Disclosure: I received a copy of this book free of charge for review purposes only. Receipt of a book does not guarantee a review or endorsement. My reviews are my honest opinion and are not biased for the purpose of personal gain.

The True Queen is the sequel to Sorcerer to the Crown and therefore this review may contain spoilers for the previous book.

In the Malaysian village of Janda Baik, two girls awake with no memories of who they were, just their names; Muna and Sakti. Sakti possesses magic but Muna does, yet the witch Mak Genggang takes them both in. When they become desperate to learn the truth, the girls go against their mentor’s wishes and are sent off to England to make amends at the Sorceress Royale’s academy for female magicians.

It’s been a long wait since we last saw Prunella and Zacharias I loved the different direction The Last Queen took, whilst still revisiting beloved characters from the first book. I instantly warmed to Muna, her love for her sister and her willingness to march into danger to save her.

Mak Genggang’s magic was a wild, living force, as everyday as the weather and as untameable. The English made their magic sound exceedingly dull in comparison.

The English magiciennes are still battling with the prejudice of the patriarchy. Among the upper class, ladies doing magic is pure scandal. Harriet plays a bigger part in this story, resigned to marriage in order to help her family, she can go on one last adventure. When the Queen of Fairy accuses England of stealing a powerful artefact, someone needs to venture into the Fairy Court to sort things out.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable sequel and Zen Cho’s storytelling has only got better. I did work it all out well before the characters but it was still a delight. I hope there won’t be too long until the next one!

No one can say I have not behaved correctly. I offered to rob That Woman’s neighbours, or afflict her rivals with embarrassing diseases. If she desired an angel to assist her she ought to have studied her Qur’an, instead of raising a polong!

The True Queen is published by Tor and is available now in hardback and ebook editions. Thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy for review via NetGalley.

ATY: 51. A book published in 2019

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