A Queen of Thieves & Chaos (Fate & Flame, # 3)
By: KA Tucker
Publication: September 5, 2023
606 pages
Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal
Source: Personal Kindle Library
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Goodreads description--From internationally bestselling author K.A. Tucker comes the third novel in her Fate and Flame series, an adult fantasy novel that should be read in series order."You betrayed your brother to steal a broken crown."
The kingdom stands on the brink of chaos. Atticus' grip on the realm is faltering, and as threats arise ever closer to home, he is driven to increasingly desperate acts to hold onto power.
With Islor's fate now in the balance, Zander stands to defend the Rift from the oncoming Ybarisan army. With the king's forces scattered, he must risk unlikely new alliances.
And behind the walls of Ulysede, secrets wait for its new queen. Romeria knows that the paths of the hidden city will lead her to answers. But will they be enough to save the realm – or is their fate already sealed?
A Queen of Thieves and Chaos was simultaneously one of my most anticipated books and also one of my most dreaded. I had a fear about the path these books were headed down and I didn't want to be right. In the end, I wasn't right or wrong. I will say that KA Tucker didn't go in the direction that I was concerned about...yet. Romy hasn't exactly surpassed Zander in that Zander is still acting in a monarchial role for Islor even though Romy has the rule of Ulysede and theoretical ties to Ybaris. Zander and Romy are working together, of course, but Romy isn't dictating to Zander because she's reached some status he's unable to attain. ...Yet anyway. KA Tucker could still go in that direction, but as of this book it didn't seem like that would be where she'd headed.
A Queen of Thieves and Chaos is different from the previous two books in that additional narrators have been added. Mostly, Atticus, Gracen, and Agatha. Atticus's POV was needed to know what was happening in the heart of Islor since Zander is on the run. Gracen is needed to humanize Atticus. Plus since Zander and Romy have made it to pretty solid ground in their relationship, the introduction of a new romance is great for holder reader's attention who also loves this aspect in books. *raises hand* Me. It's me. I'm that reader. Agatha was a little more boring for me because she's all technical behind-the-scenes information. Necessary, but not as interesting as the exciting bits of the story. Agatha is the Master Scribe.
We have two big bads for the most part in this book. There's the original Princess Romeria's mom, Queen of Ybaris. And there's also Atticus who has taken control of Islor. Atticus is facing his own enemies. The royals that seek to overthrow him just as he overthrew Zander. And then, of course, Zander intends to take back his throne as well. Atticus is doing his best to strategize. And reading his perspective makes it easy to see what he sees, but Atticus isn't the best statistician.
All of the side characters are important and come off the page as I'm accustomed to KA Tucker doing. There are old friends of Romy's that are still in Cirilea, some are still in the palace and have made friends with Gracen. Some a new. Of course, there's Jarek. He's one of my favorites. There was a chemistry or tension that seemed to float between him and Romy that I had to kind of question. Again, I was getting Blood and Ash vibes. Eden. Zander and Atticus's sister that I can't remember her name right now. Tyree. Elias. And others that are even spoilers.
Favorite quotes:
-"The rich don't like giving up being rich."
-"You have already lost. You just haven't realized it yet."
-"People believe what they want to believe, even when the truth is laid bare, unfiltered and undeniable, before them."
-"You ar the worthiest of causes I have ever met, that I ever will meet, and I will follow you into the rift if you ask it of me. But do not ever ask me to leave your side."
As I said A Queen of Thieves and Chaos was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023. I was dying to get my hands on it. Yet I was apprehensive about Zander turning into a subject of Romy's. So far that hasn't happened, and both are working together and separately to achieve their collective and individual goals. I like this approach. I felt like one of the Big Bads I mentioned above was handled a little too easily. There was a lot of build-up for a short conflict. Either way, I'm stoked to continue the series with book 4. Atticus and Gracen's relationship has helped to continue building interest beyond Romy and Zander. A Queen of Thieves and Chaos gets 4.5 Stars. Have you read A Queen of Thieves and Chaos? What did you think? Let me know!
This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.
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