The Queen of Blood (Queens of Renthia Series #1)

by Sarah Beth Durst

Overview

Everything has a spirit: the willow tree with leaves that kiss the pond, the stream that feeds the river, the wind that exhales fresh snow…

But the spirits that reside within this land want to rid it of all humans. One woman stands between these malevolent spirits and the end of humankind: the queen. She alone has the magical power to prevent the spirits from destroying every man, woman, and child. But queens are still only human, and no matter how strong or good they are, the threat of danger always looms.

Because the queen’s position is so precarious, young women are specially chosen to train as her heirs. Daleina, a seemingly quiet academy student, simply wants to right the wrongs that have befallen the land. Meanwhile, the disgraced champion Ven has spent his exile secretly fighting against the growing number of spirit attacks. When Daleina and Ven join forces, they embark on a treacherous quest to find the source of the spirits’ restlessness—a journey that will force them to stand against both enemies and friends to save their land…before it’s bathed in blood.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062474094
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	04/25/2017
Series:	Queens of Renthia Series , #1
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	111,290
Product dimensions:	4.10(w) x 6.70(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Sarah Beth Durst is the award-winning author of sixteen fantasy books for adults, teens, and kids, including The Queens of Renthia series, Drink Slay Love, and The Stone Girl’s Story. She won an ALA Alex Award and a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and has been a finalist for SFWA's Andre Norton Award three times. She is a graduate of Princeton University, where she spent four years studying English, writing about dragons, and wondering what the campus gargoyles would say if they could talk. Sarah lives in Stony Brook, New York, with her husband, her children, and her ill-mannered cat. For more information, visit her at sarahbethdurst.com.

Editorial Reviews

Thrilling--heartrending--enchanting--absolutely un-put-down-able!

Tamora Pierce

Durst dives into adult fantasy with thrilling results.

Shelf Awareness - Starred Review

The Queen of Blood is full of rich tension from the opening scene to the nail-biting finale.

Jeff Wheeler

Wow, girl! What a great story! A truly wonderful fantasy novel which doubles as an allegory for our own earthly struggle between Man and Nature. Filled with fresh ideas and excitement, told with verve and heart. This book deserves a wide readership, and I think it will find one.

Terry Brooks

Durst dives into adult fantasy with thrilling results.

Shelf Awareness -- Starred Review

★ 07/25/2016
Mythopoeic Award–winner Durst (Chasing Power) launches her Queens of Renthia series with a stellar and imaginative tale. In the fantasy world of Renthia, spirits—tangible magical beings associated with the four elements—would destroy all humans if it weren’t for the queen, a powerful chosen ruler who can control them. When a group of spirits destroys an outlying village, young Daleina chases them off and discovers that she has the power to potentially be a queen one day. After training for years at the academy, she comes under the tutelage of Ven, a disgraced champion (and former lover) of the current queen, Fara, and they work to make Daleina stronger as it becomes more apparent that Fara might be losing control of the spirits. Durst ably dispenses with tropes of the genre, zooming through the standard “young magician at the academy” plot to focus on Daleina’s growth as both a person and a potential queen. In addition to a solid cast of characters and great political intrigue, Durst delivers some fascinating worldbuilding, and the spirits are malevolent, cunning, wild, and mysterious antagonists. Agent: Andrea Somberg, Harvey Klinger. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Durst dives into adult fantasy with thrilling results.

Shelf Awareness — Starred Review

★ 07/01/2016
The universe is made of living things, and spirits reside in the trees, the wind, and the water. However, the spirits are not fond of the humans who encroach on their lands and would destroy them all but for the queen, the sole person who can control the undead. Still, the queen is human, with weaknesses like everyone else. To ensure the spirits stay bound, young women who show some magical powers are chosen to attend the academy and become the queen's heirs. Daleina, who saved her family when the rest of her village was struck down by spirits, knows that her magic isn't substantial and that the throne is out of her reach. As spirit attacks become more frequent, Daleina joins with the disgraced champion Ven to figure out why the invasions are increasing. If they are unable to stand strong against the oncoming forces, their land will fall under a siege of darkness, death, and blood. The captivating characters will draw readers into a world of magic and intrigue and keep them wanting more. VERDICT Durst, an award-winning YA author (Vessel) and three-time Andre Norton Award finalist, presents a thrilling beginning to a sweeping series about searching for sovereignty and truth in order to save one's land.—KC

Library Journal

2016-08-17
In the first of a new fantasy series by Durst (The Girl Who Could Not Dream, 2015, etc.), a woman with apparently weak magical abilities but exceptional smarts and determination competes to rule her land.Aratay is a land where all the villages and even the cities are improbably built among the tree branches. This closeness to nature has its extreme downside, as the forest is swarming with wood, earth, water, air, and ice spirits whose deepest instinct is to exterminate humans. Paradoxically, the spirits are also compelled to forfeit some of their power to the queen they select, allowing that single human to control them all and forestall their more destructive tendencies. But is the current queen, Fara, losing that control? In spite of the queen, spirits slaughtered the village of Greytree—everyone but the family of Daleina, who revealed an affinity toward the spirits and managed to hold them off. Years later, Daleina begins training to become one of the queen’s potential heirs but cannot match the magical strength of her fellow candidates. Nevertheless, her drive and intelligence attract the disgraced Champion Ven, Queen Fara’s former lover, who hones the young woman’s skills and in the process discovers Fara’s terrible secret. There are plenty of fantasy bildungsromans that chronicle how a plucky young woman develops her unconventional magic in time to save everyone, and those even mildly familiar with the trope will foresee several aspects of the plot. However, it’s rare for a tale like this to have such an incredibly high body count or to force the protagonist to make the dark choices Daleina must. The overriding message—that great strength administered without heed for the consequences is inferior to the ability to intelligently apply a smaller amount of power—has also been shared before, but this is a particularly effective (if bloody) dissemination. Enough substance to break from the pack; here’s hoping that future volumes pull even farther ahead.

Kirkus Reviews

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