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Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces Book 1) by Jean Gill – Review by Erica Fish

Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces #1)Queen of the Warrior Bees by Jean Gill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Queen of the Warrior Bees by Jean Gill is a one of a kind original. The cover of the book caught my attention and I started reading and I was not disappointed. Jean Gill is a master storyteller. Once I started reading I could not put it down. Mielitta is a strong female character who finds herself in a bee swarm. The bees make her their own. Mielitta and the bees become one and that is when the story took off. The journey that Mielitta takes is one that she needs to make. What will Mielitta’s journey do for her? Will she stand up to those who would like to bully her around? I cannot wait to read the next book in this series.

Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces Book 1) by Jean Gill – Review by Lisa Helmick

Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces #1)Queen of the Warrior Bees by Jean Gill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is quite the story. A whole new world full of rules, Magic and political intrigue. The story drew me in and only got more interesting as we learned more about the Citadel and the Forest. The author did a wonderful job with her descriptive paragraphs Letting the reader follow along on the journey. The characters really have quite the life going. Some of the stuff that goes on behind these walls is crazy. The bees….well I kind of feel they are the stars. I loved reading about their life and though process and such. Not doubting everything that Mielitta went through and I did love her connection to the other three characters we got to read about.

This is a first time author for me. This is a good teen magical story. Imaginative and full of adventure!
Oh Hey….Did you see that wonderful cover! Perfectly fits the story!

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Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces Book 1) by Jean Gill – Review by Maura Harper

Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces #1)Queen of the Warrior Bees by Jean Gill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There is so much to enjoy in this story. It is the first book I’ve read by this author and certainly not the last. The wiring is so detailed and descriptive that it is like watching a movie.

While this is considered Y/A Fantasy, it is also a political “thriller”. There is so much more in this story than appears on the surface.

I would recommend this to my younger cousins and adult book clubs alike.

*****

Review by @mauraharper

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Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces Book 1) by Jean Gill – Review by Madison Degraffenreid

Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces #1)Queen of the Warrior Bees by Jean Gill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces Book 1) by Jean Gill
5-Stars
Queen Of The Warrior Bees is book one in this creative and magical series. Mielitta is an excellent main character. I was fascinated with the way she comes into her power and also with her ability to block at the start of the book. The author did an amazing job on her and the supporting characters. The setting of this novel was fascinating and it amazed me how they seemed to create their own little world separate from nature. I look forward to more in this series and I highly recommend this book.

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Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces Book 1) by Jean Gill – Review by Sarah Oakes

Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces #1)Queen of the Warrior Bees by Jean Gill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A great read about order. Mielitta is a young girl who hasn’t reached maturity in a fantasy world where everyone has. She continues her life as a servant despite being dissatisfied with life. One day, she serves wine at a meeting and discovers there is more to this world than she thought with a mysterious Forest nobody is allowed to enter.. Fleeing some bullies, she finds herself there and the wonders of the world are revealed to her. Can she keep it a secret and keep her life?
A great read. Well developed plot with twists and turns. Well developed characters like Mielitta trying her best and wanting more from life. Great cast of supporting characters like the bully Jannlou or the supportive Declsn.
I loved the visual detail throughout the novel like with the forest deep and green and tall trees with the wind for a sense of a magical undiscovered land of wonder. Or the wonderful use of the senses with the smells translating to words with their bright scents and colours so vivid its as if you’re actually thee. Or the water telling its story, revealing the world to us and her in a simple way and beautifully written.
A wonderful example of world building in a fantasy world with its own rules and societies and laws and histories. I loved the mystery around the Forest, making the reader wonder why the rules are there and keeps them reading to find out. I also loved the scenes with the Council, with different magical abilities from many fantasy novels with the hair and the words as something new and exciting. I also loved the use of the bees and her magic, something different to the fantasy genre, fresh and exciting. I also liked the bo and the bottle and the riddle with an air of mystery and magic from the start, wonderfully written in small details. The only issue I would raise is that there were some repetition at the beginning, which could have been reduced. Overall, a great read and I would give it five stars.

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Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces Book 1) by Jean Gill – Review by Francis O’Sullivan

Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces #1)Queen of the Warrior Bees by Jean Gill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Queen of the Warrior Bees is the first book in Jean Gill’s Natural Forces series. It tells the story of Mielitta, a young woman struggling to find her place in a tightly controlled world where perfection is prized above all else. Developing magical bee powers doesn’t exactly help her fit in but does at least give her a sense of purpose as she now has to consider the bees’ agenda as well as her own.
Something I particularly enjoyed about this book is the focus on scent in descriptions of characters and places. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this much detail about how everything smells, and I love it! It added an extra dimension to everything and helped me to immerse myself in the scenes.
The world-building is great. There’s so much originality, presented to us in a way that feels familiar. The contrast between the dull Citadel and the vibrant Forest particularly stood out to me – kind of like a Dorothy landing in full-colour Oz.
The story is very intriguing. There are many mysteries to unravel and deceptions to overcome. Mielitta is observant and resourceful, enabling her and us to glimpse the secrets of the Citadel and reveal its corruptions.
This is an enjoyable book – it gets five stars from me! I’d recommend it to Young Adult fantasy fans with an interest in the environment – plenty of trees and bees! I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

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Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces Book 1) by Jean Gill – Review by Heather Lovelace

Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces #1)Queen of the Warrior Bees by Jean Gill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What an original, captivating adventure!! This fantasy was nothing I expected and everything I hoped for. I simply loved the rich detail. Every character was vital, relevant, and richly voiced. Every page spoke volumes. What a masterpiece…I most definitely recommend this!

Reviewed by @heatherlovelace
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Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces Book 1) by Jean Gill – Review by Emily Walsh

Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces #1)Queen of the Warrior Bees
By: Jean Gill
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces Book 1) by Jean Gill was a different, original read, that kept my attention and kept me flipping the pages.

My first read by this author, I was caught by the beautiful cover and the original elements I found in the synopsis. I dove into this book, and I had it read in one sitting. Now though I say that, I did have some issues.

This book opens on a strong note, and the narrative was smooth and compelling, sucking you in. But at times it felt dull, there were some over-explaining, and too much detail on unimportant things (so much info on bees that really didn’t need to be in there), and the world building suffered for it. It’s sad to say, but as much as I loved this book, it fell into the, first book, set up, for the series, trap. I get why there was so much info, but, frankly, there should have been less on the bees, and more on the mess that was happening in the Citadel, and the actual plot that was happening there.

I loved the original concept of this book, and I did like the MC. She was cold, strong, and fierce, which is rare in most YA MC’s. I can see how that could be a turn off, but I very much enjoyed that part of her personality. I love the realism, and how when the main plot got underway, that it was more complex than simply nature is evil. It was complex, and hit home, as it does reflex some of our real life issues. (I don’t want to say cause I don’t want to spoil that aspect.)

Overall this book is an original fresh read that has lots of potential, with it’s deep inner working of human vs nature aspect. I will be following this series, so please take my high recommendation and my stamp of approval that you will find that this book is much more then it seems.

Happy Reading

-Review by @eawalsh

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Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces Book 1) by Jean Gill – Review by Kerry Baker

Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces #1)Queen of the Warrior Bees by Jean Gill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Queen of the Warrior Bees by Jean Gill is the first book in the Natural Forces series. This book was an unexpected read that will captivate you more than you would have thought possible.
I will be the first to admit that I wasn’t overly blown away by the title or the description of this book. However the reviews were so overwhelmingly positive for it that I had to give it a go. And I am so glad that I did! I never expected to become so invested in Mielitta’s journey. The struggle she was going through, and the connection she forges with the bees is so well done by the author that you are pulled in with such ease.
I was a little dubious going in to the book about the whole bee element. I had yet to read a book where this kind of story line works. But Jean Gill again does it with such ease that I not only believed it, I enjoyed it! The descriptions and the writing style were so potent I could almost believe I was in the book right alongside Mielitta.
This is a book that I would highly recommend. I will now be going straight out to try anything else by this author!!

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Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces Book 1) by Jean Gill – Review by Caralee Loonat

Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces #1)Queen of the Warrior Bees by Jean Gill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces Book 1) by Jean Gill
4 Stars !!!!
One of the greatest joys in a readers life is finding new authors and new series.
In this book I have found both. This book was a nice breath of fresh air . I found the characters were very well presented and I felt as though I was there amongst them. The author draws you right into the book. I didn’t want to put the book down
I found myself relating to Mielitta the way she felt like a freak. I found the authors style to really draw me into the book more I like how it wasn’t predictable. I found it quite well written and the author draws out the intrigue around Mielitta just enough to keep you at the edge of your seat. I like how she was actually special and that she doesn’t have to fight the citadel alone . I will definitely be reading more from this author and series in the future.

Reviewed by @caraleeloonat

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Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces Book 1) By Jean Gill – Review by Laura Furuta

Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces #1)Queen of the Warrior Bees by Jean Gill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces Book 1)
By: Jean Gill
5 out of 5 stars

The story Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces Book 1) by Jean Gill is what I would consider a YA/fantasy book. It is a story that I found myself captivated by both the storyline and the characters. It drew me in from the very beginning and didn’t let me go until I had finished the final page. I loved reading about the character of Mielitta. She is a young girl who finds herself in the forbidden Forest where her scent angers thousands of bees. She survives the attack, however, has changed. Mielitta is someone that I found others look down on. She doesn’t seem to have a place in the Citadel where she lives. I grew to care about Mielitta with each chapter that I read. She is also a character that doesn’t dismiss when new experiences happen to her. She tries to understand them. There is a rift that is widening between The Forest and The Citadel. What does the future hold? What does the future hold for Mielitta? Read this book to find out. I have always been in awe of authors that write fantasy stories. They create new worlds with their own rules and guidelines. This book is a perfect example of why I love fantasy books. My hat off to the author for creating a tale that is not only fun to read but was thoughtful as well. I enjoyed reading about the additional characters. Some of them are complex and I wasn’t quite sure what their motives were. Others were very upfront as to their agenda. Don’t miss out reading an amazing story. Highly recommended.

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Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces Book 1) by Jean Gill – Review by Bobbi Wagner

Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces #1)Queen of the Warrior Bees by Jean Gill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is an interesting book about a girl and bees. I was pulled in from the beginning and it held my attention until the last page. I enjoyed the character development as they are creative and supportive. Mielitta is a young girl who has been bullied and tries to find refuge in the forbidden forest. As she explores the forest, she comes across some bees. As they make her one of their own, this is where her journey begins. I didn’t regret picking this book up, I highly recommend reading it.

Review by @bjwagner
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Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces Book 1) by Jean Gill

~ ~ ~ ~ BOOK SPOTLIGHT SHOWCASE ~ ~ ~ ~
Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces Book 1) by Jean Gill
Genre – Epic Eco Fantasy YA / adult crossover
Page Count – 316 pages
Cover Designer – Jessica Bell
As the Mages of the Citadel fight amongst themselves and prepare for war against the Forest, Mielitta, a despised servant, has her own battle to face. Bastien and Jannlou, the boys who terrorised her as a child, have grown into their status as Mages and she cannot escape them forever.
In desperation, she flees to the forbidden Forest and its dangerous attractions. Her scent angers thousands of bees and, although she survives their attack, she has changed. A strange bee symbol glows on her thigh and her senses are altered. She learns that her connection with bees enables her to summon their aid and gives her the power to shift shape.
This new-found bond works both ways and the bees need Mielitta’s help as the rift widens between Forest and Citadel. Can one girl and a colony of bees reunite Man and Nature, or is the split irreversible?
Block Nature out and she’ll force a way in.

~ AMAZON ~ IBOOKS ~ BARNES AND NOBLE ~ KOBO ~ GOOGLE PLAY ~ SCRIBD ~

Jean Gill is an award-winning Welsh writer and photographer living in the south of France with two big scruffy dogs, a beehive named Endeavour, a Nikon D750 and a man. For many years, she taught English in Wales and was the first woman to be a secondary headteacher in Carmarthenshire. She is mother or stepmother to five children so life was hectic.

Publications are varied, including poetry and novels, military history, translated books on dog training, and a cookery book on goat cheese. With Scottish parents, an English birthplace and French residence, she can usually support the winning team on most sporting occasions.

Sign up for Jean’s Special Readers’ Group at http://eepurl.com/AGvy5 for private news and offers. If you review one of Jean’s books you can add a dog to Jean’s Readers Dogs Hall of Fame on her website. Contact Jean at jean.gill at wanadoo.fr with comments or questions. She loves to hear from readers.

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