A Queen in Hiding

by Sarah Kozloff

Overview

Debut author Sarah Kozloff offers a breathtaking and cinematic epic fantasy of a ruler coming of age in A Queen in Hiding first in the quartet of The Nine Realms series.

Four books. Four months. Nine Realms.

Readers will be able to binge this amazing fantasy series with beautiful interlocking art across the spines of all four books.

Orphaned, exiled and hunted, Cerulia, Princess of Weirandale, must master the magic that is her birthright, become a ruthless guerilla fighter, and transform into the queen she is destined to be.

But to do it she must win the favor of the spirits who play in mortal affairs, assemble an unlikely group of rebels, and wrest the throne from a corrupt aristocracy whose rot has spread throughout her kingdom.

The Nine Realms Series
#1 A Queen in Hiding
#2 The Queen of Raiders
#3 A Broken Queen March 2020
#4 The Cerulean Queen April 2020

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250168542
Publisher:	Tom Doherty Associates
Publication date:	01/21/2020
Series:	The Nine Realms , #1
Pages:	496
Sales rank:	177,049
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

SARAH KOZLOFF holds an endowed chair as a professor of film history at Vassar College. She worked in the film industry in both television and film before becoming a professor. A Queen in Hiding is her debut fantasy novel.

Editorial Reviews

10/14/2019

Spanning the course of 12 years, Kozloff’s sweeping debut fantasy, the first in the Nine Realms series, introduces a vast cast and an intricate universe. After a political betrayal, Queen Cressa of Weirandale is exiled. She joins her husband on the high seas, working to wipe out the threat of piracy as part of her long-term plan to retake the throne, and sends her eight-year-old daughter, Cerulia, into hiding with a common family who know the child as Wren. As the years pass, Wren develops the ability to communicate with animals and Cressa’s quest takes a tragic turn. Meanwhile, Weirandale’s regent, Matwyck, searches for the missing princess, seeing her as a threat. Elsewhere, a group of zealots from the kingdom of Oromondo invade their neighboring countries, leading to a guerilla war. This series opener is literary, ambitious, and epic in scope, but it is unclear how the disparate plot threads will connect, and the novel ends just as the story picks up. Readers will be left hooked but unsatisfied. Agent: Nell Pierce, Sterling Lord Literary.(Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for the Nine Realms quartet

“This author has turned epic fantasy into a binge reading experience that's worth our time.”—Fantasy Faction

“These books are better than Game of Thrones . . . becauase they are complete, and they are feminist as f***.” Greta Johnsen, host of Nerdette podcast


Praise for A Queen in Hiding

“This is a solid beginning to an ambitious saga of magic, intrigue, and heroism.”—Booklist

“Kozloff sets a solid stage with glimpses into other characters and nations while keeping the book together with a clear, propulsive plot. A new series starts off with a bang.”—Kirkus

“This series opener is literary, ambitious, and epic in scope.”—Publishers Weekly

“A deft and exciting beginning to what I am sure will be a really gorgeous saga of a girl coming to terms with her destiny.”—Melanie Rawn, author of the Exiles trilogy

“Crisp, action-packed setup that makes you impatient for more.”—Bookbub

“A breathtaking start to a new fantasy series that abounds in magic, backstabbing, and war. This is your new epic fantasy fix, right here.”—Beth Cato, author of Breath of Earth

“Sweeping in scope and unabashedly epic—Kozloff has written an instant classic, here. I can't wait for the next one.”—Auston Habershaw, author of Iron and Blood

“The worldbuilding is vast and the characters complex.”—Kristi Chadwick, Library Journal

“Rich textured world-building, fully realized characters and a story that had me turning pages late into the night. I’m hooked and can’t wait for the next book.”—Sally Wiener Grotta, author of The Winter Boy

From the Publisher

01/01/2020

DEBUT When Queen Cressa of Weirandale is betrayed in a political conspiracy, she is exiled. She joins her husband on the seas fighting pirates as a way to win back her country, placing her eight-year-old daughter, Cerulia, with a commoner family who call her Wren. Weirandale's Lord Regent Matwyck continues to search for the missing royals, hoping to prevent their possible return. As the years pass, Wren's talent to talk with animals grows, but she continues to stay hidden from Matwyck's search. Queen Cressa's quest to cull the pirates ends in tragedy, and the country of Oromondo begins to invade its neighbors as no queen with talent sits upon the throne. VERDICT While the worldbuilding is vast and the characters complex, the multiple points of view may cause some to get lost in this debut series opener. This is the first in a projected quartet that will publish through April 2020, giving readers hope for further action-filled plots and disparate story lines to come together.—Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Library Journal

2019-09-30
A queen and her young daughter are forced to separate and go into hiding when a corrupt politician tries to take over the kingdom.

Queen Cressa of Weirandale is worried about her 8-year-old daughter, the "princella" Cerúlia. The people of Weirandale worship a water spirit, Nargis, who grants each queen a special gift called a Talent. Cressa herself is able to meddle with memories, for example, and her mother possessed supernatural strategic abilities that served her well in battle. Cerúlia, however, appears to have none, because surely her insistence that she can talk to animals is only her young imagination running wild. When Cerúlia's many pets warn her about assassins creeping into the royal chambers, the girl is able to save herself and her mother. Cressa uses her Talent, which actually extends to forcing anyone to tell her the truth, to root out traitors among the aristocracy, led by the power-hungry Lord Matwyck. Fearing for her daughter's life and her own, Cressa takes Cerúlia and flees. Thinking Cerúlia will be safer away from her mother, Cressa takes the girl to a kind peasant family and adjusts their memories so they believe Cerúlia is their adopted daughter. Kozloff's debut is the first of four Nine Realms books, and Tor plans to publish them over just four months. Luckily, the series opener is a strong start, so readers will be grateful for the short wait before Book 2. Kozloff sets a solid stage with glimpses into other characters and nations while keeping the book together with a clear, propulsive plot.

A new series starts off with a bang.

Kirkus Reviews