Review will be posted to GoodReads and StoryGraph closer to publication date, per publisher request.

Queen of None follows Anna Pendragon, the sister to King Arthur (yes that one) through some of the earlier years of Arthur’s reign. Anna, prophesied from birth to be forgotten by every man, has lived her life in the shadows. Married perilously young to secure an alliance, she is recently widowed and returning to Carelon (Camelot) as a much jaded woman. She find the court around her much changed from her youth, and must learn to navigate her place among its most cunning denizens.

Anna’s story shows us a side of King Arthur’s court that often gets left out of the myths: the story of the women in the background. Even the women who have survived to be part of the legend are known only for their place in Arthur’s tale. In this story, we get an exploration of how these women moved in a court that isn’t willing or able to see them as anything more than pawns. Reminiscent of Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls, Queen of None makes these well known characters into people, with motivations far beyond one man and his legacy.

This is primarily a story about power. The power that we take, and the power we don’t even notice we have. Anna is a compelling, flawed, and heartbreakingly familiar protagonist. Her fight to control a fate that does not belong to her, her desperation to cling to anything that makes her feel free, her complicated relationships with those she loves, all feel entirely real. I particularly liked the way the story highlighted that well meaning characters continued to do harm, and that villains and heroes are all simply people making whatever choices they feel they must.

As a recommendation, if you’re looking for high fantasy, this isn’t the book for you. While the magic is deeply ingrained into this book and is a major aspect of the plot, the story feels more like a historical fiction/women’s fiction novel. The magic is more of a tool than a central component of the story.

Additionally, if you have to agree with your protagonist, maybe give this one a pass. I love Anna as a protagonist, but she makes some truly horrifying decisions in this book. Whether those decisions were justified is part of the debate, but if you need your protagonist flawless, this is not the story for you.

eARC provided by NetGalley and Rebellion Publishing in exchange for my honest review

Queen of None had me hooked on page one. Modern Arthurian Fantasy with all your well remembered characters of yore… plus Anna-the forgotten Pendragon. Watching Anna develop across the pages and transcending time is riveting from Queen to Princess, Mother then Lover. More than a story of a mother it is a story of revenge and a woman of survival. In addition to the original plot, you’ll find you look forward to every new “look” at court as Natania writes in such detail that you’ll find yourself envious and seeking to recreate her spectacular imaginings.

A unique take on King Author and his knights from his sister Anna's point a view. The plot was engaging and gives a unique perspective in a popular tale. If you are into Arthurian retellings you must pick up this book.

As someone who never really knew about Arthur Pendragon I just thought this would be a good read. I enjoyed learning about Aruther in passing, he wasn't the main focus, but instead, a side focus as he is the main character's twin sibling. I think this book really captures the brutality of court, and how women in court are represented, as mainly a pawn to be sold off to secure land or titles.

I did find the timeline and pacing of the book a little difficult to follow and while the concept and story were interesting I didn't love this book as much as I was hoping to.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review

Queen of None by Natania is a re telling or Arthurian Lore as seen through the eyes of a woman at court, specifically a woman destined to be forgotten.

I was immediately drawn in by the premise and kept captive by the intrigue of our leading lady's hidden magic.

This story will be a good read for fans of the BBC show Merlin that never quite found a way for their heart to leave Camelot.

As a fan of Arthurian legends, I immediately wanted to read this book. A tale of Arthur but from the perspective of a woman at court? Yes, please! Anna's life is pretty much what you expect - a woman who does whatever she is told, including marrying someone she didn't select for herself at an extremely young age. What she went through at the hands of Lot was pretty apparent from the start, but she divulges more as the story moves forward. Anna's relationships with those around her after she returns to Carelon are interesting, but also sad. She cannot connect with her sons after her second marriage and things certainly fall apart from there. The power she ultimately discovers within her allows to her to have some level of control over herself and her life, even if no one has any inkling that she is behind it. But the use of this power and magic has a cost, and Anna soon learns that.
I love tales of magic, merlin, and court intrigue, and I couldn't put this one down as it got going. I needed to know what would happen to Anna and her family. I will definitely be continuing with this series. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book.

This reminds me of the myth of Cassandra set in Arthurian times revolving around the unknown sister of King Arthur. Her travels and suffrage from being used as a pawn in the games of men and her female rage is beautiful.

I was really excited about this, and intrigued by the Arthurian legend side of it, but unfortunately it felt a little flat in the development side, and the magic felt a bit out of place with how it came in. Saying that, the uniqueness of this book was intriguing and had me enjoying it.

This was FABULOUS!!

Anna stole my heart, she was such a captivating character with such a gorgeous and heart-breaking story.

As an avid lover of The Once and Future King, I find good Arthur retellings to be few and far between.

This one is for sure one of my favorites.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was fabulous Arthur retelling, from a different point of view which I loved. I also loved the fact the characters were all diffent ages and not all really young.

If you like a book with magic, personal growth and fate this is a book for you.

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for this.

I really enjoy stories set during/ inspired by Arthurian legend. Generally I do tend to like books with this setting. They’re not all winners, but this one was.

This takes a really interesting approach by following Arthur’s lesser known sister Anna. Anna is sent off to marry King Lot of Orkney at 12 years old and is also prophesied to always be forgotten. We meet Anna 20 years after her marriage when following her husband’s death, she returns to her brother’s court. Anna is continually treated as a pawn, used by the men in her life to further their own ends. This story shows when she has had enough and chooses to influence her own destiny.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, it was a unique take on a theme we’re seeing a lot of books of lately (Arthurian stories told from the female characters’ perspectives). It was well-paced, gripping and I was heavily invested in Anna’s success.

I was really excited about the premise of this book and there were some great moments, especially learning the Arthurian legend through another POV, however I wanted more. This had the opportunity to be so much richer but the character development was very surface, the pacing was off and there were many contradictions in the magic system, timeline and character emotions that I found hard to reconcile. Thank you for the e-arc.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange of an honest review!

“‘Anna Briallen Carys Pendragon. Through all the ages, and in the hearts of men, you will be forgotten.’

My prophecy. My burden. My curse.”


Well, this was a ride. This book follows the journey of Gwenhwyfar, a character from Arthurian legend. The author reimagines Anna Pendragon’s story, exploring her struggles and choices in a world where magic, politics, and destiny intertwine. As Ana goes against challenges and embraces her own agency, the plot unfolds with a mix of intrigue, magical elements and personal growth. While I struggled to get into the plot for the first half of the book, by the second half i was submerged into its themes of power, identity, and the consequences of the character’s choices. The way the author writes is amazing and I only have myself to blame for struggling for the first half. I will definitely continue the Queens of Fate series and am excited to see how the other stories unfold.

Thank you to Natania Barron and NetGalley for giving me an e-ARC of this book.

When Anna Pendragon was born, Merlin prophesied: Through all the ages, and in the hearts of men, you will be forgotten.

Married at twelve, and a mother soon after, Anna - the famed King Arthur's sister - did not live a young life full of promise, myth, and legend. She bore three strong sons and delivered the kingdom of Orkney to her brother by way of her marriage. She did as she was asked, invisible and useful for her name, her status, her dowry, and her womb.

Twenty years after she left her home, Anna returns to Carelon at Arthur's bidding, carrying the crown of her now-dead husband, Lot of Orkney. Past her prime and confined to the castle itself, she finds herself yet again a pawn in greater machinations and seemingly helpless to do anything about it. Anna must once again face the demons of her childhood: her sister Morgen, Elaine, and Morgause; Merlin and his scheming Avillion priests; and Bedevere, the man she once loved. To say nothing of new court visitors, like Lanceloch, or the trouble concerning her own sons.

Carelon, and all of Braetan, is changing, though, and Anna must change along with it. New threats, inside and out, lurk in the shadows, and a strange power begins to awaken in her. As she learns to reconcile her dark gift, and struggles to keep the power to herself, she must bargain her own strength, and family, against her ambition and thirst for revenge.

I love this book. I read many Arthurians retellings and this one has unique take on it. Being told by Arthur's sister. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

I'd give this a 4.5!

This was a really lush reimagining of Arthurian legend (not that I'm overly familiar with it) and I had a lot of fun reading this book. Our POV character, Anna, is a breath of fresh air after reading some books lately with fairly 2D protagonists. Anna is a mature voice with sense and wit, who has been through a lot since her marriage as a young girl that has made her a uniquely compelling character. I could have stayed in her head forever. She's the sister of King Arthur Pendragon, returned to his side after the death of her husband. I really enjoyed seeing her figuring out her own latent magic after years of being on the sidelines and not in control of her own fate, whilst navigating court and family life.

I will say I was going to give this book a 5, but the ending seemed slightly rushed to me and a little confusing. Anna's magical transformation was a biiiiig arc but we don't see most of it until the last third or so of the book, which goes by too fast. A certain character is also introduced who plays really interestingly off of Anna. I'd have liked to have seen this character introduced earlier so we could see their relationship evolve at a more realistic pace.

That being said, it's not often I feel totally transported by the world of a book, but this one managed to do just that. Descriptions were vivid and prosaic but not over the top, and several interesting characters, in particular the infamous Morgen, are introduced and I am really hoping we get to see more of them (or even their POV?!) in future instalments.

Thank you, NetGalley and Natania Barron for this eARC. All opinions that are stated are my own.

I will probably be one of the few readers coming into this book knowing <i> nothing </i> about Arthur Pendragon I just thought this would be a good read. It really was, I enjoyed this book a lot, especially the first two-thirds. I enjoyed learning about Aruther in passing, he wasn't the main focus, but instead, a side focus as he is the main character's twin sibling. I think this book really captures the brutality of court, and how women in court are represented, as mainly a pawn to be sold off to secure land or titles. It's disheartening to watch all of Arthur's siblings get the same fate, to be married off very young to ensure good relations with other lands. Women are very often overlooked, seen as jewels to be shown off, and then cast aside when they become older.

The latter third of the book was not my favorite. The idea of Nimue and taking down of Merlin with all this, magic that really wasn't introduced in the book felt out of place. Maybe I missed the introduction of it all, but it really came out of left field to me. Like what do you mean the sister of Arthur can pull shadows??? How was she the only one who didn't really know about the family's magic except in passing? Anna really went from subtle pulling of shadows to magically changing her body into an entirely different person.
While the book was never lighthearted, the tone significantly changed when magic was introduced, becoming much darker with the magic taking a painful sacrifice and basically dissolving Anna into a shell of herself. I don't really feel like it fit, or there should or been a more gradual introduction.

The book was a bit choppy, highlighting certain moments and skipping huge passages of time. I'm not a huge fan when authors do this, especially throughout the whole book because it feels like we never see the full picture.

But overall, I enjoyed this book and the author's writing.

I went into this with zero expectations and ended up loving it. I literally devoured this book it was so good. Not a typical story by any means so unique with an amazing cast of characters, beautiful writing and an engaging plot.

Queen of None is a retelling of the legend of King Arthur through the eyes of his forgotten sister, Anna Pendragon. As a long-time fan of Arthurian stories I really enjoyed the concept and the different take on the stories we already know. However I did find the timeline and pacing of the book a little difficult to follow and while the concept and story were interesting I didn't love this book as much as I was hoping to. But if you enjoy fantasy/ folklore stories this might be something you'll enjoy!

This was such a delightful twist on the classic Arthurian legends we all know. Told from the point-of-view of Arthur’s younger sister Anna, we see the struggles of the women court while the men focus on starting wars, competing in tournaments, and obtaining the objects of their lust.

I cried so much for Anna throughout as it seemed every single chance at happiness was ripped away by the men surrounding her. You definitely feel a sense of female empowerment camaraderie as Anna begins to take control of her own destiny and no longer allowing men to make her choices.

I really enjoyed the villainizing of Merlin. He felt so much more like Arthur’s Rasputin, and it gave me such a sense of satisfaction when Anna rose up against him.

This was definitely an intriguing telling, and almost a cautionary tale about allowing others to write our destinies.

This is not a romance and shouldn't be marketed as one. It was more (mythological) historical fiction and gave me similar vibes to Phillipa Gregory's The White Princess.


That being said, I did enjoy the novel. I'd never heard of Anna Pendragon so it was an interesting take on Arthurian legend. I appreciated the author's educational foreword.

I was uncomfortable at times with the references to incest towards the end of the book, which were completely unexpected.