Queen of Faces

Reviews

• Melissa

  Finished February 19, 2026

  more of a 3.5 rounded up! interested to see where this series goes thank you to macmillian's children's publishing group for the eARC! ... Anabelle Gage is trapped in a male body, and it's rotting from the inside out. I was hooked right away by the concept and the beginning of this book but it didnt keep my interest with constant action and pov switches, which i recognize as a me problem- actions scenes generally make me go a little cross-eyed and i just have to plow through and pray nothing pivotal happens until the end/whoever wins body horror fans would probably laugh at me calling this body horror but it was still too much for me. i also didnt love how the last 20ish percent became very expositiony with villians monologuing. this was definitely unique and i think if i had been in the mood for this kind of book it would have hit so hard. the concept of bodies as nothing more than chassis was really intriguing and the magic system was was really cool! i asked my library to buy the audiobook because i've heard great things and it might work better for me on a reread because i do plan to read book 2!

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• Criddle

  Finished April 9, 2026

  This had such an interesting concept from the start! I enjoyed how this leaned into the idea of bodies just as a chassis or home for a pith or 'soul'. It really tackled a lot of heavy topics on identity and made them into something easy to digest and actually enjoyable to read, rather than sitting with harsh, complex topics that are overwhelming. The worldbuilding felt immersive without being too dense, with a slightly post-apocalyptic eerie feel to it. The blend of ruins from a long lost civilization and newer structures felt dreamlike at times. The magic system was familiar but took a unique spin on how it was acquired/used. The character building was done well, however, the swapping of POVs was a bit hectic imo. I often enjoy multi-POV stories but here it sometimes disrupted the flow. t I feel like this could have been done a bit better for cohesion. Overall, I definitely recommend this to anyone interested in a fantasy story with strong trans/queer representation and thoughtful themes. I'm already looking forward to seeing where the story goes in book 2! Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

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• Sarah 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿📚

  Finished April 23, 2026

  4.25 stars This was a really unique story and by the end, I was really excited to get into the sequel which is out Jan 2027. I got Six of Crows vibes from this book from the teenage found family but it is still its own story. I found there were some weaknesses in the world building and magic system. However, the characters, the relationships and overall story more than made up for it. There is the tiniest speck of romance in this, which I'm sure will progress in the sequel but I'm glad it wasn't deeply rooted in romantic relationships, instead focusing on family and friends. I love how this book flips gender identity on its head and the construct behind gender. It was beautifully done. Lastly, Kaplen 😭😭😭😭

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