Long Live the Queen

The first in the Chronicles of the Wolf-Queen series, which I remember originally being called Chronicles of the Bitch Queen from the title character’s line: “They called me the Bitch Queen, the she-wolf, because I murdered a man and exiled my king the night before they crowned me.” That is one heck of an introduction for a queen, and it tells you just who you are going to be dealing with.

Yeine Darr isn’t actually a queen yet, but she’s in competition with two of her cousins to ascend to the throne — if she survives the absolutely brutal, back-stabbing power struggle that’s about to happen. And that’s not even touching the gods held captive in the court of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, gods to whom her fate is tied.

The queen of the title isn’t the main character of the book, but her life and death loom large over it. Her king claims she was assassinated; her people know the truth, that he caused her to disappear. When a young resistance fighter finds her long-lost diary, her words and life from beyond the grave spark may spark a necessary revolution.

Sun is the daughter of the queen-marshal who expelled the invaders to their systems and rebuilt Chaonia into a republic to be feared and respected. Now Sun is struggling to follow in her mother’s footsteps and come into her own while navigating the politics of a court who would like to see her removed as heir… or maybe just dead.

The colonizer king of the islands of Hans Lollik decides that he will choose his successor from among the noble families, and that gives Sigourney Rose her opportunity to gain her revenge on him for the massacre of her family–and if she survives, take the throne as queen.

In a retelling of King Lear, three queens vie for the crown of Innis Lear: Gaela, Regan, and Elia, the commander, the manipulator, and the priest. Each has a claim to the throne and thirst for the power and magic that flows through Innis Lear. Each will do anything wrest it from the mad, murderous king. Only one will win.

Eva and Isa are sisters who must battle to the death to see which will be the queen to rule over Myre, a land forged with bloody conquest where only the most ruthless ruler can hope to survive. But before their duel is to take place, Eva is attacked by an assassin — one that wasn’t sent by Isa. As more enemies circle, Eva will soon be forced to choose between survival and the love she still feels for her sister.