In Emily R. King’s thrilling fantasy debut, an orphan girl blossoms into a warrior, summoning courage and confidence in her fearless quest to upend tradition, overthrow an empire, and reclaim her life as her own.As an orphan ward of the Sisterhood in the ancient Tarachand Empire, eighteen-year-old Kalinda is destined for nothing more than a life of seclusion and prayer. Plagued by fevers, she’s … by fevers, she’s an unlikely candidate for even a servant’s position, let alone a courtesan or wife. Her sole dream is to continue living in peace in the Sisterhood’s mountain temple.
But a visit from the tyrant Rajah Tarek disrupts Kalinda’s life. Within hours, she is ripped from the comfort of her home, set on a desert trek, and ordered to fight for her place among the rajah’s ninety-nine wives and numerous courtesans. Her only solace comes in the company of her guard, the stoic but kind Captain Deven Naik.
Faced with the danger of a tournament to the death—and her growing affection for Deven—Kalinda has only one hope for escape, and it lies in an arcane, forbidden power buried within her.
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Overall, I would recommend this book as a great way to spend a lazy day. I read this in one sitting, and enjoyed it mostly because of the subject material-the romantic fantasy genre is one of my favorite. The author’s writing is also well-constructed, and not filled with annoying mistakes like many discounted books I’ve read. The twists and unexpected turns held me captivated for a good portion of the book, although I have to say that the writing seemed to feel a tad rushed toward the end, with unlikely events seeming to unfold unrealistically fast and characters revealing connections to each other that seemed too implausible. I did also appreciate that the author’s portrayal of the romantic aspect was relatively clean, with no steamy scenes to have to blush over. This is probably not one I’d read again-that would be a rare find-but I’m definitely recommending The Hundredth Queen as a first-time read.