Thank you to NetGalley and Diversion Books for the ARC.

I rated this book 3 stars.

Pros:
The prose is beautiful and evocative, with clear evidence of careful research. I especially enjoyed the character of Bennath of Syllan. The author excels at crafting a vivid, atmospheric world—rich in detail and steeped in the misty allure of the mythical past.

Cons:
The pacing was slower than I prefer, which made it difficult to stay fully engaged. Certain sections felt repetitive, while others seemed glossed over and underdeveloped. I also found that Igraine’s character lacked meaningful development, making it difficult to connect with her emotionally.

Overall:
While this book didn’t completely capture me, it’s a worthwhile read for those who appreciate lyrical writing, immersive worldbuilding, and a more introspective narrative style.

This was actually infuriating in a not fun way. The prose is beautiful, but that was the only positive of this for me.

Igraine has 0 agency the entire book. Things just happen to her and she makes some comments but takes no action. Sure, she gets mad and has thoughts and feelings, but she feels flat and doesn't actually do anything.

The only time I felt any connection to Igraine was when I was furious at how she was treated - and how she does nothing about it. She's ignored, assaulted, abused, gaslit, coerced, and held prisoner in her own home. She's treated as a human incubator for the Great King Arthur and an object of lust for Uther. And the solution for all of that is for her to just.....go away. Never see her daughters again. Never get justice for her husband, or her people who suffered in war.

It's weird that this is touted as a feminist retelling of Igraine's story when it's just bad things happening over and over to a woman who doesn't deserve it, and who also does nothing to try and fight back.

Appreciate the ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, but this was not for me.

I love Arthurian Romance and the mythology around Arthur Pendragon and Morgan Le. Fey, I haven’t read many retelling about their Mother though so she was a fun character to explore. I do wish we got to see more of her backstory and her romance with her hubby and her relationship with Morguse and Morgan. I loved seeing Merlin betrayed as the sketchy aid that he is in the original myth and seeing more of the Lady of the Lady she is such an interesting character as well, I also love that we get to see the origin of the curse that will ultimately be Arthur’s downfall. Overall it was a fun retelling.

"'Do you have a message for me to take to your father and brother?'
I looked up at him, unspeaking and then got to my feet. As I walked across the room to him, he smiled, tentatively, hoping perhaps that I might send him on his way with some word of kindness. Instead, I spat at him, full in the face.
'Take that to my brother.'"

If you like Arthurian Legend with strong women, this is the book for you!

I was able to read this as an ARC from NetGalley and it was great. It goes through as a "prequel" to the Arthurian legends, but from the POV of Arthur's mother, beginning with the defeat of the Saxons by Uther Pendragon. After a dishonor is thrown at Igraine, her husband starts another war, this time with Uther, the High King of Britain. With betrayals and friendships, we follow as Igraine brings to life the Once and Future King.

I loved that the focus of the story being Igraine rather than a man, like Arthur or Uther Pendragon. All the women that you meet are all strong, powerful role models for the young and adult, alike. The pacing is a little slow, but for a short book, it works!

This book caught my attention with the title, the cover and the description. I read it all rather quickly, I wasn't able to put it down, I HAD to know what happens next. I feel like this book was beautifully written, I was able to imagine everything pristinely. It made me anxious, it made me cry a few times. it was really interesting to read the perspective of a woman during this time.


It's about Ingraine who while scrying sees a vision of her husband's death, meanwhile the king seems to have grown infatuated with her and makes inappropriate advances resulting in her husband to start a war. Ingraine struggles to figure out how to keep her daughters safe and what she's willing to give up for that, figuring out who is manipulating her and why, what she and the women have to do to hold down the land while the men go off to war.



I loved how I got so sucked into this story, I felt Ingraine's pain and confusion, I loved the fresh perspective and twist added to the old story of Arthur and the things that took place before that, I loved how descriptive this book was to where I felt and smelled and saw everything the characters did. I'm excited to see how this series continues.

The Chosen Queen: A Novel of the Pendragon Prophecy by Sam Davey gives the reader a view into Igraine’s journey. I was initially drawn to this because I am a sucker for a retelling from the historically muted female voices of the myths and legends we grow up with. Unfortunately, this book did not meet those expectations. There was a missed opportunity here to provide a strong female character demonstrating some agency in her circumstances but are left with an Igraine that just lets life happen to her.

Thank you to Diversion Books for the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Audiobook Rating: 3 Stars
Pub Date: Jun 03 2025

Tags:
#DiversionBooks
#TheChosenQueen
#SamDavey
#RitaWoods
#ArthurLegends
#Womens Fiction
#YarisBookNook
#netgalley