A review by mountaingirl88
The Rogue Queen by Emily R. King

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.