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koistyfishy 's review for:
A Queen of Thieves & Chaos
by K.A. Tucker
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
4 Crescent Moon Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️.5/5
Please note, I cannot comment on aspects of this book without saying with 100% certainty there won't be spoilers for Book 1 and Book 2. If this bothers you... I would advise you to stop reading and enjoy those books before continuing onward. (My reviews for those can be found at the bottom of this should you need any more convincing to read them ♥️)
I REALLY ENJOYED THIS! It was great to be back in this world. I felt like I was coming home to characters I missed and loved. This series continues to solidify that K.A. Tucker writing fantasy is not a FLUKE because she is DAMN GOOD AT IT!!!
This starts almost exactly where Book 2 ends, thus my recommendation is since the world-building is PRETTY intricate, detailed and a little complicated (especially if you HAVE read about 80 books in between Book 2 and 3) - Read the last 50 pages of A Curse of Blood & Stone as it will provide the perfect refresher of where our characters are and who the main key players are in the story! (If not, you can only really blame yourself for being confused AF)
Even with the "refresher", the first 20% of the book was a little bit Where am I? What century is this? What's going on????? But once I was vibing and back into the story I was hooked! I am so impressed by the labyrinthian detail woven together, with aspects and breadcrumbs mentioned in book 1 being important in this book! It was like the tension was hyped up 50 notches, building up to...SOMETHING WE WILL FIND OUT IN BOOK 4!!!!!! (Yes, there is a cliffhanger and it's AWFUL AND MEAN AND I NEED BOOK 4 LIKE NAOW!!!!)
It should be noted that...THERE ARE a lot of POVs in this book, but as a result, it feels more wholesome. The plot also seems to vary in pace as unlike Book 2, which was largely spent on the journey to Ulysede, this instalment feels more like a movie. Seeing something from multiple points of view, and watching the story unfold while our characters are halfway across the world! The only downside to this is that if you end up invested in one person's point of view, you have to wait a while before you get their point of view again...
Another thing that I LOVED (which I have only seen 2 writers pull off, AND PULL OFF WELL) is KA TUCKER made me feel COMPASSION FOR A "Villian"... I LOVE Atticus! (Maybe more than Zander). At the end of Book 2, he is very much the bastard brother who has exiled his King and stolen his throne. In this book, his romance with Gracen was most probably the best thing about this book. When not in their POVs - I wanted to get back to them. Their relationship was absolutely adorable. I felt like I needed to root for him and that I wanted him to succeed. He is misguided in his reasons, but like Zander, he is just trying to do the best for his country.
Gracen is such a fantastic and beautiful character! She has been through so much, yet remains gentle and passionate about her family and her simple morals. She is grateful for what she has, even if it is not much and thankful to be alive. It was so beautiful to see someone who is now the King listen, and actually listen, to a simple baker and heed her counsel.
In terms of Romeria's relationships. Her romantic relationship with Zander is a little pushed to the sidelines and doesn't progress much. However, her friendship with Jarek was interesting to watch unfold... I am not sure how I feel about this.... -_- They do bicker like brother and sister but I feel like there are hints of more developing.
If you do not like politics and political intrigue...THIS IS NOT THE BOOK FOR YOU! There is court drama, kingdom drama, espionage, backstabbing, arranged marriages, wars, internal factions and treason. It's heavily political. But as a result, I think that this book could appeal to anybody who likes fantasy. It's not just a fantasy romance, even though there are romantic elements; romance is not at the forefront of the story. The forefront of the story is a high fantasy plot dealing with prophecy and kingdoms preparing for war.
Overall, WELL DONE on this instalment! I was reminded how much I love this series and how everyone should read it!!!
Thank you to Valentine PR and K.A.Tucker for the ARC!
All thoughts and feelings are my own.
Spicy Level: 🌶️.5/5
Please note, I cannot comment on aspects of this book without saying with 100% certainty there won't be spoilers for Book 1 and Book 2. If this bothers you... I would advise you to stop reading and enjoy those books before continuing onward. (My reviews for those can be found at the bottom of this should you need any more convincing to read them ♥️)
I REALLY ENJOYED THIS! It was great to be back in this world. I felt like I was coming home to characters I missed and loved. This series continues to solidify that K.A. Tucker writing fantasy is not a FLUKE because she is DAMN GOOD AT IT!!!
This starts almost exactly where Book 2 ends, thus my recommendation is since the world-building is PRETTY intricate, detailed and a little complicated (especially if you HAVE read about 80 books in between Book 2 and 3) - Read the last 50 pages of A Curse of Blood & Stone as it will provide the perfect refresher of where our characters are and who the main key players are in the story! (If not, you can only really blame yourself for being confused AF)
Even with the "refresher", the first 20% of the book was a little bit Where am I? What century is this? What's going on????? But once I was vibing and back into the story I was hooked! I am so impressed by the labyrinthian detail woven together, with aspects and breadcrumbs mentioned in book 1 being important in this book! It was like the tension was hyped up 50 notches, building up to...SOMETHING WE WILL FIND OUT IN BOOK 4!!!!!! (Yes, there is a cliffhanger and it's AWFUL AND MEAN AND I NEED BOOK 4 LIKE NAOW!!!!)
It should be noted that...THERE ARE a lot of POVs in this book, but as a result, it feels more wholesome. The plot also seems to vary in pace as unlike Book 2, which was largely spent on the journey to Ulysede, this instalment feels more like a movie. Seeing something from multiple points of view, and watching the story unfold while our characters are halfway across the world! The only downside to this is that if you end up invested in one person's point of view, you have to wait a while before you get their point of view again...
Another thing that I LOVED (which I have only seen 2 writers pull off, AND PULL OFF WELL) is KA TUCKER made me feel COMPASSION FOR A "Villian"... I LOVE Atticus! (Maybe more than Zander). At the end of Book 2, he is very much the bastard brother who has exiled his King and stolen his throne. In this book, his romance with Gracen was most probably the best thing about this book. When not in their POVs - I wanted to get back to them. Their relationship was absolutely adorable. I felt like I needed to root for him and that I wanted him to succeed. He is misguided in his reasons, but like Zander, he is just trying to do the best for his country.
Gracen is such a fantastic and beautiful character! She has been through so much, yet remains gentle and passionate about her family and her simple morals. She is grateful for what she has, even if it is not much and thankful to be alive. It was so beautiful to see someone who is now the King listen, and actually listen, to a simple baker and heed her counsel.
In terms of Romeria's relationships. Her romantic relationship with Zander is a little pushed to the sidelines and doesn't progress much. However, her friendship with Jarek was interesting to watch unfold... I am not sure how I feel about this.... -_- They do bicker like brother and sister but I feel like there are hints of more developing.
If you do not like politics and political intrigue...THIS IS NOT THE BOOK FOR YOU! There is court drama, kingdom drama, espionage, backstabbing, arranged marriages, wars, internal factions and treason. It's heavily political. But as a result, I think that this book could appeal to anybody who likes fantasy. It's not just a fantasy romance, even though there are romantic elements; romance is not at the forefront of the story. The forefront of the story is a high fantasy plot dealing with prophecy and kingdoms preparing for war.
Overall, WELL DONE on this instalment! I was reminded how much I love this series and how everyone should read it!!!
Thank you to Valentine PR and K.A.Tucker for the ARC!
All thoughts and feelings are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail