This one picks up 2 months after the ending of the first book. This one picked up the pace and we find Kali and her friends escaping and going across the desert.
Although book one drew me in this one did it better. You can tell how much the author has matured as a writer and man I couldn't put this one down! I really loved reading about Kali and her friends once again and I love how much she has grown as a character.

Kalinda and Captain Deven Naik are still going on with their simmering romance that I really hope we get even more of. I love that it wasn't really love at first sight and that it did take a little while for them to fall for each other.

The world that the author has created was wonderful in this one we get to see so much more of the empire than we did in book one and I hope that continues into book three.

This one has a lot of twists, turns, and a few surprises that you just don't know what is really going on and who you can trust. The Bhuta powers in this one worked out even better than book one and man o man you will be at the edge of your seat I know I was.

I really loved where this story is going and I can't wait to see what we get in book three coming out this Feb.

One thing I will say that this one did not suffer from the normal book two's it was engaging and fantastic!

Another great installment of The Hundredth Queen series by Emily King. Although I enjoyed the first book slightly more, this one was also entertaining and fun to read. Emily's writing style is beautiful, and the world she has created is fascinating.

I loved being able to see Kalinda discover her powers and how to control them better. And the tournament in this book was so different from the first book that I didn't get bored. In fact, it gave off Harry Potter vibes (Triwizard Tournament, anyone?), and I loved that!

I'm so glad that Emily had committed to getting these books out so quickly (really, it's insanely fast), and I can't wait to read the final installment in February!

The Fire Queen was a wonderful sequel to The Hundredth Queen. It greatly expanded the world and there was some delightful character development. I had some trouble connecting to the characters in the previous installment but had no difficulties in this one. It did somewhat feel like a set-up novel but the action was intriguing enough that I didn't mind.

I loved that The Fire Queen alternated between Kalinda and Deven's viewpoints. I felt as if it added a lot of depth to the story, even if it did mean that my favorite ship was separated for most of the novel. Both of the characters experienced such emotional growth in this story, I loved watching them mature into their roles and come to terms with everything they had done in the first book. I think that it will be really interesting to see where their relationship goes in the next book now that they've both found themselves.

I absolutely loved that there was so much more magic in this book! Plus the magic system was explained a bit more, although it still isn't that well-developed. It was intriguing to see how a society where the bhuta were widely accepted functioned. I also thought that the author handled the revelation of Kali's powers to her people quite well, their reactions felt realistic, if a bit brutal.

However, I think the story could have been improved by developing it more. The plot progressed rather quickly and the political intrigue aspect wasn't very well developed, despite being pivotal to the plot. Additionally, the antagonists weren't quite as fleshed out as they could have been. I think the book would have benefited overall by expanding on everything just a bit more.

The Fire Queen was an excellent addition to The Hundredth Queen series. Emily King's beautifully imagined world will entrance and delight. The stage has been set beautifully for what promises to be an explosive finale where the fate of the world will hang in the balance. I would recommend to fans of YA fantasy, particularly those who are looking for a more diverse read.

I just have to start off saying how much I love the covers of The Fire Queen and the first book, The Hundredth Queen! They're absolutely gorgeous and were the first thing that caught my eye. But even better is that the story itself entirely lived up to the covers. I loved The Hundredth Queen and could not wait to read The Fire Queen.

The book picks up right where book 1 stops off as Kalinda and Deven are fleeing after killing the Rajah Tarek and are seeking Tarek's son. Sadly Kalinda and Deven spend most of this book separated as are Natesa and Yatin which is disappointing. Their interactions were some of my favorite parts of The Hundredth Queen. The story line is just as engrossing as the first book but I did not like the story arc of the romantic triangle between Prince Ashwin, Kalinda and Deven. I felt it was unnecessary and the attraction of Prince Ashwin to Kalinda was way too out of the blue to me.

I did love seeing so much more of the bhutas in action and the competition between the 4 bhuta women was enthralling. I only wish we had seen a little more character development for Princess Citra. It felt like she was being setup as another Natesa character in which she starts off as the biggest villain but we see glimpses of a better person in how loving she is towards her younger sister and how protective she is of her. However, we never see that same growth that we see in Natesa which was a disappointment.

So all in all I loved the first book and had high expectations. The second book fell a little short as often happens but I still have high hopes for the next book. Definitely a worth while reading series!

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

WARNING: SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW

Let me just preface this review by saying that I adored The Hundredth Queen, so The Fire Queen had some pretty big shoes to fill.

I was a little weary when I first read that The Fire Queen was going to have another tournament in it, just like The Hundredth Queen, but I was pleasantly surprised by how different they were. The Fire Queen's tournament was mostly about what the contestants were capable of accomplishing alone. The trials were made to test both the mind and the body of the women (I also have to admit - I got serious Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire vibes from this book!).

I loved how Kali grew as a person in The Fire Queen, even though she had enemies from all sides trying to keep her down. More often than not Kali did the right thing; She was the bigger person and tried to help people even when they sneered and yelled at her. She also kept fighting even when the Sultan cheated and pit all the odds against her. By the end of the novel she finally was able to utilize her full powers and help save the ones she loved.

I think the only thing I didn't like about this book was the role of Ashwin. I don't enjoy love trianges, so Ashwin trying to fight for Kali and come between Deven and her was a little gross to me. Ashwin had only known Kali for a very short while when he pretty much decided he loved her. I am very glad that by the end of the book Kali saw sense and stuck with Deven (even though Ashwin is going to be hurt/childish about it).

I am excited to read the last book in the series and see how Kali and crew handle the Voider and Hastin.

Kalinda is finally free of her jerky husband, the emperor. Now, though, the empire is in danger of being run by man just as cruel. So Kalinda and her friends rush to find the crown prince on the nation's border where he is being tutored by a holy man. A powerful man in the area refuses to let the prince leave and requires Kalinda, as part of the inherited wealth of the prince, to compete in yet another tournament to become the first queen to the new emperor.

So, The Fire Queen. The cover is awesome, but I think it needs a better title. It's too similar to the first book. Still, the content was pretty interesting. Kalinda is finally free from her jerky husband. Is it murder for her to kill him when he's murdered hundreds of others? Will she be punished if people find out she did it? I find myself asking these questions as I read.

But the more crucial question for this book is: Is this crown prince as kind and naive as he appears or is he as great a manipulator as his father? When Kalinda finally met the prince, she finds out that she will have to be his wife if he desires it. He offers her the choice, but she will still have to compete in the tournament. He seems to genuinely care for her, but Kalinda, other characters, and I still wonder whether to trust this powerful figure. It adds more of a love triangle to this story, too. In the last book, it was less of a triangle because Kalinda did not want to marry the Emperor at all. In this book, she's torn. It irritated me, because her guard deserved her love. I'm voting for them, whenever they can get themselves together enough to figure it out.

The arena set was kind of repetitive with the first book, you know? The author changed everything up at least. There was more time actually competing, the stakes were raised, the groom was different, and all the competitors had abilities (all four elements, go figure). I was happy to see them compete more, and the challenges were fascinating, like something out of a legend.

I recommend this book to fans of YA fantasy, especially non-European medieval fantasy.

I received a complementary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Please read the first in this series before reading this review to avoid unintentional spoilers!

The Fire Queen picks up two months after The Hundredth Queen. Kali and a group of her friends have escaped Tarachand and are moving around the desert quickly to find Prince Ashwin. Only he can give Kalinda what she truly desires, freedom from her throne. As The Kindred rani Kalinda is tied to her throne until Prince Ashwin takes his place as the new King. When two couriers arrive unexpectedly saying they have been sent to bring Kali to the Prince her group is unsure of placing their trust in them. Kalinda feels this is her best option and rides with the female courier Opal upon the promise her group will join her a day later. When she arrived at the Janardanian Palace nothing is as it seems. This place is very different than her kingdom with jungles and creatures foreign to her. Prince Ashwin is asking her to fight in another tournament but this one is different. She will be asked to fight three other kingdoms' royals all vying for her throne and to be Prince Ashwin's new Kindred. Her friends have all been taken as soon as they arrive and split into civilian and military encampments without her knowledge. Prince Ashwin and Kalinda have been forbidden to see the encampments or their people until the end of the tournament by the Janardanian Sultan. Little do they know Kalinda is already coming up with a plan. She had secrets of her own like her Bhuta powers and an ancient artifact that can unleash evil and swallow up the world. Kalinda believes she is destined to be a peacemaker for her people and was given her powers of light from the gods. She still doesn't understand much about her powers, how can she defeat 3 bhuta warrior princesses and hold onto her throne?

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy for a fair and honest review.

I have been wanting to read this book ever since I read the first, and it really did not disappoint at all.
I love that there is a little hint of a love triangle in this book, and although it is only hinted at, I still can't wait to see where this love triangle plot will go. It's not the only thing I liked about this book though, there was a new place to explore in this little world, and with that came a whole load of new imagery, and a slightly different portrayal of the religious beliefs, and that's always interesting to read about, how different places differ in their ways of practising religion.
I definitely liked that you learned a lot more about Bhuta's and their powers in this book, especially that you finally got to see just how powerful they can be when they aren't shunned like they were in the first book.

An action-packed sequel to the girl power book The Hundredth Queen!

Once again Emily R. King has captured my inner soul fire and put it in a bottle. If you haven't read the first book then I suggest you back away now because this might be a bit spoilery for you.

I bargained with the warlord for my freedom and lost more than my own.

The plot is still fast paced, it gets to the point quickly sparing no time for nonsense conversations. I love how we get to learn more about the different bhuta powers. How unique each power is, Aquifier, Trembler, Galer, Burner. I must say I'm quite a fan of the Galer power but that's because they have more screening time in this book. However, I cannot answer the question as to which bhuta power is the superior because each power evens out the other which is a great way to balance nature. So many activities, running, hiding, scheming, lying. Basically all that happened in the first book but with greater quantity and intensity and lesser sleep for the characters. So expect that from the book.

"I'm not doing this for my freedom. I'm doing this for the empire."

I like how Kalinda has become more matured and is slowly accepting the role the gods have given her. However, Deven has become desperate and when a person is desperate they tend to make bad choices. Natesa our sister warrior is showing more of her strong attitude and I love her for that. New characters have been introduced and I am in awe in each one of them.

She moves with grace of a wave and the might of the moon.

The way Emily describes people, their behavior, a place, she doesn't use simple words, no, she's extra and I LOVE that. She doesn't say the door is red. She says 'the door is painted like the spilled blood of my enemies whom I still mourn for'. It's not complicated, it's just poetic.

Before death, everything becomes louder, faster. And then all falls silent.

It's diverse and women are not portrayed as weaklings. The perfect sequel to a butt-kicking debut novel. I can't wait for The Rogue Queen to come.

Kalinda, Deven and their friends are on the run, and are trying to find Prince Ashwin to return him to the throne. Their quest leads them to Iresh, and Kalinda and Prince Ashwin appeal to the Sultan to help them regain their throne. He agrees, but on the condition of a tournament being held to determine the Prince's new Rani.

While I did enjoy this book, I enjoyed the first book The Hundredth Queen much more.
The Fire Queen is told in alternating POV between Kalinda and Deven. While I see the necessity of having a duel POV, I didn't really enjoy Deven's POV. In fact, at times I struggled to get through his chapters.
One of my pet peeves from the first book was the insta-love between Deven and Kalinda, though I still preferred that over the pining and distancing we get in this one.
Also a love triangle is hinted at in this book which I am not disappointed about - in fact I ship the new love interest. However I feel that my ship will sink in The Rogue Queen unfortunately.
I feel this book suffered a little from 'second book syndrome', but despite this I will read The Rogue Queen to see how the story ends.

I appreciated that this book picked up right where the last one ended. I also was grateful for the summary of what happened in the first book at the beginning as a refresher.

The book was fast-paced and definitely filled with action making it a quick read. The setting and the descriptions were a little lacking in this book. I found myself struggling to remember where the characters were in some scenes.

The fact that this book also has another arena/competition was repetitive and I was slightly disappointed. That being said, the author did add new element ls that kept me engaged. Overall I enjoyed the pacing of this book and look forward to what happens next.

I was a little confused about the plotline, having not read the first in the series, but not overly so. What puzzled me more was the mythology--the author's note discusses Sumerian mythological influences, but much of the vocabulary used is Sanskrit/Hindi, which gave the odd effect of a no-longer-extant culture getting credit for influences from a culture that still survives. Fans of RED QUEEN will probably enjoy this one as well, but it left me more confused than anything.

I was given by netgalley the chance to read the first book and not the second book! and just like the first one I loved it! the cover is beautiful I was hoping the second book would be as pretty as the first one and it defiantly is. I always enjoy when you get to know the different characters that you got introduced to in the fist book. I don't want to give out any spoilers so ill just simply say if you loved the fist book you definitely will enjoy the second! oh and I also love the way the author makes you feel and see how the culture and land would look!

Oh my gosh. This is the sequel to The Hundredth Queen, and while sometimes sequels disappoint, this one will have you feeling the whole spectrum of emotions, and gasping in shock. I cannot WAIT to read book #3!!!

It starts out slow while they are traveling, and it can be a bit overwhelming with the multitudes of people and place names as it starts to pick up. But otherwise, it's a great book. Kalinda was such a compelling character, in her discovery of herself and who she was and the power's she possessed. It was hard to determine who to trust and who was telling the truth in this one. Once again there is a tournament and the participants all have power over an element. I liked that the elements were used instead of weapons which was interesting.

I received a copy through Net Galley.
I was excited to get an early copy of Emily R. King's The Fire Queen, I loved The Hundredth Queen.
Kalinda was such a compelling character, in her discovery of herself and who she was and the power's she possessed.
The Fire Queen as a second book didn't feel and dynamic as the first one, but it's a very important stepping stone of what is to come, which I expect will be amazing, so I can forgive it for that, easily. I still very much enjoyed it!

Kalinda finds herself on the run from Hastin, and his army of bhuta rebels. The Rajah Tarek is dead by her own hands, The Turquoise Palace, taken by enemy's. On a search for the Rajah's only son Ashwin.
Kalinda, one of the few remaining living Burner's left (a rare bhuta that can control fire), she is powerful in her own right, not just as a woman, person and as sister warrior. She is also still Kindred, the first ranked wife of the Rajah. The anchor to her country's throne. Her number 1 rank still etched into the backs of her hands. And her guilt of what she had to do to get there.

Kalinda's journey is far from over, she still has much work to do to save her country. And she must come face to face about the truth about herself and where her powers really come from. Confront Ashwin, and his motives for her and his country and where it could lead them all.

Y'all may remember how much I enjoyed The Hundredth Queen earlier this year. So it goes without saying that I had some fairly high expectations for The Fire Queen but my overall impression was. . . well, frankly it was average.

I wouldn't say this book suffered from Sequel Syndrome exactly but it didn't suck me in like the first one. A lot happened but I didn't feel the same excitement, the same tension. This might have to do with the fact that the plot felt very similar to the first book with a tournament to decide Kali's fate. In that regard, it reminded me of The Hunger Games and Catching Fire where I can see the third book being the revolution to bring the story full circle. Granted, I liked the characters in this tournament more than the last but the plot structure itself was far too familiar.

This book felt more like a filler, getting Kalinda to the point in her character development that would set her up for the next book (not sure if the series is ending with the third book or not but it's setting up to do so).

Kalinda was much the same as she was before. She's a good character and constantly is at odds with her desires and her duty. And sure, she showed some growth this time around with her powers but that's all I really saw from her. Otherwise, she felt the same as before and I expected more from her.

I really wasn't a fan of Deven's point of view. Half the time he just whined and moaned, the other half I wanted to smack him for being an idiot. His motivation to stay away from Kali (honestly his motivation for most of his actions) felt fake. I simply never understood it. Nor did I get Ashwin falling in love with Kali almost instantly. It seemed like he was just there to cause internal conflict for her to up the tension and I can't say I was a fan.

I think the romance subplot, at the very least, could have been fixed by drawing the book out a bit more. Everything was rushed and skimmed the surface of the story rather than going deeper and giving the characters life and purpose.

Overall, though, this book wasn't a bad read. I enjoyed parts of it and it wasn't until I finished that I started thinking about the elements that I wasn't a fan of. It's not a terrible sequel by any means and if you enjoyed the first book you'll definitely want to check this one out. The Fire Queen was good, just not great.

I wanted to give The Hundredth Queen series a second change. I didn't enjoy the first book very much, but it had so much potential! So when I found it on Netgalley, of course I had to request it! Right after I got approved for the book, I kind of regretted requesting it. What if I didn't like it? What if it was even worse than the first book?. Eventually put aside any prejudices I had and decided to pick it up and read it in a day. To my absolute amazement, I managed to do just that. I enjoyed The Fire Queen a whole lot.

I'm not going to lie, The Fire Queen is not the best book out there. As I mentioned in my review of The Hundredth Queen , I felt like this series has a lot of potential. I find culture, tradition, religion and magic really interesting and that's how this series grabbed my attention in the first place. Even though it really is interesting, it's also really confusing. This religion has many different gods who all have something to do with each other, but there were so many details that I couldn't pick up. It didn't ruin the story for me, but it was bothering me a little and I think I would've enjoyed it more if I understood better.

I love Emily's writing style, but it also feels a little inconsistent. I had to read the first sentence of of the book two or three times to fully understand, and following that, there was a little bit of an info dump with lots of names and backstories. It didn't take long to figure it all out, but I wanted to mention it. Sometimes the writing felt a bit unnatural. The main characters would sometimes say something along the lines of "I just did this because of that." As if they had to explain themselves. That wasn't necessary for me, and could've been written differently.

Both Kalinda and Deven really grew on me in The Fire Queen. I liked reading about this world through Kalinda's perspective in the first book, but I didn't like her very much as a character. She's different and a little more mature this time. She's also way more likeable! I didn't like Deven at all, but even he managed to grow on me. I'm pretty sure it's because of their relationship. it's less present in this book. One of the new characters is Prince Ashwin. I was really suspicious of him for so long! I just expected him to betray Kali... He was one of the most interesting characters. Is he good or bad? Well... Maybe both, hehe. I just had to roll me eyes at another love triangle, but it wasn't too bad and didn't bother me that much.

The plot was somewhat predictable, but it wasn't nearly as bad as in The Hundredth Queen! I was actually surprised at some plots twists. They weren't shocking or anything, but really fun to read. And sometimes things were just so intense I actually found myself holding my breath! Yes, The Fire Queen is definitely a lot better than the previous instalment in the series. For the longest time, I had no clue what direciton the story was headed in and that made it a very pleasant read.

I liked The Fire Queen. It's a great book to just pick up a day off and read in one sitting. That's quite rare with fantasy books, so I'm pleased! You shouldn't expect too much, but it's definitely a step up from The Hundredth Queen. I'm very curious for the final instalment in the series!

I appreciated the small recap that was interwoven in at the beginning of this sequel. It was just enough to nudge my memory without feeling info dumpy. Im also terrible at remembering names so it definitely helped with that too. Overall I ended up liking this a bit more than the first book. This was a short read with a quick pace, but it didnt lack any world building. I really enjoyed the world and culture. We get both a desert and jungle setting, but theres also fascinating Sumerian mythology and animals. I wish I owned one of those wing flyers. They seem like alot of fun.

Some desperate situations annoy me while others add to the story. If done right it can keep me on the edge of my seat, but if done wrong I get frustrated with the characters for not doing more to help themselves. Fire Queen was a bit of both. Thankfully the obstacles she faced werent due to her own stupidity and it added a good amount of intensity and action to the story, but I felt like Kali never fufilled her full potential. She could have been more resourceful and done more scheming to out maneuver the Sultan instead of just letting him mistreat her people and wait to see what he would do after the trials. I just wish she would have tried harder.

I liked how we got more than just Kalis perspectives in this sequel but it made me realize how clueless Deven can be at times. I wasnt totally sold on the romance in the first book and this sequel didnt make things any better, but Deven did start to man up towards the end. I loved the little friend group at the beginning of this book and was dying to have them back together. We obviously have the 2 main characters Kali and Deven, but we also have Kalis temple sister Natesa, the guard Yatin, as well as Devens brother Brac and their mother. I was kind of disapointed when they got separated. I would have loved to see more of a friendship between Kali and Natesa.

I didnt like how Brother Shaan tried to manipulate Kali and the Prince seemed to good to be true. I never knew whether to trust him or not and that made things interesting. The Vizier Gyan tried my patience so much, but I love me a villain who can make me angry. If I was the Sultan Kuval I would have one of my guards listen to Kali 24 hours a day with their wind ability to find out if she had the book. It didnt make sense that he wouldnt so she should have been worried about it and written stuff down before burning it if she wanted to share secrets with someone. Theres also the fact that the fight went beyond first blood and was never addressed.

I thought the dire situations picked up my reading pace, but at the same time I wanted Kali to do more to help herself and her friends. The last half of the book was hard to put down. Some parts were pretty intense and got me so angry, especially went nothing was going their way. I liked the ending and Im really looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Rogue Queen. It feels like we'll need more than just one more book in the series after the way things ended. If you enjoyed the Wrath and the Dawn duology than you should give the Hundredth Queen a try.

3.5 Stars

“You have nothing to fear. You are fire and fire is you.”

This was such a great followup to The Hundredth Queen. The world becomes bigger the threats become larger and the stakes become higher. The Fire Queen follows Kali as she searches for Prince Ashwin, Tarek’s heir and the only person who can grant the disgraces Captain Deven his freedom. But to win that freedom, Kali must once again compete for herself and those she loves. The Fire Queen is an imaginative story of doing what is right, even when it is not easy.

Things I Liked
The imagery is again stunning in The Fire Queen. King manages to craft a lush world that is both dangerous and inviting. The imagery really drew me in and made reading the book SO easy.

I really loved the additional worldbuilding we got. The world expands in natural and relevant ways. We, along with Kalinda, learn more about bhutas powers, their history and mythology, and about the different ruling countries. The worldbuilding was well integrated and never felt forced or disruptive. I was really excited to learn more about the bhutas, because they were my favorite part of book 1!

I think the addition of the alternating POVs between Kali and Deven also helped with the worldbuilding, but on a more micro level. We get to see and meet individuals and learn more about how they view Tarek’s rule, his death, Kali’s role as Kindred, Kali and Deven’s role in Hastin’s takeover.

Like in book 1, The Fire Queen also features a competition with an immensely powerful prize. I like the competition here even more than the epic battle that was in The Hundredth Queen. We really get to know and interact with the other competitors (which I found lacking in book 1) and it creates much higher stakes because people we’ve become invested in are in danger.

Things I Didn’t Like
I wasn’t the biggest fan of Ashwin’s instant infatuation with Kali. The series as a whole doesn’t really WOW me in the romance department, but the repeated instalove that Kali finds herself at the end of is disappointing.

I think the pacing in the book was too quick. It yielded some great action and there was never a dull moment, but it also led to some rash decisions and poor planning from characters. I also found the ending to be a little underwhelming for me. Everything was happening so fast that there wasn’t anytime to just live in the scene. Some major stuff goes down and I would have liked some reflection on it, but there was no time with how quickly the story moved.

When I was thinking about the book as I started writing my review, my mind only went to the parts I liked. Even with my grievances, this book was still a joy to read, and leaves a hopeful feeling in it’s wake. The Fire Queen is a story of resilience, strength, and determination. And finding out what you are capable of in the face of unimaginable dangers.

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