I read the first book and enjoyed it enough to go into the second one. I was able to forgive the predictable nature of the first book given its a debut, but its seems like the entire plot of this series is predictable. I wasn't completely sold on the three points of view either. I think it would have been more interesting if it had been just Yassen and Elena in the first and Samsun and Elena in the second. Having that third pov removed a lot of the suspense that could have been built up in the novel. The last chapter in book two would have made more of an impact if it wasn't obvious in the third pov what this book was leading up to revealing. (Granted, I predicted that reveal in book one.) On the plus side, I think there is a lot of potential in this author's writing and worldbuilding. I am interested to see what she does in her next series.

This book is about vengeance from both Elena and Samson. Their dynamic is something else, its reluctant allies that toy with undercutting each other all the time to save their people. It’s morally gray and you want them both to succeed.

absolutely no one is shocked that i devoured THE BURNING QUEEN. i’ve been counting down the days since finishing THE PHOENIX KING (which easily made my list of 2024 faves).

this sequel picks up right where we left off: ravence has fallen, everything is in shambles, and elena is standing in the middle of the wreckage trying to figure out what the hell to do next. grief, betrayal, rage are all here, and it’s all heavy.

while the burning queen has a bit more plot momentum than book one, it still leans into being beautifully, brutally character-driven, and these characters have my whole heart. i was grieving with them, yearning with them, furious on their behalf, and yelling at the pages like “no actually don’t do that” and then immediately understanding why they did (most of the time). verma writes them with such nuance, especially in the way she lets them sit in their pain and anger and not always respond in the right way. it’s messy. it’s real. it hurts. *pulls out screenshot of me screaming "I'M IN PAIN" to the discord group after finishing a chapter*

elena’s arc continues to be so compelling. she’s grappling with her agni, trying to piece together who she can trust, and most of all, she’s out for revenge. i loved getting deeper into the political web she’s navigating, and the added POV brought a fresh, needed lens to everything falling apart (maybe falling together??) behind the scenes.

this book is darker. it’s twistier. it’s full of sharp turns and gut-punches. like with TPK, the ending left me dying for book 3. THE BURNING QUEEN more than lived up to the hype i made for it in my head, and i truly had the BEST time with my delusional theories while reading.

So I finished this book, and now I am staring at the walls. Aparna Verma, I am unwell!
This will be a spoiler-free review.
This book had political intrigue, espionage, enemies-to-lovers, power shifts, a great magic system – which includes modern tech, and fantastic world building.
Elena is the Queen without a kingdom, and Samson is the Prophet whose magic leaves him weakened.
There were so many twists and turns that I did not see coming. It ends on a cliffhanger that sets up things perfectly for the third book, which of course I can’t wait to read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for this ARC!

Thank you so much to Orbit and Netgally for this review!



Wow! I loved the Phoenix King when I came across a reel on Instagram and fell in love with the series.The Burning Queen to me reads like Paul and Chani both fought to control Arrakis in Dune, with the events of book one we have both Samson and Elena fighting for control. The first part of the book was great with being in each character's head and finding out that both planned to betray each other when they could. This is such a perfect fit between the trilogy, like the Empire Strike’s Back, it's a perfect second book. Both leads are morally grey and unfortunately I hated Samson. Both characters do bad things but I really didn’t like him, I don’t see them as a couple so I personally didn’t like their relationship. I enjoyed the new characters and the political aspect and I’m really interested to see where it’s going. I’m so excited for book three!!!

Thanks to Orbit books and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

The Burning Queen is a sequel to The Phoenix King and focuses most of the plot on Elena and Samson and their relationship as they fight to reclaim their kingdoms. The first half of the book focuses on their efforts to unlock their full potential and their agni powers. It was refreshing because while there were switches in points of view they were usually close together.

The plot takes multiple twists along the way, many I didn't see coming. The plot could have used a little more direction but overall I enjoyed the ending, which sets things up for the third book. There is a particular exciting reveal at the end I enjoyed. This is one of the rare recent books that felt like it could have been longer.

Anyone who has been in an abusive relationship might not want to read this because Elena and Samson are both terrible people at times in how they treat each other. I found it fascinating having main characters that are arguably villains. Though there is a political plot the romance is a big part of it. The book never gets explicitly spicy.

For those who haven't read the first book, this series is fantasy but with somewhat modern technology like guns and planes. It still feels more fantasy than science fiction to me. The main characters focus more on their magic than using guns though. I had forgotten about the guns so it was a little surprising when they showed up. Overall I am satisfied and excited to read the last book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit books for early copy for review

So I listened to the first book in audio and physically read the second one. I think that not having the audio make this a much harder read for me. The audiobook had some of ny favorite narrators that can take any.proae and make it a magical experience. Without the audio I felt lost and not as interested.

I'm glad I was able to continue on with this, but I think this is where i leave this series.

Very good edition to the series!

The characters evolved and were well written. The prose in general and the world building contined in this book. The themse of revenge and vengence, and watching the FMC struggle in her interal battle were all very well done!

Thank you netgalley.

A rich and complex world created with beautiful prose that I just wanted to stay lost in. The mythology and magic systems in this series are so detailed and deep that I can just picture it like a GoT like epic on the big screen. I kept turning the page waiting for the next big reveal, the next twist. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book - where the journey goes from here!

Thank you NetGalley and OrbitBooks for letting me read the ARC of The Burning Queen!

This book was a mesmerizing and heart-wrenching continuation of The Phoenix King. Simply put, Elena is a brutal queen who will do anything and everything for her people. And I cannot wait to see her story continue in the next novel!

Verma outdid herself with this sequel. I was feverish with excitement when the first book ended, and now I am even more thrilled to read how it will all end.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it definitely did not disappoint. The tension, the complexity of the characters, the drama, THE PLOT?? Easy 5 stars. Aparna is truly gifted with the way she can make you go from hating these characters to sympathizing with them to full on loving them and rooting for them, then back to hating them. I loved it so much and absolutely cannot wait for book three!

What a ride. The politics, the religion, the scheming and vengeance…the CHARACTERS.

The Burning Queen is the next installment in The Ravence Trilogy by Aparna Verma. To say I enjoyed this book would be an understatement. I DEVOURED this book. A majority of the chapters are from the POV of Elena or Samson, two very opposite yet similar characters. Both are doing everything in their power to save their people and lands, keeping secrets from each other and doing whatever it takes to reach their ultimate goals.

I really enjoyed seeing an expansion of this world and getting more information on the lore and religions at play. The internal conflict and emotions experienced by Elena and Sam were intense. This book had so many twists that I never saw coming, keeping me engaged the entire time.

I never thought I would say this, but I think Sam is one of my favorite characters. He is flawed and so layered. All he wants to do is set Sesharians free and return to his homeland. His methods may be considered radical, but I think it all comes from a place of desperation and immense love for his people. His fight for Seshar mirrors Elena's fight for Ravence, and watching Elena slowly come to this realization was very satisfying. I hope to see them team up in the last book and set their people free.

Overall, great book. Though I missed a certain few characters from book 1, I do think I enjoyed book 2 more! Can’t wait to see how this trilogy ends!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. I absolutely loved this book! Ever since I finished Phoenix King, I’ve been counting down the days for the next one. The moment I got it, I jumped right in—and I was hooked from the very first page. I couldn’t stop reading!

The Burning Queen is a powerful sequel to The Phoenix King. Building on the world building and character development in the first book it takes us further into this world and expands it for those of us who were excited to see more. The story is mostly told through the perspectives of Elena and Samson. Themes of revenge and control of power burn at the center of this middle book of a trilogy and fuel the characters. There is fight in Elena and a fight within Elena, who wants to reclaim all that she has lost and yet a parts of her still resist the means being justified by the ends. It is also interesting to see the dynamics between the characters, so different than those in the first book. This book is darker, more conflict-ridden, and teeming with political power plays. And, like the first book of the series, it ends in a cliffhanger that absolutely compels you to want the next book.
I received access to this eARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Orbit Books) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

I did not finish this. Got a few chapters in and was bored. The writing also felt very flat and not interesting.

I got this as an ARC and could barely put it down. From the first chapter I was gripped by the political intrigue, the magic system and way the characters evolved throughout. Aparna does an incredible job of taking the story she began in The Phoenix King and furthering it into one of my favorite series. I can’t wait to reread this and catch all the little nuances that I’m certain I missed while devouring this book the first time.

I finished this ARC last week, and I absolutely cannot wait for the third and final book! It’s already my most anticipated read of whatever year it releases.

THE BURNING QUEEN is a tale of fallen kingdoms, lost love, a ruthless butcher fighting for his people’s freedom, an exiled queen reckoning with the price of reclaiming her legacy, and ancient gods of fire, and this second installment in The Ravence Trilogy is—in the best way possible—messy, toxic, and exhilarating. There’s something for everybody in this adult fantasy: the action scenes are visceral and intense, the politics sharp and relevant, the dynamic between the leads is electric (regardless of where you end up on the shipping front), and the lore about ancient magic and the gods run so deep that the world feels fully realized.

Elena is the star of this one, and watching her descent (or rise, depending on how you look at it) as she contends with an unjust world is both amazing and terrifying, her feminine rage empowering, but also leaves you wondering if corruption and ruin is a truly satisfying end point.

But even in a story that continually asks the characters: “How far would you go to achieve your goal?” and exposes the ugliest parts of a human being’s desire, my favorite passages are the meditations on grief and the marks that the people loved and lost leave on a person, and I’m so glad that the author not only gives the story that space but gives it weight in a way that the loss feels palpable and important, as it is in real life. That, for me, makes this a very special story indeed.

Thank you to Aparna Verma and Orbit Books for the eARC!

What. The. Hell. Why would you do this to me, Aparna Verma? And to other readers as well? Why would you betray me with that major yet devastating cliffhanger in The Burning Queen? I don't know how to recover. How can I recover, Aparna Verma? Like, how? How?

Besides my endless rant regarding the cliffhanger, I literally devoured this book! Seriously, I couldn't stop reading it from the first page. I needed to keep on going until I finished this book. There were so many things happening.

I don't know where to start, but I have a few things to say. First, you need to read the first book in the series before starting The Burning Queen, which is the second book in the series. Second, don't worry if you forgot about a few details. Aparna Verma was amazing to include a brief recap on The Phoenix King events before chapter one of The Burning Queen. Third, there are endless betrayals throughout the book that will leave you gasping for air or saying 'what the hell" many times. Fourth, I absolutely love how ruthless Elena is becoming because none of them give a damn about her country or how her father was killed. No one does. Fifth, I am still grieving just as Elena and Samson are grieving regarding Yassen's demise in the first book. It's still an endless process between Elena and Samson. Lastly, I still don't know how to feel, but I am not liking Samson's actions with Elena. His endless betrayals, sneaky ways, and audacity to be a hypocrite when Elena tries to be as ruthless as he is know no bounds at all. Excuse me, sir. I always support a morally grey woman all the way. Elena has rights and wrongs, all the way!

There are just so many things to love about TBQ! The emotions, the characters, and the cultures. Not to mention the story itself. Let's start with the emotions.

We mainly get to experience the story from the POVs of Elena and Samson, who are very, very emotional characters. They are full, absolutely full, of grief and rage. However, those dark emotions just make the lighter moments shine that much brighter. No matter how beautiful (or at least powerful) the emotions were, they would not land as hard without the lovely development of the characters.

The characters had clear motivations and desires, all of which made them more compelling. Plus, their decisions made sense considering their experiences and wants. Take Elena as an example, her desire to free Ravence and be seen as true queen contributed to a lot of her actions. And Samson, whose desire to avoid being a servant to anyone ever again contributed to his actions. The characters were also products of their environments. The cultures they grew up in shaped them in noticable ways, the same way we are shaped by our culture.

The cultures of the various kingdoms were quite interesting. The culture of Ravence, with it's almost blind faith in the Phoenix. The culture of Jantari and it's obsession with superiority and metal. The Great Serpent being prominent in Seshar's culture. All these cultures played a part in the story, with their respective beliefs being impactful on different characters. Mixed in the worldbuilding and characters were several intriguing themes. Some such themes were about the nature of faith, along with the evils of colonization and inaction. These themes were woven into how the various characters viewed the kingdoms very well, though I don't believe the author was preachy.

All in all, there is simply so much to love about The Burning Queen. Readers looking for a wonderful tale about love and burning rage, vengeance and all consuming grief, mixed in with lush worldbuilding and 3 dimensional characters, then TBQ is perfect!

Biggest thanks to the author, Orbit, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a honest review! All opinions expressed are my own.