The Gray Wolf Throne

just when you think this series can’t raise the bar, it does. when you think there can’t POSSIBLY be another surprise, there is. this book takes the characters we’ve fallen in love with at this point and ruthlessly, MERCILESSLY thrusts them into the most high stakes situation yet - ruling a queendom.

i was deeply impressed by raisa’s development in this book - she goes from being stuck up and spoiled in the first book to downright mature in the third installment. she’s learning from han: how to play 3D politics chess, how to anticipate her enemies’ next moves, how to maintain appearances. i love her more and more as the series goes on, because she is not only headstrong but deeply kind. she cares about her people, not show more because she’s a ruler, but because she is a person, too.

han’s development in this installment is truly remarkable. all the childishness falls away as he realizes that what he really REALLY wants might just be out of his reach forever. my absolute favorite scene in the series is when he heals raisa on the way to marisa pines camp after the assassination attempt - we see how much han has fallen for her, how desperate he is to protect the last bit of love in his life, only to have it cruelly ripped away from him when he learns her real identity. at this point, we’re three books into this connection, and it only gets more intriguing from here. we see that they love each other, but there is so much more at stake now than there was. han has to be someone else, totally transform himself to win raisa - and more importantly, to stay alive. he is a truly fascinating character that i never get tired of reading. i love his roughness, his kind heart, his strategists brain - everything about han is well thought out and perfectly executed, even all of his many imperfections.

this book brings a whole new level of intensity to an already intense series. with the death of the queen, there’s now a power vacuum in the Fells, and good GOD does everyone have an opinion about it. there are questions upon QUESTIONS that crop up in this book, and we don’t get all the answers. rather, chima takes her time setting up an unbelievably satisfying climb to the top - we don’t know where she’s taking us, but holy shit am i strapped in and READY for it.

if you didn’t think this series could get better, you’re dead wrong. chima goes above and beyond to give you little pieces of what you want, and then RIPS them away from you. such a satisfying, emotional, and incredibly visceral journey through a world that feels so real to me now. chima, THANK YOU. show less

First things first, I love the covers for this series - they are fantastic. The vibrant colors and the detailing on the cover art make them stand out.

Now, moving on to what lay inside the covers. Cinda William Chima's Seven Realms series is one of my ultimate favorites. When I first pick up The Demon King about a year ago, I devoured it and quickly moved on to The Exiled Queen. At that point, I could not wait to get my hands on The Gray Wolf Throne. When I originally started The Gray Wolf Throne, I thought that it was the last book of the series. Once I finished, I was full of despair. How could the series end like that? What happened with the characters? Come to find out, Cinda "was on page 576 and nothing was resolved." (source) So, show more we get a fourth book! I have mixed feelings on this. Of course, I'm saddened by the fact that I have to wait another year to finish the story. Overall, my joy comes out on top. This series is so fantastic and I love that the books are so bulky... I will gladly wait another year to get another great book from Cinda.

The Gray Wolf Throne is full of everything I love about Cinda's Seven Realms series: Lush setting, just enough romance, endless adventure and sensational character development.

TGWT picks up closely to where TEQ left off. Raisa has escaped from Micah and Fiona Bayer and is now trying to decide what to do. Should she return home? Will anyone else hunt her down? Will Han come after her? While Han's journey is centered on trying to find Raisa, as well as fulfill his obligations to others.

I felt like Raisa really grew in this installment. She was much more bold and more comfortable in her skin. She's beginning to understand what duty truly means in her shoes and of course, she's realizing what exactly love is. Raisa loves her queendom and has such a passion for those around her, she wants to help everyone. Unfortunately, as she is coming to find, sometimes duty has to come before love. In which case, things don't look so good for Han.

On the other hand, Han is used to being ruthless and he's not giving up on Raisa yet. TGWT throws quite a few wrenches into Han's plans, but he usually finds his way around them. What I love about Han is his tenacity. He is a fighter and he does not know the meaning of giving up or giving in.

The only downside I found was the lack of interaction between Han and Raisa. As much as I would have loved a little more romance between the two, I would have really just liked to see more of Han altogether. The Gray Wolf Throne is a bit more centered on Raisa and a bulk of the story is told from her POV.

Overall, Cinda had me anxiously turning pages - or pressing the right arrow key on my laptop, rather - and sitting on the edge of my seat just waiting to find out what would happen to my beloved characters. The plot and the pace were better than ever, full of mystery and intrigue. The Gray Wolf Throne does not disappoint, it definitely has it all. Full of betrayal, heartbreak, tragedy and intrigue - a definite page-turner. Pick this one up, you won't be disappointed! show less

We pick up the story a month after the battle between the troops of Gerard Montaigne and the soldiers of the kingdom of Tamron where Raisa almost got captured. Raisa’s been staying in a tavern in Fetters Ford for over a month now, in the hope that someone will come to take her home, but at the same time terrified that the assassins will find her. Her pseudonym Rebecca Morley is useless and she has to take on a new, unknown identity to survive. The Crown Princess is particularly worried that she will not make it back home in time and that her mother will make her younger sister Mellony the new heir to the throne.
At the same time Han Allister is traveling on the same route back to the Fells, summoned by the clans to get ready for a show more fight against the magicians at court. Everywhere Han asks about the fate of his good friend Rebecca, who has become more than just a friend. Still in the dark about her true identity, Han gets a few tip that might lead to her. What happened to her? Was she really taken by Micah Bayar like Amon says?

Ultimately, the two meet again in a predicament that could mean the death of one of them. Will both survive? And how many attempts on her life can Raisa survive?
The political intrigue is reaching a climax in this third book of the Seven Realms series which, like its predecessors is a fantastic book that is very difficult to put aside. A large part of the book goes deeper into the emotions of Han and Raisa, the uncertainties for the future and the constant fear because death awaits them around every corner.

It's nice to see that after a series of 3 books the story is still on a very high level and knows to deliver and doesn’t get boring. It happens far too often that a story makes too many detours to drag it out over as many books as possible.
Seven Realms never gets boring and makes you long for the next book that will be published in the autumn (October) and will be called "The Crimson Crown". show less

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Things just keep getting more epic. It’s funny how this book covers the shortest span of time but the most stuff happens. In The Gray Wolf Throne, Raisa levels up to a new degree of bossness. Han gets to use all his fancy blueblood training. And, oh yeah, shit goes down.

Perhaps because of the accelerated time frame, The Gray Wolf Throne goes really fast. The pace just rockets, despite the book being long. It feels like hurtling toward an ending that could be roses and could be a brick wall against which our cast will smash and die. Personally, I’m hoping only a few of them die, but Chima does seem to enjoy character death, so it’s really hard to say.

One thing show more I find really interesting about Chima is how she does the deaths. She’s resisted a lot of death tropes common to fantasy fiction. Generally, I’m used to being able to assume that if a remotely important character dies off screen, they’re totally going to be alive through some complicated series of events. Unless someone confirms that a character is dead, they’re not going to be dead. Not so with Chima. She’s done the bulk of her killing off screen, which makes it even more shocking when it goes down.

Basically, Chima resists death fake outs, which is really awesome, since I don’t like that trope in most cases. Early on, both Han and Raisa are in serious danger of dying. She could easily have done a fakeout with a POV swap (it’s third person, so why not, right?), but she didn’t. And, you know what? I was still concerned for them. You don’t have to try to fool me into thinking they’re dead to make me worry that they might die. Besides, even if they survive that, which, I mean, they probably would anyway, since there’s another book left and only a few authors kill the MCs before the end of the series, there’s still a fuckton of danger ahead of them.

Never have political maneuverings been more fascinating than in The Gray Wolf Throne. Raisa has to come back to her queendom and become the queen. Obviously, she’s going to be the best at it, but there are wars outside the queendom and tensions inside. The list of people she can trust is short, and people keep trying to kill her. Also, for all that I thought Gavan Bayar was a giant dickface, he’s got nothing on Gerard Montaigne, who makes my skin crawl.

Raisa has always been a strong heroine, in pretty much every possible definition of the word. That doesn’t mean she’s the strongest person physically or that she doesn’t cry. She’s not, and she does. Raisa’s biggest strength is that she loves hard work. Not only will she do it, but she enjoys it, a barb her sister throws at her. In The Gray Wolf Throne, she really reaches new heights of badassery. Her training at Oden’s Ford has made her stronger physically and given her an adeptness with weapons. Though she does get saved a lot by others, it’s not because she’s a damsel in distress; it’s because there are so many people trying to bring her down. Good luck, guys. Raisa doesn’t go down without one hell of a fight.

The Han/Raisa romance is giving so many feels. They break my heart with all the things keeping them apart. The fact that they can’t fight their feelings only makes them that much more shippable. On top of that, both of them are so practical and wise, always putting their heads over their hearts, which I admire even as it stabs my shippy heart. The other ships continue to be…there. I like Cat and Dancer sort of in theory, but I also never get to see them be TOGETHER really so I have no idea what their private dynamic is. Then there’s what happens to the only actual instance of LGBT+ romance in the series thus far: Yeah, Talia didn’t die, but I’m still pissed that of all the couples to almost break in half by death, the lesbian one? No. Do not approve.

Just when I’m feeling pretty hopeful, Chima hits me with that ending. GAH. Must read final book now. show less

Really loving this series...which for once did not end in a cliffhanger! Many secrets are revealed in this installment, as Han finally discovers Raisa's identity and they both must struggle with the consequences of their relationship. Raisa also learns of her mother's death and must craft a plan to hold her throne from the people who would take it from her. Fun reading! Can't wait to dig into the next one!

Where do I start with this? Okay, I'll admit that I'm something of a fan girl here. I always really enjoyed Cinda Williams Chima's Heir series, but when I picked up her epic high fantasy Seven Realms series, I was in love. This series is one of the best young adult epic fantasies I've ever read. Yeah -it's that good. From beginning to end I was completely caught up in the thrilling and fantastic world of the characters and their exciting adventures.

In The Gray Throne, princess heir Raisa returns home, only to find that her mother has died. Not only that, but political tides have shifted at court, and not in good ways for Raisa. Though the queen is dead, during Raisa's absence she was pressured to change the line of succession, making show more it more difficult for Raisa. Not only must Raisa settle into her pending role as queen (not to mention her budding romance with wizard and thief Han), but she must fight for the throne against a tide of politics and even her own sister.

Wizards? Political intrigue? Family feuds? Forbidden romances? Strong female character? What's not to like? I mean, really, this one was awesome from the beginning. Raisa is presenting as a fascinatingly likable and wonderfully intelligent woman who is really to step up to her duty. Raisa really made the story for me, even more than in the previous books. Chima's excellent prose continues to shine through in every word, painting powerful emotions, realistic characters and detailed settings that take readers to another world.

Keep in mind though -if you haven't read the previous Seven Realms books, you may be a little confused, but a completely satisfying continuation of the story that does not disappoint! A non-stop thrill-ride from beginning to end, Gray Wolf Throne is a must-read for 2011. show less

*** As the third book in the Seven Realms series, this review will necessarily have spoilers for The Demon King and The Exiled Queen. ***

Having avoided the assassins' attempt on her life, Raisa is now alone. She's trying to travel back home while also allowing Amon Byrne to find her, and avoiding areas of war in the Seven Realms not to mention the other assassins sent by someone who clearly prefers having her sister, Mellony, on the throne. Meanwhile, Han Alister is trying to find Raisa - whom he knew as Rebecca - as well, but he's afraid her trail may have grown cold.

If you enjoyed the first two books in this series, then The Gray Wolf Throne will not disappoint. The author finds an excellent balance between action and character show more development, as Raisa and Han each have to find their way in the midst of political turmoil to, well, avoid death at the hands of their enemies. They are both compelling characters, and alternating between their perspectives with third-person narration allows readers to nearly get into their heads but get a slightly more holistic view of events because we know what they think about themselves and each other. I'm looking forward to reading The Crimson Crown when it comes out in October. show less