The Hundredth Queen Review

**Thank you to Skyscape and Two Lions as well as Netgalley for sending me an ARC in return for an honest review. 4 stars!!! Well, this book took me by surprise for sure. I have been looking for a decent Indian mythology-inspired fantasy for quite a while now, and this book didn't disappoint me the least. Yes, there were elements which I didn't enjoy as much but there were many positives to push me to give a 4 star rating. Firstly, I enjoyed Emily R. King's writing style. It wasn't overly wordy or flowery but she can paint a picture. The story flowed well and I appreciated the fact that there wasn't much info-dumping with regards to the magic system in place. As the story hinges on a more faith-based aspect of the world the characters live in, I think the way in which the concept was introduced was done fairly well. We learn about the Parijana faith through the dialogues between characters and the MC's introspection. I found this really refreshing. Although, the novel is not very immersive, you can gather that the author was inspired by Indian and Persian culture and has thus created a world where several aspects of both cultures collide giving the story a rich context. I also appreciated the magic system in place within the story. The idea of forbidden powers and magic was especially enchanting. With regards to the characters, I thought that Kalinda was a very feisty girl. I loved how the author didn't make her the conventionally pretty one but focused more on her character. I also loved her independent streak plus she really stands up for injustice including those she loves. However, I didn't much enjoy the romance aspect of the novel. I felt it was cold and cliched. The story could have done without it or a build up would have been preferable. For me, I felt that Deven was introduced just for the sake of the MC having a relationship. I would have liked to see them actually start out as friends and then progress into something else. Hence, I did not get any feels at all. This was rather disappointing. In terms of the supporting characters, I feel they played an active role in the overall plot of the story. I really liked Tarek as a villain for the first part of the series. Unfortunately, there were many aspects that left me cringing at the beginning of the book. I gather the author wanted to draw him up as particularly vile but it could have been done tastefully. I'm not going to post any spoilers but that's one of the reasons I deducted a star from the review. On the plus side, I did enjoy that sisterhood was an integral element of this book. The author really pushed the idea of women uplifting one another and I liked how they were portrayed as being fierce. The heart of the story is based on politics, religion, love (more sisterly), betrayal, power grabbing and so on. It is quite gory and there is plenty of action as the story deals with sister warriors and rank tournaments. But, overall, the book was very engaging. Plot progression was rather swift and plot devices were done well. There are several revelations which are shocking but I guess that's what really elevates the book. As I said, the beginning of the book was not to my liking but as the story progressed, I found myself getting sucked into the story. I'm glad I kept with it instead of DNfing. I would absolutely recommend this book to lovers of YA fantasy especially if you are searching for a fast paced, quick read. I look forward to reading the sequel. This book has set the stage for a wonderful series to come.

#romance #youngadult #fantasy #India #Persia #EmilyRKing