Queen of the Conquered is a revenge-filled story centered around slavery, colonialism, corruption, privilege, and power. It takes place in the Caribbean and is full of so much sensory imagery that you will think you're there smelling all the spices and hearing everything. Our protagonist, Sigourney Rose, survived her wealthy family being massacred when she was a child and is now a woman and she is the only Black person in power on the islands. While she is free, and opposes slavery and the system that has made these islands prosperous, she has her own slaves. The plot has already thickened and you are just getting a glimpse into how complex Sigourney is. Is this an example of the oppressed becoming the oppressor? Sometimes she is full of her own self-loathing for playing part in the further suffering of her people, but she will then counterbalance and justify her actions by telling herself she has to do these things in order to sneak in correct the system and change the balance of power. Want to kick it up a notch? She has a gift called "kraft" which allows her to see peoples' thoughts and manipulate them into doing things that she wants. Yep-- everything just got even more heightened here! Traditionally on the island, any Black person who has the kraft is killed and the white people are allowed to maintain this divine-given magic. There are so many layers of oppression and slavery that exist.

There's quite a heavy story in this book, and I would have enjoyed it better for two things: pacing and naming. The pacing is slightly off in that sometimes I was super intrigued and other times I was mind-numbingly bored at some rambling. And throw in all of these names and locations that have so many similarities I found myself getting confused and zoning out and having to re-read a bit to grasp what was happening. This is definitely a solid read and the first in a duology... and it is one that I recommend! 4 stars!