Everyone expected the king's daughter would inherit the throne. No one expected me.
It shouldn't be possible. I'm Nameless, a class of citizens so disrespected, we don't even get names. Dozens of us have been going missing for months and no one seems to care.
But there's no denying the tattoo emblazoned on my arm. I am queen. In a palace where the corridors are more dangerous than the streets, though, how could I possibly rule? And what will become of the Nameless if I don't?
Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley
Plot
The concept of this book really intrigued me, the concept of the “nameless” and the plight of the main character, a nameless who has been somehow named as the new queen. There are a number of twists and conflicts that pulled me into the book and by about halfway through, I wasn’t able to put it down. The eventual antagonist did seem pretty predictable to me, however, and the ending didn’t seem to fit the rest of the story. I was left with a number of questions about how the story was eventually resolved, which didn’t seem to be properly explained, and wish I could have found more closure in the last pages, rather than set-up for a potential sequel.
Characters
Despite not having a name, I felt very connected to the main character. She was mysterious but interesting and had developed beautiful throughout the book. She has a number of supporting characters that I enjoyed getting to know as well and all the characters seemed to play an essential role in the plot. As I said before, the person revealed to the antagonist seemed fairly transparent to me, which I’m not sure was intentional or not for the author, but it did not spoil my enjoyment of the other characters and story.
Setting
The world and magic system set up in this book was unique. I enjoyed the explanation of the city and the social classes, in addition to seeing how the different classes interacted. As only the king or queen of the city are able to possess magic, the reader has the opportunity to explore the magic system along with the protagonist. The trouble with that, though, is the protagonist does not completely understand the magic she possesses and the rules of how to use it are never fully explained, especially with how the magic that resolves the plot at the end of the book works. I hope this is something the author plans to further explore in any sequels.
My Recommendation
I definitely recommend this book for fans of the fantasy genre, especially those who love Furyborn and similar lost-monoarchy stories. The characters are interesting and complex, including the secondary characters. The conflicts in the story really gripped me and I found the book difficult to put down. The ending did leave me wanting, but it seems the author is setting up the story for a sequel. I’m optimistic that any questions I still have will be resolved in the next book of the series. This is a quick read and a great book to start off your 2020 reading list.
