a little rushed which is funny to say seeing that the book is over 360 pages.

I wish the ending left me wanting to read the sequel, but it doesn’t. The first book didn’t create a need to know what else happens. This isn’t to say that The Lost Queen isn’t good, it just feels complete.

Read it and let me know what you think.

If my younger self would have read it, They surely would have loved it! Although the magical elements were making the world fascinating, somehow I found the characters not well written. Maybe I was hoping for more

Recently I've been reading books involving Asian cultures. What I have learned is that they all have deep seated belief systems that cause one to pause and think. It is quite fascinating reading and unlike what most people are used to reading.

Author Aimee Phan does a stellar job of sharing their culture in this Sci Fi Fantasy book. Her creative descriptions in both the US high school scenes and the past Vietnam through a portal are believable and well executed drawing the reader into a storyline that keeps them on their toes. The shock of who the good guys and the bad guys are was done with finesse. As Jolie and Huong become closer the reader will learn a shocking surprise but not as shocking as how it ends.

There are so many twists to the story that the reader will need to stay alert and pay attention so they can see where the storyline ends up and why. I found it a great read and can't wait till the next book.

What I took away from this book is that everything isn't always what it seems... to follow ones intuition. It will know the truth.

Though a bit scattered, I did enjoy this YA adventure. I will say, it's refreshing to read a YA book that actually feels like YA nowadays! More Vietnamese inspired books, please!