THE QUEEN'S COMMAND

In this companion to The Queen’s Spade (2025), the daughter of famed African princess Sarah Forbes Bonetta attempts to thrive in 1880s England.

In the wake of her mother’s death and her father’s bankruptcy, 17-year-old Victoria Davies petitions her godmother, Queen Victoria, for support. The queen arranges her placement at Cheltenham, but the school’s prestige masks a sinister reality. Vicky is invited to join the secret Philosophers’ Club, where students play the high-stakes game Questions and Commands. Determined to be bold and fearless, Vicky strives to tame Euphemia Pelham-Clinton, the “dragon” in charge, but she quickly finds out that nothing is as it seems. When her kind roommate Leah Manning suffers severe consequences for opting out, Vicky vows to expose the game and dismantle its cruel hierarchy. Vicky is a complicated protagonist, oscillating between astute awareness and naïve self-centeredness. While facing racism—she’s Black—she also grapples with the school’s rigid social structures. She and other students endure relentless bullying, which is conveyed in heartbreaking detail. Like its predecessor, the narrative blends history with fiction, but this volume feels less focused; the plot is heavily layered with twists, often to the detriment of the story’s progression. Despite pacing issues, including a rushed ending, the book successfully explores the long-ranging effects of colonization and the complex nature of identity, especially when one tries to survive in a foreign land.

An ambitious portrayal of the true cost of privilege, ambition, and the burden of inherited trauma.