*Thank you to Netgalley & Skyscape for an ARC in exchange for a review*
Publisher's Summary:
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.
Thoughts:
The Rogue Queen is an action packed adventure full of peril, uncertainty, betrayals and heartbreak. The novel is another strong addition to the series. King excels at world-building of a fantasy realm with loosely inspired ties to Sumerian and Indian cultures. Kalinda is an admirable female protagonist and readers connect with her readily on her journey for her strength and vulnerability. She is quickly learning that sometimes to right choices are the hardest ones.
King continues to alternate voices by assigning chapters and the parallel story to Deven. He does his fair share of soul searching throughout the book and fans of his and Kali's romance must weather the storm of their relationship once again. Fair warning, have tissues handy near the end. Here's hoping that fairer skies might be on the horizon for these two after more BIG challenges must be faced in book 4, The Warrior Queen, due out in August 2018.
The narrative benefits from its host of well developed secondary characters as well as a really great villain with clear world domination goals and good dialogue with some YA books often lack.
Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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Also recommended...
As an orphan ward of the Sisterhood, eighteen-year-old Kalinda is destined for nothing more than a life of seclusion and prayer. Plagued by fevers, she’s an unlikely candidate for even a servant’s position, let alone a courtesan or wife. Her sole dream is to continue living in peace in the Sisterhood’s mountain temple.
But a visit from the tyrant Rajah Tarek disrupts Kalinda’s life. Within hours, she is ripped from the comfort of her home, set on a desert trek, and ordered to fight for her place among the rajah’s ninety-nine wives and numerous courtesans. Her only solace comes in the company of her guard, the stoic but kind Captain Deven Naik.
Faced with the danger of a tournament to the death—and her growing affection for Deven—Kalinda has only one hope for escape, and it lies in an arcane, forbidden power buried within her.
Thoughts:
This first book of Kalinda's journey had me spellbound from beginning to end. She begins naive and rather fragile but blossoms to embrace newly discovered abilities all to save herself, her best friend and her newfound love.
Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Though the tyrant rajah she was forced to marry is dead, Kalinda’s troubles are far from over. A warlord has invaded the imperial city, and now she’s in exile. But she isn’t alone. Kalinda has the allegiance of Captain Deven Naik, her guard and beloved, imprisoned for treason and stripped of command. With the empire at war, their best hope is to find Prince Ashwin, the rajah’s son, who has promised Deven’s freedom on one condition: that Kalinda will fight and defeat three formidable opponents.
But as Kalinda’s tournament strengths are once again challenged, so too is her relationship with Deven. While Deven fears her powers, Ashwin reveres them—as well as the courageous woman who wields them. Kalinda comes to regard Ashwin as the only man who can repair a warring world and finds herself torn between her allegiance to Deven and a newly found respect for the young prince.
With both the responsibility to protect her people and the fate of those she loves weighing heavily upon her, Kalinda is forced again to compete. She must test the limits of her fire powers and her hard-won wisdom. But will that be enough to unite the empire without sacrificing all she holds dear?
Thoughts:
Kalinda's journey is far from over despite the death of her tyrant husband. While her powers seem to grow, she learns even more secrets about her ancestry, finds new allies and must participate in another trial to secure her freedom and those she holds most dear. Well written with an intricate, fast paced plot and good characterization. I did like the addition of Deven's POV in alternate chapters to add depth to the story.
Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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