Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Skyscape, Kindle Edition, 302 pages
Description
"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 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."--provided by Amazon.com.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Baochuan
Interesting story line with fast pace. Good writing, however some of the characters could be more developed.
LibraryThing member infjsarah
It was OK as a quick read but not a fan of the instalove and I won't bother to carry on with the series.
LibraryThing member Aegiswiz
I tragically did not review the book when I read it the first time. Emily R. King is an excellent author and if she did not outline this book prior to writing it, she's a remarkable "seat of the pants" writer. "Outliners" near always have tidy plots that are a joy to read. "Pantsers" are fun too,
That's a spoiler by the way. Now you know that there are things in chapter one that are relevant in the climax of the book and beyond.
Briefly, Kalinda lives under a monarchy, but she is physically in a 'far off' monastery type of place that is a woman only facility. The monastery is funded by 'benefactors', who from time to time show up to "claim" a woman as wife, mistress, or some other form of chattel.
TRAGICALLY... THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD, not the "ruin the book" kind, but spoilers. Not the kind you can blank out and still have the review seem coherent. I do recommend the book later...
In Kalinda's case the benefactor who claims her is the monarch. Kalinda is to be his hundredth wife, which is of considerable significance for a number of religious reasons.
Being chosen is the worst thing Kalinda thinks could happen to her regardless of who it is. The monarch only makes it infinitely more grievous and complicated.
If I might criticize the book... it would be that fully one third of it is Kalinda's travel from the monastery to the palace for her wedding. While there's enough going on to keep you reading, it isn't much more exciting than driving from Los Angeles to Sacramento on I5. In fact, it is a bit analogous. If you've made the drive, you could say, OK, I see that: there is "Cajon Pass", Bakersfield, and Fresno… a few things happening during the travels. In the book though there is implied sexual tension that you won't get while driving from Los Angeles to Sacramento. At least not if you are driving alone.
Even though Kalinda is the chosen 100th wife, if she were to post that on Facebook it would NOT be "in a relationship", it would read, "it's complicated".
I want to recommend the book. It is dressed up like a romance novel, and written a bit like one in places, but this book was written by an impressive author who appreciates her audience and demands excellence from herself in her writing. You could develop a relationship with an author like this. So much so, I've already grabbed up three more of her books and audiobooks.
Before revising this review (which you've read), I glanced at my notes. I did not write many notes but the notes I did write were pretty detailed about the prologue. Maybe this is a memory thing, I confess... I forgot I read this book, but from my notes, I don't think there is much of anything related to the book in the prologue. There is a couple passing comments, but the prologue appears to have taken place entirely outside of the geography of the novel.
Well, I know there are at least 2 more books, probably 3 in this series, so the prologue may be relevant at some point.
If you read this book I believe you'll enjoy it and continue with the series. It is not a dull book.
I read The Hundredth Queen (again) in 5 sessions on May 2, 3, and 6, 2019. I previously read it on June 6 through August 2, 2017. I previously "really liked it" (4 stars) and now I remember why, and agree with my good choice. Tragic that I write of my previous reading as if it was a mystery to me, but it was. I suppose that will become a serious issue as time passes.
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you're as surprised as they were when they write something. This one was brilliantly tidy. Having read it, I know that she knew how the book would end before she finished the first chapter.That's a spoiler by the way. Now you know that there are things in chapter one that are relevant in the climax of the book and beyond.
Briefly, Kalinda lives under a monarchy, but she is physically in a 'far off' monastery type of place that is a woman only facility. The monastery is funded by 'benefactors', who from time to time show up to "claim" a woman as wife, mistress, or some other form of chattel.
TRAGICALLY... THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD, not the "ruin the book" kind, but spoilers. Not the kind you can blank out and still have the review seem coherent. I do recommend the book later...
In Kalinda's case the benefactor who claims her is the monarch. Kalinda is to be his hundredth wife, which is of considerable significance for a number of religious reasons.
Being chosen is the worst thing Kalinda thinks could happen to her regardless of who it is. The monarch only makes it infinitely more grievous and complicated.
If I might criticize the book... it would be that fully one third of it is Kalinda's travel from the monastery to the palace for her wedding. While there's enough going on to keep you reading, it isn't much more exciting than driving from Los Angeles to Sacramento on I5. In fact, it is a bit analogous. If you've made the drive, you could say, OK, I see that: there is "Cajon Pass", Bakersfield, and Fresno… a few things happening during the travels. In the book though there is implied sexual tension that you won't get while driving from Los Angeles to Sacramento. At least not if you are driving alone.
Even though Kalinda is the chosen 100th wife, if she were to post that on Facebook it would NOT be "in a relationship", it would read, "it's complicated".
I want to recommend the book. It is dressed up like a romance novel, and written a bit like one in places, but this book was written by an impressive author who appreciates her audience and demands excellence from herself in her writing. You could develop a relationship with an author like this. So much so, I've already grabbed up three more of her books and audiobooks.
Before revising this review (which you've read), I glanced at my notes. I did not write many notes but the notes I did write were pretty detailed about the prologue. Maybe this is a memory thing, I confess... I forgot I read this book, but from my notes, I don't think there is much of anything related to the book in the prologue. There is a couple passing comments, but the prologue appears to have taken place entirely outside of the geography of the novel.
Well, I know there are at least 2 more books, probably 3 in this series, so the prologue may be relevant at some point.
If you read this book I believe you'll enjoy it and continue with the series. It is not a dull book.
I read The Hundredth Queen (again) in 5 sessions on May 2, 3, and 6, 2019. I previously read it on June 6 through August 2, 2017. I previously "really liked it" (4 stars) and now I remember why, and agree with my good choice. Tragic that I write of my previous reading as if it was a mystery to me, but it was. I suppose that will become a serious issue as time passes.
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LibraryThing member Pascale1812
The writing style is enjoyable and the constant action kept the book alive. Going into the book, I had two main expectations: fights/duels ("[Kali was] ordered to fight for her place") and "the stoic but kind Captain Deven Naik."
If you are looking for cool fight scenes, rigorous training, or
Regarding the Captain: no spoilers here, but his actions are more aptly described as inconsistent and dramatic rather than stoic.
While no resolution is made, a main theme of The Hundredth Queen is the impotency of women in this constructed society. I was shocked by how dispassionate Kali was in her description of what we would call abusive situations. The more I thought about it, the more repulsive it seemed, and I nearly stopped reading. But I think that's the point. If Kali's worldview sees these things as normal, it is a direct product of the environment in which she grew up. Of course she isn't outraged by these things, they happen all the time. Therein lies the heart of the matter. The theme I took away was the unresolved question: what atrocities have we normalized because they are 'the way things have always been'?
I do not mean this as a political rant, and I do not believe the book had such pretensions either. I merely wish to describe how shocking it is to read about a heroine whose mindset is not 'revolutionary' to the other members of their society.
If you are looking for cool fight scenes, rigorous training, or
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warriors getting fussy about honor and cheating, this is not the book for you. Those one-on-one fights I had been so anticipating ended up being, for the most part, the decorative content of two paragraphs in between the other events of the book. Our dear protagonist Kali was not prolific in her descriptions of violence, which speaks well of her sensibilities and character but not of her qualities as a gripping storyteller. Regarding the Captain: no spoilers here, but his actions are more aptly described as inconsistent and dramatic rather than stoic.
While no resolution is made, a main theme of The Hundredth Queen is the impotency of women in this constructed society. I was shocked by how dispassionate Kali was in her description of what we would call abusive situations. The more I thought about it, the more repulsive it seemed, and I nearly stopped reading. But I think that's the point. If Kali's worldview sees these things as normal, it is a direct product of the environment in which she grew up. Of course she isn't outraged by these things, they happen all the time. Therein lies the heart of the matter. The theme I took away was the unresolved question: what atrocities have we normalized because they are 'the way things have always been'?
I do not mean this as a political rant, and I do not believe the book had such pretensions either. I merely wish to describe how shocking it is to read about a heroine whose mindset is not 'revolutionary' to the other members of their society.
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LibraryThing member OmayraV
SPOILERS
OMG, I want to scoop my eyes out my head with a spoon. I am going to start by saying that lately, all I’ve been reading is one poorly written story after another. I do not write reviews of less than three stars, but this will no longer be my policy.
I kept seeing The Hundredth Queen pup
Lord have mercy; this story is one big cliché extravaganza. It has little to no world-building, the characters are flat, and the romance is best described as instalove. You have your share of mean girls and nasty people, but for the life of me I am still wondering why Kalinda was selected to be the hundredth wife if she was described as plain. If she is bad at fighting then how in the world, in the first few chapters she defeats a strong opponent? If she is plain then why is she called "beautiful" by many others?
In the very start of the book, we see Kalinda meeting the guy who will be the love of her life. What did he do to reach that level of admiration? Okay, puppy love, love at first sight, I am willing to accept it. But what about the guy? Deven is supposed to be her protector, and throughout the story, he does a piss poor job at guiding and protecting her. Which begs the question, how did he ever achieve his position? And where is the chemistry between him and Kalinda? There was no romance progression, and I was left thinking this must have been a mistake.
So, this is a story about women fighting to gain status in a royal setting. However, why and what would it be the purpose of moving up in the rank? I still don’t know.
So Kalinda gets chosen to be Rajah Tarek's 100th wife. I am still trying to figure out why. Then she finds out she must compete with the other 99 wives in a rank tournament, why? I am not sure why, so I am going to say, I don’t know. I think it has something to do with a god that had 100 wives.
There is a love triangle that is absolutely nonsensical.
Now, you will find a side plot hidden in between all the tournaments to the death, and the women being bitches to each other in the palace. Why they are bitches? Simple, because everyone hates Kalinda and Kalinda hates everyone, why? I don’t know because the book doesn’t say.
I am assuming that is because when you have 100 bitchy women fighting to the death and for control and one man, you have war. But because this is a fantasy story you must have magic and because the author used India as the basis of the culture the magical creatures are called the bhuta. They want something that Rajah stole, and then I got a brain fart because I did not care what happened to any of them. I was hoping Alien and Predator would come and start fighting in the tournaments and they be the final winners and then Rajah had to use them two as his one and two only concubines for life.
This book is the first I give a review with a one star ever. This book could have been a great story, but it needed the tender loving care of a developmental editor. To be completely honest the last ten chapters I only skim through them; I lost interest. Maybe in the future, I will sit and give those last few chapters my full attention, but it will not be anytime soon.
OMG, I want to scoop my eyes out my head with a spoon. I am going to start by saying that lately, all I’ve been reading is one poorly written story after another. I do not write reviews of less than three stars, but this will no longer be my policy.
I kept seeing The Hundredth Queen pup
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up as a recommended read, and I was asked by a friend to read it and give her a recommendation if to read it or not. So, I found a Barnes and Nobles copy and bought it. I decided to give it a shot. Now I want my money back. Lord have mercy; this story is one big cliché extravaganza. It has little to no world-building, the characters are flat, and the romance is best described as instalove. You have your share of mean girls and nasty people, but for the life of me I am still wondering why Kalinda was selected to be the hundredth wife if she was described as plain. If she is bad at fighting then how in the world, in the first few chapters she defeats a strong opponent? If she is plain then why is she called "beautiful" by many others?
In the very start of the book, we see Kalinda meeting the guy who will be the love of her life. What did he do to reach that level of admiration? Okay, puppy love, love at first sight, I am willing to accept it. But what about the guy? Deven is supposed to be her protector, and throughout the story, he does a piss poor job at guiding and protecting her. Which begs the question, how did he ever achieve his position? And where is the chemistry between him and Kalinda? There was no romance progression, and I was left thinking this must have been a mistake.
So, this is a story about women fighting to gain status in a royal setting. However, why and what would it be the purpose of moving up in the rank? I still don’t know.
So Kalinda gets chosen to be Rajah Tarek's 100th wife. I am still trying to figure out why. Then she finds out she must compete with the other 99 wives in a rank tournament, why? I am not sure why, so I am going to say, I don’t know. I think it has something to do with a god that had 100 wives.
There is a love triangle that is absolutely nonsensical.
Now, you will find a side plot hidden in between all the tournaments to the death, and the women being bitches to each other in the palace. Why they are bitches? Simple, because everyone hates Kalinda and Kalinda hates everyone, why? I don’t know because the book doesn’t say.
I am assuming that is because when you have 100 bitchy women fighting to the death and for control and one man, you have war. But because this is a fantasy story you must have magic and because the author used India as the basis of the culture the magical creatures are called the bhuta. They want something that Rajah stole, and then I got a brain fart because I did not care what happened to any of them. I was hoping Alien and Predator would come and start fighting in the tournaments and they be the final winners and then Rajah had to use them two as his one and two only concubines for life.
This book is the first I give a review with a one star ever. This book could have been a great story, but it needed the tender loving care of a developmental editor. To be completely honest the last ten chapters I only skim through them; I lost interest. Maybe in the future, I will sit and give those last few chapters my full attention, but it will not be anytime soon.
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LibraryThing member vishae
This book just made me mad
The initial premise was intriguing, a woman chosen to be the 100th wife to a king and her fighting to keep her position. But then it gets muddled by Avatar-Air-bender-like beings, a king who wants to raise the dead, and a forbidden love between the protagonist and her
It could work if the editor actually did their job or the author was more skilled. Unfortunately neither was the case.
Conversations between characters were just info dumps, events aren't given enough time to build up relevancy before they are resolved, and the love story is superficial at best.
I just got more and more annoyed as the book went on. I couldn't even finish it; I got through 70% of it before I just skimmed through the rest. By the looks of it, I don't miss out on much.
This is definitely a do-not-buy.
The initial premise was intriguing, a woman chosen to be the 100th wife to a king and her fighting to keep her position. But then it gets muddled by Avatar-Air-bender-like beings, a king who wants to raise the dead, and a forbidden love between the protagonist and her
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guard... It could work if the editor actually did their job or the author was more skilled. Unfortunately neither was the case.
Conversations between characters were just info dumps, events aren't given enough time to build up relevancy before they are resolved, and the love story is superficial at best.
I just got more and more annoyed as the book went on. I couldn't even finish it; I got through 70% of it before I just skimmed through the rest. By the looks of it, I don't miss out on much.
This is definitely a do-not-buy.
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LibraryThing member Kiaya40
Action packed and intense
It’s full of pain and heartache along with joy and love. It’s has great descriptions so I felt like I could see them and the setting in my mind. I have had this on my TBR list for some time now and I’m glad I finally was able to read and enjoy it. If you haven’t
It’s full of pain and heartache along with joy and love. It’s has great descriptions so I felt like I could see them and the setting in my mind. I have had this on my TBR list for some time now and I’m glad I finally was able to read and enjoy it. If you haven’t
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checked it out yet, you should! Show Less
LibraryThing member thebacklistbook
This book was a weird ride. Jaya totally stole my heart. The main character kalinda was a little flat. Perhaps more development will be had for her in the next installment. The world building was strong, largely because it drew from old realities.
I will have to see where the rest of this ride
I will have to see where the rest of this ride
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takes me. Show Less
LibraryThing member jazzbird61
This was a DNF for me. It dived right into the 'insta-love' hole. Then compounded that mistake. The girl who experienced it had never seen a man and only knew of them by horrific stories from her best friend. But her first reaction was attraction. Sigh and Ugh.
I refuse to accept simplistic YA
I refuse to accept simplistic YA
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stories that are presented as if our YA are idiots. Show Less
Awards
Whitney Award (Winner — 2017)
Original publication date
2017-06-01
Similar in this library
Pages
302