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daychaser 's review for:
The Exiled Queen
by Cinda Williams Chima
This cast of characters is STACKED.
If you want a character-driven fantasy, look no further. I didn't know what to expect from this series but it is just getting better as it progresses. It has me kicking my feet and squealing like a child and I NEED to talk about it.
The characters are a ton of fun. Everyone is a schemer with very mixed motives and I LOVE it. The love triangles are EATING with no crumbs left behind. If you want to read about a fantasy that has a lot of politicking and strategy you must try it out.
I'm tired of reading about hollow archetypal characters with no depth but that is not the case with this series. You know when you're reading a book and there's like 1, maybe 2 characters who you love, and the rest are solid, but you're really excited for the times when your favorites are on the page? This series does not have that problem: every pov is so much fun to read about and I love them all. Their interactions and motivations are PERFECTLY executed.
I love strategic and intelligent heroines. I can enjoy the popular "badass female character" trope but it's refreshing to read about a heroine who isn't a fighter, isn't meek, but is SO effective with her cunning and smarts. Raisa is that girl. The Princess Heir to the Fells refuses to go down marred by ignorance. She knows that there are forces at play that may threaten her and/or her realm, so she needs to get smart. Quickly. Raisa is a 10/10 fantasy heroine in a genre marred by the shallow and obnoxious. Raisa falls into none of these pitfalls and I love how her power is her mind and she's not turning into something she isn't. It also makes it easy to understand why other characters are so compelled by her. Finally! It's believable what all these men see in her!
Then we've got Han Allister: the gang leader from the previous book is in a very changed situation. In Book 1 I took him has more of a lovable rogue type but with powerful enemies, he knows he has to learn how to play their game, and fast. He's so charming but also has a savage side that comes out in the most delicious of ways.
If you want a character-driven fantasy, look no further. I didn't know what to expect from this series but it is just getting better as it progresses. It has me kicking my feet and squealing like a child and I NEED to talk about it.
The characters are a ton of fun. Everyone is a schemer with very mixed motives and I LOVE it. The love triangles are EATING with no crumbs left behind. If you want to read about a fantasy that has a lot of politicking and strategy you must try it out.
I'm tired of reading about hollow archetypal characters with no depth but that is not the case with this series. You know when you're reading a book and there's like 1, maybe 2 characters who you love, and the rest are solid, but you're really excited for the times when your favorites are on the page? This series does not have that problem: every pov is so much fun to read about and I love them all. Their interactions and motivations are PERFECTLY executed.
I love strategic and intelligent heroines. I can enjoy the popular "badass female character" trope but it's refreshing to read about a heroine who isn't a fighter, isn't meek, but is SO effective with her cunning and smarts. Raisa is that girl. The Princess Heir to the Fells refuses to go down marred by ignorance. She knows that there are forces at play that may threaten her and/or her realm, so she needs to get smart. Quickly. Raisa is a 10/10 fantasy heroine in a genre marred by the shallow and obnoxious. Raisa falls into none of these pitfalls and I love how her power is her mind and she's not turning into something she isn't. It also makes it easy to understand why other characters are so compelled by her. Finally! It's believable what all these men see in her!
Then we've got Han Allister: the gang leader from the previous book is in a very changed situation. In Book 1 I took him has more of a lovable rogue type but with powerful enemies, he knows he has to learn how to play their game, and fast. He's so charming but also has a savage side that comes out in the most delicious of ways.
"You need to learn that you can't have everything you want. I'm going to teach you. This is just the beginning."
His eyes narrowed. "Is that a threat?"
"Absolutely." Han smiled. "Any time you start a fight, you'd better know who you're coming against." He stood. "Be seeing you."
These streets made him hardened and distrusting but he's not a total cynic (yet) and his caring side is still there to keep him in check. Han is truly a badass mfing king.
MICAH. He's more antagonistic but his hidden depths are done so well. I literally had to re-read chapter 33 because it was so good. The maneuvering! The finessing! That ending! Does he actually like Raisa? Or is this all for his own ends? You still don't know what his goals are as he's arrogant and self-serving. He's not above cold-blooded murder but you get the feeling he's not totally evil. He can definitely have a fun redemption arc but I'm excited to see where his character will go.
Then we have Amon- loyal, honorable but with a bit of a slightly tragic and angsty trajectory. So often authors make their "nice" characters boring but not here! I kind of hate when the nice guy is painted as wet cardboard but Amon is everything good about the bodyguard trope. He's witty, intelligent and capable and the angst of his character is done so well.
"I've learned much from him... I think he makes me a better person."
Amon rolled his eyes. "It sounds like he's your priest, not your lover."
But that's not all: Fiona, Dancer, Cat, Reid... all a good time.
Aside from the absolutely stacked cast of characters, the plot itself was really fun in this one. I love a good academy setting and in this installment our characters are learning either magic or the military at Odeon's Ford. I enjoy how there's a ton of tension and rivalries but the action is more like a chess match, not as much about life and death (although the risk is there.) The magic system is a lot of fun and there are so many factions at play.
The romantic subplots are a ton of fun as well. The writing is really well done and again, Cinda Williams Chima is the type of author that can take normally innocuous moments and make them meaningful because she's so skilled at crafting her characters. There's also a maturity and intelligence to the book that doesn't have it feeling so YA.
If you're a character-driven fantasy fan check this series out.
"I would advise you not to do anything rash," she said.
"Never worry," Han said. "If I take revenge, I'll do it with great forethought and deliberation."