Emily R. King

The writing style is enjoyable and the constant action kept the book alive. Going into the book, I had two main expectations: fights/duels ("[Kali was] ordered to fight for her place") and "the stoic but kind Captain Deven Naik."

If you are looking for cool fight scenes, rigorous training, or warriors getting fussy about honor and cheating, this is not the book for you. Those one-on-one fights I had been so anticipating ended up being, for the most part, the decorative content of two show more paragraphs in between the other events of the book. Our dear protagonist Kali was not prolific in her descriptions of violence, which speaks well of her sensibilities and character but not of her qualities as a gripping storyteller.

Regarding the Captain: no spoilers here, but his actions are more aptly described as inconsistent and dramatic rather than stoic.

While no resolution is made, a main theme of The Hundredth Queen is the impotency of women in this constructed society. I was shocked by how dispassionate Kali was in her description of what we would call abusive situations. The more I thought about it, the more repulsive it seemed, and I nearly stopped reading. But I think that's the point. If Kali's worldview sees these things as normal, it is a direct product of the environment in which she grew up. Of course she isn't outraged by these things, they happen all the time. Therein lies the heart of the matter. The theme I took away was the unresolved question: what atrocities have we normalized because they are 'the way things have always been'?

I do not mean this as a political rant, and I do not believe the book had such pretensions either. I merely wish to describe how shocking it is to read about a heroine whose mindset is not 'revolutionary' to the other members of their society. show less

This book just made me mad

The initial premise was intriguing, a woman chosen to be the 100th wife to a king and her fighting to keep her position. But then it gets muddled by Avatar-Air-bender-like beings, a king who wants to raise the dead, and a forbidden love between the protagonist and her guard...

It could work if the editor actually did their job or the author was more skilled. Unfortunately neither was the case.
Conversations between characters were just info dumps, events aren't show more given enough time to build up relevancy before they are resolved, and the love story is superficial at best.

I just got more and more annoyed as the book went on. I couldn't even finish it; I got through 70% of it before I just skimmed through the rest. By the looks of it, I don't miss out on much.

This is definitely a do-not-buy. show less

Everly has a clockwork heart that keeps ticking thanks to her uncle and her desire for vengeance. What she doesn't know is that desire will lead her into worlds she can't imagine, and a fairy tale nightmare come true.

Everly is a great character. She is sharp witted, focused, and trying her best to be harden by her bitter memories. She isn't perfect, her impulses lead her to make rather dumb decisions on occasion, but this just makes her relatable and human. I also enjoy the supporting show more characters, especially the lady thieves.

I really liked the story line as well. Yes, parts are predictable, and yes sometimes I felt like I was the only one NOT surprised that the bad guy did something awful. However, the story manages to be intriguing even with the perfectible parts. And it also throws some curve balls to keep you on your toes. I thought the world building was beautifully done, and I hope the other worlds are just as rich.

I also appreciated that King doesn't change her characters too much...they grow and adapt, but they don't instantly become something different, just to support the story or to make the story line easier. The thieves are still looking out for their best interests at the end of the story...there may be comradeship that has developed, but it doesn't trump self preservation. And Everly may have some cracks in that bitterness by the end of the book, but that doesn't stop her from her mission.

My overall rating is 3.5 stars. show less

“Let the sky lead me, the land ground me, the fire cleanse me, and the water feed me.”

The Hundredth Queen is an imaginative fantasy that blends beautiful imagery and persistent characters. We follow Kalinda, an orphan ward of the Sisterhood, as she’s chosen to be the hundredth queen for the tyrant Rajah Tarek. Kali must fight for her place in the palace, while hiding a dangerous secret about herself. The Hundredth Queen is filled with mystery, romance, and a beautifully imagined world show more of power, control, and retribution.

Things I Liked:
Kali was a pretty solid main character. I love that she was inquisitive and hard working, determined to better herself and dedicated to the values of the Sisterhood. She tries to take all the agency she can in this heavily patriarchal society. Though she is naive and rash, she fights for her beliefs and those she loves, and that is always admirable.

I absolutely loved everything about the Bhutas. They were my favorite part of the story. I’m a sucker for elemental magic and I loved the power displays and the history they brought to the story. Bhutas >>>>>>.

I really loved the imagery in the story. Everything felt very vivid and clear, it made it super easy to become enveloped and invested in this world.

Things I Didn’t Like:
Even though this story is clearly a fantasy novel, it was hard for me to not connect the fantasy setting to the real-world influences. It made the setting feel just slightly off, and not quite as distinct as I would have liked.

I’m not usually an insta-love hater. I understand it’s place in the story and can usually get behind it, or at least be okay with it because I understand it’s purpose. However, this was a little heavy on the insta-love. It was a little too much, a little too quickly. I like the relationship that develops between Kali and Deven, but the start was a little rushed for me personally.

While I loved the imagery, and it captivated me enough to become invested in the world, I would have liked some more information and more world building. Kali and others constantly mention the 5 godly virtues, but they are never mentioned all at once (and if they are I missed it - sorry). It would have been nice to establish the culture and religion more, so I could connect this with the world the characters live in. I felt like the actual tournament provided good action, but we only really knew 3 of the girls competing so the deaths held little impact, besides fueling Kali’s anger. I also felt like Kali really didn’t have enough time to learn/practice her powers. For the book to focus on her trying to understand what powers she possess, and what she’s capable, we really didn’t get to see her explore them much at all.

I felt like most of the side characters were not really developed outside of their relationship to Kali. I understand this is her story, but the other characters really just felt like they were along for her story, they didn’t have much on their own.

The Hundredth Queen is a solid fantasy story, that brilliantly sets up it’s sequel The Fire Queen, to have more action, more challenges, and more powers. This is a richly imagined story with fantastic magic wielders and slightly weak characters and world building. The Hundredth Queen is a good story, with an even more promising future.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. show less