Customer Reviews

The Hidden Queen (Anghara Kir Hama)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is the first American printing of the first volume of the author's two-volume fantasy "Changer of Days." When it was originally published in New Zealand and Australia, under the author's real name by the way (Alma Hromic), the two books were simply titled "Changer of Days" Volume 1 and Volume 2. In the U. S. the first volume is titled "The Hidden Queen" and the second volume is titled "Changer of Days."

Since they're one story it's hard to review one without the other, and I don't want to spoil either book by giving away too many details, but I'll say the author has written many genuinely awe-inspiring and touching scenes that'll stay in my memory for the rest of my life, including the scene where the queen-in-exile dares to defy a god. A large cast of well-drawn characters, a traditional but nonetheless involving high-fantasy plot, and a strong sense of place (not only the expected English medieval kingdom, but also two more exotic lands) testify to the fact that the author has imagined her world in rich detail over a period of many years. If you like high fantasy, you'll like "The Hidden Queen" and "Changer of Days," as they are well-above-average examples of the genre.

[Review for THE HIDDEN QUEEN, Book 1]

At the beginning of the novel, Anghara is a 9-year-old Queen who is sent away from court to her aunt's country estate under a false name and identity. She's hunted by her murderous half-brother Sif who has usurped the throne and now calls himself King. But just when she begins to settle in, catastrophe strikes and she's spirited away again by her loyal supporters. Thus, this fantasy novel unfolds rather like a cat and mouse game. Sif and Anghara never meet face to face, but each is foremost in the other's mind.

The Hidden Queen is Book 1 of 2; its follow-up is Changer of Days. I enjoyed the novel very much at first. The notion of a fugitive, but rightful, Queen on the run from her brother is a neat premise. However, by the middle of the book, I had grown impatient with Alexander's style. She tells the story in the third-person: the narrator has a rather annoying habit of speaking in a pseudo-archaic, prophetic, and heavy style. The effect is that the characters feel stiff and the action historical rather than actual. By all rights, this should've been an exciting read, yet I was left feeling uninspired by the wooden prose. I didn't like Anghara very much, or find her soulful connection to Kieran, her foster-brother, very convincing. She reminded me too much of the typical fantasy heroine, one who has hidden powers, flowing mane of redhair, flashing gray eyes, etc. etc. etc.

[Review for CHANGER OF DAYS, Book 2]

Whereas The Hidden Queen (see above) chronicled Anghara's childhood and early youth, this novel focuses on her transformation from child to woman, and landless exile to Queen. I liked Book 2 better than Book 1: the action heats up, and the new characters who are introduced at all the right times enliven the book. I'm thinking of Favrin, the wily and daring Tath king in particular. However, my major criticism for these novels, even Book 2 which I rather enjoyed, is that the author seems to take the story much too seriously. It's all prophecies, battles, and other melodramatic moments, and not enough of the quieter or lighter stuff. If you like epic-fantasies, then you may like this one.

I would like to give this 2-volume story 3.5 stars, but since you can't do that, I'll give it a 4. I do think Alma Alexander is an author with potential. The story seemed to get better and better towards the end.

After reading the blurb and seeing this called and intelligent and sensitive book, I was really looking forward to reading it. I liked the plot and the setting, but the execution was simply horrible. Point of view shifts happened from paragraph to paragraph. The main character was lifeless and dull. There were long passages detailing emotions (sensitive?) but then the plot would be summed up in two or three sentences. It was telling instead of showing at its worst.

I liked this book, bit slow going to read, but overall a very good book.

I was immediately struck by how similar this book is to Dune, by Frank Herbert. Both books are about young heirs or royals being on the run from people that want to kill them. Both protagonists are young at the time that their worlds change drastically. Both protagonists seek refuge in the desert of the planets they are on. Both have super powers and eventually come back to lead their chosen people. There are many similarities, but they don't offend me. It wasn't a blatant theft. It was more like homage to Frank Herbert's book. I don't know if the author was consciously aware of the similarities or not. I grew to love Anghara for herself though. Ms. Alexander took her through the most horrifying and trying experiences that a child could possible be put through and yet you never get the feeling that what happened was just for the sake of being horrible. Each experience that Anghara goes through teaches her something about herself and the future she must face. All in all it was a beautiful book that portrayed this girl sensitively and with a quiet grace.
The only thing that got me down was the desert scenes. The author had to create a world with very different names and titles for things and an entirely different social structure and to be quite honest she sometimes lost me. This was only worth taking away one star.

I felt as though this was the outline for the book, and the author forgot to fill in the details. The whole story is *told*, not *shown*, and there is a huge difference in those approaches. There's no characterization--I had no sense of the main character as a person. Though horrible things happened to her, things also happened much too easily for her. Time passed, she gained powers, she went to the head of the class, talked to a few gods, and everyone loved her. Time to go reclaim the kingdom. I guess I'll pick up the second volume to see how she does it, but I'll check the secondhand store before ordering it full price.

I thought this was a wonderful book. The tragedies in the young queen's life really make you sympathize with her and want her to succeed. She loses many friends and family along her way, and battles with inner guilt after an accident with her sight. I could not put it down the whole time, and fortunately, I had the sequel CHANGER OF DAYS ready to go. As the young queen comes home from her exile, she is greeted by what the oracle told her: a friend and a foe. The story picks up from there, and is a wonderful ending. I really liked how Anghara deals with Sif in the end, as well as the foreign king. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone! It's an amazing adventure, and has the extra advantage of finishing in two books instead of three.

"The Hidden Queen" is a fantasy adventure set in a mythical pre-gunpowder kingdom -- sword & sorcery. The king & his lead general die in battle and the kingdom is in danger of being overrun. The second in charge general is new, unpopular, and decides that desparate measures are needed. He asks the king's illegitimate son, S--, age 20, to lead the army to victory. S-- does so and proceeds to take the kingdom from the rightful heir, the king's 8 year old daughter A--. She goes into hiding, and S-- looks for her, to solidify his rule.

My main problem with this book is that it just couldn't keep hold of my attention. All of the elements were there, I liked the setting, I liked the plot, but it simply failed to capture my interest. I'm not entirely sure why. Here is what I can identify: too much of the book is written in passive voice, A-- is bland and borring, and the text meandered way too often between different points of view.

This would have been a much stronger book if S-- were more likable. The events that were thrown in to make S-- appear a villain seemed incongruous to me, and the entire series would have had a very poignant twist, like a classical tragedy, if S-- acted reasonably honorably and was for the most part a good leader -- that is, if the main point of conflict were that both A-- and S-- wanted to rule.

Anyway, many people really enjoyed "The Hidden Queen" and maybe you will too.

At the Battle near the Ronval River, the king of Roisinan, Red Dynan is killed and the general leading the troops is injured and near death. Command falls to Fodrun who feels unequal to being a leader for men to follow so he tells Sif, Dynan's baseborn son that if he will take command, he will help him in his quest to gain the crown from the rightful heir, nine year old Anghara. After a ceremony proclaiming her queen, Anghara leaves the castle with the Royal Seal and a document proclaiming her queen by the council.

The capital city falls to Sif and he becomes king declaring Anghara dead with her mother during the battle to take the castle. Anghara is sent to her mother's kin where she is taught to use her sight (psionic powers) but an incident forces her to flee to Castle Bressne, a traing school for the sighted. A betrayal alerts Sif to where Anghara is hiding and he destroys the school but not before his half-sister escapes. Sif initiates a pogrom against all the Sighted while Anghara flees from her homeland to the desert kingdom of Kheldrum. There she hopes to learn enough to take back the crown.

Fans of Jennifer Fallon, Sara Douglass and Elizabeth Hayden will find THE HIDDEN QUEEN an extraordinary fantasy. During the course of the tale, the audience sees Anghara grow from a royal child to a mature woman ready to battle her half-brother who is wantonly hurting innocent men, women and children killed just because they are sighted. This is an action-packed novel that is rich in characterization and death-defying adventures.

Harriet Klausner

Oh my word. I have only ever not been able to finish a book twice in my life -- and this was number 2. The first few chapters were ok, but when things really started cooking plot-wise, the writing style became, well, high-schoolish. I wanted to like it, so I plowed ahead. But, half-way through it, I gave up.

The writing style is amateurish, and clunky. Characters act in a melodramatically, with no realism. There are patches of good writing, but these patches are quickly followed by a clunker or two.

I would hope that the sequel to this book improved, but since I can't finish the first, I won't be trying the second.