In the future, the world is at war.
For the last decade, King Lazuli of the Eastern Empire has systematically taken over the world. No one knows much about him other than a series of impossible facts: he cannot die, he has not aged since the conflict began, and he wants to rule the world.
All Serenity Freeman has known is bloodshed. War has taken away her mother, her home, her safety. As the … her safety. As the future emissary of the Western United Nations, the last autonomous region of the globe, she is responsible for forging alliances where she can.
Surrender is on the horizon. The king can taste it; Serenity feels it deep within her bones. There is no other option. Now the two must come face to face. For Serenity, that means confronting the man who’s taken everything from her. For the king, it means meeting the one woman he can’t conquer. But when they meet, something happens. Cruelty finds redemption.
Only in war, everything comes with a price. Especially love.
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I’m kind of obsessed with this book right now. The story takes place in a dystopian setting where the villain gets the girl! Twists and turns abound forcing me to turn pages into late hours. I can’t stop reading!
The Queen of All that Dies by Laura Thalassa was a quick read for me in an exciting and unique book. The world has ended as we know it, the Eastern and Western Hemisphere have been at war for years and left the land uninhabitable, millions of people dead and only one person in power…King Lazuli. King Lazuli is ruthless and takes what he wants, when Serenity Freeman and her father turn up as representatives of the WUN (Western United Nations), he knows that he will stop at nothing to have her! Bit Serenity is not so easily swayed and they [lay a type of cat and mouse game, only with supremely high stakes!
I really liked reading about Serenity’s character. She is hard, strong and doesn’t take any rubbish from the King. In fact, she gives as good as she gets, a true warrior! Throughout the story she continues to fight her attraction to the King, and it is only through manipulation from both sides of the camp that Serenity’s feelings change for him.
King Lazuli is also a unique character. We learn more about him and his background as the story goes on and although he has an insta-type of love for Serenity, he definitely has to work for it. He is pure destruction wrapped up in some sexy arrogance.
The story has a lot going on in it, from both sides as we see why people go to war and the repercussions it has. As well as watching people being played like a game of chess for the ‘greater good’, friends become enemies and enemies become friends in this action-packed book. There are also some heart-breaking moments, especially with Serenity’s father as well as Serenity itself and a lot of mystery that surrounds the King and his long life. You’re going to have to read it to find out what happens and then read the next book in the series as we’re left with an epic cliff-hanger. Another great read from a great author.
More of my reviews can be found on my blog: http://thehotmesslibrary.blogspot.com
Loved it! I read the box set. I feel this was super long. I know the authors books are long. I enjoyed it. I hated putting it down . These two were polarizing and fantastic. I’m glad I read it. I love enemies to lovers and anti heroes.
I stare into the king’s eyes. I am Isolde, I am Juliet, I am Guinevere. I am every one of those idiots because I’ve fallen for the king.
Holly Molly!!
Goosebumps all over!
Efficiency and progress is ours once more
Now that we have the Neutron bomb
It’s nice and quick and clean and gets things done
Away with excess enemy
But no less value to property
No sense in war but perfect sense at home
The sun beams down on a brand new day
No more welfare tax to pay
Unsightly slums gone up in flashing light
Jobless millions whisked away
At last we have more room to play
All systems go to kill the poor tonight
(Dead Kennedys – Kill the poor )
Wow! This book immediately pulled me in and held me, sometimes by the throat. There is so much here and all of it written in such a way that I felt as if I too were a part of this world along with Serenity. She is one hardcore heroine, raised out of necessity to be a soldier, trained to become emissary upon the death of her father. Her world is a dark and despairing place with little to no hope. And now her country is depending on her to negotiate peace with the man who is responsible for all the destruction she has borne witness to.
This story starts out fast and it never slows down. The romance here is heavily laced with action and political intrigue which resulted in a pulse pounding experience. Martes, the king, is such a multi-dimensional character. While I knew exactly what and who Serenity was, I hungered to know more about the king. We are given bits of his thoughts and through them it was apparent he was so much more than what is seen on the surface. My romantic heart thrilled at his almost instant want of the heroine, at his protectiveness of her. And yet, I screamed along with Serenity when truths about him were brought into the light. In the midst of all the turmoil was her feelings towards him which are muddled and confused. I sympathized with her completely.
This ends on one doozy of a cliffhanger. With some of Martes’ secrets revealed, there are still so many more things that these characters must find solutions for. Fortunately, all the books in this trilogy are now available and will be diving into book 2 immediately.
Read via Kindle Unlimited
Mostly heroine pov although there are some from the hero
I really liked this series and can’t quite put my finger on why. On it’s face, it’s the story of a woman who falls in love with her sworn enemy who is a monster and sort of become a better person, but not really. So hmmm….
What an interesting book, couldn’t keep it down.