A tale of righteous feminine rage, revenge, and retribution - with just a dash of romance thrown in - The Queen’s Spade is a historical fiction novel that isn’t to be missed. Inspired by the real tale of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, “goddaughter” and ward of Queen Victoria after being stolen from West Africa, we follow her journey of revenge against everyone who has wronged her since she was captured and brought to England. Forced to adapt and become exactly how the white British society has decided to mold her, she’s still discriminated against for her skin color - seen as a curiosity, and not a person. 

Expected to be grateful for the “opportunity” to be a treasured showpet to the queen, rather than a ruler due respect in her own right, Ina/Sarah begins to enact her carefully crafted revenge against everyone who has disrespected her - and caused the death of her childhood friend on the journey to England. Starting off with a (well-deserved) murder, we follow Ina as she recounts the humiliation and pain wrought upon her for the last decade. We watch as she cleverly gains power and independence in a world that doesn’t wish her to have any, while she uses those same wits to try to crumble the very empire that has entrapped her. With a forced marriage in the works cutting her timeline down significantly, we struggle with Ina as she balances trying to avoid an unwanted marriage, as well as keeping her plans intact. 

I didn’t know anything about this aspect of history, and this book made me want to research further into her life to learn more. While loosely inspired, rather than a wholly accurate account, while reading this novel you can tell a great deal of research went into its creation. 

Perfect for fans of historical fiction and feminine rage, The Queen’s Spade is a journey into British colonialism and hypocrisy, and a woman filled with anger at her unjust treatment and her fight to seek justice.