**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**The Queen's Rising is the first book in a new, Young Adult Fantasy series by the same name, from author Rebecca Ross. I was immediately drawn in to this book. The cover is stunning, and the summary really grabbed me. I love the idea of young adults studying one of five passions and getting a patron to help them learn their craft. It all felt very Renaissance to me, which is a time period I have always been fascinated by. Plus, I knew there was also going to be magic and politics and all of that fun stuff that I crave in fantasy worlds. And I have to say, The Queen's Rising was excellent!

The Queen's Rising focuses on our young main character, Brienna. She doesn't have an immediately apparent aptitude for one of the passions and she doesn't end up getting a patron until later in the game than most young adults her age. This, coupled with some other surprising things that happen to her

Her visions, that ultimately had the dowager select a special (secret) patron for Brienna.

, set her off on a journey of secrets and adventure. I was totally invested in Brienna's story. It started off really strong and honestly, it just kept getting better and better as her adventure progressed and as we met more and more characters and were given more information. I will hold off my opinion on the romance until the next book. I liked it well enough, but more on that to come after I read book 2. 

Rebecca Ross did a great job building out the world in The Queen's Rising. There are several different countries, each with a different history and different political features to consider how they fit into the greater plot line. I loved learning about all the different countries and the different families in said countries. They all came together to form a very vivid world. One I can't wait to visit again in the next book. Sometimes the characters are what calls me back to read more, and sometimes it is the world and the plot. Here, even though I really loved the characters, I do have to say the writing, the world and plot were the big winners for me. I can't wait to find out where the next novel is going to take us. I hope this series is a long one!

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs