Queen of Madness
Lee Jacquot
Publication Date: January 4, 2022
★★★★☆
In Seattle, two mafia families fight to tip the scales of power. Cards have been dealt, shots have been taken, and sometimes civilians are collateral damage.
Ezekiel watches his sister make poor choices and he fights to protect her. He makes a deal to a mafia lord to pay her debt, and he finds himself embroiled in a vicious plot. He starts work as a guard for the ever elusive and legendary Onyx Embros. He is determined to stay on task - find out her secrets and expose her weaknesses - but he soon finds out that he is in for a rough ride.
I feel like I've walked through Lee's author journey for the past few months. Starting with her Emerald Falls series (you can read my reviews HERE and HERE) that settles into the fun and sometimes chaotic lives of high school students morphing into adults, I then moved into her very short but steamy and corporate-themed Christmas novella Christmas on the Thirteenth Floor. Now we're here with her newest release which is a bit more mature but oh so enjoyable.
First, can we talk about this stunning cover? They never disappoint, but this one definitely takes the cake!
One thing I must applaud Lee for is the way she is able to write amazingly powerful women. In the Emerald Falls series, she brings the strength but also the vulnerability. In Queen of Madness, she comes in extremely strong with Onyx Embros - a girl who has grown from her trauma and become this QUEEN of a woman in complete control of her universe.
Queen of Madness it the first novel in the Wicked Wonderland duet and - you guessed it - there are subtle hints to Alice in Wonderland throughout. Set in Seattle, this book tells the story from multiple perspectives: Onyx, the elusive mafia queen; Ezekiel, a brother trying to save his family; Maddy, a girl saved and protected by Onyx; Kilo, a mysterious member of the Embros group (and a few others).
If you've read any of her other series, you know the spice happens early and often; with Queen of Madness, there is a great deal of plot building before you get to the good stuff. Through a series of flashbacks throughout the novel, bits and pieces of Onyx's past come to light as you begin to build your assumptions and suspicious around her. Through the multiple perspectives, you get more context from outside sources as what makes this mafia queen tick. Please note that this book is not for the weak of heart; it deals with very strong and real-world subjects. I strongly advise that you review trigger warnings before diving in.
TRIGGER WARNINGS
I won't go too in depth about the plot, partially because this book ends on a HUGE cliffhanger and I don't want to detract from the buildup to such a phenomenal - and frustrating - ending. I say "frustrating" because I have to wait for the second book and I don't wanna!!!
I think one of the things I like most is the fact that it's based in the Pacific North West. As a PNWer, I always feel a tad left out in the book world, simply because everything either happens down in Cali or on the other side of the continent entirely. Now, if she could write a series in Canada, that'd make this little Canuck heart happy.
Also the spice. THE SPICE. Let's just say that when I read her books it usually leaves my husband questioning why I'm suddenly dragging him to the bedroom. This one brings more sophisticated spice to the page, as the characters are older but are also unwilling to relinquish control to each other. The more intimate scenes begin to break barriers around them, accessing hidden vulnerability, which is immediately discarded as the events end. Add a power structure (bodyguard and his charge) and it immediately becomes a battle for dominance. Very well done.
This was definitely a great book to end my 2021 reading year. Now, when is the next one out? We don't even know that yet!
Kommentare