Long May She Reign by Rhiannon Thomas

Freya doesn’t fit in with court nobility; she’s an inventor who wants to create something for the world. Being 23rd in line for the throne means she doesn’t have to put on much show of being regal or worthy of the crown. But when the 22 people in line before her are murdered at a banquet, Freya is thrust into the role of queen. She must learn who she can trust while also trying to figure out who committed the terrible crime at the banquet.

This book had a very slow start and I struggled to get through it at first. But it picked up a bit and in the end, I genuinely enjoyed it. Freya is a bit of a typical heroine, not fitting in, being unique and falling in love somewhat poorly. But the plot, slow to begin, tied together in interesting ways. There was a lot of political intrigue and it reminded me a little of ,-light; though there was a lot of death, the violence levels were fairly mild. Expect political attacks and movements, but not necessarily a lot of physical action. An added positive, the book contained lots of female friendships and women supporting each other all of which was well done.

Patricia Zeider, Mountain View Public Library