Many thanks to #Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced e-copy of the book. I feel like Wheeler should be way more popular than he is-and he is a bestselling author, but he always comes up with entertaining premises. I tore through this book in a little more than a day. The scope and cast of characters is limited, but this is great for a first book. The reader follows a protagonist who is late teens/early 20s, coming into their own, and trying to figure out where they fit into the world. Curveballs to rope the reader in start pretty early in the book and the reader doesn't really get clarity on what the antagonistic forces are (just like the protagonist is puzzled) until the epilogue. Bad things occur, political will is not where it needs to be, and all through it, there are action pieces where there are battles between the malevolent force and the protagonists group. Sprinkle on top of that mystery about the main and secondary protagonist, and a world references that are somewhat biblical, and the pages fly by. I cannot wait to read the next one in the series.

Absolutely loved this one. It was so unique and different. Loved the complex characters and magic system of crafting to animals. Great start to a new series.

Originally left this on Amazon on June 10, 2025, went live on June 11, 2025:

A great new read from Jeff wheeler and start of a new series
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2025
Format: KindleVerified Purchase

This is a great new series With what looks like a new world and certainly characters. The new characters are quite interesting and there's a wide breadth of their types. Early on I was surprised that a character that is so young was acting the way she did and it didn't quite make sense. By the end of the book you made plenty of sense.

The creation story at the origin of this world is a little different than the creation story you're used to. There still is a test but the man fails it instead of the woman and the woman is put in charge. This makes for some Interesting passages.

There is of course a fair amount of magic in this some of it familiar and some of it unusual. The singing is magic on its own because there's a way that it changes people's emotions and brings their feelings to the forefront but I've never seen them be used as a basis for magic spells before.

It's a great read With plenty of plot twists to keep you guessing. I'll have a hard time waiting for book 2 to come out.
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eff Wheeler’s world building is top notch! Queen Mother is the start of a new series with a great cast of characters that are engaging and he builds a complex world and magical system that is unique in the genre. It’s a really fascinating take on Biblical themes that are familiar to many even if you aren’t a believer. Think Adam & Eve mixed with shamanism.

As with all “mythologies”, it’s interesting how not only the source of the mythos can manipulate the legend, then add generational shift to the mix and everything gets turned on end. The first book gives you just enough answers that you have all sorts of questions about what will happen in the next book. Can’t wait to find out what happens next!

Queen Mother is a story of an apprentice healer growing up in Clairvaux, until one day she encounters something in the wilderness that changes the trajectory of her life.

This was my first Jeff Wheeler novel and certainly will not be my last. Queen Mother is loaded with strong characters, picturesque settings, and a well paced story. The pages seemed to never stop turning when I would sit down to read, a testament to Wheeler’s clean and fast writing style.

A few cons for me however do exist. I felt the ending was a little confusing and abrupt. It felt like moment to moment, our characters plans were changing rapidly. I also felt that I didn’t quite understand the difference between two of the enemies in the novel until the VERY end. Small nitpicks overall, but definitely there.

I’ll absolutely be picking up the next book in this series and would recommend fantasy readers check this one out.

Queen Mother is the first in a new series by one of my favorite fantasy genre authors, Jeff Wheeler. I have been pulled in by Wheeler's captivating writing ever since reading The Banished of Muirwood. The worlds he creates are rich and detailed, the characters full of life and realism. I enjoy Wheeler's artistic blending of history, religious aspects, and fantasy into an enthralling story that keeps me pulled in from the first chapter to the end. So far in Queen Mother, the story has been a masterful fantasy tale with elements of the biblical creation story of Adam & Eve. Also in previous incredible series there have also been cultures, historical figures, and legends mixed into the tale in Wheeler's incredible way so I will not be surprised to see that in the next book or third book. It's what makes Wheeler's books so magical!

Jeff Wheeler fans will find little hints and nods to previous series in Queen Mother that are both delightful and poignant. You know this will be another series that will grab you by the heart and not let go even after you've read the last page. Readers new to Wheeler's works will likely want to search out previous series to find more of his incredible work. You will not be sorry!

I am really looking forward to the next book in the series, Tyrant Queen. I can't wait to see what's next for Cimree & Azra, and the people they are trying to save. I also want to know more about the evil entity they are up against.

Thank you to netGalley and Oliver Heber Books for providing me access to Queen Mother to leave my own sincere review.

Overall I liked this book. It's got a good premise, is well written, and kept me interested. It's clearly part 1 of a longer series, so there isn't much closure. The book has a lot of action and keeps moving constantly, which is good because there's never a dull moment, but also many characters are in and out because that's just how the plot goes, so you don't get to know them so much in depth - but I suspect part 2 is going to have a much more intimate cast of characters. The characters that do get a little more page time have an intertwined past and conflicting motivations that make them deep and intriguing like you come to expect from one of Jeff’s novels. While you could read this book without reading other series that he's written, there's some tie-ins and Easter eggs from other books he mixes in with the main story. I'd describe it like taking the steak and bacon from the other books and using them as mixins for a brand new skillet dish. I'd recommend specifically reading Muirwood and Fireblood first, but like I said, you can start from here and it'd be fine. I struggled a bit picking between a 4 and 5 because I really like the depth in his other novels, but decided to round down ultimately because I felt it was just a little too short, fast-paced, and hectic to justify a 5. But I'm still looking forward to book 2 and think the series as a whole has a lot of potential.

I really loved this book. It keeps the reader intrigued and wanting to know what is going to happen next. It was definitely a page turner for me.

I also enjoyed the Easter eggs he placed throughout the book that referenced some of his other books. For me it was fun to have that aha moment when I recognized a tie into a story I had already read.

This book is a must read for anyone who already loves Jeff Wheeler’s books. For those of you who aren't familiar with this author, this book will definitely make you want to read more from him.

Happy Reading!

I received a pre-copy to review. As with all Jeff Wheeler Books, I was transported to a new world.
Queen Mother has a creation twist, and of course, it has been twisted to accommodate. There are monsters and magic, some will be recognized from his other series, and of course, new ones for the characters to encounter.
I love that throughout the book, you may think you know what is coming, only for a twist that you never expected to change the projection of the storyline. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to go to a new world, as I would with any of Jeff Wheelers Series!

Thank you to netGalley and Oliver Heber Books for the eARC.

Queen Mother is the introductory novel into Jeff Wheeler's newest series where we follow Cimree in her story to uncover the truth and find herself.

I really enjoyed this subversive fantasy story on the biblical story of Adam and Eve, and the angelic connotations that came with it. It was fun and interesting to follow the story, and very exciting to see what happens to Cimree and crew next.

My only criticism was the random introduction to kobolds at the very end of the book, since there wasn't much indication of other races residing within this world, though we did have the tunnel vision of the perspective focusing on our angel-esque characters for the entire novel.

I like Jeff Wheeler. I think he’s incredibly creative and has good worldbuilding skills. That said, this first novel in a new trilogy just reads a bit juvenile.

In this world, the author examines what life would be like if Adam had eaten the forbidden fruit and only he had been cast out. The Queen Mother thus rules over novices and angel-sworn in an idyllic valley surrounded by mountains, while the descendants of Adam toil for their daily bread, almost completely barred from entering the valley. The magic system is pretty intriguing, consisting of wands used to “graft” with animals and gain their advantages for a short time. There is also a tree which grants eternal life, as long as you partake of its fruit again once you get to an older age, and it then reverses your aging. So, lots of references to the Garden of Eden., but in a twisted manner.

As for the main character, I found Cimree to be very one-dimensional, only “rebellious” when the plot called for it—when it’s supposed to be an integral part of her character. Also, I was so angry at Trinati’s haughtiness and superiority complex regarding the mortals. The angel-sworn are supposed to PROTECT the others, not be disdainful and petty. Aren’t angels supposed to be held to a higher standard? It just left a bad taste in my mouth.

I am interested to see where Wheeler takes the story, but the climax of the story was so bizarre and confusing that I’m more than a little repulsed, to be frank. I’ll give book two a shot, though. In the meantime, this gets a 3.5 from me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Oliver Heber Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

And yet another fabulous adventure by Mr. Wheeler!

“Queen Mother”, like all of this author’s works, had me thoroughly ensnared within the first few chapters. Frankly, as an avid fantasy reader, this book has many of my favorite fantasy elements including ancient godly powers, magic & strong unpredictable main characters along with an extremely creative, imaginative use of biblical references. The interesting and often surprising character development is ever-changing and adds additional depth to the storyline. His books always manage to transport me to a new intriguing world for a fascinating getaway. I am truly looking forward to picking up the storyline in the next installment. Can’t wait! It was tough to put this book down.

This book makes me want to go back and reread some (or all!) of his previous series.

Offers several interesting ideas to ponder deeper. Can rebellion be beneficial? When is immortality no longer a gift but a curse or even a weapon? Is it worth giving up your memories and your free will?

Wheeler hints at several bigger ideas to be explored further in future book while also leaving plenty of questions to think about in this one.

A relatively quick read that offers plenty to ponder.

Queen Mother starts out strong with an idyllic world and a simple, yet unique, magic system. There is a heavy influence of the Adam and Eve creationism story complete with religious texts and a faith system. Immediately we meet our rebellious main character, Cimree, as she defies the rules and finds herself face-to-face with death. Such an explosive start was captivating and I felt the tension as I turned each page.

Unfortunately the book fell flat very fast. The characters fill obvious archetypes, almost to the point of caricaturization, and I found it difficult to like any of them. It didn't seem like they had voices, they were merely vessels to carry out the intended story. The plot itself was relatively weak, with miraculous near-misses and convenient last-minute saves. The suspense garnered at the beginning no longer carried any weight because I could tell everyone was well protected in their plot armor.

That doesn't mean there aren't things to like. I loved the descriptions of the environment, the concept of the angel sworn, and the grafting magic. Wheeler can craft a nice sentence and it was an easy fantasy read. While I didn't particularly enjoy this story, I would love to revisit this world in another book. I would recommend Queen Mother to people who are looking to graduate out of YA or romantasy, or perhaps just want to try something different, without having to let go of all the comforts of their preferred genre.

I really enjoyed the first third of this book, then it sort of went downhill. I really liked the animal magic, the gender-bent garden of Eden origin story where women are the ones in power, and the magic-fruit-reversing-aging aspects.
The main character, Cimree, confused me a lot. The way she thinks and talks and is written about makes me think she is around 15 or 16 years old (we aren’t given a specific age for her). I would have been more ok with all of this if her age was mentioned as 18 or 19, but I kept imagining her as much younger in my head. She moves on from certain traumas wayyyy too quickly to be realistic, and felt pretty flat as a character. The plot point of Cimree having to “graft” via magical amulet to a man who supposedly betrayed the Queen Mother (leader) made me really uncomfortable, as I didn’t know whether it would be made into a sexual relationship. It’s revealed later that Cimree was chosen to graft to him because she is similar to his dead wife, which gave me the ick.
The plot of the second half of the book felt rushed, and I was confused about the actions of some characters. The final thing I will mention is I’m confused whether this book is an adult fantasy or YA fantasy. On NetGalley it’s listed as adult, but the writing style and character voices seem more YA (with the exception of mild gore).
I’m sad to rate this book lower, as I read Wheeler’s Queen’s Poisoner series when I was a teen and enjoyed it, but was disappointed by this book. This would be a good choice for younger readers who are comfortable reading fantasy books with death and mild gore, but unfortunately didn’t work for me.
My thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with the eARC via NetGalley!

Review: What can you say about Wheeler that has not been said? His stories are riveting, period. The dialogue, movement, characters and world building all mesh together to create an embedded experience.

Initially Cimree is a little shjt that cannot stand to be around people and you like her for it. There is a sublime snake connection that is pointed in regard as it leads the reader to assume that something so benign has pivotal ramifications. Later, Cimree just "CARES SO MUCH FOR EVERYONE" and is seen hugging, cwying and yapping. Fug. Azra was a great addition to the story line and catapults your imagination to new heights.

The installment hints at a larger evil and more movement in form of quests. This is good for the story line to move off the inner ruminative and budding love story.

Thanks again Jeff & Netgalley for making me privelage to review another one of these amazing books. Truly quality reading in all facets.

This novel's narrative explores themes of immortality, the moral responsibilities of power, and the intricate relationship between humanity and nature. The prose promotes clarity and accessibility, making complex themes approachable for a wide audience. The magic system, rooted in natural elements and spiritual balance, offers a fresh take on fantasy tropes. Furthermore, the uniqueness of the animal powers similar to a familiar in other lines is still fresh and imaginative.

Another wheeler bager that I look to read further.