Jus got a great review for The Hencha Queen from Estora at Queer Sci Fi!
Genre: Sci-Fantasy, Romance Sub-Plot
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay, Bisexual, Intersex
Reviewer: Estora
Universal Buy Link
About The Book
SILYA COMES INTO HER OWN, BUT WILL SHE BE ENOUGH?
Silya finally has everything she always wanted. She’s the Hencha Queen, head of the Temple, and is working to master her newfound talents. So why does the world pick now to fall apart?
Her once-nemesis Raven is off riding dragons, and their mutual friend (and her ex) Aik is nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, a new threat menaces the Heartland from the East, and if she can’t convince a reluctant Gullton city council to prepare for the worst, she may lose everyone and everything she’s ever cared about.
As she uses her magic-like abilities, wit and sheer determination to try to save the city, she’s joined by Raven and his new friends. Will their help tip the scales? And will they finally find out what happened to Aik as a dark storm threatens to sweep them all away?
Forget messy. Things just got apocalyptic.
The Review
This review contains spoilers for the first and second books of the Tharassas Cycle (The Dragon Eater and The Gauntlet Runner respectively), so if you haven’t read the first two books in the series, go and read them now!
J. Scott Coatsworth’s innovative Tharassas Cycle takes a darker and more anxiety-inducing turn in The Hencha Queen, the third book in the series. Our main trio are still scattered, though they are all each supported by an ever-expanding and interesting array of characters in the nerve-wracking build up to an impending disaster that none of them seem to be ready for – let alone even understand.
I was delighted that Raven and Silya, once rivals and now close friends, managed to reunite after a great deal of trials and tribulations. They are now working together to prepare for the apocalypse. Raven has grown so much since his first appearance as a lowly thief, and Silya has matured and has fully embraced her role and destiny as the Hencha Queen. Meanwhile, Aik continues on his possessed mission towards Anghar Mor, a place that I mentally called “Tharassas Mordor” as he draws ever closer towards the spore mother. Aik’s journey in this book STRESSED ME OUT – in a good way! We the readers can see the impending disaster looming before him, but like all tragic heroes, he’s locked in on a course and I truly fear the worst for him.
My favourite part of this series is unquestionably the worldbuilding. With each revelation – particularly through the little AI companion “Spin”, whose past comes into full focus – we learn more about the world and pieces of the puzzle begin to slide into place. I particularly love it when Spin does or says sci-fi stuff in front of the cast who have been raised in what they think is a fantasy environment. Coatsworth’s love for the greats in the genre is on full display, with particular homage to Anne McCaffrey.
But I must also give a notable mention to my favourite secondary characters: Triya, Silya’s sharp-tongued no-nonsense mother; the guard Kerrick, Silya’s love interest, who gets his own arc in this book; Jai, a fellow verent-rider and friend of Raven; and Desla, Aik’s travelling companion and a brilliant and sharp young woman who is doing her best to protect Aik from the elements – and from himself.
And finally… THAT ENDING! Thank goodness the series is already completed – otherwise I’d be furious to have to wait for the final installment. I’m excited (but nervous) to find out how this will all end.
The Reviewer
Estora is a long-time reader and writer of LGBT+ speculative fiction.