Queen of Someday by Sherry D. Ficklin | Book Review #42

‘One girl will bring an empire to its knees….

Before she can become the greatest empress in history, fifteen-year-old Sophie will have to survive her social-climbing mother’s quest to put her on the throne of Russia–at any cost.

Imperial Court holds dangers like nothing Sophie has ever faced before. In the heart of St. Peters burg, surviving means navigating the political, romantic, and religious demands of the bitter Empress Elizabeth and her handsome, but sadistic nephew, Peter. Determined to save her impoverished family–and herself–Sophie vows to do whatever is necessary to thrive in her surroundings, but an attempt on her life and an unexpected attraction threatens to derail her plans. 

Alone in a new and dangerous world, learning who to trust and who to charm may mean the difference between becoming queen and being sent home in shame to marry her lecherous uncle. With traitors and murderers lurking around every corner, her very life hangs in the balance. Betrothed to one man but falling in love with another, Sophie will need to decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice in order to become the empress she is destined to be. 

In a battle for the soul of a nation, will love or destiny reign supreme?’

Queen of Someday; I believe, has some reviews saying that they really liked this book. I however, did not.

On a whim, I was online and was combing through the Young Adult section of my local library. I searched ‘Russia — Juvenile Fiction’ and the first book that came up was this one! Queen of Someday is a Historical Young Adult Fiction novel that -obviously- takes place in Russia.

In my opinion, Queen of Someday is a book that is better suited for those who have a love for history. I took a chance and read Queen of Someday. The synopsis gathered my attention, but beyond that, the story didn’t really hold my attention. Yeah, I finished the book, but I’m left with thinking, “That’s it? That’s all there is for this first book?”

A lot happened in Queen of Someday. There was a lot that didn’t happen though.

There are a few things I like about the story, but for the most part, I was left with a sour taste in my mouth.

This book is riddled with love triangles. Everywhere the book turned, someone was off having an affair with someone or another. That in itself is really bothersome to me.

Another thing that bothered me is that in the edition that I read, it was the Special Edition that was Digitally Enhanced. This Enhancement, I feel like really drew away from the story. At least, when I was reading it, it was challenging to actually stay focused to the story.

The reason why I generally stay away from Historical themed books is because of the way the characters talk. And the characters in Queen of Someday are exactly like that. The characters had the whole talk-in-pose-and-poetry thing down to a tee. Don’t get me wrong, they still talked “normally.” When writers write like that though, it just really bothers me. I also found that Queen of Someday was quite predictable, and downright cheesy (in a bad way; like blue-cheese. Sorry blue-cheese lovers!!).

Aside from that, Ficklin’s writing is clear and she pays attention to detail–which I like. The story flows easily and besides from all of the ‘woe-is-me’ing taking place, this book can be entertaining. And Queen of Someday is a quick read–which is great.

You can find Queen of Someday on GoodReads if you’d like to check it out. I’d like to think that if Queen of Someday took place in a more modern / futuristic setting, I would have liked this book more. But, hey! I gave this book a shot, and Queen of Someday just isn’t a right fit for me.

Thanks for reading! Until next time,
Adele