Review: Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran

Title: Queen of Coin and Whispers

Author: Helen Corcoran

Series: Standalone

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: The O'Brien Press

Publication Date: April 23rd, 2020

Edition: Kindle Edition, 464 pages

Source: NetGalley

Pre-Order: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | BAM

Synopsis:

  When Lia, an idealistic queen, falls for Xania, her new spymaster--who took the job to avenge her murdered father--they realise all isn't fair in love and treason.

  Lia won’t mourn her uncle: he's left her a bankrupt kingdom considered easy pickings by its neighbours. She’s sworn to be a better ruler, but if she wants to push through her reforms, she needs to beat the Court at its own games. For years, Xania's been determined to uncover her father's murderer. She finally gets a chance when Lia gives her a choice: become her new spymaster, or take a one way trip to the executioner’s axe. It’s an easy decision.

  When they fall for each other, their love complicates Lia’s responsibilities and Xania’s plans for vengeance. As they're drawn together amid royal suitors and new diplomats, they uncover treason that could not only end Lia’s reign, but ruin their weakened country. They must decide not only what to sacrifice for duty, but also for each other.

  I really enjoyed this book. The characters are, for me, the best part of this book. Xania and Lia are both intelligent characters, and the way their attraction grew into a real relationship was super cute. They also worked together toward their goal as equals and respect each other. But Xania is still willing to call Lia out when necessary. Even though calling her Queen out when she's making a bad decision could potentially be a death sentence.

For the first, I'd say half of the book there was a pretty good balance between the mutual secret pinning between Lia and Xania, and the espionage. But then that kind of fell to the wayside and it focused a little more on the romance. Which would have been fine if this wasn't a stand-alone novel. Because the last third of the book is a bit of a rush to wrap things up. A lot of time passes over just a few pages, and we're told what a character is going through rather than see any of it. I was shocked when it was mentioned that 2 months had passed during a search and rescue mission at the end of the book.

I would have liked if certain characters had been more fleshed out. Lia and Xania had most of the page time, and I think the antagonists should have had more page time to get to know them a little better and see more of their potential scheming before they tried to take over. Or at least have them pretend a little more to be on Lia's side so when their betrayal comes out it's more of a shock, or a misdirect to someone else. Instead, there are about four people I was suspecting.

As I said, the characters are what made this book so enjoyable for me. While I liked the secrets and mystery plot, and the writing was very engaging, the pacing made it a little less enjoyable than I had hoped, and the world-building is a little flimsy for my tastes. This book is nearly 500 pages, and it all felt a little rushed.