The Seventh Queen audiobook

3.5/5 rounded up. So I very much want to chime into the book world and say that this duology (The Frozen Crown being the first!) deserves a bit more attention than its gotten. I hadn’t heard anything about it and just picked it up at a used book sale for a pretty cover. Is this amazing, ground breaking work? No. But it is a LOT better (in my opinion of course!) then a lot of books in the YA/NA fantasy field that seem to get weighed down in attention. Though maybe the no expectations made it better for me? *Shrug* Either way, I look forward to Greta Kelley’s work in the future as she maybe smooths out some of the rough edges from her debut novels. Now I was super vague in the first book because honestly I liked how twisty the book ended up being for me. This one is less so but I don’t want to spoil anything still especially the ending of the last book. So sorry you don’t really get a summary. Our main character Askia is back though of course, and I continued to love her. I’m basically a sucker for snark and someone willing to defend others. Our world building expanded and we got a look at other places and the society within them. With that, came new and interesting characters. Kelly is really good at character writing, dialogue, and tension. She slips in rather powerful moments in quiet ones. I absolutely loved and wanted to highlight random lines in the book. ("Only a man would think a woman was safer without her voice," - one I can literally quote just from the top of my head at this point days later).The big problem with this novel is the pacing though. I don’t know if Kelly was trying to avoid the dreaded ‘second book syndrome’ by creating just two books, but what we ended up with was a book that went slow, slow, slow and then super duper fast. I’m a total weirdo in the book community who LOVES benign world building. You could tell me how taxes work in the society and I would be like huh, cool! The first half of this book is a LOT of that (well ok, not taxes but world building) and political maneuvering and backstabbing and I liked it! buuuut I kept looking at the page count and wondering how on earth it would be wrapped up well enough for satisfaction with less and less time available. I was right to be worried. The fate of two kingdoms is wrapped up in about twenty pages. That’s not enough! And while I understood the reasoning of the ending, I think it wasn’t the best move to have us so separated from characters and places we had already grown attached to. I could have read an entire third book of Askia dealing with all the fallout from this one. We don’t even know the fates of some characters! (….spin off novel?)But other than that rather glaring problem, I still enjoyed it. I do hope in the future Kelly gives herself or is given free reign to make the epic political drama/romance I think she is capable of. Because here, I think she was a little hobbled by fitting it into a neat little duology. I will one hundred percent check out her next books. Also, maaaybe higher a new editor. This was a first edition but I should not be catching misspellings and errors. I'm not that good at grammar (see entire above as proof). Conversation question: Any favorite underhyped books recently? least favorite overhyped ones?

Ok. So this had a lot of potential but it fell flat for me. It was a lot of Askia doing the same things. All of the action was at the end. Illyn… how unsurprising and unpredictable THAT twist was 🙄 It was nice to see him care for Iskander in the very beginning before he left. I really wanted to love this one but I didn’t.

THE SEVENTH QUEEN was an outstanding and bittersweet conclusion to The Warrior Witch duology. Gretta Kelly's writing and approach to her story and her characters is such a breath of fresh air and super unique to her and she deserves to be commended for putting out not one, but TWO fantastic books. From the outset, the plot gets rolling and plows full steam ahead and never stops. Askia is a fierce and plain old awesome heroine who rolls with the punches and uses every tool at her disposal to put a stop to Radovan and escape in order to save her world from a dark evil. I adored the scenes with Askia and Radovan. Radovan is a really well-developed and multidimensional villain and the way Kelly presents him to the reader keeps him evil but shows that darker humanity beneath him and I love that sort of villain. And my baby Illya. I love him and Askia so much and their love story as they fight to get back to each other is just so good. There is chemistry and steam to make the heart soar real high. I also loved the rapport between all of the women, living and dead, in this book. They may not all be besties or have pure intentions but they support each other against the tyranny of men in ways only other women can. The ending to this book was nearly as explosive as the first book, although we leave things on a vague and bittersweet note that makes me hope to see more from this world. THE SEVENTH QUEEN is a feminist adventure of a book that has so much intrigue, romance and action, and I heartily recommend this duology to everyone who loves a good and feminist fantasy. Definitely one of the more underrated fantasy duologies out there and deserves all of the stars!

I really enjoyed this new adult fantasy duology. The writing is so good, and Askia is right up there with Aelin for me when it comes to strong female protagonists.Askia spends a lot of this book as Radovan’s captor, so a lot of the story progresses through planning, plotting, and politicking. Even though there wasn’t much action until the end, I didn’t think the book was slow. I was thoroughly engrossed in this dark fantasy world, and I thought the character development was fantastic. Romance is not a huge part of the story, but the romance followed MY FAVORITE TROPE (I can’t say what it is because spoilers).This was different from the first book in the series, but I loved them both. My only complaint is that I want more stories in this world! I would love a follow up that takes place 5-10 years later to see how these events play out in the long run.Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the gifted eARC.Blog | Instagram

I was provided an ARC via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.If you loved The Frozen Crown like I did, you are going to love the ending to this duology. This picks up where that leaves off. The Frozen Crown left us with quite the cliffhanger, and we pick up where that left us. You really will need to read book 1 to understand what is going on in this book or I feel you will be completely lost. This series is filled with political intrigue and the movements of the players start in the first book. If you picked up with with this book, you will have missed the build up and be confused as to who the players are and what their motivations are. Like book 1 this is a bit on the slower paced side, and I don't mean that as a negative. The pace fits the book and the plot, While there are some action scenes, this fantasy is not filled with magical battles and fight scenes. This is more of a chess match and a battle of wits as Askia not only has to figure out how to save herself but the entire empire before Radovan steals her magic and takes her life. While she is a warrior queen, she is also well equipped in court politics ang the games that nobles play to gain information and use it to gain the upper hand.We don't get a ton of explanation of the magic system in this book. The magic is pretty straightforward, but the magic system is mostly explained in book 1. We don't get much of a recap of what happened in the first book, which if you are like me you read it almost a year ago. The more I read of this the more I remembered what was happening, but the events and locations of the first book only play a small part in this book. They are connected but most of this book takes place in Radovan's stronghold, where he is keeping Askia captive while he takes her magic. While she can't wield her magic in her captivity, she is still able to use a bit of magic and is aided not only by those who have sworn to serve her in death but the queen who came before her. With the six queens on her side, she is able to gain valuable information not only about Radovan, but his court and the castle. She is able to strategize and maneuver around him while planning her escape and a way to save everyone she cares about. I really enjoyed how this all came together. This has magic, politics, a little romance, some action, and some good discussions about guilt, sacrifice, and doing what is right for the greater good. This is a solid duology and I highly recommend it!While I enjoyed the ending and felt it was fitting, I do feel that some readers will take issue with the lack of closure. The ending is a big open ended and doesn't give concrete answers to certain plot lines. This is one case that I feel like an epilogue maybe 5 years later would have been a nice touch. Then again it leaves things open for more books or for the reader to imagine what could be.

I won The Seventh Queen in a #Goodreads giveaway back in October 2021. Since this is book 2 of a duology, I needed to read the first book (The Frozen Crown) before I could read this one. If you would like to read my review on The Frozen Crown, I did write one after I finished it back in January. I actually listened to the audiobook for book 1, so I decided to do borrow the audiobook from my local library and listen to that while I'm driving and read my book other times.Something I struggled with in the first book a d continues to struggle with in this book was character names. Thank goodness a character guide is included at the back of the book to help me keep track of who was who.Askia is fierce and powerful death witch, and she reminds me of Aelin from the Throne of Glass series. For a majority of this book, Askia is held captive by Radovan. While there isn't a lot of 'action' until the end of the book, the plot is moved along with planning/plotting, spying, and manipulating. The writing was so well done that it never effects the pacing of the story. I can't forget to talk about that amazing character development. All the main players in this book have depth and Greta Kelly did such a good job with her characters. Also, while romance is not the main focus of this series, there is a smidge of it in this book. And. I. Am. Here. For. It! Askia deserves to find love and it was beautiful. I really wanted a tiny bit more from the romance side of things, but I also realize that wasn't the point of this story. This was a bittersweet end to the Warrior Witch Duology. When I read the last line in the book, I had tears in my eyes. I could have read 2-3 more books from this world.

this book was an emotional rollercoaster !! much like the first, there were so many plot twists, and i genuinely feared for the characters' lives. i had to put the book down for three days because of severe emotional distress lol while i wish the ending turned out a bit differently, i still believe it was a perfect conclusion to the duology. greta kelly is a brilliant writer, and i can’t wait to see what she writes next!

The story was captivating and kept you reading for the most part. It can drag a little in the middle but the ending and it's surprises are worth the wait! Greta's characters are very well written, you want to reach through the pages and give comfort or wipe a tear! Highly recommended. This was read as an ARC through Netgalley for an honest review. The opinions are my own!

Book Review: The Seventh QueenBy: Greta KellyGenre: FantasyFormat: ARC thank you to @harpervoyager for my digital copy ♥️This is the second book in the frozen crown series! If you haven’t read it already please do yourself a favor and read that first!This book got me hooked on page 1. After the major cliff hanger ya girl may have cried when I got to read this early. Anyways. This book is almost perfect. I’m a sucker for a love story and I was a bit disappointed we didn’t get the full closure we all wanted… BUT I am also very glad that Greta decided to add the girl power boss babe ending so I’m very much still impressed with how everything wrapped up nicely. Also those plot twists were insane.5/5 go read the duology and thank me later ♥️

This was a really great duology!! Very unique and fast-paced. I enjoyed it a lot.

The Seventh Queen is the final installment in the Warrior Witch duology. Since the series is continuous, it is highly recommended to read the first novel, The Frozen Crown, before reading this novel. This novel picks up where the last one left off and further explores the different empires, the war between them, and a lot of political intrigue. While the setting is different between the two novels, the politics, the twists and turns, and the stakes remain the same. Askia is a strong and determined character and it was nice to see her transition from a warrior to a spy to adapt to her circumstances. I eagerly anticipated finding out how everything would end.The story begins with Askia separated from those close to her as she is held captive by Emperor Radovan as his potential seventh wife. Not only is there a possible marriage on the horizon, but there is the impending danger of him stealing her magic and killing her. As a rare death witch, she begins to interact with the ghosts of the six previous queens of Rovan. She must use her magic to not only find a way to escape, but also continue to protect her people. Radovan proves to be a worthy opponent, so her quest is not easy. While she navigates from the inside of the palace, her guard, who also loves her, is set to try to rescue her. There are a few chapters from his POV, which I loved and there were more as he is an important character from both stories and it was great to see events from his perspective. The POV still mainly stays with Askia, but it was nice to add a little from Illya considering they are separated in this story compared to the first.While there are some readers that may not find this as strong as the first novel (and some that feel the opposite), I find both on fairly equal ground. The two novels worked together well as a duology and while there were some moments in this installment that I would like to be explored further in depth, I could wish the same for the first novel. The pacing of this story was a little slower than I would expect in a final installment as there is a lot of time invested into her navigating the Raven court. For me, I would have preferred the last 100 or so pages expanded on more and shorten the other parts. It was still an entertaining end to the duology with many twists along the way.Overall, this unique duology was very entertaining. While there is some action, there is a lot of focus on politics and the game that exists between rulers. With a lot of focus on the court of Vishir in the first novel and the court of Roven in this novel, it was nice to see the different politics in the world within the duology. As Askia is in Radovan’s presence, it was great to explore the villain and see more about his motivations. With Illya vying to reunite with Askia, I wish there was more from his perspective to further explore his character, but I appreciated the chapters that were included. This was a great duology with politics and ghosts and I cannot wait to read more from the author!**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Harper Voyager, for the chance to read this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

In the far northern city of Tolograd, Askia is the prisoner of Emperor Radovan, who stole her away from Vishir on the eve of her marriage to the now dead Emperor Armaan. Radovan aims to take Askia’s death witch powers for himself with the use of an aellium stone that strips her magic away over thirty days, after which Radovan will surely kill her. With thirty days left to live, Askia sets her sights on survival in a court full of secrets and betrayal, a goal that would feel impossible even without the grisly timeline imposed by her new circumstances. To survive Vishir, Askia was forced to turn from warrior to politician. Now, to survive Tolograd, Askia will become a spy in a country that despises and mistrusts her for her powers, determined to find one last chance to save her country and her loved ones, if not herself, from destruction at the hands of the mad sorcerer Radovan.After the whirlwind ending of the first book, I was so excited to dive into The Seventh Queen and see the conclusion of the Warrior Witch duology. Askia is brave and tenacious, always trying to make the best of terrible situations while staying focused on the bigger picture. This book gives her so much opportunity to grow, and she gets much better at setting aside anger and discomfort so she can smooth talk Radovan, staying cool and honest without letting too much emotion leak through. Her strength lies in her ability to adapt, and to see the path through difficulties that will protect as many people as possible. There was a lot going on in this book, so many more layers of political intrigue and both magical and character history. It was interesting but felt busy at times. I felt like the author did an alright job of balancing the many new characters and interesting little reveals among the other plot points that carried forward from the first book. Askia has the benefit of the ghosts of the former queens to guide her, and where needed, reveal complex little secrets to her so that she can then share later in the book. Not the strongest story element, but it was effective, and I liked the different queens’ presences in the story. The ending felt chaotic and a little hurried too- things turn out alright, minus one rollercoaster of a romance, but I would have enjoyed more time for Askia to see her actions to a strong resolution and perhaps even see her homeland again. Altogether it was a strong second story that could have been two books with way more time to explore the new characters, their backgrounds, the repercussions of the magical disruptions around the world, the political situation, but with Askia at the center The Seventh Queen was still an entertaining and exciting read.