Long May She Reign

By: Rhiannon Thomas

Narrated by: Amanda Dolan

Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Freya was never meant to be queen. Twenty-third in line to the throne, she never dreamed of a life in the palace and would much rather research in her laboratory than participate in the intrigues of the court. However, when an extravagant banquet turns deadly and the king and those closest to him are poisoned, Freya suddenly finds herself on the throne. She may have escaped the massacre, but she is far from safe. The nobles don't respect her, her councilors want to control her, and with the mystery of who killed the king still unsolved, she knows that a single mistake could cost her the kingdom - and her life.

Freya is determined to survive, and that means uncovering the murderers herself. Until then, she can't trust anyone. Not her advisers. Not the king's dashing and enigmatic illegitimate son. Not even her own father, who always wanted the best for her but also wanted more power for himself. As Freya's enemies close in and her loyalties are tested, she must decide if she is ready to rule and, if so, how far she is willing to go to keep the crown.

©2017 Rhiannon Thomas (P)2017 Tantor

Oh!

When a girl studying to be a scientist leaves a banquet for the king she has no idea she has set in motion massive events that will change not just her, but her entire kingdom. She was over 20 people in line for the throne, then she was queen. Trying to solve the previous courts murders with science, logic and proof. She is also trying to rule a country having never ruled anything but her one person lab. Then there are the people who think SHE killed everyone and will start a war to take her off the throne. Wonderfully written, I enjoyed reading it.

Not a Fantasy story as listed

I feel alittle tricked by this one. It was listed in my fantasy recommendations but I'm not sure why. This is a fictional story but there is no magic, Fae, Vamps, dragons or shifters. There is a mention of "a people known as The Forgotten who may return" but they aren't actually part of the story.

The story evolves around Freya what is book smart but doesn't fit into the glamorous court life. Tragedy makes her the Queen of a people that she barely knows. From what I'm used to this story was very bland. However, if you enjoy books on royalty and their struggles with ruling I think it would enjoyable for you.

The best part of the book was mystery murderer and finding out who killed them all. About halfway through I had my money on the right person.

The worst part of the book was how the author tried to force the scientific experiments into the mix. I know it was her intent to show how Freya thought, but I found my mind wondering during portions of it. I think alittle humor into those sections would have helped.

The narrator was new for me as well. This book didn't have alot of challenges with accents or lanugues but I'd give her a good rating.

Long story short... if you are looking for fantasty then keep moving. If you like murder mysteries and drama from nobles and queens, you've got the right book.