Greta Kelly, "The Seventh Queen: A Novel" (HarperCollins, 2021)

The Seventh Queen (HarperCollins, 2021) is the second book in the Warrior Witch Duology, so the following review and questions for author Greta Kelly assume you’ve read the first one. If not, go get yourself a copy before listening to the podcast, so you don’t encounter any spoilers.

The Frozen Crown ends with a cliffhanger. Princess Askia had travelled to Vishir in the hopes of convincing Emperor Armaan of Vishir to help her liberate her own kingdom of Seravesh. Seravesh, like many other countries, fell to the Roven Empire, ruled by Radovan. Radovan magnanimously offered to marry Askia himself and restore peace to her country. The biggest problem with his offer was that none of his wives survived more than six months. And then, of course, he dealt with dissent by ordering his fire witch to burn down entire towns along with the inhabitants.

By the end of The Frozen Crown, Askia has a promising protector for her besieged country in the person of her husband-to-be, the polygamous but noble and charismatic Emperor Armaan of Vishir. The wedding and consummation of their union is disrupted when Radovan, a powerful witch, kills Armaan and his chief wife and kidnaps Askia.

In The Seventh Queen we learn the secret to Radovan’s power. He steals the magic from his wives through the means of a magic stone, and he only needs Askia, a rare death witch, to complete his mastery over all forms of magic. Askia learns she has about a month before the stone fastened around her neck drains her completely of her power. In the meantime, the stone prevents her from using her magic , and lets Radovan to control her. Bereft of her magic and without her guards or sympathetic allies at court, Askia has to rely on her wits to exploit Radovan’s weaknesses, and make a plan to best him—no matter what it costs her personally.

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