“Kali is the heart of the new Tarachand. Lose her, and the future is meaningless.”
Oh how this book gave me feels. Let me just lay it all out for you.
THIS WAS BASICALLY THE ECLIPSE OR THE CATCHING FIREOF THE HUNDREDTH QUEEN SERIES. Because it was a huge “who is Kali going to give her heart to” game for like the entire freaking book. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind a love triangle, but it did get a bit ridiculous for a while there in the middle. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
One thing that I’ve loved about The Hundredth Queen series since the beginning is how fierce the female sister warriors are. And I will say that at least Kali has the good sense to know that saving the empire has to come before her personal love life. Like, thank goodness someone gets that, because I hate in YA how the entire fate of civilization can be on the line and all that matters to the heroine is who she most wants to kiss. Kali truly tries to put the good of others first, and in their own way Ashwin and Deven do as well, and that redeems their little love triangle in my book.
Also, while Ashwin is by far my favorite of the two, I think that Kali’s relationship with Deven is, at the very least, authentic. I didn’t have a hard time believing that she loved him. I want her to love Ashwin, but I get that my ship is probably sunk forever. Womp womp womp. I guess I will have to go on.
Natesa is as ferocious and precocious as ever in this book, which I will forever be grateful for. It’s always funny when a character you don’t like in the beginning of a series ends up being one of your most beloved characers, isn’t it? Natesa is definitely my girl now, and she had some serious BA moments that I squealed over. Where would the men be without Natesa? Dead, probably. Dead or imprisoned or worse. She’s the best.
“My time in the world of men has taught me that any man worthy of my admiration would never force me to worship him.”
I love the themes in The Rogue Queen. There is a deep exploration of freedom and equality, and what that truly looks like for all parties. I loved seeing the sister warriors coming together as one and carving out their own place in the world. They’re role models I will gladly point all of my children to one day.
There’s a story early on in the book that I loved, which I believe holds a key to what the fourth (and final?) book will be about, and if I’m right then I am SO EXCITED for the next book to finally be in my hands (WHY DOES IT NOT HAVE A RELEASE DATE OR A TITLE YET?!?!!?). I love love love where King is taking this series. It’s going to be epic.
Rating: 5/5 stars