Now, once again, the Queendom of the Fells seems likely to shatter apart. For young queen Raisa "ana'"Marianna, maintaining peace even within her own castle walls is nearly impossible; tension between wizards and Clan has reached a fevered pitch. With surrounding kingdoms seeking to prey on the Fells' inner turmoil, Raisa's best hope is to unite her people against a common enemy. But that enemy might be the person with whom she's falling in love.
Through a complicated web of lies and unholy alliances, former streetlord Han Alister has become a member of the Wizard Council of the Fells. Navigating the cut-throat world of blue blood politics has never been more dangerous, and Han seems to inspire hostility among Clan and wizards alike. His only ally is the queen, and despite the perils involved, Han finds it impossible to ignore his feelings for Raisa. Before long, Han finds himself in possession of a secret believed to be lost to history, a discovery powerful enough to unite the people of the Fells. But will the secret die with him before he can use it?
A simple, devastating truth concealed by a thousand-year-old lie at last comes to light in this stunning conclusion to the Seven Realms series.
Title: The Crimson Crown
Series: Seven Realms #4
Published: October 23rd 2012 by Hyperion Books
ISBN: 1423144333 (ISBN13: 9781423144335)
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Wow, so this book basically turned everything that was said before into a lie. Like the other books, it was engaging and fast-paced and was also filled with numerous plot-twists and murders.
In this book, I cried for two reasons. One being the fact that this book was emotional! I was a bipolar mess, and normally I don't cry from books (movies being a totally different thing). I believe the only other time I had teared up while reading a book was reading "A Walk to Remember," but who can blame me? Nicholas Sparks has a way with tragedies. Another reason being the fact THIS IS THE LAST BOOK IN THE SERIES. I may go hoard a jar of Nutella and sink into depression. Cinda Williams Chima has easily become one of my favorite authors with these beautifully written books, though I think this novel was my favorite. There would be times I would tear up, and only a page later I would be smiling at myself like an idiot! Hence the "bipolar mess." Also, Kayla is now telling me I need to go see someone...hmph. Not my fault the author had written a story that pulls your heart in different directions! The ending...my heart melted. This is hard, attempting to write this review without spoiling anything. The book has definitely put me at ease for as far as relationship problems go. There's no longer that love...square between Han, Micah, Amon, and Raisa. It's just Han and Raisa now.
In this book I must admit Raisa's father and grandmother got on my nerves. They were using Raisa to get what they wanted, not caring whether she would like it or not. Of course, Raisa wouldn't let this happen and put a stop to their plans immediately. There are still things that haven't changed. "Copperheads and jinxflingers" are still at odds, though they come together with a common purpose to help the Queen.
Raisa is still strong and capable, but she is no longer a naive, shelted, little girl seeing what the world is like for the first time. She has grown so much into a ruler who cares about the citizens of Fells. Instead of taking the easy way out of situations (though she has thought about it), she decides she wants to unite her people who have been in an uneasy relationship since the Breaking more than a thousand years ago.
Han, he's still has that arrogant personality who has so much confidence in himself. But it's what makes me love him! Micah, I love you too. Maybe you can marry me instead. He tries so hard to do the right thing, especially if Raisa is in danger. On multiple occasions, he was at odds with his father because of this, and put his own life at risk to save people he doesn't even like. I really wish there were more books in Micah's point of view, in order to keep the story going. Maybe he would finally get the romance he deserves.
In honor of this being the last book, I'm going to put a few of my favorite quotes from each of the books...I obviously can't list them all because I would end up putting whole books!
The Demon King:
"Well, I believe she went in to rescue some Raggers from the pits,” Cuffs said. “She wasn’t all that specific.”
“She went in to rescue — why would she do that?” Amon gripped the ironwork, studying the streetlord’s face. Was he lying? And if so, what was the purpose?
“Guess she’s kind of taken with us,” Cuffs said. “You know, the glamor of the gang life and all. Getting beat up every other day, arrested for crimes you didn’t commit, long nights in gaol, sleeping in the cold and wet. It’s...seductive.” He raised an eyebrow."
The Exiled Queen:
"Whoa, Rebecca," Talia said smiling even wider, "Walking on the wild side, are we?"
Raisa seemed to think the situation needed more explaining. "He - uh - I'm tutoring him."
"She is," Han said solemnly. "She's very good. I'm learning a lot."
Pearlie snickered. "What's she teaching you?"
"Well," Han said, "we're jumping around a lot."
The Gray Wolf Throne:
"It was a peculiar marriage of interests- Lord Averill and Captain Byrne and Lord Bayar and Han Alister agreeing on anything was as rare as gold in Ragmarket."
The Crimson Crown:
"The next chamber is full of songbirds, if I remember right. Their music is like turtleweed. It will put you to sleep if you listen to it. They sleep most of the time, so the best thing is to pass through without waking them up. If they do awaken, then you must sing loud enough to drown out their music."
"Great," Han said. "Whose idea was that?"
"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Crow said. "I was an excellent singer."
"She could Captain to his Your Majesty any time."
I've grown so attached to the characters in this series, the hardships they had made me sad, and the joy they experienced made me happy. Cinda Williams Chima is a true artist in her writing, and I hope to read more of her books soon.
Ah! I keep forgetting to post. I need to set a reminder or something...
Book Nerd and Proud,
C.J.
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