A great YA novel and what I suspect is the start of a fantastic series. The main character and her friends are well written. The love interest doesn't distract from the story or become the sole story.
A very good read.

The King's 100 was a book that just kept on giving. Seemingly every chapter had something new to offer, with Piper/Paris continuously deviating more plans, but then going back on many others. The pace of the book was good and the storyline too, but if I were to improve the book, I would have slightly more story at the end, possibly a Meeting of the Lands or something like that. I feel that with that the book would have felt slightly more complete.

Review by 14-year-old reader.

With thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC.

I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book. It had enough action and excitement to keep me interested the whole book. The characters were very interesting. I liked how throughout the book you could see the subtle changes in character that Piper went through. I actually really liked ending even though some people thought it was disappointing. I like how this book wasn’t too long and kept the reader’s attention. I do wish we could’ve seen some of the other characters a little bit more. It would’ve been interesting to hear some of their background stories.
Overall this book was really good and I would recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy-ish books and romance. If there is a second book I would definitely read it.

What a ride! I am a huge fan of books with royalty, so I knew I had to read this one! I really enjoyed Piper and going on her journey with her, and the book was well written.

Thank you NetGalley and Immortal Works Press for a digital ARC of "The King's 100" by Karin Biggs. This book is a new YA novel from debut author Karin Biggs. This book follows Piper, the princess of Capalon, as she sneaks into the neighboring kingdom of Mondaria. Capalon is a kingdom dedicated to studying science, technology engineering, and math. Emotions, including love, are forbidden. Capalon is the exact opposite of their enemy kingdom Mondaria. Capalon and Mondaria have many differences and a tense relationship. In fact, if a Capalon is found on Mondrian soil, they will be killed! So what happens when a Capalon princess goes to Mondaria in search of her missing mother? Well, you might be surprised when Piper finds something she didn't know she was missing: life. This book is perfect for fans of "The Selection" and "The Lunar Chronicles" as this book contains romance, political intrigue, and a futuristic society. My only complaint is the book felt a little boring and sloppy at times. However, I still felt this was a good book with an interesting plot and a few twists I didn't see coming. This review is available on NetGalley and on Goodreads.

3.5 ~ This was a sweet and quick read! I'd recommend for true teen readers rather than adult YA readers like myself as the plot was a bit simple and devoid of much action, but it was a great "palate cleanser" book in between deeper reads. The lack of intensity actually hit the spot for me at the moment, though I would hope for higher stakes in the sequels. The main character was likable, and who doesn't love a flannel-wearing romantic interest?! My biggest complaint would be that I wish she had met more people before falling in love so that it didn't feel like she was just falling in love with the first guy who was nice to her. However, this book refreshingly managed to steer clear of many of the obvious YA tropes found nowadays which I was grateful for. The world building was intriguing but very easy to understand - one kingdom is futuristic, science driven, and devoid of emotion, and the other is like the PNW (lots of guys with guitars wearing comfy clothes, being charmingly creative, and of course being snobby about their hot beverage of choice). I would be curious to learn what the surrounding kingdoms are like in future installments. I didn't mind that the author didn't dwell on whatever dystopian event caused certain areas to be wiped out, and the remaining ones to either horde technology or shun it. Instead she focused on the MC's growth and relationships. Where my confusion for the direction of the series lies is centered around the epilogue. If this was a standalone and there was no epilogue, I would have rated this higher because I feel like the author executed what she set out to do very well. However, the epilogue implies a sequel, and then uses it to raise incredibly low stakes which left me scratching my head. This leads me to believe that the author won't be taking full advantage of the interesting world she is building, and instead continue to focus solely on the interpersonal relationships rather than explore more complex topics. The likable characters and fun meandering plot will definitely be enough to draw back younger readers who are tired of dystopian politics, but for myself personally I would have needed the tease of more to tempt me back for a sequel.

I really enjoyed this one. A fast paced book and it really did a good job of not giving away some of the surprises. I loved how much "Paris" grew as a person over the course of the book. She is so relatable. I can't wait to see the sequel .

I like most anything to do with royalty in a fantasy setting. I just love monarchies, good, bad, or evil. The King's 100 was a little different than what I usually read but I enjoyed it. The plot was interesting and the events at the end of the book makes me want more.

This novel was very entertaining! I found that the plot itself was a little simple and predictable, and the characters weren't as deep as I usually like. However, these minor things aside, the book was very sweet and fun to read. I would recommend it for early-mid teens rather than older YA for those reasons.
Another positive about The King's 100 was that where some of the plot was predictable, I was pleasantly surprised in the romantic interest for our main character. I can't say much without giving away any spoilers but it wasn't the stereotypical prince/princess like I expected. And for that I would rate the book higher.
Karen Biggs has a lovely tone to her writing that finds you wanting more, and a way of creating characters that are easily relatable and loveable.

3.5 Stars

The King’s 100 is definitely The Selection meets The Lunar Chronicles, with an interesting dystopic world and romantic plot. Overall, the book is a quick and easy read, with a little bit of substance. It left me with a good feeling and wasn’t nerve-wracking or emotionally draining.

In this STEM vs Creativity world, we follow Princess Piper who is considered the “problem child” in her STEM world of Capalon. She experiences emotion strongly and enjoys singing. When Piper receives a note suggesting her mother is alive in the neighboring enemy kingdom full of Creativity, Mondaria, she doesn’t seem to hesitate in leaving her life behind to find her mother. Little does she know, she will find so much more once she arrives.

The book is by no means perfect, but it made me smile and was a good break from novels that put a lot of stress on me emotionally. It was cute and only mildly problematic. If you’re looking for something that feels a little Hallmark-ey, this is a book for you. There’s an underlying “Insta-Love” which causes a huge eye-roll, but I think Biggs does a great job of balancing that out by demonstrating M/F relationships that are based entirely on friendship. Too often are we exposed to love triangles, or worse, rather than men and women who can just exist together as friends. I also found Piper’s development over the course of the story to be believable and liked her as a character. She wasn’t whiney, she reacted and acted as I expected a teenager would, and she took responsibility for her actions when necessary. There were times when I wanted to shake her, but I never found her inherently annoying or failing.

There were a few areas that weakened the book and brought down my score. The world-building was hugely lacking, and I had no visual whatsoever where Piper was, what the different kingdoms looked like, what the environment was like, etc. This was one of the most disappointing aspects of the whole book and I would highly suggest a map for the world at the very least. The plot was a little weak/watered-down in the sense that it was a bit of misdirection. We think it’s going to go one way and quickly realize it’s going somewhere else. I didn’t absolutely hate this, but it can feel unfulfilling at points. Time passing was also unclear and sometimes unrealistic. I had to go back and reread multiple times to figure out how much time had passed between two moments, and that got frustrating.

To finish this review, I'd like to discuss my biggest complaint. We are trying so hard as a society to show girls that STEM isn’t just for boys, that it is important, passionate work, and makes a difference to the world. We need more girls in STEM, not less. Biggs paints Capalon as heartless, cold, and grey vs. Mondaria being full of light, love, and happiness. Intelligence and logic are not weaknesses and at no point should be telling girls that a boy or a boyfriend is obviously the better choice over innovation, knowledge, and logic. In a lot of ways, it feels like this novel pushes the STEM field backward rather than ushering it forward. I’d love for Biggs to truly think about this in her sequel and push for kingdoms that are equal and place value on both STEM and creativity. There is nothing to be gained for YA readers in creating such a bleak and thoughtless view of a really important part of our world, especially for girls and women (the biggest audience for this type of book). This was something disappointing to me and I expected better.

Overall, though, I understand this is a YA dystopic romance and I appreciate it for what it was. It could have been better in a lot of areas but remained cute and a fun read for what it did provide. I would recommend this book for fans of The Selection series because it reads very similarly.

*Received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review*
This was not my type of book. I didn't care for the main character which made me lose interest in her trials and tribulations.

This book was simple and a good pass time. While it is was not necessarily my cup of tea, people trying to get into fantasy would definitely enjoy this book (especially if you enjoyed The Selection). Stories like The Selection don't really set well with me because there are just too many holes in the story, the romance is a little too focused on, the world doesn't really make sense, and the plot becomes a little bit of a background thing. I certainly felt that from this book but I think this story did it much better than The Selection. The romance and the main character were so much nicer to read. Even if the romance was a little cringey and insta lovey at times, I think younger readers introducing themselves to fantasy with romance would really enjoy this book. The main character's development and adaptation to this new society was very believable and made me happy that the author didn't have the reader sudden;y understand everything, she was confused a lot. The friends Piper made were fun, a little juvenile for me personally, but nice to read regardless. I felt the world-building was a little lacking throughout the book and didn't really make sense historically (this is clearly a future version of our world. So it doesn't make sense that we would progress and then have a huge war and then go back to a monarchy system. Neither do societies that forbid their citizens to express feelings or emotions make sense to me because logically).

I understand I am not really the target audience for this book. I had picked this up thinking it was an immersive adventure/fantasy book about a girl going to save her mother from an enemy kingdom but it is not exactly that. Regardless, I am not going to give it a bad review just because it's not my cup of tea. I think a younger young adult reader would really enjoy the book.

Thank you, NetGalley for a free copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 stars
(I am rounding up because I enjoyed the unique premise and the characters)

The King's 100 is Cinder meets The Selection in a fantasy kingdom world. In the beginning of the story we find out that Piper isnt the amazing princess in every other book. She has flaws and the queen, her sister wants Piper to start growing up since shes getting courted soon. Piper then finds out her mother is alive and to please the Queen she embarks on a journey to find her.
Thoughts✏: I was just bored. Maybe because i was comparing it to The Selection the whole time and i hated the Selection. I ended up dnfing.

Lovely YA fantasy novel geared towards a younger YA audience.

It’s true that science and facts are important. But in the ‘STEM-only kingdom of Capalon,’ jokes and junk food are strictly avoided and displays of emotion are met with the equivalent of solitary time-out punishments. Princess Piper has a big heart, and her capacity to feel emotions and express creativity is too great to be limited to cold, hard facts and nothing else. With newfound hope based on a letter indicating that her mother may still be alive, she cleverly sneaks out to a far-away land on a rescue mission.

The kingdom of Mondaria is the polar opposite of STEM-only Capalon. Mondaria Royals value art and expression so much that they house and employ 100 entertainers on the castle grounds for frequent performances. These musicians and magicians are creative and talented teenagers whom Piper finds herself living amongst for a few months as she gathers clues and tries to find her mother inside the royal palace.

Along the way, the Princess makes friends far more easily than one might expect, growing up in an emotionless kingdom. She has a great heart, and that takes her far. She also gains the affection of a likewise self-less boy named Ari, who is rather swoon worthy. Piper and Ari’s flirtation is one of many; mild and entertaining drama results from attempts at romance and jealousy among the Court entertainers.

The Princess’ tale comes to a satisfying conclusion at the end of ‘The King’s 100,’ but author Karin Biggs has crafted the perfect set-up for a sequel. I hope we can return to these kingdoms and follow these characters a bit longer!

I just could not get too far into this book. The concept sounded interesting, but I didn’t care much for the main character, or the love interest, and I did not find myself wanting to continue it and find out what happens

Princess Piper Parish has always struggled with following the rules of Capalon, her kingdom. Love is seen as an unnecessary distraction in Capalon and things like singing, dancing, wearing dresses and eating sugary foods are prohibited. Knowing she is seen as a disappointment in Capalon, Piper leaves on a quest to bring back her mother after she received an anonymous note stating that her mother is still alive and being held in Mondaria, the enemy kingdom.

To enter the Mondarian king's Mansion, Piper joins a group of performers. She meets singers, drummers and magicians and learns what it's like to live in a world where people express their emotions. She experiences friendship, love, hot chocolate and many other things that aren't allowed in Capalon, but will these things distract her from her quest to find her mother?

I loved this book. If circumstances allowed me to read it in one sitting, I would have. It takes some time getting used to the way of things in Capalon, but everything eventually clicked. Karin showed in her book that different countries develop in different ways. Capalons are more intelligent when it comes to new inventions and technology because they chose to ignore and suppress emotions, but Mondarians are more intelligent in the social aspect.

There are two things that stand out in The King's 100:

1 - The characters are flawed. They aren't portrayed as perfect people. They are 17 years old and they act like it. The characters make mistakes and sometimes they own up to it and other times they don't. It's a good break from the "The main character's actions are always excused" trope, because Piper makes mistakes and she apologizes for them. I honestly think she rocks as a main character because of that.

2 - There is no real villain. Problems are all caused by cultural differences and stereotypes. Once characters got to know each other without prejudices, they were able to look past it and I think that's a beautiful message.

Okay maybe I'll add a third point that stands out in this book: the side characters, I loved them all (I'll admit, all except one). I grew really attached to them and I can't wait to read more about them in this series!

If you love The Selection or Grace and Fury, I highly recommend The King's 100. You will definitely enjoy it!

3.5- The King’s 100 will be very appealing to YA fans of dystopia and romance. The book follows Piper, a princess of a nation focused on technology. Piper has long been ostracized for being interested in singing and expressing more emotions than considered proper. When Piper receives a note from someone claiming that her mother is still alive, Piper eludes her older sister and sets out for the neighboring enemy kingdom to investigate. She discovers that in order to gain access to the palace, she must audition to be an entertainer in The King’s 100. As she searches for her mother, Piper encounters romance, betrayal, and finds friends who understand her passion for singing.

I think this story will appeal to younger YA readers and fans of series such as The Selection! If I could change one thing, I wish there had been more diverse/LGBTQ+ representation, especially within the large cast of supporting characters. It wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, but I do think the book was overall a well-told story about following your dreams and standing up for what you want in life. The King’s 100 releases on July 21, 2020! Thank you to Karin Biggs, Immortal Works, and Netgalley for providing me with a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found myself really enjoying this book. I loved the main character and seeing her discover this new world. The new friends she made were really great. The middle did drag on a bit too long for me, but the ending more than made up for it. Also, the epilogue really surprised me. I guess there will be a sequel? Well, I certainly hope so.

I quite enjoyed this book. The world and plot is captivating and unique, yet not to complicated. The story follows Piper/Paris who is not very happy in her loveless kingdom, and travels to the neighboring kingdom to participate in the Kings 100, a group of talented performers around her age. I think the book is technically classified as science fiction, but I would also consider it fantasy due to the kingdom aspect. My favorite part of this book was probably seeing the interactions between the two kingdoms. Usually I don't say this, but I do wish the book had a little bit of a nicer ending. The only thing that I did not like about this book is how I feel about the main character. Piper grew up in an emotionless kingdom, so it is pretty reasonable that she felt fairly one dimensional. Throughout the story, it is clear that Piper has experienced growth, but it didn't feel like her motives or thoughts were changing very much. This is just my opinion, and I did love some of the supporting characters. Overall, I would defiantly recommend this book to everyone who loves fantasy, romance, and science fiction.

I LOVED this book. The King's 100 is the first book in a long time that I've read that is a mix between fantasy and contemporary which I found very refreshing and unique. I have not read many books like this and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It reminded me of The Selection mixed with American Idol. It has many twists and turns and is quite the emotional roller coaster. I read this in one sitting and could not put it down. The romance in this book was well thought out by the author and I loved each of the character's and how different their personalities were. It was a lighter fantasy/contemporary read but it was well worth it and I cannot wait for the sequel. I would highly recommend this amazing novel by Karin Briggs.