QUEEN BEE, by Amalie Howard, Random House Children’s, Joy Revolution, April 4, 2023, Hardcover, $18.99 (young adult)
A young woman seeks out retribution against a backstabbing former friend in Amalie Howard’s Queen Bee.
Lady Ela Dalvi knows the exact moment her life was forever changed — when her best friend, Poppy, betrayed her without qualm over a boy, the son of a duke. She was sent away in disgrace, her reputation ruined.
Nearly three years later, eighteen-year-old Ela is consumed with bitterness and a desire for . . . revenge. Her enemy is quickly joining the crème de la crème of high society while she withers away in the English countryside.
With an audacious plan to get even, Ela disguises herself as a mysterious heiress and infiltrates London’s elite. But when Ela reunites with the only boy she’s ever loved, she begins to question whether vengeance is still her greatest desire.
In this complicated game of real-life chess, Ela must choose her next move: Finally bring down the queen or capture the king’s heart? —Synopsis provided by Random House Children’s Joy Revolution
Queen Bee is billed as an anti-historical Regency-era tale that’s Bridgerton meets The Count of Monte Cristo. It’s an excellent comparison, though I’d also throw the television show Revenge in there as well. It’s a great mashup of the feel of the three, but written for a YA audience.
Told through alternating chapters featuring the past and present, Queen Bee unfolds in a delightful way. Each chapter brings new insight and interest. And this way of introducing background creates an air of mystery.
The principal player in Queen Bee is Ela, once a trusting soul whose heart was broken and life destroyed by a supposed friend who only cared about her own upward mobility. Ela is smart and strong and thinks she knows what she wants. But your heart and mind aren’t always in sync. Ela’s a strong protagonist that really carries the story. Supporting characters are well developed, although Poppy (the nemesis) feels a bit one note.
In Queen Bee, author Amalie Howard has created a believable world built on history but with a number of twists. You immediately feel at home in her world, and her own imaginings are grounded and feel natural.
Queen Bee is a fast, entertaining read that brings all the things people love about Regency fiction together with modern sensibilities. It’s great fun to read, and I hope the author is planning more in this genre.
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