Review of Si’Empra’s Queen

[Precious Naiti]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Si'Empra's Queen" by Miriam Verbeek.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Si’Empra’s Queen is book three in the Songs of Si’Empra series. This book falls under the genres of adventure and fantasy fiction.

After Redel was conquered, Ellen became the new ruler of Si’Empra. The book follows the life of Ellen fifteen years after being the Queen of Si’Empra. Si’Empra comprises Skyseekers, Crystalmakers, and Cryptals. Cryptals live belowground and are as important as all the others that live aboveground but they insist on their privacy and prefer to be left uninterrupted. Ellen’s health has been deteriorating and she needs to train a successor. She had been helped by Cryptals when they gave her some mylin but they had made it clear that they would not give her more once it ran out. Ellen feels like she is working on a clock and time is running out, especially after an encounter with Sam who had been Overcome. She has made promises and plans to fulfill them with the time she has left. Ellen has a lot of information she wants to divulge before she dies. She takes Richard to the mountains as she had promised, to show him Rosa’s relatives. Rosa is a magnificent bird that belongs to Ellen. In the mountains, Richard is told a lot of things by Ellen and has encounters with the Others. Ellen and Richard together make some shocking discoveries. Meanwhile, Norm Tucker is back in Si’Empra and is plotting his revenge against Ellen. He manages to gain recognition from one of the high-ranking officials and makes it seem like he is back to help. Upon learning of his residence in Si’Empra, Ellen is shaken and feels he is up to no good. Norm manages to hurt Ellen in the worst way by coming after her family, her sister Chrystal in particular. Ellen is also looking for how to make vigirin and she later finds a book she lost thirty years prior with all the answers she had been looking for. In the end, Ellen reveals a shocking truth to Richard as to the nature of their relations.

I do not know where to start when it comes to the things I loved about this book. Miriam Verbeek is an amazing author. The characters were all sufficiently developed and relevant to the story. At one point I thought the characters were overly developed but it turns out, all the information given was necessary to the story and how it panned out. I loved the Chrystal character because I found her to be very relatable on my part. The way her fashion sense was described and her passion for art hit too close to home. The author discussed the light subjects and the darker ones, especially with this character. The issue of sibling rivalry was shown and how deep a hole one can dig themselves into by comparison with others. Suicide and abuse were shown in this book too and I felt like the author shed sufficient light on the topics. I also loved the humor in the book. The humor associated with Father Augustine was particularly funny especially when he was trying to speak English.

Some political issues were also put into play. The lessons taught showed how it is important for humans to not confuse sustainability with exploitation. In a world full of technology, humans are trying to explore everywhere and this is not always good as some communities prefer to be left undisturbed. The author showed this lesson throughout the book and gave a lot of valuable insights on the matter. I also found some of the expressions used to be quite amusing and creative. Of particular interest to me was the exclamation “BlackOne’s beard”. I laughed a little every time the expression was brought up. The lessons associated with The Telling were also fascinating and thought-provoking. The poems found throughout the book were interesting to read and I loved them because they gave a book a certain edge I appreciated since I am a fan of poetry. One more thing I found to be likable about this book are the descriptions offered. The author manages to paint a clear mental picture that makes it easier to follow the story and be completely engrossed in it. I also loved that the book can still be read by anyone who has not read the two books preceding it.

Unfortunately, I found several errors with the editing. It is with a heavy heart that I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. The editing was the only thing I disliked about this book.

I recommend all fiction fans to give this book a try. Anyone who loves adventure will find this book impressive and worth the read

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Si'Empra's Queen
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[NetMassimo]

This seems like an engaging fantasy novel that also includes some important issues that reminds of what's happening on Earth. I'll look into this series. Thank you for your great review!