Review by KingK123 -- The Queen of Xana by Fred Pilcher

[KingK123]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Queen of Xana" by Fred Pilcher.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

The Queen of Xana by Fred Pilcher is about a noble Princess by the name of Agatha. The book details her story beginning at her birth. Her fairy godmother gifts her with the prediction of being the greatest ruler the lands had ever seen. Her mother, Queen Julia, takes this advice to heart and raises Princess Agatha to be the ruler Xana needs. Princess Agatha spends her life ruling as a just and noble leader who faces obstacles, but always fights for the rights of those at the bottom.

Princess Agatha was an incredibly moral and just character. She truly did not only what she believed was right, but what was for the betterment of her community. It was a nice change from the chaos royalty typically presents in novels. Princess Agatha was nice to watch because she was someone you could truly root for. I personally found myself on the edge hoping her journey would be one that would keep her in the people's commission as long as possible.

As far as this being a science fiction or fantasy novel, I would not categorize it as such. While it is a delightful read, it did not have as many magical elements I would expect to see. Princess Agatha's grandmother was really the most unique portion of the book. Most of the problems the common people faced were typical human issues. Someone getting cheated or a thief threatening others are pretty average problems that have nothing to do with the fantasy realm.

The commitment to being the narrator of a false historical fantasy novel was excellent. The author wrote as if these were actual people and events in history. This pulled me into the story more, as it almost expanded my ability to see what was going on. I felt as if I were reading a true story and did not want to miss a detail. His style was very unique and absolutely well-written.

I rate this novel 3 out of 4-stars because while it is a well-written novel, it does not feel like a fantasy novel. I liked the fact that the protagonist was a genuinely good person. The portion I disliked had to do with the time jumps. There were occasional large breaks in time and that is something I am personally not a fan of. Overall, I would recommend this novel to anyone interested in a historical fiction novel.

******
The Queen of Xana
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon