ARC Review // The Girl King

Title: The Girl King

Author: Mimi Yu

Publisher: Gollancz

Published: January 10th 2019
Pages: 400 pages (Kindle Edition)

"A girl king without a crown; a boy wolf without a pack; a new Empress without control: their paths will clash in this sweeping YA fantasy of privilege, power and the weight of history.

Princess Lu has long expected to become the dynasty's first 'Girl King' - so she is dismayed when her father announces her betrothal to her cousin Set and names him the next emperor. Lu needs an ally - and an army - if she is to have any hope of reclaiming her birthright.

Nokhai was the lone survivor when his family of wolf shapeshifters was slaughtered by the empire. Nok never learned to shapeshift, until the same night he encounters the fleeing Princess Lu and their fates become ensnared.

Lu's younger sister Min finds herself Empress to the new Emperor Set. But Min harbours a sinister power, one that could be the key to securing Set's reign and merging the old magics with the empire's modern military might. . ."

Once in a lifetime, you discover a book that doesn't wraps you in its webs of words nor offers you sleepless nights. "But why?", you wonder. The world building is perfection and the characters are so different and yet so strong and willing to fight for their destiny. So, why? Because you wan to revel in every moment and nuance, to feel the magic surround you and gaze at every setting as if you never will have the change to experience it again. In other words: The Girl King is so epic that you never want it to be over.

Writing: The King Girl is an ode to female strength and power. Mimi Yu's writing is detailed - the author focus on every little detail - and the characters are very well-written - you can find three POVs throughout the book and these are all so different and yet complement each other perfectly. Some of Yu's quotes will forever haunt me (I know I shouldn't be sharing quotes from the book as it's an ARC and they may not make it the final draft, but I must share this really short and and powerful quote with you).

"I wasn't made to torment you," she snarled. "I wasn't made for you at all. I was made for me."

Characters: A girl king without a crown; a boy wolf without a pack; a new Empress without control. Even though I had a few issues with Min - she was young and naive, but it was frustrating that she didn't realized people were using her to achieve their goals and didn't care about her - I loved Lu's fierceness and Nokhai's caring heart.

Lu breaks conventions and fights to be in charge of her own fate and country. However, because she was born a girl, she is perceived as arrogant (her own sister, Min, points out it so many times how arrogant Lu is, but not even once did she think the same of Set, the new male Emperor) and stubborn for not bending her knee to the patriarchal order. This does not mean Lu doesn't have flaws (a few times she was too headstrong and her actions would put her in dangerous situations), but she wouldn't let the world tell her who she should be and that's an empowering message. As I mentioned above, the story is an ode to female strength, but Nok also deserves to be loved. He's so heartbroken that I wanted to hug him. He lost everything and everyone he cared about not once, but twice. He lost his family, his clan, Omair, he doesn't know how to shapeshift into his wolf. You could feel how much all this loss crushed his soul.

On a side note, the story features one of my favourite romantic tropes: enemies turned to lovers (and no, the romance doesn't shadow the plot).  

World building: The East Asian inspired world created by Yu is simply fascinating. The settings, from the Imperial lands to the Gray City in the Inbetween, are mesmeric and atmospheric. This world of gods and magic is enriched with a bewitching cultural and historical background that entices you, leaving behind the desire of learning more about the secrets hidden in these lands.

TRIGGER WARNING! Mention to attempted rape.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for fulfilling my wish and providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.