A great YA novel and what I suspect is the start of a fantastic series. The main character and her friends are well written. The love interest doesn't distract from the story or become the sole story.
A very good read.

The King's 100 was a book that just kept on giving. Seemingly every chapter had something new to offer, with Piper/Paris continuously deviating more plans, but then going back on many others. The pace of the book was good and the storyline too, but if I were to improve the book, I would have slightly more story at the end, possibly a Meeting of the Lands or something like that. I feel that with that the book would have felt slightly more complete.

Review by 14-year-old reader.

With thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC.

I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book. It had enough action and excitement to keep me interested the whole book. The characters were very interesting. I liked how throughout the book you could see the subtle changes in character that Piper went through. I actually really liked ending even though some people thought it was disappointing. I like how this book wasn’t too long and kept the reader’s attention. I do wish we could’ve seen some of the other characters a little bit more. It would’ve been interesting to hear some of their background stories.
Overall this book was really good and I would recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy-ish books and romance. If there is a second book I would definitely read it.

What a ride! I am a huge fan of books with royalty, so I knew I had to read this one! I really enjoyed Piper and going on her journey with her, and the book was well written.

Thank you NetGalley and Immortal Works Press for a digital ARC of "The King's 100" by Karin Biggs. This book is a new YA novel from debut author Karin Biggs. This book follows Piper, the princess of Capalon, as she sneaks into the neighboring kingdom of Mondaria. Capalon is a kingdom dedicated to studying science, technology engineering, and math. Emotions, including love, are forbidden. Capalon is the exact opposite of their enemy kingdom Mondaria. Capalon and Mondaria have many differences and a tense relationship. In fact, if a Capalon is found on Mondrian soil, they will be killed! So what happens when a Capalon princess goes to Mondaria in search of her missing mother? Well, you might be surprised when Piper finds something she didn't know she was missing: life. This book is perfect for fans of "The Selection" and "The Lunar Chronicles" as this book contains romance, political intrigue, and a futuristic society. My only complaint is the book felt a little boring and sloppy at times. However, I still felt this was a good book with an interesting plot and a few twists I didn't see coming. This review is available on NetGalley and on Goodreads.

I really enjoyed this one. A fast paced book and it really did a good job of not giving away some of the surprises. I loved how much "Paris" grew as a person over the course of the book. She is so relatable. I can't wait to see the sequel .

I like most anything to do with royalty in a fantasy setting. I just love monarchies, good, bad, or evil. The King's 100 was a little different than what I usually read but I enjoyed it. The plot was interesting and the events at the end of the book makes me want more.

3.5 Stars

The King’s 100 is definitely The Selection meets The Lunar Chronicles, with an interesting dystopic world and romantic plot. Overall, the book is a quick and easy read, with a little bit of substance. It left me with a good feeling and wasn’t nerve-wracking or emotionally draining.

In this STEM vs Creativity world, we follow Princess Piper who is considered the “problem child” in her STEM world of Capalon. She experiences emotion strongly and enjoys singing. When Piper receives a note suggesting her mother is alive in the neighboring enemy kingdom full of Creativity, Mondaria, she doesn’t seem to hesitate in leaving her life behind to find her mother. Little does she know, she will find so much more once she arrives.

The book is by no means perfect, but it made me smile and was a good break from novels that put a lot of stress on me emotionally. It was cute and only mildly problematic. If you’re looking for something that feels a little Hallmark-ey, this is a book for you. There’s an underlying “Insta-Love” which causes a huge eye-roll, but I think Biggs does a great job of balancing that out by demonstrating M/F relationships that are based entirely on friendship. Too often are we exposed to love triangles, or worse, rather than men and women who can just exist together as friends. I also found Piper’s development over the course of the story to be believable and liked her as a character. She wasn’t whiney, she reacted and acted as I expected a teenager would, and she took responsibility for her actions when necessary. There were times when I wanted to shake her, but I never found her inherently annoying or failing.

There were a few areas that weakened the book and brought down my score. The world-building was hugely lacking, and I had no visual whatsoever where Piper was, what the different kingdoms looked like, what the environment was like, etc. This was one of the most disappointing aspects of the whole book and I would highly suggest a map for the world at the very least. The plot was a little weak/watered-down in the sense that it was a bit of misdirection. We think it’s going to go one way and quickly realize it’s going somewhere else. I didn’t absolutely hate this, but it can feel unfulfilling at points. Time passing was also unclear and sometimes unrealistic. I had to go back and reread multiple times to figure out how much time had passed between two moments, and that got frustrating.

To finish this review, I'd like to discuss my biggest complaint. We are trying so hard as a society to show girls that STEM isn’t just for boys, that it is important, passionate work, and makes a difference to the world. We need more girls in STEM, not less. Biggs paints Capalon as heartless, cold, and grey vs. Mondaria being full of light, love, and happiness. Intelligence and logic are not weaknesses and at no point should be telling girls that a boy or a boyfriend is obviously the better choice over innovation, knowledge, and logic. In a lot of ways, it feels like this novel pushes the STEM field backward rather than ushering it forward. I’d love for Biggs to truly think about this in her sequel and push for kingdoms that are equal and place value on both STEM and creativity. There is nothing to be gained for YA readers in creating such a bleak and thoughtless view of a really important part of our world, especially for girls and women (the biggest audience for this type of book). This was something disappointing to me and I expected better.

Overall, though, I understand this is a YA dystopic romance and I appreciate it for what it was. It could have been better in a lot of areas but remained cute and a fun read for what it did provide. I would recommend this book for fans of The Selection series because it reads very similarly.

*Received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review*
This was not my type of book. I didn't care for the main character which made me lose interest in her trials and tribulations.

This book was simple and a good pass time. While it is was not necessarily my cup of tea, people trying to get into fantasy would definitely enjoy this book (especially if you enjoyed The Selection). Stories like The Selection don't really set well with me because there are just too many holes in the story, the romance is a little too focused on, the world doesn't really make sense, and the plot becomes a little bit of a background thing. I certainly felt that from this book but I think this story did it much better than The Selection. The romance and the main character were so much nicer to read. Even if the romance was a little cringey and insta lovey at times, I think younger readers introducing themselves to fantasy with romance would really enjoy this book. The main character's development and adaptation to this new society was very believable and made me happy that the author didn't have the reader sudden;y understand everything, she was confused a lot. The friends Piper made were fun, a little juvenile for me personally, but nice to read regardless. I felt the world-building was a little lacking throughout the book and didn't really make sense historically (this is clearly a future version of our world. So it doesn't make sense that we would progress and then have a huge war and then go back to a monarchy system. Neither do societies that forbid their citizens to express feelings or emotions make sense to me because logically).

I understand I am not really the target audience for this book. I had picked this up thinking it was an immersive adventure/fantasy book about a girl going to save her mother from an enemy kingdom but it is not exactly that. Regardless, I am not going to give it a bad review just because it's not my cup of tea. I think a younger young adult reader would really enjoy the book.

Thank you, NetGalley for a free copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 stars
(I am rounding up because I enjoyed the unique premise and the characters)

The King's 100 is Cinder meets The Selection in a fantasy kingdom world. In the beginning of the story we find out that Piper isnt the amazing princess in every other book. She has flaws and the queen, her sister wants Piper to start growing up since shes getting courted soon. Piper then finds out her mother is alive and to please the Queen she embarks on a journey to find her.
Thoughts✏: I was just bored. Maybe because i was comparing it to The Selection the whole time and i hated the Selection. I ended up dnfing.

Lovely YA fantasy novel geared towards a younger YA audience.

It’s true that science and facts are important. But in the ‘STEM-only kingdom of Capalon,’ jokes and junk food are strictly avoided and displays of emotion are met with the equivalent of solitary time-out punishments. Princess Piper has a big heart, and her capacity to feel emotions and express creativity is too great to be limited to cold, hard facts and nothing else. With newfound hope based on a letter indicating that her mother may still be alive, she cleverly sneaks out to a far-away land on a rescue mission.

The kingdom of Mondaria is the polar opposite of STEM-only Capalon. Mondaria Royals value art and expression so much that they house and employ 100 entertainers on the castle grounds for frequent performances. These musicians and magicians are creative and talented teenagers whom Piper finds herself living amongst for a few months as she gathers clues and tries to find her mother inside the royal palace.

Along the way, the Princess makes friends far more easily than one might expect, growing up in an emotionless kingdom. She has a great heart, and that takes her far. She also gains the affection of a likewise self-less boy named Ari, who is rather swoon worthy. Piper and Ari’s flirtation is one of many; mild and entertaining drama results from attempts at romance and jealousy among the Court entertainers.

The Princess’ tale comes to a satisfying conclusion at the end of ‘The King’s 100,’ but author Karin Biggs has crafted the perfect set-up for a sequel. I hope we can return to these kingdoms and follow these characters a bit longer!

I just could not get too far into this book. The concept sounded interesting, but I didn’t care much for the main character, or the love interest, and I did not find myself wanting to continue it and find out what happens

Princess Piper Parish has always struggled with following the rules of Capalon, her kingdom. Love is seen as an unnecessary distraction in Capalon and things like singing, dancing, wearing dresses and eating sugary foods are prohibited. Knowing she is seen as a disappointment in Capalon, Piper leaves on a quest to bring back her mother after she received an anonymous note stating that her mother is still alive and being held in Mondaria, the enemy kingdom.

To enter the Mondarian king's Mansion, Piper joins a group of performers. She meets singers, drummers and magicians and learns what it's like to live in a world where people express their emotions. She experiences friendship, love, hot chocolate and many other things that aren't allowed in Capalon, but will these things distract her from her quest to find her mother?

I loved this book. If circumstances allowed me to read it in one sitting, I would have. It takes some time getting used to the way of things in Capalon, but everything eventually clicked. Karin showed in her book that different countries develop in different ways. Capalons are more intelligent when it comes to new inventions and technology because they chose to ignore and suppress emotions, but Mondarians are more intelligent in the social aspect.

There are two things that stand out in The King's 100:

1 - The characters are flawed. They aren't portrayed as perfect people. They are 17 years old and they act like it. The characters make mistakes and sometimes they own up to it and other times they don't. It's a good break from the "The main character's actions are always excused" trope, because Piper makes mistakes and she apologizes for them. I honestly think she rocks as a main character because of that.

2 - There is no real villain. Problems are all caused by cultural differences and stereotypes. Once characters got to know each other without prejudices, they were able to look past it and I think that's a beautiful message.

Okay maybe I'll add a third point that stands out in this book: the side characters, I loved them all (I'll admit, all except one). I grew really attached to them and I can't wait to read more about them in this series!

If you love The Selection or Grace and Fury, I highly recommend The King's 100. You will definitely enjoy it!

3.5- The King’s 100 will be very appealing to YA fans of dystopia and romance. The book follows Piper, a princess of a nation focused on technology. Piper has long been ostracized for being interested in singing and expressing more emotions than considered proper. When Piper receives a note from someone claiming that her mother is still alive, Piper eludes her older sister and sets out for the neighboring enemy kingdom to investigate. She discovers that in order to gain access to the palace, she must audition to be an entertainer in The King’s 100. As she searches for her mother, Piper encounters romance, betrayal, and finds friends who understand her passion for singing.

I think this story will appeal to younger YA readers and fans of series such as The Selection! If I could change one thing, I wish there had been more diverse/LGBTQ+ representation, especially within the large cast of supporting characters. It wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, but I do think the book was overall a well-told story about following your dreams and standing up for what you want in life. The King’s 100 releases on July 21, 2020! Thank you to Karin Biggs, Immortal Works, and Netgalley for providing me with a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found myself really enjoying this book. I loved the main character and seeing her discover this new world. The new friends she made were really great. The middle did drag on a bit too long for me, but the ending more than made up for it. Also, the epilogue really surprised me. I guess there will be a sequel? Well, I certainly hope so.

I LOVED this book. The King's 100 is the first book in a long time that I've read that is a mix between fantasy and contemporary which I found very refreshing and unique. I have not read many books like this and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It reminded me of The Selection mixed with American Idol. It has many twists and turns and is quite the emotional roller coaster. I read this in one sitting and could not put it down. The romance in this book was well thought out by the author and I loved each of the character's and how different their personalities were. It was a lighter fantasy/contemporary read but it was well worth it and I cannot wait for the sequel. I would highly recommend this amazing novel by Karin Briggs.

When I read the description of The King's 100, I was excited to dive into this world. While the book wasn't bad, it didn't live up to my expectations. There were a lot of places where a good proofreader was needed. This became more of an issue in the second half of the book. Typos and added words or phrases (for example: "they would be both be elated") were scattered throughout the entire manuscript.
Piper's entire drive in the beginning of the book is to find her mother, but I felt that she quickly lost sight of that goal the moment she met a boy with a nice smile. Rather than actively trying to find her mother, she takes a passive approach to her search. This immediately turns the story into one focused almost exclusively on love and friendship, with a few reminders sprinkled in that she was looking for someone.

I thought the love story at the center of the book was done well enough, but I often felt the plot focused on that too much. I wanted to see more of a struggle with Piper's Capalon upbringing and I wanted to see her take action in finding her mother. She seemed too comfortable in the home of her enemy. I was also confused about the piece of tech in her wrist. There were a few references how a Capalon's wrist glows blue. There were jokes made between the characters about this attribute. However, not once does it seem like Piper is concerned about this for herself. She uses the technology several times when she is alone, but it doesn't seem to be of any concern to her that her wrist glows bright enough to light up a room, which was also mentioned. It would have been nice to see Piper struggle with keeping this part of her body hidden from the rest of the population, knowing that it would give away her identity immediately.

I felt the author had an interesting setting for this story and I would have loved to learn more about what happened to the world. The problem I had was the passages of time and how Piper would simply appear in whatever place she needed to be. There were times when I got a clear sense of where she was, but for the most part, I felt that we were just floating between dialogue with brief and occasional explanations of place and time.

The ending came across as very convenient and easy considering the amount of hatred that is between the two countries. The "villains" of the story all seemed a bit lazy when it came to doing the "bad guy thing." They did just enough to cause tension for Piper and to scare her a little bit, but in the end, there were no real consequences for anyone's actions.

I gave this book a 3 star review because there is a lot of potential to make this truly great. I felt that if the author had gone into more detail with the setting and kept her main character focused more, it would have gotten a higher rating from me. I wanted to see more of Piper's internal and external struggles, as well as her actively searching for her mother. There was a slight twist in the very last couple paragraphs of the epilogue that was intriguing, but not enough to make up for the lackluster ending.

I enjoyed the read, but I had hoped for more.

This was a great YA Fantasy novel that didn't include all the war-torn battles that most fantasy novels have. It was a breath of fresh air! This book was extremely original. Set in a futuristic world, split up into kingdoms, Princess Piper breaks all of the rules by stealing an identity of a member of the rival kingdom to try to find her mother. The characters really held their own and each one of them grew throughout the book, making you love them more and more. This is a perfect book for fans who like a little mystery, a little fantasy, without taking over the plot. I'm really looking forward to a possible sequel!

When I first read the synopsis for The King's 100, I knew I had to read it....but it just didn't meet me expectations. The characters felt a bit lack lustre, Piper has this background which I wish we could have seen more of - as it was an aspect that initially drew me to this novel - and some lacked the depth needed to fully invest in their storylines. I think the redeeming factor of this book has to be the interactions with Reese and Darden. I think the world building needed a bit of tweaking but besides the things listed it was an overall okay book to read.