The Queen's Bastard

Rating All Ages Genre fantasy Publisher Del Rey

Belinda Primrose knew she was special. She knew she was different. She is the Queen’s bastard, the illegitimate child of Queen Loraine of Aulum. To protect her throne from those who wish to overtake her, Queen Loraine will use her most secret and useful weapon: Belinda.

At the age of nine, Belinda played a secret game: the game of stillness. In order to succeed she trained herself to become numb to pain and distractions. If a fly landed on and tickled her arm, she remained calm. She used the tiny dagger that was always fastened under her dresses or corsets to dig wounds into the palm of her hands. Belinda knew she was progressing when she could rip the healing injuries without tears or even a flinch. Belinda would hear her father, Robert, talking at night with Dmitri. As far as she could remember, the words they spoke had a repetitive theme: It cannot be found out yet, it is too early. Who was she, Belinda wondered. At the ripe old age of thirteen, Robert arranged for Belinda to be married.

This marriage was not for love, nor was it any ordinary arrangement. Robert’s voice echoed in the girl’s ears “the man you believe I mean you to marry is the man Aulun needs you to kill.” Belinda’s purpose was to be raised and trained having total loyalty for Queen Loraine. She would spend decades killing, assassinating, seducing and ruining people’s reputations to protect the Queen.

Belinda’s next mission is to go to Lutetia to see if Queen Sandalia poses any viable claims or threats to Aulun’s throne. Going through a series of different disguises, meeting and sleeping with different men at the Lutetian pubs, Belinda finally lands her new alias: Beatrice Irvine. She sets her bait and retrieves her reward as she bewitches endearing Marius. Marius is very smitten with “Beatrice” and immediately invites her into a private club, his exclusive group of tight knit friends. She wins over the group (Asselin, Javier and Eliza) with her charm and wit, only having trouble gaining the friendship of beautiful, unconventional and fashionable Eliza. Coincidently enough, Prince Javier is among the group, heir to the Aulunian throne.

Through her journey, Belinda discovers a special gift of magical powers she has had since birth. Struggling with her new alias, loyalty to Aulun, tangled webs of the men in her life and magical powers, Belinda wonders what to do.

When I first started reading The Queen’s Bastard I had a little trouble getting in to it. But it only took about fifty pages for me to get the characters straight and become fully enveloped in the plot. I couldn’t put the book down! I kept the book in my purse and any free minute I had I indulged in the addicting plot. I usually don’t read the 16th century kingdom-type books. However, this story grabbed me and left me wanting more. There are parts that are not for the light-hearted and are very raunchy and sexual. There were parts where I laughed out of a little discomfort at the great detail and description of sexual scenes. That’s not really something I’m into, but don’t let that scare you away! I suggest preordering this book at Border’s, or something of the like, because it doesn’t come out until April 29th. Already this is a book I know I will re-read and find so many new details and connections that I’m sure I missed the first time around. With the witty dialogue, clever plots and cliffhanger ending I cannot wait for her sequel, The Pretender’s Crown.