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The Fire Queen

The Fire Queen by Emily R. Queen


*I received a free ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This book will be out 26 September 2017!

This is the sequel to The Hundreth Queen, which was published in June, so mild spoilers ahead!


Synopsis
With the rajah dead and the rebels invading the city, Kalinda flees with her guard, and lover, Deven. Their goal is to seek Prince Ashwin, who has taken refuge in a neighboring kingdom. In order to win the freedom she so desperately desires for herself and Deven, Kalinda must compete in yet another tournament for the throne. As her people become refugees and suffer awful conditions, she finds herself conflicted over her duty to protect her kingdom and those she loves, and also struggles with how to master her fledgling powers.


Review
One of the best things about this book? That I didn't have to wait an entire year for it! I love that King is pushing them out every four months. Please that become more of a thing in the book world.

So, this is the middle book of a trilogy, and as such, had potential to fall flat. While it does suffer a little from "Middle Book Syndrome" in that the plot doesn't move much, it was still captivating with it's own contained story, and had big things happen that are important to the overall story.

I would say the main purpose of this book was character development. Kalinda comes to terms with who she is and events that took place in The Hundreth Queen. She definitely comes into her own and becomes a much stronger person. I would have liked to see her struggle a bit more with learning how to master her powers, but it was also emphasized that it was part of her and should be intuitive.

There was ANOTHER competition this time, and I like that even Kalinda was like "seriously, I have to fight AGAIN?!?!" because that's a little bit of how I felt. Luckily, this trial/competition was very different than the one in the first book, and Kalinda only faced off against three other girls. Plus it kind of rode in the background of the story, serving more as a means for Kalinda to grow, and also to spur along other plot elements, rather than being the main focus. I also liked the female friendships Kalinda forms, rather than having catty girls that hate each other.

We also got to see things from Deven's point of view, which I liked. We saw his struggles as a man who loves a very powerful woman and lets her fight her own fight. Plus, through his view we saw the way the refugees from their country are being treated.

I also liked seeing more of the world that Kalinda occupies. Other nations and cultures and peoples, remeniscent of some Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern cultures (Though King makes it clear that the religion is based on ancient Sumerian deities and that the cultures in the book aren't meant to reflect any real-life cultures). The politics happening between all the different countries made the world feel more real and have more depth.

Overall an imaginative, lush, and thrilling second novel in a wonderful series! Definitely recommend!


Rating
I give this book 4 stars.


Details
Genre: YA, Fantasy.
Language: None.
Sex: None.
Violence: Some fighting, but not excessively graphic.

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