The Fourth Queen by Mark Miller

In the fairytale kingdom of Empyrean, time has moved on. The princesses of once upon a time, like Snow White and Cinderella, have grown old and become great queens. Now, their kingdom is in danger. A Forgotten Evil has returned. In a small village by the sea, two sisters, Zandria and Olena, begin a dangerous journey for Zandria to claim her birthright as a queen. Along their journey, they meet some unique friends and terrifying enemies while trying to survive places like the Dead Forest and escape troll-infested castles. Will they make it to the Crystal Castle in time to save Empyrean or will the sisters lose each other forever? One thing is certain, before their journey ends, Zandria will learn what it means to be The Fourth Queen.


In this wonderful story, for children and adults alike, we are introduced to a captivating set of characters and a unique kingdom called Empyrean.

The story is crafted carefully, with lots of suspense and build-up of different storylines, creating a web of plots that must have taken careful planning to achieve. There are enough surprises along the way, like unicorns and tigers, to keep even the most jaded of readers captivated and turning the pages.

The characters are all very amusing, from the three queens at the very beginning, to the two main characters: Zandria and Olena, two sisters of royal blood. Their relationship is well-developed and complex, with all the mixture of love and competition that siblings experience, but with a healthy dose of fantasy to make it just a touch different. The reader falls in love with the two of them as we follow them through their adventures. The landscape itself is, in my opinion, a character all its own. It is intricately made, with a multitude of details to keep the reader amused and with a smile on his or her face. It’s one of those stories that is hard to put down once it really gets started.

This is a book perfect for a quick, fun, fantasy-filled read. Every lover of fantasy and fairytales would love to dive into Empyrean., and I for one, will be picking up the second in the series.