#Review - The Queen of Days by Greta Kelly #Fantasy #Epic

Series: Unknown
Format: Hardcover, 384 pages
Release Date: October 24, 2023
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Source: Publisher
Genre: Fantasy / Epic

Description:

From Greta Kelly, the author of the Warrior Witch duology, comes The Queen of Days, an epic adventure that weaves together a flawed-but-lovable family of thieves, a battle between fallen gods, and stakes high enough to cause vertigo—perfect for fans of The Lies of Locke Lamora and Six of Crows.

For Balthazar and his family of thieves, stealing a statue during the annual celebration of the god Karanis was just a good bit of fun . . . and a way to stick it to the governor who murdered his parents. And, yeah, the small fortune in reward doesn’t hurt—even if his boss also hired the mysterious Queen of Days to join the crew as “the weapon of last resort.”

Whatever that means.

But Bal doesn’t know the ceremony isn’t simply empty words and dusty tradition; it’s true magic. The kind of magic that rips open a portal for the god himself. Only the idol that Karanis planned on using for a body now lies broken at the feet of the Queen of Days. And half of it is missing.

With the aid of a lovable brawler, a society lady turned bomb maker, a disgraced soldier, and a time-eating demon, Bal must hunt down the missing half of the statue if he has any hope of earning his money, keeping his crew alive . . . and perhaps even saving all of humanity. But as his journey sends him racing through the city—and across realities—he discovers that doing all this might just doom his home.

The city be damned. It’s time to kill a god.

Greta Kelly's The Queen of Days is allegedly a standalone novel that includes a classic magical heist crew fantasy adventure, with a rag-tag group of characters, inevitable betrayals, and some fun twists and turns. This novel definitely has vestiges of YA as well as everything an epic fantasy needs, but with a fresh coming-of-age narrative hitting all the notes popular in the genre today—especially since this story includes a cast of lovable, witty misfits fighting for survival and acceptance. 

As the story opens, Balthazar Vadalen (who grew up wealthy until his family was betrayed, and destroyed by a man called Paasch, is now leader of a rag tag group of thieves called the Talion Crew after 5 years of self exile), has accepted a job from a very powerful patron. Balthazar's crew of thieves is hired to steal a temple idol and is required to take The Queen of Days as part of his patron’s desire. The Queen of Days, aka Septiniri Tassiel Janae, stays hidden behind a mask and black hood. She seems to be more shadow, mystery, and magic than human.  

She has a knock of being able to get in and out of places that nobody else can. In return for her help, all she requires is a little bit of time from the crew. Tassiel has robbed a museum, breached the Bastion in the middle of the ocean in order to get what she came for, and walks out of prison with Bal and Kai alongside her. Tass is 1/2 human and 1/2 Septiniri Warrior from the Nethersphere who was once abandoned and betrayed by her own family. With Tassiel along for the ride, the mission has a great chance at success. 

But right from the start, it seems as though things are being rushed, and his crew gets worried that someone is going to betray them, or something will go wrong. The author mostly uses Bal to tell the story, however, there are parts that are told from Tass's point of view which gives the book a deeper and must needed addition to what his actually happening in this world. Tass’s mysterious past and nebulous and notorious family connections explain much of her power. Her alienation from her own family makes a good counterpoint to the effort Bal makes in crafting his own family.

*Thoughts* Right from the start, Bal has turned his crew into family including his sister who believes that Bal is not taking her seriously. Bal has tried for 5 years to gain revenge on the man who destroyed his family, and his life. Add a few so called Gods to the mixture, and you have an action packed story with some interesting twists. The use of alternating points of review was much needed so that readers get a better understanding of who these characters really are and the world they live in. Point to me in that I really found one of the secondary character distasteful and knew this person was going to hurt the crew if they could. Honestly though, this could use a sequel. There is too much happening in Tass's former home world that seems to be on the brink of affecting the Human realm. So, why not write a sequel?

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