Nameless Queen by Rebecca McLaughlin

Synopsis (via Goodreads): One girl must make a name for herself--or die trying --in this royal fantasy where an unknown peasant becomes the ultimate ruler. But how long can she keep the crown if everyone wants her dead? Perfect for fans of Furyborn, Red Queen, and Everless.

Everyone expected the king's daughter would inherit the throne. No one expected me.

It shouldn't even be possible. I'm Nameless, a class of citizens so disrespected, we don't even get names. Heck, dozens of us have been going missing for months and no one seems to care.

But there's no denying the tattoo emblazoned on my arm. I am queen. In a palace where the corridors are more dangerous the streets, though, how could I possibly rule? And what will become of the Nameless if I don't?

"What’s one more impossible thing?"

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

Nameless Queen left me feeling confused and dissatisfied. What's one more impossible thing? Everything about this book felt unbelievable and unrealistic. The characters and their circumstances, how certain events transpired, and even the way the story concluded. It was all just too inconceivable. What? You just happened to have an object on your person that saved your life after someone stabbed you with their sword? The object would've been bulky and noticeable (unless they were wearing a very flowy top), and it simply wasn't presented in a way that felt believable.

Additionally, someone "tortured" the king for years. How?? He was the mother-effing king, with a Royal Guard, Royal Council, family, friends -- it didn't make sense that one person was able to maliciously practice projecting their emotions onto him without consequences. Are you telling me the king wouldn't have been able to make them disappear, or just have them killed outright? Also, how the hell was he protecting his daughter? None of this made any sense to me. (If you've read this and have a theory, let me know!)

Another aspect of the story that bothered me in terms of believability, was Hat. Her existence was an issue after certain circumstances, and her appearance was very distinct. It didn't make sense that no one recognized her later. (I'm trying not to be spoilery!) Other characters were there and felt important, but then faded into the background once the story reached a certain point. Devil, for example, was someone I really liked, and thought her character brought something interesting to the table. I hated that she wasn't more involved.

Coin's actions never rang true for me. She follows a hunch, berates herself for doing something without help, but then does it anyway. She's used to being alone, but then seems to ask for help with ease when it matters. I'm not sure if this is making sense, since I'm having trouble finding the words to explain why Coin's actions felt flat and not at all authentic. She just inexplicably knew what to do. A hidden army? Oh, let me take this very vague comment and solve it within the hour. What? I was right? Imagine that! Should've brought back up... *groans*

No one noticed a missing baby???

I'm also not entirely sure how the hallucinations and illusions worked, since everyone knew they weren't real. If you know something isn't real, wouldn't that make it easier to dismiss? Coin making alternate versions of herself and/or disappearing is one thing, but fire and lighting? Not so much. It was somewhat believable, since she could also make people feel the illusions, but the fantastical elements of this story weren't clearly defined. The logistics didn't work. When someone explained why the magic didn't work on the Nameless, it wasn't specific enough. There weren't enough details to describe why only those with names were affected, and how certain changes occurred at the end. The characters give you a reason, but it felt too easy and convenient.

Glenquartz was weird. He was described as an older man that had lost his wife and child, but his relationship with Coin felt inappropriate. He's her personal guard, but his actions felt more grandfatherly. Creepy grandfatherly. He was smitten with Coin after just a few days, and I wasn't sure what endeared him to her. OH! He has supposedly guarded the royal family his entire life (his family has for generations), but he was unaware of what was happening to the king? The previously mentioned thing that should have been avoidable? If he was the king's personal guard, there's no way he wouldn't have noticed what was happening. He also didn't come across as guard-like (an example would be him sharing a bed with two young girls). There was no stoicism. His words and actions didn't mesh with how a Royal Guard would behave. Even his mannerisms felt off to me.

It also doesn't make sense that the villain was able to get away with as much as they did. Everyone knew how important Hat was to Coin. Coin advocated for her and it was a Big Deal. That means Hat was someone they knew about, so the villain shouldn't have been able to do The Thing. Also, Coin should have been able to call them out on several occasions, but didn't because...??? Why didn't she just show them, or have other people investigate for proof?

Another thing is the cadet that nearly murdered a child because they were anxious to do something. His punishment? Coin makes him see spiders that aren't there. Those harmless illusions were not a sufficient punishment for what he tried to do. He would roll his eyes at her afterwards, and it felt like the two were playing with each other. Gross.

Nameless Queen still gets three stars from me, because it was a solid read with an interesting concept. I think if the history of the world had been elaborated on, and the secondary characters had been built up a bit, it would've helped the overall story. I did have problems with some of the holes, and you'll definitely need to be able to suspend your disbelief for this one, but this was also a review copy and those holes might've been filled with dirt or cement by now.

I wish the magic had been discussed more, particularly the treaty in the king's bedroom with the shimmery writing, because WHY? It felt important, but was never addressed again. After finishing this book, I still had way too many questions floating around in my head, and I want my thoughts to feel more grounded when a story reaches its conclusion. I don't think there's another book in this series, but I could be wrong. (★★★☆☆)