Nameless Queen by Rebecca McLaughlin Review

Nameless Queen by Rebecca McLaughlin is a solid YA book - having just finished it five minutes ago, I'd give it a 6.5/10. In a genre of magical kings and queens ruling over kingdoms, this had a refreshing element of realistic activism and rebellion while calling into question how powerful a name itself is. The characters were sparse, but entertaining. Esther especially was developed in a realistic way. However, it seemed rather dull and uninspiring at points.

First let's discuss the good things. The connection to the current homeless plight in big cities (everywhere, really) was as clear as could be. Our main character, who goes by Coin, lives as Nameless, the lowest caste: they aren't given names at birth. The Nameless must steal and con to stay alive, not having a place to live or jobs available. Although this is forced on them, Coin is 'born' into this life, an orphan at birth. The only way to be Nameless is to be born into the life or exiled by the sovereign. Clearly, this 'Nameless' caste is an allusion to the homeless. Coin's goal throughout the novel is to find a way to help the Nameless, namely (that's one hell of a pun) by finding a way to give them a citizenship and names. This bold activism was often at the expense of her reputation and her personal safety. Although she is reckless at times, this euphemism gives hope that there are people always fighting for those who don't have a voice. The message of the novel isn't just to fight for those less fortunate, though. It's also to fight for your family, whether they're family by blood or by choice.

Continuing on the positive side - McLaughlin brings into question how powerful a name can be. Although it's taken to the extreme here, as for your name determining your citizenship, it still makes the reader question what a name means to them. This won't spoil anything, really - but, at the end of the novel, Coin decides to not learn her name. It's handed to her and she opens the paper, but she can't read so it doesn't mean anything to her. Instead of asking Esther or Glenquartz, she folds it and puts it in her pocket. Although your name can define who you are, you can also rise above it. Although the name 'Bezos' immediately brings to mind a powerful empire that reaches everywhere in the world, you can rise above a disgraced family name or change your name once you turn eighteen. In the book Looking for Alaska by John Green, Alaska talks about how she was able to choose her name. "Well, later, I found out what it means. It's from an Aleut word, Alyeska. It means 'that which the sea breaks against', and I love that. But at the time, I just saw Alaska up there. And it was big, just like I wanted it to be." She chooses something that defines her, that she can be called the rest of her life. Most of us aren't afforded the luxury of choosing our names, but we do choose to define ourselves by our character.

Speaking of character(s), McLaughlin has fewer characters than most books, especially of the magical-rebellion-unlikely-heroine YA subgenre. Although this does give more clarity to some scenes and the story overall, she missed lots of opportunities for Coin's snark and for other supporting characters to shine through. Although there were a couple Nameless characters, I wish there had been more interactions so I was able to discern how life as a Nameless was. On the bright side, there were three solid characters that I absolutely loved - Glenquartz, the guard; Esther, the king's daughter and heir apparent; and Coin, the brave heroine. These three were the reason I got through the book. I can't discuss them much without giving away spoilers, but just son reassurance if you're planning on reading it: Esther is a good person. I seriously doubted her moral fiber earlier in the book, but as I ge tto know her more, I love her more.

Sadly, because this is a review, I have to talk about the things that disappointed me, too. Looking back, there wasn't a lot of material. Yes, it was still a long book (over 300 pages) but there wasn't much storytelling to it. There were maybe two actual events I remember clearly, and most of it blurs together. The descriptions didn't put me into the story, which probably didn't help my memory of it, but overall I was disappointed by it.

Overall, Nameless Queen by Rebecca McLaughlin didn't stand out. With a 6.5/10, it's nothing that hasn't been done before. If you're looking for a run-of-the-mill YA fantasy book, go ahead and read it. But, there are much better books to fill your time with.