The Queen's Rising

Gr 8 Up—This debut is a sprawling girl-powered fantasy that pulls readers on an adventure that spans generations. Raised by her grandfather, Brienna knows nothing of her father except that he lives in Maevena, the troubled and violent kingdom to the north of her native Valenia. At 10, her grandfather spirits her away to Magnalia House in as much an effort to hide her from her father as to teach her to become a passion—an expert in one of the five Valenian virtues. Just as Brienna is on the verge of gaining her passion, she begins to have strange visions: memories of a Maevan man who may have been her ancestor. These visions lead Brienna into the thick of a plot to usurp Maevena's cruel King Lannon and place the country's rightful queen on the throne, but the more Brienna learns about her past, the more her future is endangered. Although the story starts off a bit slowly with Brienna's misadventures at Magnalia and plenty of luscious world-building, once the visions start, Ross expertly weaves Brienna's past and present into a compelling page-turner. Smart readers may find that the extensive front matter, including family trees of many of the characters, telegraph some of the narrative's twists and turns, but there are still plenty of surprises to keep readers guessing.