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'The Lioness Who Roared' Review

I was lucky enough to read the first fifteen chapters of Conquestofthesomnium's thrilling and thought-provoking novel The Lioness Who Roared on Wattpad. Even in its draft form, Lioness shows tremendous potential as a story through its engagement with difficult topics and its balance of plot and character development.

What I enjoyed:

-I loved how the novel was willing to delve into topics of class and change. The main character Francesca, who comes from financial privilege herself, is intent on trying to better the lives of the people who live in Priene, particularly the farmers who are abused and manipulated by the different wealthy factions within the town. I appreciated seeing the challenges Francesca has to face in earning the trust of the people she wants to support as well as gaining the assistance of other wealthy individuals in the town.

-Another aspect of the novel I appreciated was its discussion of legacy. We inherit a lot from who came before us, good and bad, and this novel discusses the effects of complicated legacies on how others view us and how we view others.

-The novel also does a good job moving the plot along while developing Francesca as a character. I appreciated the moments where we see Francesca talking to the people of Priene and how listening to their experiences influence her.

What I thought could be better:

-As I mentioned previously, this novel is a draft at the time of my review, so there is plenty of room for the story to grow. While I do love that the novel is taking the time to explore class relations, I still feel Francesca gains the trust of the village people a little too easily. The one person who consistently challenges her is treated as a nuisance to Francesca rather than someone to take seriously. I wish more complexity was given to the discussion of class because creating change in that area is no easy fix. It's definitely emphasized in the story that what Francesca is doing will take time and is hard work, but from what I have read so far, Francesca has faced relatively few barriers and she hasn't had to truly wrestle with her own privilege. Of course, the novel is only fifteen chapters in, but I would like to see some hinting at these complexities earlier on.

Overall, Conquestofthesomnium's The Lioness Who Roared is a thoughtful story and I can see it becoming a great novel in the future that really challenges its readers to think.

Reviewer: Darcy Hongyue