The Throwaway Queen

by Whitney McGruder

“I don’t have to be everyone’s queen. I just want to be a mother, warrior, and partner. I won’t waste my time being anything different.”

Queen Anjali has spent two years away from her son, husband & kingdom. After dodging assassins & delivering her second child, she anticipates a triumphant return. To her dismay, she learns that King Damir has already remarried another woman.

Overcome with grief and confusion, Anjali returns home with two main objectives: reunite with her children & find out who sent assassins after her. Did someone from her court want her gone & why? Who would disturb the fragile peace between two powerful kingdoms? Queen Anjali must seek out justice to recover from the past while sifting through her options to secure her future.

THE THROWAWAY QUEEN is Whitney McGruder’s first new adult fantasy novel that delves into a world of warrior women, secret rooms, unlikely allies, and blended families.

Genres: Fantasy

308 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2022

About the author

Whitney McGruder is an author, editor, cosplayer, and self-proclaimed selfie queen. She can’t help but emulate strong female leads. While she’s a bit too obsessed with books, she puts her knowledge and experience to good use. McGruder strives to write, edit, spotlight, and indulge in inclusive stories.

Besides indulging in her fandoms, McGruder enjoys cross stitching, drawing, D&D, MMA practice, watching funny TikTok videos, hosting get-togethers, and making her husband laugh.

McGruder believes that book publishing should be about community—not competition. You can find her advice, books, and editing services over at witandtravesty.com. You can also be friends over on Instagram via @whit2ney.

Reviews

[Liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I highly recommend this book! I know it’s description will be daunting to those of us who fear books that delve into infidelity and adjacent topics, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well it was navigated.

These are such hard issues, and as a mom I loved seeing a mother as a strong heroine. She had scars of all kinds, but she was beautiful and powerful. We need more mother warriors and romance (especially fantasy)!

My heart is tender after reading this book, but in such a wonderful way. This book balanced heartache and a heart-racing plot so well. I want all of the characters (except one 😂) to be happy and flourish. They’ve earned it.

I love Anjali. She is 100% of the reason this book was so readable. I loved her reactions and thought process. She often felt like the only sane person in the room. I liked how she changed her mind and evolved throughout the book and how rich her varied relationships were.

If I have any complaint with this book it would be: there were a few fantasy elements that were never fully explained or fleshed out and just felt out of place and a lot of characters that were important felt one-dimensional and we didn’t get their perspective in a way. There were a few discussions I feel like should have happened, but didn’t. But I get why they didn’t happen. This book only has one perspective and maybe the discussions just didn’t happen around her and part of the blended family approach is know that there are those kinds of conversations that need to be private between other members of the family without you.

Ugh, I want more, but also I have so much in my head filling in the gaps. Read it so I can talk about it with someone!

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is so exciting to find my daughter-in-law's book on goodreads!!! She is a talent and I'm so happy for the exposure she is getting. This is her third self-published book and, as with all of her work, it was a labor of love. This story is fantastic!! She has brought together a wonderful cast of characters, but has really focused on strong females. I love the Queen (both queens, really)!

[emmy (taylor’s version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this novel in one sitting on a car ride, and the concept was so new and refreshing I couldn’t help but be intrigued. I’m used to reading fantasy novels with heroines within the age range of 16-20 and experiencing a coming of age story throughout their journey. In this book, I endured the same storyline through the eyes of an older woman, who was both a mother and a warrior.

Positives:

👸 As mentioned, our protagonist, Anjali, a queen (literally and figuratively). I loved how in this world of this book being a mother is seen as being powerful. Queen Anjali would go to the ends of the earth for her two children, and in the eyes of her people, that’s a sign of strength, not weakness. Did I mention she’s also badass? If a man tries to hold any opinion over her, she would simply say “I’m speaking” and then wait to them to shut up.

🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Anjali’s children, Sanjana & Devraj - They are SO precious and SO abordable throughout the book. Not to be dramatic but I would die for them. They did not deserve half the things that happened to them.

🗺️ The plot of this novel is extremely fast paced, complete with short chapters to keep you on your toes. I found myself holding my breath to make sure the characters were okay every time I flipped the page. I wanted them all to be happy! (Except one character, of course)

🔪 The murder mystery aspect of this book was phenomal. I was NOT expecting the plot twist at the end AT ALL, and I spent a good chunk of my reading time to trying to put together puzzle pieces to figure out who the assassinator was.

Negatives:

* A few of the fantasy aspects of this book weren’t flushed out enough for me to understand them. I understood what they were, but not why they were there.
* A few of side characters fell flat for me, including Anjali’s maidens. It’s not that I didn’t like them, I simply just wanted more scenes that included them; there was a large amount of potential for character development.
* The limitation of one perspective - don’t get me wrong, I love Anjali, but there were so many instances where I felt another’s perspective could broaden the development of the story.

[Brittany Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun and compelling story. A queen who was sought after and almost killed comes back to her kingdom and is ready for a fight. She’s got all she needs to figure it out!

[Eden Wen]

My second book authored by someone I know, and I had a blast!

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

More like 4.5. This was a solid 4 star book for me, but I'm giving it an extra .5 because of how unique it was. I don't think that I've ever read a book with motherhood in it quite like this one before. Granted, mothers to small children are just not very common characters in most of the books I read, but that made this one really unique and fresh. And being a mother never took away from the MC, which is something that I want to see more of since it's true but not well represented.

The mystery was engaging throughout, and I thought we got a lot of good clues that helped us figure it out alongside our characters.

The characters interacted well with the relationship between the two queens being the highlight. Just like in her other works, McGruder does an excellent job of showcasing female friendships.

Overall, if you want a fresh-feeling fantasy mystery, I think you'd enjoy this one. Probably even more so if you're a parent to young children.

I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Severind Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Someone I followed on instagram posted about this book back when it was first released. What initially got me interested was the cover, I'll admit. It's just so pretty! I didn't know who the characters were supposed to be, but I was already curious about them. Especially since we rarely see such a young child on the cover. So I looked it up, thought the plot was promising, and got the ebook because I think there was some kind of a sale on it?

Anyway, it took me months to finally get around to reading it, and I ended up having a lot of thoughts on it. Some good, some not so great.

What I liked:
1. We don't get many stories about mothers with young children, and when we do, these characters are often not the main characters, are reluctant to be a parent and believe motherhood is some kind of a burden, or their role as a mother is largely ignored in favor of other aspects. This was a refreshing take, because Anjali's role as a mother is deeply sacred to her, and is equally, if not more important to her as being queen. She would do anything for her kids, and you can FEEL that. They're not just empty words.
2. The world building, the cultures, the way Anjali's people put so much value on their women, was lovely. The women are strong. I love that they are warriors, and that they can be warriors without having to sacrifice their femininity or their love/desires in having a family. The handmaidens are not just decorative women who follow the queen and embroider with her, as they tend to be in most fantasy. They're fighters, and they train with their queen to be just as strong as her. I also feel like I understood, for the most part, where the tensions lie between Anjali's people and Damir's. I feel like there was room for deeper exploration in the world, but what we did get kept me intrigued and felt different from what we normally see in fantasy even though tensions between countries and people are not uncommonly used in the genre.
3. Anjali is a strong and unique character. She is stubborn, does not back down, and advocates for herself. She cares deeply for her children, and though she is hot headed, she is also reasonable. What she cares most about are protecting her loved ones and seeking justice. She won't be broken down so easily. I find that and her quick tongue admirable, as well as her passion.
4. Anjali has a loving, caring family back home. That's so rare in stories like this. Usually there's always so much internal hatred, where siblings don't get along or sons and daughters resent their parents. That is not the case here. There's so much support, it actually took me a bit off guard. But in a good way.
5. The relationship between Anjali and Damir was largely positive. Not hateful or unwanted, despite the arrangement being largely out of their hands. Even with the added tensions Anjali comes home to, they manage to be civil with each other when disagreements arose. There wasn't a lot of needless shouting or conflict between them.

What I didn't like:
1. The writing style was a bit clunky. It doesn't read very smoothly to me in my head. That definitely made a difference on my rating, but I will say that it was not so bothersome that I felt like I couldn't read it. There were some occasionally distracting typos.
2. The tense kept changing from past to present. It kind of broke the immersion for me at times. Tense is very important to me. Again, I was largely able to ignore it, but it does contribute my more middling rating.
3. Some things could have benefited from more elaboration. I would have liked more detail in some areas where it felt like we were just barely scratching the surface. Almost like things moved too quickly. In contrast, sometimes it felt like things were repeated so often that it felt like I was rereading some of Anjali's thoughts over and over again, and in a way that wasn't particularly helpful or added to the story.
4. The fight scenes weren't to my liking. Too much dialogue, and the fight itself was a bit hard to follow. It felt more like...just words. Words meant to convey that a battle was happening, without really showing me the battle I was expecting. Unfortunately the pace of it was slow and I had a hard time feeling engaged by it.
5. The assassin's motive. I get it. I wasn't all that surprised by the reveal, and kind of guessed it from the moment the character appeared. I can let that pass. It's the motive that didn't entirely convince me. Especially since we knew so little about the assassin. There were clues, of course. But there wasn't much depth. If we'd known a bit more about them and had more background on what happened before the original assassination attempt between this character and the queen, I think I might have been better convinced.

So there was some good and some not so good. Not enough bad to make me dislike the story or DNF. I just think there were some areas that could have been improved on. This had the potential to become a favorite and had a lot of really good concepts. But some areas fell a bit flat unfortunately.

That being said, I do think there's an audience for this and that many others would end up enjoying it more than I did. I may just be a bit too critical.

[Rachel Barnard · Rating 4 out of 5]

“There is always a happy ending beyond the horizon. We must only search for it.” (Kindle Page 138).

After her caravan was attacked, Queen Anjali barely escaped with her life and that of her unborn child. She was cautioned to stay away until the identity of the attacker was discovered but it has been over two years since Anajali has seen her firstborn son, husband, and kingdom. On her way back to her rightful place, she is determined to figure out what happened and reunite with her family but in her absence, many things have changed.

I enjoyed reading about a strong female heroine who is also a mother. Anjali has to protect both her family and her position. How do mature people navigate something like this? I greedily read every scene, thought, and piece of dialogue related to this conflict.

The aspect of blended families was also interesting to me. I liked how Anjali wasn’t just one characteristic, she was appropriately complex and had a rich and intriguing backstory. She isn’t just a mother. She isn’t just a warrior. Anjali was the best character. She was so balanced as a person and she is presented with such impossible situations! But the times she became frustrated she did have a reaction (which I appreciated).

I liked the mixing of sub-genres. This book had fantasy, action, romance, and mystery. There were layers to the book to unpack. I was curious about the world-building environment and the unfurling mystery as well as seeing how the relationships were going to break or strengthen.

I enjoyed reading about Anajali’s culture and traditions and wanted more of them and more descriptions. They weren’t always alive and tangible to me as an outsider. I didn’t fully feel the discrimination Anjali faced but I did feel her frustrations. I felt more sympathy for her regarding the gendered discrimination than the racial discrimination.

I loved the eventual reveal of the villain! It was a bit of a twist and I didn’t see it coming. It felt both satisfying and conclusive.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

First I want to say that I’m not the target audience for this book. I am many years away from having children and none of my friends have kids either. Therefore, I’m not going to comment on that aspect of the book- but know that a large portion of the book is about motherhood.

Personally, I didn’t love the writing style. It was fairly simplistic and at times confusing.

The world was confusing to me. They mention engineers and holographs at the beginning and then precede to not have electricity they write with quills. Another time they mentioned a sorcerer but then to more mention of magic beyond that and the Eyes seemed more like cameras and tech than magic so there’s just a disconnect there for me.

There were times Anjali lost her temper or was too impatient and unreasonable (more than she had reason to be imo) but that was likely purposeful to make her a flawed character? Idk, either way it irritated me.

[K.M. Allan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Queen Anjali and her entourage are ambushed on the way to visit her home country, everyone thinks she and the baby she was weeks away from delivering are dead. Instead, she's spent two years re-gaining her strength so she can go back to her first child and husband, King Damir. But upon her miraculous return, she finds her husband remarried with a new family, and that the person who tried to assassinate her is prepared to finish the job. Not only does Anjali need to work out who it is, but also who she can trust. While it's a little slow pace-wise (for me), The Throwaway Queen does a good job of exploring big subjects like gender and racial discrimination, and motherhood. It also brings things home in the end with an action-packed finale, villain reveal, and sets everything up for the next book in the series.

[Stacey Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! I haven’t been into fantasy since I was a teen, and getting back into it I wasn’t sure how well I would relate with the characters. I felt really seen in Anjali as she struggled to balance her duties as a mother, wife, and to the world around her. I also loved seeing how the author dealt with racial injustice, which was often looked over entirely in other fantasy books I’ve read. Perfectly paced so I could read it on the treadmill, while my baby napped, and accidentally too late into the night.

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yay! I finally read one of Whitney’s books. When she posted the premise of this one I knew I had to grab it—a queen isn’t welcomed back into her own home! The strong women are what drive this story, especially the strong mothers. The characters and plot are so unique and I’ve never read a book with a mother like Anjali. The representation of the village women need to thrive is much needed, too. I did have a hard time connecting with the language used—I just felt like the voices of some characters were inconsistent, so it was difficult to really hear them. But such a fun and engaging read!

[Nicki Pappas · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first page, I was invested and eager to know how the story would end. Even when I thought I solved the mystery at the center of The Throwaway Queen, I still wanted to keep reading to see if I was right. There were several late nights spent turning pages! I also really enjoy Whitney's writing style and am eager to read more books she has written!

[Erica Richardson]

I liked the characters, and this book has an intriguing storyline. I love that the heroine is a mother! Such a unique idea! Mothers are rarely, if ever, featured as main characters in a fantasy style book. There were a few things that made it hard for me to focus on the storyline, especially that the tense kept switching between present and past. That was really jarring for me.

[Alisha Pack · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for great world building, dynamic and complex characters, and some clever plotting this book is for you. You may also want to check out Whitney McGruder's other YA books Destiny Seeker: The Messenger and Destiny Seeker: The Defender.

[D]

DNF

[The OG Bad B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whitney weaves a stunning tale with rich details and complex themes. She takes a fresh approach to complicated interpersonal relationships which I found refreshing. I am eager to see where she takes our protagonist and her family in the sequel!

[Corianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The heart of this story came through even with the constant changing of verb tense.

[Arjina Khanom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I don't read this genre, I love this book for the story. I picked up this book to read for its gorgeous cover. However, the story is well-written and great, like its cover.

I enjoyed the story and easily got connected with the main character. I love Anjali and her character development. Besides that, I found so many Indian cultural touches, which was great.

I can't let this book down and highly recommend this book for everyone.