I received a digital advance reader’s copy (ARC) of Marble Queen by Anna Kopp. Since this version is just a proof and not the final version, I won’t quote directly and will keep my comments general.

In The Marble Queen by Anna Kopp, Princess Amelia is desperate to save her kingdom, which has been devastated by months of pirate attacks. She’s so desperate, in fact, that she agrees to a political marriage with a royal of a neighboring land, Iliad. However, when she arrives, she learns that she isn’t engaged to the prince, but to his sister, newly crowned Queen Salira. Amelia has had feelings for women for some time, but is stunned to learn that Salira likes her back. However, forces are conspiring in both kingdoms, and the two women are in danger from impending war. And as Amelia fights her own darkness, she isn’t sure if she can save the woman she is growing to love, much less save herself.

This graphic novel is a fun story! It’s far from perfect, but I still enjoyed reading it.

The characters are well-rendered and expressive, and the action scenes feel dynamic without being too chaotic. Generally, this had a great art style.

I also really liked the exploration of mental illness—specifically anxiety—that this presented. Amelia struggles a lot with dark, spiraling thoughts about her safety and the safety of her homeland or loved ones. The way this is shown visually, with dark creeping vines and tendrils of fog, is brilliant and moving. I appreciated how sympathetically she is portrayed, and that even at the end of the story, she wasn’t fully cured. It’s realistic, yet in a way empowering.

I also enjoyed the romance between her and Salira, though admittedly, I wanted a little more development. It seemed that not much time passed, nor did they get to know each other that well, before seeming to be in love. That didn’t entirely work for me, but I think it’s more of a pacing issue than anything else.

In fact, pacing seems like the main critique I have of this. There is a lot of political intrigue and international relations, but none of it felt like it was explored well enough. So when certain plot twists occurred, I didn’t feel as stunned as I probably should have. In fact, sometimes I thought this should have been a prose novel so that I could get deeper explanations of everything. Granted, I read this in fits and starts over the course of a full day, while driving across half the state, so maybe I’m the problem. Either way, though, things felt kind of under-explained and rushed, especially in the second half of the story.

However, in the end, The Marble Queen is a good book, with excellent art and good characters. The pacing isn’t good, and the world-building left something to be desired, but the themes of embracing vulnerability and seeking healthy coping mechanisms for mental health problems are great.

The Marble Queen will be published on March 5th, 2024!