The Crown Plonked Queen

Book Four in The Western Lands and All That Really Matters

She royally mucked up her first moments as ruler. Can she pick up the pieces before it’s off with her head?

Eloise Hydra Gumball III is absolutely swamped. Rather abruptly crowned queen after her mother’s assassination, she has no concept of running a realm and no leads on her mom’s killer. Woefully tackling new obligations, her initial attempts at anything regal result in an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction and a broken wrist.

Fending for herself after her sister and father depart, she struggles with an unending pile of paperwork and a slow murder investigation that only leads to clashes over her unqueenly behavior. And unsure who to trust, she hires a bird spy to gather intel from a faraway land… which doesn’t exactly end well.

Will Queen Gumball’s inauspicious reign be cut short by tragedy and terror?

The Crown Plonked Queen is the whimsy-rich fourth book in The Western Lands and All That Really Matters humorous fantasy series. If you like lovable characters, hilarious larks, and anthropomorphic awesomeness, then you’ll adore Andrew Einspruch’s ascent to the throne.

REVIEWS

★★★★★

Grief, Humor and intrigue

How could such a good-natured, funny series have so much to say about grief and not feel like a curve ball? But that’s exactly what The Crown Plonked Queen does, and it’s a more complete, yet still amusing story (thanks to town names like Festering Resentment and Eloise’s ever affable sidekick Jerome de Chipmunk) because of it.

As Eloise works to solve a couple big mysteries and figures out how to rule, this heart-filled series takes on issues like self-doubt, grief and responsibility when you just aren’t ready for it. It never covers Eloise’s struggles with humor. That seems like a hard line to walk, but the humor always stands in compliment to the plot, even as it heads in a more serious direction. And who wouldn’t love the magical Sparky?

I do feel a bit grumbly about all the ceremonial scenes, but I flew through the final third of the book, turning pages well into the night. The Crown Plonked Queen ends with what I’d call a satisfying cliffhanger. Even so, I’m very glad the next book comes out soon.

— C.K. Beggan, Amazon Review

★★★★★

A funny, entertaining read with plenty of drama

The Crown Plonked Queen is a delightful read on more than one level. If I had to sum it up in one word, I’d say “satisfying.” The story is an entertaining fantasy, filled with subtle humor, well-defined quirky characters, plenty of drama, hints of a budding romance slowly percolating, and a mystery or two to solve with a who-dun-it trail of breadcrumbs. I give The Crown Plunked Queen five stars and recommend it to people who enjoy a good story, a laugh, and believe in magic. The only thing I didn’t like about it was that it ended and I am now waiting for the next book in the series to come out. If you haven’t read the series, check it out.

As Book Hookup, I am a longtime book reviewer and I received this book as a free review copy and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it.

— Richard Sundblad, Amazon Review

★★★★★

Witty tale of intrigue, magic and umlauts.

After a prolonged journey to rescue her twin sister (detailed in The Purple Haze, The Star of Whatever and The Light Bearer) Princess Eloise Hydra Gumball III has at last returned to Castle Brague only to discover her mother is dying and she is to be Queen.

The Crown-Plonked Queen opens with the coronation of Queen Eloise Hydra Gumball III, which goes exactly as well as readers of the series would expect. No longer ruled by her OCD habits, but still immensely klutzy, Eloise makes a lasting impression on her new subjects as she trips and damages the Crown Jewels.

And with that, the tone is set for the beginning of her reign.

This is at once a fast-paced finding oneself tale, a tale of intrigue and politics AND the inhalation of breath before the next part of the story. Its taken a little bit of a darker turn than the previous books in the series, but it is still peppered with the humour, wordplay and üümläüts that characterise the Western Lands and All That Really Matters series.

The pace ramps up at the end of the book, and definitely ends on a cliffhanger. I’m looking forward to The Eastie Threat, to be released in coming months.

~Many thanks to Andrew Einspruch and Wild Pure Heart Publishers for an advanced copy of The Crown Plonked Queen. This review is my own, unbiased opinion ~

— Jen S, Amazon Review

★★★★★

Delightful addition to the series

If you’re a fan of the other Western Lands books, then this is a must-read. If you’re not familiar with the other Western Lands books, then you will want to start with one of the prequels (Wombanditos or The Thorning Ceremony) or the first book, Purple Haze. The series is very linear, so you definitely don’t want to start in the middle. This book picks up right where the previous book leaves off, leading with Eloise’s crown plonking.

This installment of Eloise’s story was alternately funny and beautifully poignant – the author did a great job of maintaining the overall humor of the world while underpinning it all with Eloise’s grief. He also maintains a delightful sense of tension – this story it part fantasy and part mystery novel, and at times, I had to put off going to bed and keep reading to find out what would happen next and what information would be revealed.

Most of all, I loved seeing Eloise grow, learn, and develop new relationships. I loved seeing her post traumatic growth and how she grew as a person taking on much more leadership than ever before during a trying time. Overall, a great quick read and wonderful addition to the series.

— Tonya Smith, Amazon Review

★★★★★

How long have I waited for this book!

This series is very good at being different in every book, while still keeping the spirit. Princess Eloise becomes Queen Eloise and spends the book finding her place in her new role, as well as uncovering some shady business underneath her nose. Eloise has always been the protagonist, but she really shines in this book as she comes into her own and learns what it means to be a good ruler. The laughs are just as frequent as always, and the humor is just as beautifully balanced with seriousness. While you would never stop after just one book, this one has a brilliant and infuriating cliffhanger that makes you want to read more as soon as possible. Thank goodness The Eastie Threat is a month away!

— Hollyann, Goodreads Review

★★★★★

Brilliant world building!

Having read the book before this one – The Light Bearer – I often wondered if there would be a continuation coming. Of course, the state of the world the last 2 years would make focusing on a story very hard, at best, so kudos to the author for hanging in there and coming up with an equally riveting carry on from Book 3. Although some parts of the story are very funny, I held onto the somberness of the task at hand…finding the murderer of Queen Eloise #2. After all, it’s highly likely, as her successor, now (Princess) Queen Eloise #3 just might find herself on the “dead Queen” list too! Excellent and imaginative story-telling!

— Angel Ballard, Goodreads Review