Began reading: 12.9.2017
Completed reading: 27.9.2017
Overall rating: 4 stars
Dawn will rise.
With Errin a prisoner in Lormere, and Twylla powerless and on the run, time is running out for the ragged band of rebels trying desperately to prevent the Sleeping Prince from destroying everything they love.
But Aurek will stop at nothing to keep the throne forever...
The Scarecrow Queen by Melinda Salisbury is a fictional young adult novel that contains fantasy. I’ve been looking for this book since it was published, and I’m glad that I found it in the library! Overall, it was enjoyable but I wasn’t hooked the whole way through. It was a decent conclusion to the trilogy, which was what I was hoping for.
The Sleeping Prince has taken over Lormere, trapping Errin and Merek inside while Twylla is forced to flee. Stumbling across a camp of displaced civilians, Twylla is forced to prove that she can be trusted and make a good leader in the revolution. Her position as leader is challenged multiple times when she comes face to face with Lief – the man she once loved. His behaviour constantly changes, making everyone question which side he’s truly on. Errin faces similar obstacles – with Lief’s return to the castle, can she trust him? The constant threat of death from Sleeping Prince enables Errin to work on an escape with Merek, but when she learns about Silas’ deteriorating health and her mother’s near-death experience, she has to make one of the toughest choices in her life – should she stay or go?
The book was well-written, with the exception of a few spelling and grammatical errors, but the structure was clearly defined. There was a range of literary techniques that enhanced the narrative experience, including point of view, suspense and tragedy. There were also a couple of great quotes, including:
‘You do what you have to, to fit in with where you are’ (p. 25).
‘[…]loyalty born out of fear might not be loyalty at all’ (p. 266).
More quotes from the book can be found here.
The books that I have read recently have not had much to do with adventure, so reading this novel felt rather exciting. I wasn’t really expecting there to be any kind of adventure, especially as the plot appeared to centre on the epic final battle with Aurek. I was pleasantly surprised when Twylla and Errin encountered adventures and little missions. For example, Twylla’s travelling and her operations with painting the walls were full of trepidation and exhilaration. The map at the beginning of the book was helpful, but would have been better if it was a little more detailed. It helped with the imagery, which was great.
A range of characters is always something that keeps me fascinated with the story. I love how each character contributes to the narrative in some way, and their personalities are always interesting. This has appeared in every book of this trilogy, so I wasn’t surprised to see it in this book. There was a combination of familiar and new faces, which added to the overall intrigue. The way in which they provided Twylla with challenges to win them over was clever, and reading about how Twylla interacted with each of the individual characters was interesting.
One of the literary techniques that I mentioned earlier was suspense, and this was applied through plot twists. I have come to the conclusion that Salisbury is adept at creating good plot twists. In the past, she has incorporated a variety of predictable and unpredictable surprises, and the same goes for this novel. The twists in this narrative were unexpected but, at the same time, felt right. Ever since Lief abandoned Twylla, I wondered which side he was on. Although it was little predictable, I was still shocked when I read the revelation. The same goes for Twylla and Merek, so I was pleased with the twists and turns in the book. I’m excited for more of Salisbury’s books because of this.
Speaking of plot twists, I was surprised with what happened between Twylla and Merek. There wasn’t really much overt romance throughout the book, but I’m not complaining about that. It was obvious that Salisbury was hinting at what could happen between Twylla and Merek, especially as their relationship started to develop earlier in the book. I would have liked to have read more about Errin and Silas’ relationship, especially when you take into account what happens at the end of the book. It was a happy ending, but it was sudden – it would have been better if they have more interaction earlier in the narrative.
After reading the previous two books and the blurb for this one, I assumed that the plot would focus on the final battle with Aurek. Of course, it was the over-arching storyline, but the actual fight itself was rushed. The series was building up to the epic fight, but it was underwhelming. It was disappointing because it didn’t last very long, and the continuation of it back at the castle was lacklustre because defeating Aurek was too easy. I was hoping for a bit more of a challenge, so I was let down.
My favourite character is Twylla because she was fierce, compassionate, loyal, confident and honest. I enjoyed reading about how she had to figure out what she wanted – it was interesting. I’m going to miss her character because she was really badass!
I was shocked by a particular betrayal because this character was someone I had mixed feelings about, but I didn’t see her disloyalty coming. In the end, I’m glad that she got what was coming to her.
My favourite parts of the novel were the moments between Twylla and Merek, and the conclusion. I enjoyed reading about Twylla and Merek because I always expected that Twylla had friend-zoned him. Watching them get closer in this novel was unexpected but exciting. The conclusion was sweet and promising – it was sweet because Twylla and Merek (duh!), but it also held hope for the potential that Twylla has to improve the country. I wished I could read about her achievements!
Recommendation time! If you like the War of the Princes series by A.R. Ivanovich, The Black North by Nigel McDowell, and Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige, you will love this book. Also, I recommend this book to anyone who likes the Harry Potter series, Reign tv series, Game of Thrones tv series, and Black Death.
My reviews for The Sin Eater’s Daughter and The Sleeping Prince can be found by clicking on the titles.
Happy reading!
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