Reviews

The Rogue Queen by Emily R. King

liviiemarie's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book seemed to drag more than the others. I loved Kali’s chapters, but Deven’s dragged and I found myself struggling to get through them. The ending was good though and a perfect setup for the last book.

mountaingirl88's review against another edition

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4.0

I have such mixed feelings about this series that I don't know where to begin. I love the mythological aspect, and I am generally a fan of worlds involving magic and nature-based abilities (fire, water, earth, and air). The characters did grow on me in this book, but I still found something lacking in their interactions. I much preferred seeing the female characters bond with each other and familial-type relationships form much more than romantic relationships. In the first book, Kali and Deven's instalove didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. He was the first man she had ever seen and the first man to show her kindness, so I found it somewhat believable that she would latch onto him. However, I don't see a real connection between them. Their relationship seems mostly lust-based and born out of a forbidden fruit mentality. Although Kali and Ashwin were never truly together, I found their relationship believable. Friendship and trust were built between them over time, and eventually Ashwin fell in love with her. I was secretly hoping she would choose him over Deven, but I guess the heart wants what it wants.

Overall, I enjoyed Rogue more than Hundredth and Fire, but the ending seemed a little too rushed to me. There seems to be a pacing issue in all of the books, but maybe that's just my perception. I plan on reading the fourth book, but honestly, I think the story should have ended here. Whenever the focus was on Kali and Deven's relationship, the story suffered. Not all love stories end happily, and to have an entire book dedicated to Kali's pursuit of Deven in the Void seems a bit much, but I'm looking forward to reading more about this world and its mythology.

patrizia_anna's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

breerashel's review against another edition

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5.0

I had taken a break from this series but recently began reading it again. I was not disappointed at all! If anything, I loved The Rogue Queen more than the first two books. This surprised me because I loved The Hundredth Queen. The Rogue Queen begins right where the story left off with our heroes fleeing in order to live another day to fight the demon again. Kalinda is running out of time and the rest of the characters are tormented by their own thoughts and actions. I was happy to see that the world building and introductions to characters in the first two books paid off to deliver quite the story in this book. Characters we were introduced to join the fight and stories we were told about the gods come into play in the characters actions during the battle. The Rogue Queen was a nonstop action packed ride! There were moments that I felt were predictable but I still found this book thrilling!

https://fictionedtodeath.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-rogue-queen-hundredth-queen-3-by.html

jenbsbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5 stars. I'm still really enjoying this series. I didn't love the ending here, but I also didn't feel like it was unrealistic. I'm am absolutely planning on reading the next book and wish I didn't have to wait for it (it hasn't been released yet, but will be later this year).

I think I preferred the single POV from book 1. In book 2 and here again, the POV switches between Kalinda and Devon. I believe the chapters were quite consistent in trading off (on then the other). At times, this type of storytelling annoys me, as I get involved in one storyline and then it switches, then switches back, constantly moving back and forth and it's a little hard to keep the continuity. I do understand the necessity for both POVs as (unfortunately) Kalinda and Devon are again separated for much of the book.

Unlike the first two books, there is no big tournament here ... just war. There are some losses of beloved characters along the way.

Until the next book ...

books_over_everything's review against another edition

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4.0

Title The Rogue Queen (The Hundredth Queen #3)

Author Emily R. King

Description from Amazon

Despite the odds, Kalinda has survived it all: Marriage to a tyrant. Tournaments to the death. The forbidden power to rule fire. The icy touch of a demon.

That same demon now disguises itself as Rajah Tarek, Kalinda’s late husband and a man who has never stopped haunting her. Upon taking control of the palace and the army, the demon brands Kalinda and her companions as traitors to the empire. They flee across the sea, seeking haven in the Southern Isles.

In Lestari, Kalinda’s powers are not condemned, as they are in her land. Now free to use them to protect those she loves, Kalinda soon realizes that the demon has tainted her with a cold poison, rendering her fire uncontrollable. But the lack of control may be just what she needs to send the demon back to the darkest depths of the Void.

To take back the empire, Kalinda will ally with those she distrusts—and risk losing those most loyal to her—to defeat the demon and bring peace to a divided nation.

Initial Thoughts

For anyone who follows me on Instagram, you might know that I went to the US Open last week. My dad and grandma were super late meeting me and I wasn’t actually planning on listening to this book that night but it was the only audiobook I had on me. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely wanted to listen to it soon, but even I couldn’t anticipate how fast I would go through this series.

Some Things I Liked

Less politics, more magic. I liked that the focal point of this book was more about the magic system and the supernatural issues that plague this world.
New additions to the gang. I loved Inda. She was a fun and level-headed addition to the crew.
New settings. I also loved that the group traveled more and we got to learn more about the neighboring countries in this volume.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

DEVEN. No spoilers so I can’t say any more but I was not a fan of what happened to him. It should have been Ashwin or like anyone else. Also, [insert Derek from Stepbrothers son’s voice] “What’s this guy’s deal?” I’m totally over Deven’s pity party about how Kali owes it to the empire to be their Rani. They belong together and Deven just needs to embrace that.

Series Value

There’s a major cliffhanger at the end of this book so I absolutely had to finish the last book. Just when I thought this series was starting to fade a bit, it sucked me right back in.

Final Thoughts

This series still has me hooked. There were moments that I lost interest, but they were few and only momentary. I am still invested and very eager to find out what happens in the last book.

Please note, this title is free on Kindle Unlimited!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommendations for Further Reading

Before the Broken Star by Emily R. King – if you enjoyed the writing style in The Hundredth Queen, definitely check out Emily R. King’s new series, The Evermore Chronicles. Two books are out now with book three releasing in December 2019.
The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala – if you liked the Indian influences in this story, give The Tiger at Midnight a try.
The Warrior Queen by Emily R. King – you made it this far, even if you don’t like this series, you owe it to yourself to finish it! And, the last book is really good!

mirel's review against another edition

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4.0

Despite some discrepancies in the book (e.g., people discussing their plans out loud in a world where certain people are gifted with the ability to hear whispers from miles away...), I enjoyed the story and the characters. I moved between reading and audible, and was more bothered by the male narrator than by the story flaws. This narrator pronounced many words in nonstandard forms, and pronounced most of the names differently from the female narrator (who narrated the entire series from the first book).

apeterschmidt's review against another edition

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4.0

I think if this book had a slightly different ending and King had decided to close with three books, it would be 5 stars from me. I read this book in about 3 hours flat, and loved every minute of it. I'm not so sure a fourth book is needed, however. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I will still be reading the next book in search of Kalinda's happily ever after.

amberlts's review against another edition

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4.0

Not the strongest link in the series, but still an essential piece.

heatherjkirk's review against another edition

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4.0

Loved the first book in this series. Kalinda is a character that is likable, relatable, and has a dilemma that flows into an all out war. Many YA fantasy books try to create a dilemma for the main character where war is unavoidable, but these often feel contrived with obvious solutions that could have avoided the major conflict. King has done a good job weaving an intricate story throughout the series with a natural progression of conflict. The second book is where I started losing interest, and it took me months to finish that book. I started this book with a similar outlook and it took me from July to September to get halfway through; however, once I gave it my full attention, the story picked back up and got back on track. Devon just became one dimensional and unlikable for a while through book 2 and 3, and (to me) there was no reason she wouldn't choose Ashwin, as he was such an admirable and good person. This book allowed Devon more time to develop as a character, and I just felt that it got the series back on track. Can't wait to read book #4.