An empowering and encouraging story for young readers to help challenge assumptions.
Quest for the Queen’s Pendant by Zoe Tasia is an engaging and heartfelt coming-of-age fantasy through the eyes of Tate Shaw, a spirited teenager yearning for independence on the magically protected island of Aradia. Despite living in a world steeped in enchantment, Tate is forbidden from practicing witchcraft or even roaming freely without supervision. That doesn’t stop her, though, and Tate begins secretly studying spells. Determined to prove herself, she sneaks into the forbidden woods and befriends a changeling named Fen, one of the fae beings long believed to be enemies of her kind. But when a devastating changeling attack rocks her community, Tate learns that the fae are not acting of their own will but under the control of their queen, who wields a magical pendant with the power to dominate minds. When she begins to understand that destroying the pendant could free the changelings and prevent further bloodshed, Tate sets out on a mission packed with peril. Alongside unlikely allies, including her skeptical sister and a loyal friend, she must overcome obstacles, outwit magical threats, and confront both external enemies and internal doubts. Tate’s journey is one of courage, identity, and understanding in a world where boundaries between good and evil are far more complex than they first appear.
Zoe Tasia has a way of climbing into Tate’s mind to convey her story that is engaging and infectious, and it makes for a compelling protagonist whose voice is smart, determined, and deeply relatable for young readers. Her depiction of sibling dynamics brings a lot of interesting depth and emotional realism to the fantasy adventure that readers will relate to, and the friendship between Tate and Fen explores prejudice, trust, and reconciliation in ways that are easy to understand. Tasia tells a story where the personal growth of her hero is balanced brilliantly against the high-stakes action, and this makes Tate’s journey epic and intimate as we follow it. The pacing is also crisp, with every chapter building tension and driving character development. Humor and wit are woven seamlessly into the narrative, lightening darker moments without undercutting them, and the magical world-building is rich yet accessible, with vivid settings and intriguing rules that are never too complicated, and always match the tone of the tale. The moral complexity is also a really interesting aspect to dig into, especially regarding the changelings and their queen, and personal issues and more sensitive topics are handled thoughtfully. Tasia’s prose is precise, expressive, and filled with warmth, even in tense scenes, to reflect this sensitivity and deliver it with confidence on every page. Quest for the Queen’s Pendant is an empowering and encouraging story for young readers to help challenge assumptions and believe in their own agency, and I would certainly recommend it.
