The Queen’s Rising by Rebecca Ross

THE QUEEN’S RISING: has me a bit conflicted, because it’s one of those books that does some stuff really well but then also does some stuff really…not. I’ll admit I was drawn to this one by the gorgeous cover, and the fact that I’m always a sucker for YA fantasy – I didn’t really know what it was about before I picked it up.

Brienna, our heroine, is a young woman who has never known her father, and has lived under her grandfather’s care, until she is taken to a special place in Valenia where she will learn to master one of the five “passions” – art, music, knowledge, wit, or dramatics. Soon she is drawn into part of a plot to overthrow the ruler of the rival kingdom of Maevana and replace him with the rightful queen.