The Borealis Queen
In the vivid fantasy setting of The Borealis Queen, a warrior relies on her instincts and trusted companions as she comes into her own.
Set in a brutal prehistoric world, Henry Guard’s historical fantasy novel, The Borealis Queen, is a story of survival, tests of loyalty, and trials that forge legends.
From the beginning, Nin is alone. Enemy warriors captured her after killing the rest of her people, and the unforgiving, frozen landscape offers no chance of warmth or comfort. But she is no damsel in distress: with her trusty sling, a saber-toothed companion, and a pack of dire wolves, she breaks free and begins her journey across the treacherous tundra that crawls with wild beasts and other potential enemies. She’s honed her instincts since childhood, and a nebulous prophecy guides her. Friends lend her a hand along the way, but for the most part, it is up to her to put a stop to the injustice and transform into the queen she was always meant to be.
The narrative hits the ground running with an overthrown queen, backstabbing politicians, and the decimation of Nin’s community. As the plot unfolds, enemies arise one after the other, without time for the protagonists time to catch their breath. It slows down for more in-depth world-building, such as accounts of tribal structure and rituals or character backstories. There is also a glossary at the back of the book that lists the characters (animal and human), family ties, hierarchies, and allies, including their origins, the meanings of their names, and their functions within the story.
The world depicted in this story is as vivid as it is harsh, not to mention detailed and immersive. This goes for the perilous physical environment as well as the ancestral intuition that flows through the narrative much in the same way it is utilized by the characters that can wield it. The prevalence of auras and life forces serve as anchors, which ups the stakes for any who use it or can be affected by it.
But while the prose describing all of this is detailed and covers the key elements of what is happening or what there is to be imagined in a given part of the story, there is some repetitive language, including when it comes to setting the scene and in dialogue sequences. This approach gives more formulaic impressions of the world and the characters. The more violent parts of the book, on the other hand, tend to be intense, visceral, and fresh. Whether Nin is being dragged by the hair in the very first chapter or in another battle that occurs later on, these scenes are written not to disguise any of the inherent brutality, but to amplify it with raw, unflinching honesty.
Similarly, the characters and their relationships between other humans and even nature hide little about them as individuals. For example, Nin and Shadow, her saber-toothed companion known to some as the “Dagger Mouth Demon,” have a bond built on and nurtured by boundless trust, in which they continually save each other and underscore the idea that kindness can still be found even in the fiercest of individuals and in the most unlikely of circumstances. Romantic or platonic, the story revolves around partnerships and rivalries alike that are messy yet relatable.
Full of adventures, The Borealis Queen is a fantastical novel that tells a tale about a courageous and compassionate heroine facing impossible odds in a less than wondrous perpetual winter.
Reviewed by
Katelynn Watkins
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
