I received a free ARC from the author Elspeth Gregorsdóttir on BookSirens, so thank you for the opportunity to review this novel!

Lovers of romantasy will enjoy this book. It contains faeries, magical illusions, and handsome princes—oh my!

The Drowned Queen follows the story of a woman who was formerly imprisoned in a miserable place called the Duskhold. At the beginning of the book, we see her freed from the Duskhold and standing at the edge of a vast sea that welcomes her into its depths in her attempt to die—but instead of granting her wish for death, it remakes her piece by piece into someone new.

She goes on a journey to learn about this new identity and how it relates to her most precious possession—a blue sea glass charm—and unearth the relationships that were lost to her during her time in the Duskhold, including a romantic relationship with Prince Torian of the Amber Vale. She and Torian just want to live and love each other freely, but of course, royal duty always calls, and the obstacles keep stacking up against them. One such obstacle they must try to surmount is the taboo of a human and Fae romance.

My Thoughts

• The author gives a lot of care and attention to detail to the worldbuilding to make you feel fully immersed within this magical landscape. There are customs and celebrations unique to the humans and Fae that inhabit each region of this world, which makes it easy to imagine everyday people engaging in meaningful rituals with their loved ones. Speaking of worldbuilding, the Harthorn is probably my favorite fantasy creature from this novel; it could easily seem like something out of a horror narrative, but it embodies a dual nature.
• In some chapters, we get to see Torian’s thoughts, especially when Lyra is absent from the scene. I’m personally not a big fan of dual POV books, and as you get farther into this one, you’ll see that other character’s perspectives are also included. However, this structure provides additional context and interiority for Torian’s actions and gives us knowledge of the plot that we likely wouldn’t receive otherwise, because this is primarily a 1st person POV story. Readers who are more inclined toward the multi-perspective style may enjoy this aspect.
• Metaphorical language is used heavily throughout this book. So are similes. I like a good comparison, and this seems to be a common trait of fantasies, but including too many can work against the flow, lessen their impact, and come off as overdone.
• The side characters add fun quirks and dynamics to the narrative. Tomas and Elidra remain memorable due to their well-meaning banter with each other and their compassion for Lyra, and Lysara and Miravelle offer differing perspectives of what life is like within the Amber Vale. There’s also an expected-but-unexpected romance between two female characters that I’d love to see more of.
• Supporting #WomensWrongs. Alezae is my queen because I like an antagonistic female character (lowkey same with Lady Valeraine), but also because her story is one I can sympathize with.
• I haven’t read a lot of romantasy so I don’t know if this is common to the genre, but I appreciate that the author doesn’t shy away from darker aspects like abuse, slavery, gore, etc. These details make you feel more grounded within the narrative, understanding that these are living beings who are subjected to torture and mistreatment and are trying to create better realities for themselves and escape the trauma.
• I love that the author created her own cover art for this book, especially as we’re currently experiencing a deluge of self-published authors who are choosing to use AI to create their covers. I understand the costs for design and artwork can be prohibitive, but our own creativity is always superior when putting work out into the world. Plus, the art itself is very nicely done; I enjoyed looking at it each time I dove back into the ebook.
• And finally — no spoilers here, but this book ends on a twist that sets up the suspense nicely for a sequel. Because when is love ever easy or straightforward?

Pick up this book if you like:

• Romantasy
• Faerie lore
• Forbidden romance
• Self-discovery journeys

Pass it by if you don’t want to read about:

• Purplish prose
• Cliffhanger endings
• Triggering topics like epidemics, slavery, and parental death
• Abusive parents