Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT Epic #Poetry KINGS AND QUEENS by @jn_eagles

Today’s team review is from Jenni. She blogs here https://jenniferdebie.com/

Jenni has been reading Kings And Queens by J. N. Eagles

There is something familiar about J.N. Eagles’ Kings and Queens that I cannot quite seem to put my finger on.

Perhaps it reminds me of the sweeping, 19^th century epic poems- something along the lines of Byron’s Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, or Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

Possibly it is something older, sifted from the fragments Sappho or the uneven unfolding that is Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

Chances are, it is something in the middle, that I am hearing an echo of the medieval Breton lai in Eagles’ lines, reminiscent of Sir Orfeo, or Bisclavret.

Or, lastly, maybe, something much, much newer than any of these- like Max Porter’s melding of poetry and story in Grief is a Thing with Feathers.

Whatever lineage my subconscious keeps tripping over, it is obviously there. Eagles’ fairytale through poetry is obviously drawing on threads almost as old as story itself; kingdoms to be defended, thrones to be earned, dragons fought and tamed, selves discovered, and knights to be sacrificed, all time-honored and long-loved pieces of European lore.

There is magic in returning to the staples and reading them anew, and Eagles’ reinterpretation of the classics is just that, magical.

Grounded with a queen trying to find her own voice and place within her kingdom, and punctuated by beautiful pen and ink illustrations, Kings and Queens is marketed as coming of age poetry, likely geared towards younger readers, but is sure to be enjoyed by lovers of verse and story at any age.

4/5

Kings and Queens is a coming of age poetry book. The story follows a young queen as she struggles to find herself while dealing with the king’s rule, the fire-breathing dragon, and the evil queen.

AmazonUK | AmazonUS

Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT #Poetry Kings and Queens by @jn_eagles

Today’s team review is from Sue. She blogs here https://suelbavey.wordpress.com/

Sue has been reading Kings And Queens by J.N. Eagles

Kings and Queens is a fantastic fantasy poem, set in the kingdom of Benvolio and told exclusively from the point of view of the queen. We don’t learn the names of any of the characters.

It is an amusing rhyming poem about the life of a young queen who is mostly ignored by her power-hungry, unfaithful husband and how she reacts when her realm is beset by a dragon, due to the King’s greed:

“The beast had red scales
And sharp nails.
Its claws dug in the ground.
The knights were spellbound.
And as it crept nearby,
They shook at the dragon’s cry”

A knight comes to the castle and the queen falls in love with him and he reciprocates her love. The king has been cruel and neglectful to the queen, but when he hears rumors of their love from the nosy ladies-in-waiting, he becomes jealous, sending the knight out to fight the dragon.

The knight is compassionate and cannot kill the dragon, but instead he rides it back to the castle, where he presents it to the queen. She hopes that now she is the owner of a dragon this might make the court listen to her, since she has had precious little luck at making her voice heard at court so far. She had expected to be seen as an equal to the king, but that has been far from the case. She is frustrated that being queen is not enough to make her desires heard. Instead the king locks her up in a tower like a damsel in distress.

The dark queen attacks their land in retaliation for the loss of her husband, by the dragon, so the queen needs to find the courage to help defend her kingdom and eventually she manages, realising that she no longer needs a protector and can take care of herself, despite what the king has made her believe. She rides off to battle on her dragon, but unfortunately. tragedy strikes during the battle.

The young queen’s character has developed throughout the poem and she has become a much stronger person, able to command respect and beat her foes.

The poem is a quick but very enjoyable read and I look forward to hearing more from this author. I imagine an audio version would probably sound like a rap and I would quite like to hear that! In fact I can also imagine parents reading it out to their children like a rap. The poem is suitable for all ages.

Kings and Queens is a coming of age poetry book. The story follows a young queen as she struggles to find herself while dealing with the king’s rule, the fire-breathing dragon, and the evil queen.

AmazonUk | AmazonUS