Review: Of Kings and Queens by Suneeta Misra

Of Kings and Queens is a recently published short story by Suneeta Misra, author of Rani of Rampur. The book will be free on Amazon on March 9, 2013. For the authors, it is available for my review swap, if Rani of Rampur is too long for you.

It revolves around a young boy, Ram, who is heir to the kingdom of Mirpur. The story is set in pre-independence India. Ram's father has several wives, but has only managed to produce one heir to the throne.  As such, Ram encounters many dangers while growing up. He overcomes many challenges with the help the spunky and intelligent Maya, his tutor's granddaughter.

This story, while short, was very well-done. The initial pages drew me in immediately. Of the characters, I loved Maya the most. She is smart and bold, always providing Ram with a dose of tough love. I also liked her grandfather, the kind Badri Nath. I thought the Ayah character was also well-written, and I didn't love her, but I sure did love to hate her!

In technical terms, the story is appropriately paced and well-written. There is a great twist at the end, which I loved! I would have loved if the story was longer. I would be interested in reading something from Maya's point of view, during the time when Ram was studying abroad.

All in all, a fun story for mystery and historical fiction lovers.

My Rating: 5 stars