Format: E-Galley, 383 pages
Release Date: November 2nd 2021
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy
After the gasp-inducing cliffhanger ending of The Frozen Crown,
the exciting conclusion to the epic story of Askia—a warrior, witch,
and queen-to-be—as she confronts the monster that stole her throne…and
is holding her prisoner to steal her magic.
The Empire
of Vishir has lost its ruler, and the fight to save Seravesh from the
Roven Empire is looking bleak. Moreover, Askia has been captured by
power-hungry Emperor Radovan, who plans on making her his wife simply so
he can take her magic as his own, killing her in the process. Aware of
his ex-wives’ fates, Askia must find a means of avoiding this doom, not
only for the sake of Seravesh, but now for Vishir as well. She must put
both nations first and remember Ozura’s advice: you must play the game
in order to survive. Askia was born a soldier, but now it’s time to
become a spy.
But it’s hard to play a game where the only person who knows the rules wants to kill her.
And time is a factor. The jewel Radovan has put around her neck will pull her power from her in thirty days. Worse, Vishir might not even have that long, as the two heirs to the throne are on the verge of civil war. Without any hope for help from the south, without any access to her magic, alone in a hostile land, Askia is no closer to freeing her people than she was when she fled to Vishir. In the clutches of a madman, the only thing she’s close to is death.
Yet she’d trade her life for a chance to save Seravesh. The problem: she may not have that choice.
The Seventh Queen is the second and final installment in author Greta Kelly's Warrior Witch duology. This story picks up immediately where The Frozen Crown left off. 21-year-old Princess Askia Poritskaya e-Nimri, rightful
heir to the Frozen Crown of Seravesh, spent months with Black Wolf
Legion battling invading soldiers of the Rovan Empire under Emperor Radovan. In order to save
her country, she went on a courageous quest south to Vishir seeking aid
from Emperor Armaan who she later ended up accepting a marriage contract from.
Askia, is not only a death witch, but a warrior, and queen of both Saravesh and Vishir, has been abducted by Radovan the Emperor of Roven who has already killed his previous six wives including Eliska of Raskis, Siv of Switzkia, High Priestess Asyl of Khezhar, Freyda of Graznia, Ragata, Katarzhina, Radovan's first wife. He's also abducted other witches from their homes never to be seen again. While she has an enchanted chain around her neck, it curbs her power enough to ensure she isn't a threat while the aellium stone drains her magic.
The most interesting part is that even though she has no access to her magic, she can still see and speak to the dead. That means the six deceased wives, Vishiri Queen Ozura who made a dying promise to serve Askia, and Vitaly, a Seraveshi soldier. It means that she can use the ghosts to her advantage as she tries to gain valuable blackmail material so that she can find a way to escape from her situation. Part of this story is also told from the viewpoint of Illya who fell hard for Askia, but as we soon learn, has more secrets than one could imagine.
So, while Vishir is being torn apart by warring brothers, Askia must find a way to defeat Radovan before he marries her, and takes her magic which means death. Every move she makes, whether in court or at dinner, will have political repercussions, and she has to both clever and careful to not make the wrong move. Askia is literally in the court of her arch-enemy, who is strongly motivated to kill her. Any wrong move could result in her death or the deaths of the people of her country. Askia was not only strong but smart in transferring her role from witch to soldier to queen to spy. She will stop at nothing to save herself and the kingdom of Seravesh and The Empire of Vishir.
Surprisingly, I had no issue with the ending. Even though Askia and Illya would have otherwise been married, or in a relationship, the story really shows the strength and growth of Askia who could easily kill Radovan, and become Empress of all the lands. The
pacing of this story was a little slower than I would've expected in a final
installment as there is a lot of time invested into her navigating the
Raven court. I have to admit that I loved how protective Askia was of Prince Gethen who in today's world, would be considered mentally deficient.
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