Title: The Fire Queen
Author: Emily R King
Format: Audiobook
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Narrators: Lauren Ezzo & Scott Merriman
Summary:
Though the tyrant rajah she was forced to marry is dead, Kalinda’s troubles are far from over. A warlord has invaded the imperial city, and now she’s in exile. But she isn’t alone. Kalinda has the allegiance of Captain Deven Naik, her guard and beloved, imprisoned for treason and stripped of command. With the empire at war, their best hope is to find Prince Ashwin, the rajah’s son, who has promised Deven’s freedom on one condition: that Kalinda will fight and defeat three formidable opponents.
But as Kalinda’s tournament strengths are once again challenged, so too is her relationship with Deven. While Deven fears her powers, Ashwin reveres them—as well as the courageous woman who wields them. Kalinda comes to regard Ashwin as the only man who can repair a warring world and finds herself torn between her allegiance to Deven and a newly found respect for the young prince.
With both the responsibility to protect her people and the fate of those she loves weighing heavily upon her, Kalinda is forced again to compete. She must test the limits of her fire powers and her hard-won wisdom. But will that be enough to unite the empire without sacrificing all she holds dear?
My Thoughts:
This one was not like the first book, The Hundredth Queen. I am sorry to say I felt The Hundredth Queen was better. I felt like the story line was not as great in this book. While the story wasn’t as great, it was still entertaining.
The story just did not pull me in like the first one did. This was possibly due to the dual perspective on the story. Unlike the first book told solely from Kalinda’s point of view, this one is also told from Captain Deven Naik’s view. This broke things up. Also, in the first we rooted for these two together, now they are separated and we can no longer cheer for them together. I think this is what hurt this story for me. I kept hoping for them to find a way to reach each other, but for the great majority they are apart dealing with things alone.
The narrators do an okay job, but they can’t save the lack of connection to this story. I have to admit, as a reader I was hurt Kalinda and Deven were separated through the book. They are the pairing we hope for, and want to be together. In this story, a new love interest is thrown in. Kalinda is torn, and so are we as readers. We are wondering what Kalinda is going to do being pushed to be close and or intimate with the now King of their people.
Kalinda questions her feelings for both Deven and her King. She begins to wonder if she should be with the King to help her people, or does she follow her heart and go with Deven.
Overall, I gave this book 3/5 stars.