Fantastical Yet Tropey: The Hundredth Queen by Emily R. King

Series: The Hundredth Queen

Release Date: June 1, 2017

Format: Kindle Unlimited

Rating: 3.75/5 stars

The Hundredth Queen is a typical fantasy, YA novel, with a girl who is “chosen.” In this case, though, the heroine, Kalinda, is not chosen to be the saviour of her people (although I’m sure as the series progresses, this will be her role), but as the hundredth queen of the Rajah Tarek. In their religion, men can have a maximum of 100 wives (dead or alive) throughout their lives or risk the wrath of their gods. As a result, the upcoming nuptials between Kalinda and Raja Tarek is the last time any of the Rajah’s concubines can hope to become his wife. The concubines’ chance to become a queen is given in a recently reprised ancient tradition where the intended hundredth wife must fight to the death in 1-vs-1 combat to secure her position at court, and defend the emperor’s choice of bride.

World-Building and the Inherent Obedience of Women

The world-building in The Hundredth Queen is perhaps my favourite part of the novel. Kalinda is an orphan ward of the Sisterhood, which trains orphaned women in the art of combat. Once wards of the Sisterhood turn of age (18-years-old)–and are deemed healthy–the wards can be chosen by patrons to be either their servant, concubine or wife. Kalinda’s reality is very much so impacted by her religion and even mirrors ancient history to a certain extent. It becomes evident that every part of the plot has a purpose that relates back to Kalinda’s understanding of the world, which is built on the mythology of the hundredth queen:

“The fire-god, Enlil, too many mortal wives and courtesans, all of whom were blessed with astounding loveliness, enough so that the sky-god began to covet his son’s good fortune. So when Enlil announced that he would wed his one hundredth wife, Anu was wroth with his son’s greediness and would not allow Enlil more wives than he had. Anu told Enlil he could have only one hundred wives and courtesans, mortal or otherwise, and he was to drown those he did not keep, and he was to drown those he did not keep. Enlil was distraught. He cared for his wives and courtesans, and could not pare them down to so few. In his grief, he asked his father how he should choose which of his women to retain. Anu responded by saying, ‘Let them decide.’

Warmth seeps from my face. No, no, no.

Jaya goes on, each word quieter than the last. “Enlil’s wives would not rescind their rank. They loved their husband and honored him, but the courtesans loved Enlil as well, and they did not think it was just that they should die. So the courtesans challenged Enlil’s future wife and battled for her rank as the last rani. Enlil’s future wife was the loveliest of them all and had a merciful heart to match, but she was also a fierce contender. She defeated every challenger and held her position until she was the last warrior standing. She wed the fire-god and was his favored wife forevermore.”

The Story of Enlil’s Hundredth Rani ~ The Hundredth Queen by Emily R. King

As a result, while women can own their beauty and be exceptional warriors in their own right, they do so in the service of men. Yet, Kalinda wonders how different the world would have been if the wives refused to fight. What if they had put their sisterhood first?

The Hundredth Queen seeks to answer this question, as it demonstrates the multitude of female relationships the “chosen” pretty-but-doesn’t-know-it heroine, Kalinda, has throughout the novel. There’s her best friend from the Sisterhood, Jaya, who is beautiful, honourable, lethal and tortured by her past. There’s Kalinda’s arch-nemesis, who is chosen as the Rajah’s next courtesan, Natesa. There are also the Rajah’s other 99 wives–including his first wife, Lakia, who detests Kalinda–she does not like sharing the Rajah, but are there perhaps other reasons for her hatred? There’s also the lethal and seductive courtesan Anjali who is much more than she appears. All have their own stories, which all contribute to the plot and characterization of Kalinda as she realizes it is in their power to stand unified against the tyrant Raja.

“I do not understand why the gods have made it so that every woman’s lot in life is to owe her security to a man. Maybe if it were otherwise, we would not put up with them. But is silent obedience our divine role? Or has Tarek undermined the very strength the Sisterhood was built upon? I cannot discern the gods’ will from men’s; the layers of truth are too muddled together.”

Kalinda reflecting ~ The Hundredth Queen by Emily R. King

So Many Tropes

Kalinda’s characterization sadly falls into quite a few tropes:

The Mary-Sue Warrior

Kalinda has been significantly ill since childhood, suffering fevers that literally burn her. As a result, her training has been substantially impaired. She is by far the least capable warrior within her Sisterhood–her favoured “weapon” is the slingshot. Yet, she can defeat a well-trained peer in the Claiming.

“A true sister warrior is well trained and physically strong, but she is also dedicated to practicing the five godly virtues—obedience, service, sisterhood, humility, and tolerance. The rajah wishes to view a test of our inner and outer strength, but for what purpose? All I am certain of is that Rajah Tarek has come to claim a girl, and, by midday, I will know what for.”

The Claiming ~ The Hundredth Queen by Emily R. King

Insta-Love

Kalinda’s relationship with her guard, Deven, was very sweet and cute–especially given her ignorance and how freaking kind Deven was (finally, a YA hero who doesn’t treat his love interest like trash!). But, the depth of their feelings came way too fast, given how little time they spent together. Their relationship was also incredibly forbidden, given that Kalinda was betrothed to the Rajah, who is the leader of their land and Deven’s ultimate superior. I wasn’t convinced by their love for each other, which severely detracted from the story.

Rare (ahem, Special) Magical Abilities

Despite it being a common YA-trope, it really enjoyed the history of magic within the novel. Kalinda understands bhutas to be soldiers of the resistance who possess magic. The Rajah has created a narrative that states bhutas get their powers from demons, which is sacrilege to the gods, and, therefore, makes them enemies of the state.

The Resistance is comprised of bhutas who are working towards unseating Rajah Tarek from power. They wish to put his eldest son on the throne, and raise him the traditional way (before Rajah Tarek bastardized it), by having a bhuta as a close advisor and guard to the rajah. But, just because they are against the Rajah Tarek, it doesn’t mean the Resistance and Kalinda are on the same side.

Final Thoughts

The Hundredth Queen is the definition of a political-intrigue YA romance–faults and all. There are secrets, betrayals, death and romance, which all play a part in the changing of history. The novel also ensures to make the reader understand all the truths of the women, which was terrific–no woman’s characterization was simply “evil”… there were layers to each of the women that contributed to why they behaved the way they did. Honestly, everyone in this novel had a story–and a past in which they suffered. The Hundredth Queen really shows how no person can be defined as one “type” of woman, even when men–and society–attempts to.

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