Review of The Queen of Xana

[Wesley Friday]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Queen of Xana" by Fred Pilcher.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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A fairy tale is for kids. But when you throw the word “adult” in front of fairy tale, you give rise to a whole new concept. This concept explores more in-depth issues than just a happy ending, and is exactly what Fred Pilcher set out to do. Set in the mythical land of Xana, it follows the story of Princess Agatha, who later becomes Queen Agatha of Xana.

Born into royalty and blessed by her fairy godmother, Princess Agatha enjoyed a life of material abundance as well as a strong moral and intellectual upbringing. But much unlike her and behind the walls of the castle, Princess Agatha’s future subjects were languishing in poverty and illiteracy as the aristocrats too advantage of them.

Upon being exposed to the poor standard of living of her people, Princess Agatha is incensed. Her raw shock is transformed into a passion to change the lives of her people. But she is already faced with several insurmountable challenges. One of those is the aristocracy who govern with her mother and their fierce resistance to her radical propositions.

Even though she is not in a position to change the lives of the common people, Princess Agatha makes an attempt to ease their pain. She spends a portion of every part of her day visiting the people and helping them in the least possible ways she can.

Princess Agatha is thrust into her role as a queen when a catastrophic event befalls the kingdom. As Queen Agatha of Xana, will she be able to turn things around for her people and realize her idealistic visions?

I would give The Queen of Xana a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. The novel lived up to the expectation of being an “adult fairy tale”. The major characters had specific goals that they had to achieve and which were known by the readers; these met the basic structure of fairy tales. The author went beyond these goals rooted in fantasy to blend the more realistic and pressing societal issues with this fairy tale format.

One thing I found positive about The Queen of Xana was how the author thematically tackled real world problems through the form of this said “adult fairy tale.” The author discussed important issues such as democracy, education, social class and inequality through the eyes of an idealistic main character in a genre which allows for the fulfillment of impossibilities.

I absolutely enjoyed The Queen of Xana so much that I do not have any negative aspects to report about it.

I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves fairy tales. Also, individuals who have a passion for social justice will definitely enjoy this novel. Due to certain scenes and references to nudity, I would recommend this book to adult readers only. The book was well edited but contained a few grammatical and typographical errors.

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The Queen of Xana
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[Joy C]

Purpose and goals are necessary for any form of achievements in life, and this book seems tobportray that through it's characters. I hope this "adult fairy tale" does have a happy ending. Thanks for your review.

[Aisha Yakub]

An adult fairy tale? Now, that's exciting. I should be checking this book out. Thank you for your review

[Jodeci 007]

This seems like an interesting fairytale story. Princess Agatha's character is already admirable from reading this review, and I look forward to reading this book.

[Oyedele Tomijane]

It must be quite an ordeal to be in a position of power and yet you cannot aid those you want to. Thanks for the review.