A mediocre student and a disgraced champion is the sum of this book for me, and I loved it. Daleina is one of the best protagonists I have met in long time. I love she is not this all powerful, perfect, most gifted, etc character we usually see in books. She is mediocre but driven by a personal agenda, a quest to be the best—even though she knows at her core she will never be as good as her competition. Even through the self doubts that whisper from her mind, there is a core of steel and determination, and thread of stubbornness within her that I admire. It was easy to root for her and follow her story.

I also love that Mrs. Durst added so much female friendship in the book, even though the women were competitors for the same prize. The author also had me guessing how Dalenia would win the ultimate prize. Let me say that I was surprised by the end of the book how it was done. I wanted to stand up and give the author a standing ovation for doing a great job.

THE QUEEN OF THE BLOOD is filled with unusual but unique world building, action, and a touch of darkness. I can’t wait to the read the sequel.