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wilder_tingz 's review for:
The Exiled Queen
by Cinda Williams Chima
where do i even start with this one … the new setting does WONDERS for these characters, and the expansion of Han’s motivations and fears in this one is amazing. he becomes so much more nuanced as he tries and tries to change, trying to adjust to the new life he’s been given (well, FORCED is more the word). he’s on multiple conflicting payrolls, constantly moving three or four steps ahead of everyone else. there is something so satisfying about his triumphs in this book: micah bayar gets cowed into submission multiple times, han meets raisa again (fucking finally.. but more on that later), and he’s finally being seen as a real and potential threat to his enemies.
i have to talk about how god damn annoying the travel is. WOW does it take them forever to get places in this world. it makes it more realistic, and that’s one thing about these books that is so so impressive: chima has PATIENCE. she sets up her events and plot points with the ultimate finesse, truly building suspense and anticipation for CHAPTERS. it’s actually annoying sometimes how she doesn’t give you what you want: she makes you wait for it, which is all the more satisfying. good things and bad things, i suppose.
i absolutely hate the bayar twins in this one. they’re perhaps a little lopsided as characters, because they’re stuck up and nasty and i’ve never once felt a good feeling about either of them. fiona digging han is also super weird.
amon’s plot line makes sense and is acceptable, if a little boring. he’s the ever honorable sidekick, refusing to give in to raisa even when he wants to most.
raisa comes SO far in this one. seeing her fight tooth and nail to reject her privilege and experience the realities of the world is extremely satisfying. and all the more satisfying is her reunion with han, my favorite man in the seven realms. they foil each other so well, it genuinely feels like fate - and not to mention it feels like a crossover episode.
as a second novel in the series, this performs beautifully. it asks you all the right questions: who knows what? who the fuck is crow? what is raisa going to do next? i really wish we had gotten a scene at the cadet’s ball, not even going to lie to you, but the college-town experience of this book makes a big world feel smaller and more accessible. no longer are the countries we’ve heard of distant and i’ll-defined - in this book, they come center stage in all their flaws and failures. politics becomes so much more important to us, and in turn Han, as he works to find what it is he really wants.
yes this is a romance. yes, that’s 60% of why i love it. but better than any romance plot is the driving forces of love, destiny, belonging, strength, and going after what you want. i love how much these books care about the downtrodden. yeeeees there are stereotypes but they’re stereotypes that are constantly flipped on their heads and challenged. god its a good read. it was in 2011 and it still is today.
i have to talk about how god damn annoying the travel is. WOW does it take them forever to get places in this world. it makes it more realistic, and that’s one thing about these books that is so so impressive: chima has PATIENCE. she sets up her events and plot points with the ultimate finesse, truly building suspense and anticipation for CHAPTERS. it’s actually annoying sometimes how she doesn’t give you what you want: she makes you wait for it, which is all the more satisfying. good things and bad things, i suppose.
i absolutely hate the bayar twins in this one. they’re perhaps a little lopsided as characters, because they’re stuck up and nasty and i’ve never once felt a good feeling about either of them. fiona digging han is also super weird.
amon’s plot line makes sense and is acceptable, if a little boring. he’s the ever honorable sidekick, refusing to give in to raisa even when he wants to most.
raisa comes SO far in this one. seeing her fight tooth and nail to reject her privilege and experience the realities of the world is extremely satisfying. and all the more satisfying is her reunion with han, my favorite man in the seven realms. they foil each other so well, it genuinely feels like fate - and not to mention it feels like a crossover episode.
as a second novel in the series, this performs beautifully. it asks you all the right questions: who knows what? who the fuck is crow? what is raisa going to do next? i really wish we had gotten a scene at the cadet’s ball, not even going to lie to you, but the college-town experience of this book makes a big world feel smaller and more accessible. no longer are the countries we’ve heard of distant and i’ll-defined - in this book, they come center stage in all their flaws and failures. politics becomes so much more important to us, and in turn Han, as he works to find what it is he really wants.
yes this is a romance. yes, that’s 60% of why i love it. but better than any romance plot is the driving forces of love, destiny, belonging, strength, and going after what you want. i love how much these books care about the downtrodden. yeeeees there are stereotypes but they’re stereotypes that are constantly flipped on their heads and challenged. god its a good read. it was in 2011 and it still is today.