Your basic B material fantasy story.
Plot: Keeley is a gentle giant who loves only family, animals, and her forge. Then the Old King, liked by no one, dies, and the whole country is thrown into turmoil as his sons fight for the crown. While the crown does technically pass by blood, there is also a coven of witches who sometimes announce the name of the new ruler. And in this case, the witches have named Keeley’s introverted sister Beatrice. A small gang of centaur warriors have been sent to their small town to bring the new Queen to the witches to confirm their prediction, and Keeley of course insists on coming along. Shenanigans ensue.
If you are absolutely dying for a fantasy story and don’t want to re-read something but anything will do, this is the book for you. The world is generic and its inhabitants doubly so. When I say plot points are telegraphed, let’s just point out that the shocking revelation that the only female blacksmith in the story being predicted to become the next queen (aka the literal title of this book) is nearly halfway though the book. The Bad Guys are cartoon villains and the Good Guys are incorruptible saints. Dialogue veers wildly from trying to stay true to the Middle Ages aesthetic and early 2000’s slang (either of which would have been fine, but the lack of consistency really took me out of the story).
This is one of those stories that I think would have worked much better as a screenplay, because I think a cast of charismatic, talented actors could make this a fun 9o minute movie in the spirit of the 2011 Your Highness, but as a full length fantasy novel, it was beyond a slog.
