I received a physical, digital, and audio copy from Macmillian Audio & Flatiron Books via NetGalley. All reviews are my own.
All through mid-November – December, I've heard about a new Historical Fantasy book making its way through the publishing world. The more and more I heard about the downfall of a once prominent Salt merchant's daughter turning into a mere servant girl for the Princess of Mali, the more intrigued I became. Today, I will review debut author Mina Fears's The Scorpion Queen.
"Deep within the imperial palace at Timbuktu, Amie has suffered a devastating loss. Once the daughter of a prosperous salt merchant Amie’s life was cruelly overturned in a matter of months. At sixteen, Amie now finds herself disinherited, framed for a scandalous crime, and forced to serve Princess Mariama of Mali . Her father, Emperor Sulyeman, has created a series of impossible trials for his daughter's suitors. When they fail, he publicly boils them alive, littering Mariama’s path to marriage with ninety-nine corpses.
At first, Amie’s life at court is drudgery—the chores are difficult, the servants despise her, and Princess Mariama is prone to mood swings—but the more she learns about the princess's circumstances, the closer the two girls become. Amie and her intended, Kader, plan to escape Timbuktu and make a new life far away from the shadow of death that has fallen upon the emperor’s court, but she finds herself increasingly drawn to the princess in ways she doesn’t understand.
When a mysterious discovery forces her hand, she must choose between fleeing with the boy she loves or helping the princess to end the trials forever. Amie will need to draw on all of her strength and courage to make the perilous journey through the desert to seek the aid of an exiled god in a final, desperate attempt to take charge of her own destiny."
I quickly tackled this 11-hour book via audio, which the narrator, Sandra Okuboyejo, read. I have some thoughts about Okuboyejo's performance. Though I flew through the narration, Okuboyejo did not wow me as a storyteller. While listening to her, I can hear her reading the words rather than becoming the character. She's not quite relaying the story or telling the character's version of events, and it comes off monotonous, like a step above a student reading aloud in class. This solo book was not for her, but she'd be good if she had a supporting cast in a multiple-POV book.
I actually liked this book more than I thought I would. Usually, when I read a synopsis of a new author's work, it doesn't give good details about what I'm getting into. Either it's overselling the novel, or it missed the mark completely. I didn't get that with this book. The Scorpion Queen was straight to the point and didn't stray too far from its mission. However, there were some pacing issues, particularly in the book's first half. It could have been evenly distributed throughout the narrative. Additionally, the book lacked the Fantasy elements I was hoping for, which may disappoint readers expecting a more fantastical setting or plot. But again, this is just my personal preference.
I tried to research the book's Historical points and folklore. I'm trying to learn about cultures and what part of history made this passage historic. I didn't get too deep, but the only thing I'm coming up with is that one of the characters, Emperor Sulyeman, is a real person and happens to be the brother of Mansa Musa. That fact and the setting of Timbuktu are the only historical aspects of this book. As far as the folklore goes, Malian mythology is not in my bag, so I don't know which tale was used for this story either.
The reveal kept me listening. The plot twist was not what I was expecting, and it made you question who the villains were the entire time. Even the romance didn't turn out the way I thought it would. It is a typical trope (I won't say what it is because it'll give some of the suspense away), but how it was executed at the end surprised me. If anything, it taught me never to put my stock in one person.
Overall, I rated this book 3-stars. It wasn't a bad book! I already see negative reviews and DNFs from fellow readers, but give it a chance. Other than the pacing, the Fantasy portion showing up in the 3rd act, and that underwhelming cliffhanger, I'd pick it up again. I don't know if there will be a sequel, but I'm hopeful and ready to invest my time in it whenever it drops. This book vibes well with For She is Wrath by Emily Varga, and if yall read my review on that, you know I like a good female rager!
The Scorpion Queen is available January 28, 2025
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