After devouring The Frozen Crown this summer, I was extremely excited to read The Seventh Queen. From the first page I was absolutely, completely entranced by Askia's story. I love how Greta Kelly made the story a dual point of view but still kept it mostly on Askia. Askia is a complete badass warrior witch queen. She's smart and cunning and finally takes something for herself instead of sacrificing everything for her kingdom.

Overall, I recommend The Seventh Queen to readers who:
* Have read The Frozen Crown - do not read this book without reading the first
* Love ghosts especially of the queen variety
* Love shocking curves in a plot. I had no idea how the story would go although I did predict part of the ending.
* Love a swoon-worthy warrior who accepts a queen for who she is
* Love a villain who thinks he has good intentions

My only complaint is that I wanted more on an ending! I want to know if certain plot lines occur (as in a certain marriage) and how other plot lines commenced (as in how the other kingdoms fare). An epilogue would have been best UNLESS there is a plan for more books to come.








Thank you Harper Voyager for the advance copy

Askia starts this book in the same position she was in at the end of the first book (spoilers for The Frozen Crown ahead): she’s been captured by Radovan and imprisoned in his castle, wearing a necklace that will steal her magical power within thirty days and transfer it to him. Not a good situation to be in. Luckily, because she’s a death witch, she can see the ghosts of his six late wives, who provide her support and counsel her on how to get out of Radovan’s clutches.

I really enjoyed The Frozen Crown when I read it last year, but when I started The Seventh Queen, I quickly realized that I had forgotten so much of the first book, even though it has only been about seven months since I read it. This book reads more like a “Part Two” to the first book rather than a sequel, picking up at the exact spot, both mid-action and mid-dialogue, that the first book ended on.

The further I read, the more I remembered about the story, naturally. I love Askia’s fierce nature and how she’s not willing to compromise her morals or beliefs to get what she wants. I think she’s a great protagonist to look up to.

I felt like a lot of this book was preamble. At 20% of the way through, I felt like I was still waiting for the story to get going. Askia runs her mouth and is given a tour of the castle grounds and learns about the social hierarchy in Roven. The whole book is about how she is gallivanting around Roven without dying, but we forget that the plot of the first book is that she was trying to save her kingdom and people from her cousin who is currently trying to rule. I feel like that original plotline kind of got forgotten about in The Seventh Queen.

This book almost feels like it’s part of a different series from the first book because of the change in direction of the plot. It feels like Askia’s intentions have changed and the point of the novels has shifted. I honestly didn’t care as much for Askia’s story in this book as I did in The Frozen Crown, and I missed the romance aspect with Illya, which was very minor in this book. We get one chapter from Illya’s POV in the beginning and one chapter in the middle, but I really would have liked more. It feels like his two short chapters were only included to help foreshadow the reveal of a specific detail at the end of the book, and they also felt like they were included as an afterthought.

I sadly found my mind wandering quite a bit during The Seventh Queen and I struggled to stay focused on the story. I loved The Frozen Crown, but its sequel didn’t live up to the hype for me. I still liked it a bit and would recommend the duology as a whole, but I’m disappointed the second book wasn’t a five-star read for me like the first book was. I enjoy Greta Kelly’s writing style though and I look forward to checking out more stories from her in the future.

Thanks for the ARC book. I loved the first book, I could hardly wait to read the second. However the second does not have the passion and great storyline of the first fantasy novel. I have to admit I struggled to finish it. There was too much 'court intrigue'. And I like fantasy with that theme.

Picking up after the major cliffhanger in the first book, Askia has been kidnapped by her enemy Radovan and taken to his kingdom to be his wife. The majority of this book is spent with Askia being held hostage. She must learn to work in this new environment and stall her impending death. While she is navigating this new court, Illya, her guard and person who loves her, is finding a way to get to her and rescue her. The story mostly focuses on the court experience of Askia as she gets to know the ghosts of the dead queens and find a way to escape. The story ended sort of abruptly, while there is a resolution, I wish there was an epilogue of sorts to show what happened, especially to Illya and her. It just felt a bit unfinished. If I’m being honest, this one felt a bit more dragging than the first one since it goes on for a bit about Askia’s court life and new life with Radovan. There are two point of views in this book compared to the first one, one being from Askia and the other being from Illya. I still loved Illya, but overall an okay ending that could be expanded on.

*Thanks Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This story was so immersive, and I frequently found myself unable to put it down. I loved the world building and story telling. They fantasy elements were unique and enjoyable. Askia was a fantastic heroine and I loved her fierce independence. The love story element was really secondary, and I was OK with that. I definitely would read more books set in this fantastical universe.

The Seventh Queen is a sequel which follows Askia after she has been captured by Emperor Radovan, who is marrying her in order to steal her magic. She will be his seventh wife and if he is successful the whole realm could suffer greatly.

I fell in love with the world and the characters in the Frozen Crown so it was so nice to see their full character arcs. Askia continued to be a powerful force to reckon with, even while chained. Getting to know the past wives and what they went through was really cool. I also couldn't get enough of Qaden. Probably my favorite part though was being able to learn more about Illya and get to hear from him. The writing continued to be beautiful and I enjoyed the conclusion of the duology. For me, this book was a 4.5/5.

If you like fantasy, women with swords, impossible odds, and the guard trope, this book is for you.

I received a digital copy of this book free from NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review.

This book was received as an ARC from Avon and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I could not help but think of the similarities The Seventh Queen had from Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen from page to page as I read The Seventh Queen in its entirety, which made me love The Seventh Queen even more. The story was so compelling and Greta Kelly did an amazing job with the characterization of Askia, in imagining the turmoil and agony that she was going through while she was kidnapped by the Emperor Radovan all so he could steal her magic and kill her in order for him to have all the power. I also love the fact that Askia was not only strong but smart in transferring her role from soldier to spy. She will stop at nothing to save herself and the kingdom of Seravesh and The Empire of Vishir. They always say power comes with a price and this book was amazing in reflecting on that theme. It's definitely a contender for our next teen book club.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

I really enjoyed this book! Even though it was frustrating that Askia was held prisoner for most of the book, I loved her journey as she made friends and allies to take down Radovan. I really loved all of these characters including Ilya, Zosha. and all the ghosts. I’m also glad Vitaly was able to redeem himself by helping and guiding Askia. Radovan was definitely one of those despicable characters you can’t help but hate, but that makes him a well written villain! Im satisfied with how this story concluded and will miss these characters!

I want to start off by saying book one was so good and that cliff hanger so intriguing, that I was basically dying to get to the second.
With that said, so much of this book is spent with Askia being a captive. I love seeing how her plan comes together and the road bumps along the way. Having the old queens help her was really neat. But it realllllyy started to drag. I hate to say I was starting to get bored. The end started to pick up and was redeeming in that sense. However, it was was all wrapped up so fast you didn’t even get to enjoy it. I would have loved to see more of the escape, the inner turmoil of Askia and her decisions, Ilya and his background/their relationship. This either needed to be put into a trilogy or condensed. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the court politics and escape build up per say. It’s that the pacing and tone just did a complete 180 between the took books. I’ll definitely be reading the finished version though and will recommend to specific readers I know would enjoy this.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC and the conclusion to the Warrior Witch Duology.

Let me start out by saying I adored The Frozen Crown (book 1) and was crazy excited to get an opportunity to read book 2 so soon after.

In The Seventh Queen we pick up exactly where we left off, with Askia in the grasp of Emperor Radovan. As a rare death witch and the seventh of his potential wives, she knows her fate, and has thirty days to escape or at least make sure he doesn’t steal her magic like he did with the previous six.

This book came up a little short for me after how much I loved the first one. The first half was a bit slow, having a few chapters from Illya’s POV helped, but I wish there had been more. I also struggle a bit when characters seem so important in the first book, and then all but disappear from the story in the next…

I’m glad I read it, but compared to the 5 stars I gave book 1, this one is more of a 3.5 for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Seventh Queen is Kelly’s follow up novel to Frozen Crown, which I devoured in practically one sitting meaning I absolutely had to read this one. Askia always reminds me a bit of all the strong female characters Tamora Pierce has created that I loved reading since a young age. Frozen Crown left us all with a cliff hanger, and The Seventh Queen picked up right where it left off as Askia is fighting the malevolent Emperor Radovan, who is dead-set on stealing her power, her life, and her kingdom. She finds herself isolated in a way she never was before, but that doesn’t stop her from using her inner strength and finding a way to fight a battle unlike any other she’s fought before.

It’s another great installment in this series and if you’re a fantasy fan, who loves a bit of romance thrown into the life-and-death conflicts, definitely pick this one up (after Frozen Crown of course so you can savor the story at its best).

I struggled with the first half of this book, it dragged and it took more time than usual to get through. I nearly dnf but I really enjoyed the first book so I kept going. And glad I did, the last half was what I wanted from this. In exception to the last chapter, most of that chapter was unnecessary. Overall I enjoyed it, and would recommend the duology.

This book was mind blowing! I was hesitant due to it being a duo loft how the author was going to manage to pull it all off within this. I loved the twists at the end and the ways that it all came together to finish I do wish there was an epilogue but beggars can’t be choosers.

My thanks to Harper/Avon, Greta Kelly and Netgalley.
I loved the first book. So much so, that I couldn't wait for the next!
Askia and her world was fantastic! Too much of this book was Askia, the captive. I hated it!
I think that the worst thing of all is that fairytale ending. I am totally a sucker for those! But, not when it's wrapped up in the last 70 pages, and presented to me with a red bow! Someone so powerful just can't be defeated so quickly! "As a wrap up?" This should have been a trilogy. Granted, I'd have been bummed by this second, but it needed more!
My opinionl Greta Kelly knows how to start a kick ass book, but boy howdy...she stinks at the finish line! Not recommended.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First off, I loved reading The Frozen Crown by Greta Kelly when it came out in January. I flew through that book - it was so easy to read - and I enjoyed it as well. I would categorize the series as between YA and adult fantasy, since the heroine is 22. My favorite aspect of that book was the political moves and court intrigue. I was reminded of watching Reign on TV. The dynamic between Askia and Ozura reminded me so much of the dynamic between Mary Stuart and Catherine de Medici. If you enjoyed Reign but wish it had more fantasy elements, definitely check out The Frozen Queen, the first book of this duology. When I saw that I was approved to review The Seventh Queen (the second and final book of duology), I was so excited. I couldn't wait to start reading The Seventh Queen, and I'm happy to say it both met and exceeded my expectations.
I enjoyed it even more than I enjoyed the first book. Thank you again to the publisher!

- Warning: Spoilers for The Frozen Crown and The Seventh Queen will be below this line -

If you read The Frozen Crown, then you know that the book ended on a major cliffhanger. Everything was all set for Askia's happily-ever-after when suddenly, everything gets cruelly ripped away from her. She's been kidnapped by her arch-enemy, the mad emperor Radovan, and just like with his previous wives, he plans to marry her and murder her so that he can steal her magic. When I finished the ending of The Frozen Crown, I was in disbelief, and i couldn't wait to get my hands on The Seventh Queen.

Here is an excerpt from Chapter One of The Seventh Queen when Askia wakes up in Radovan's castle:

"Radovan raised both hands, long fingers splayed as if to show the many riches of his stolen empire. "Welcome to Tolograd."
...
I forced my hands down, pushing past the revolting realization that I had been changed and bathed while unconscious. So despite the fact that I only wore a thin white shift, I stared at Radovan as if I were swathed in silk and glittered with every jewel in my kingdom.
No - empire."

As I mentioned above, my favorite aspect of The Frozen Crown was reading how Askia balances what the demands of her heart with the demands of being Queen. 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. The stakes are heightened in The Seventh Queen. The same court intrigue is present as in the first book, but now, 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.

Thankfully, Askia has her magical powers to help her maneuver her way in Radovan's court. Even though he has placed a chain on her to dampen her powers, she is still able to see ghosts, including the ghosts of Radovan's dead wives. Imagine having a crew of powerful women around you all the time, eager to help you defeat the tyrant who killed them. What a cool concept! If you're not really a fantasy reader, I wouldn't worry. The magical system is not complicated at all. The book reads more like a historical court novel with fantasy elements. Then, in the middle of the book, the book transcends that genre, and turns into a brutal adventure game of cat-and-mouse, as Askia and her allies escape Radovan's castle and do their best to survive. It all leads to an epic showdown at the end of the book, which left me very satisfied.

Overall, if you're a fan of political novels with a dash of fantasy, or vice versa, definitely check out The Frozen Crown if you haven't already. And if you've already read The Frozen Crown and were on the fence about reading The Seventh Queen, I have to say go for it! I enjoyed The Seven Queen even more than I enjoyed The Frozen Crown. You won't regret read it when it comes out this December!