The Rogue Queen by Emily R. King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
As usual my review will contain spoilers so stop reading if that bothers you.
As I think I mentioned in my review of the second book in this series, I am now hooked. Each book in this series has been better than the last. Kalinda has also gained respect, and power over her abilities in increments over the course of multiple books (not to mention her entire childhood dedicated to training) so at no point do I feel like she suddenly just became powerful for the sake of plot.
What I liked most about this book is the change in circumstance. We are no longer dealing with a tournament but the fate of the entire planet. It is no longer a story of individual survival and has become a full-on battle for the human race. The overwhelming power of the voider’s army, as well as his own power and his connection to the prince and Kalinda keep the tension high at every moment in the story.
What I like most about the author’s writing is she never seems to forget about the minor characters. It’s not to say each character is given substantial screen time (let’s be honest that would be weighty and unnecessary) but they do feel real, they do feel grounded with real motivations brought on by real backstories and the ones who change aren’t rapid changes for the sake of plot but actual development in the characters themselves.
Honestly, my only knock on the story now is that everyone seems to be described as attractive and whenever a woman sees a man (because all the men are attractive) they swoon. I understand this is probably to demonstrate how oppressed women are in this society that they rarely get to see, or freely talk to men so they see men as these mythological creatures of hotness but there was just something about the dynamic that took me out of the story.
Anyway, I really look forward to reading the fourth book!
R.K. Gold 