Author: Emily R. King
Series: The Hundredth Queen #1
Age: Young Adult
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Publication Date: June 1, 2017
Publisher: Skyscape
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Purchase: Kindle | Amazon | B&N
Synopsis:
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.
In Emily R. King’s thrilling fantasy debut, an orphan girl blossoms into a warrior, summoning courage and confidence in her fearless quest to upend tradition, overthrow an empire, and reclaim her life as her own.
My Rating:
Quotes I Like:
"You have fire in your blood. It would be a terrible waste to kill you." - Brac
"I have no wives, and when I marry, I will have only one. From what I’ve seen, one woman ordering me about will be plenty." - Captain Deven
"I wanted peace too, but I didn’t find it in the Brotherhood. I found it in the army. Sometimes the only solution that produces peace is war." - Captain Deven
"We are all half-demon, half-god. The demon half being the mortal side that continually errs, and the godly half being the side that strives to improve. In each life, we endeavor to raise our standing and become closer to everlasting perfection." - Brother Shaan
"Hatred is sustenance for survival. Use it right, and your loathing will sustain you through the tournament, all the way to your triumph." - Mathura
"What is courage without fear?" - Hastin
My Thoughts:
I have no words to express my thoughts on this gem. I'm not sure why people don't seem to care for this. I've read this slowly, taking notes and it was just an interesting fantasy read for me. I did feel the romance was already established from chapter one. It could have been better.
The story follows an orphan named Kalinda who is raised by the Sisterhood. She is spitfire, but she's known for being weak because she's always sick and feverish. She's been given a tonic to help with her fevers. She believed life would go well until the rajah comes to the temple for a claiming and claims her. After being claimed she sent on a journey filled with lies, secrets, betrayal, love and heartache.
Kalinda, as I mentioned, is a spitefire. She is seen as weak and because of that she believes she is. She learns that she is much more powerful than she ever thought. Her claiming by the rajah took her down a path of finding out who she really is. She was able to learn that her sickness was due to her having powers, she found out who her parents were (which blew my mind), she fell in love and become so damn powerful. She was the type of person who didn't like rules. She was a free spirit which caused her to talk too much and lead to getting into trouble.
Captain Deven Naik was a very strong man with a loyal heart. He was loyal to the empire up until he met Kalinda. Deven tried to be sensible every now and then, but it never worked out for him. He always fell more for Kalinda. I enjoyed reading about him and seeing him grow. He learned to be a man instead of a solider when it mattered most. His family history was just as confusing as Kalinda's was, but I still totally loved him to the very end.
Rajah Tarek was a twisted, evil bastard. He was freaking nasty considering what was revealed about Kalinda. He was an angry man who wanted what he could never have. He abused his power. Treated women like toys. He was ruthless to the very bone. I hated him.
The romance was pretty basic. It was sort of love at first for Kalinda and Deven. Tarek was just hung up on the past and used Kalinda as a mental escape. Even so, I enjoyed the romance a bit especially when things started to get more interesting towards mid-end. I'm excited to see how the romance continues to brew with all that transpired in this first book.
The Kindred Lakia was an annoying woman with a broken spirit. She was pure evil from the heart. I understood her love and devotion for him, but she just went too far for a man that cared nothing for her. I felt sorry for her, but I loved that ending with her!! Jaya was a true best-friend. I loved everything about her from beginning to end. She was always there for Kalinda when no one else was. That ending with her killed me! Natesa was an annoying woman, but as the story progressed I ended up liking her. She seemed like an evil woman, but she was just a broken girl looking for a place to be protected and loved. Brac was freaking awesome! I loved him and definitely hope to see more of him in the sequel.
The fantasy aspect was absolutely interesting. I loved the whole idea of these half-gods being portrayed as demons and there being a fight between the two. I loved the world-building and descriptions used to really bring me into the world. The culture was very intriguing as well.
That ending was superb, left me wanting more. I have thankfully received books 2-4 for review, so after reading this first book I will most definitely be reading the rest of the series to see how Kalinda lives.
Do I recommend it? Yes, unless you hate instant romances with cheesy scenes. It can be cheesy, but it's really a beautiful story if you look past the cheesiness of it all.
Have you read this book?