The Queen of all That Dies
by Laura Thalassa
Published by Burning Ember Press
Book 1 in the Fallen World Trilogy
In the future, the world is at war.
For the last decade, King Lazuli of the Eastern Empire has systematically taken over the world. No one knows much about him other than a series of impossible facts: he cannot die, he has not aged since the conflict began, and he wants to rule the world.
All Serenity Freeman has known is bloodshed. War has taken away her mother, her home, her safety. As the future emissary of the Western United Nations, the last autonomous region of the globe, she is responsible for forging alliances where she can.
Surrender is on the horizon. The king can taste it; Serenity feels it deep within her bones. There is no other option. Now the two must come face to face. For Serenity, that means confronting the man who’s taken everything from her. For the king, it means meeting the one woman he can’t conquer. But when they meet, something happens. Cruelty finds redemption.
Only in war, everything comes with a price. Especially love.
Age Recommendation:
16+
Genre:
Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, New Adult, Romance
The Queen of all that Dies by Laura Thalassa is the first book in her Fallen World trilogy, and centers around nineteen year old Serenity, a soldier fighting to save the last piece of land from King Lazuli, a mysterious man who has slowly taken over the world. All anyone knows about him is that he never ages, and he can't die. Serenity has known war all her life. She lost her mother to it. A sense of home and safety. As an emissary-in-training, she is tasked with finding allies where she can. When it becomes clear that WUN can no longer fight, her father (the Emissary) and her head to negotiate surrender, and a peace treaty. She will have to face the man who has haunted her dreams her whole life. He will have to face a woman he can't control, despite the power he yields. What neither of them expect, is that within one another, they can find the one thing neither of them expected: love.
WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST READ? Seriously. SERIOUSLY? UGH! So, here is the scoop. I needed to read a kindle unlimited book. I have spent a little *cough* a lot *cough* of books this week. Specifically, preorders. And I like Laura Thalassa's stuff. AND it was yet another #booktok recommendation. After the success that was The Bridge Kingdom, I figured, why not try another. No. NO NO NO NO NO! This book was infuriating.
I loved the premise. Was I a fan of the whole "take over the world" thing? No. I think it would have made more sense to stick to a continent, but not my book. I loved the idea of a female soldier, following in the footsteps of her father to become emissary, to negotiate peace. That's where my love ends. Why? Because instead of a slow burn romance plot, where we learn through Serenity's eyes that the King isn't the bad guy, or he is the bad guy, but is misled by his advisors, and Serenity helps him see what the state of the world really is ... we get insta-love from his end, and a weird intense hate/lust thing from Serenity. We get a King who doesn't take no for an answer, and doesn't seem to care if Serenity is uncomfortable. We get violence, and some really disappointing political storyline. Considering the King manages to take over the world, you would think there was more to it. But no. Bombs. Guns. Murder. That's it.
Do I recommend this book? Nope. I don't. But if you want to give it a try, or you have different thoughts, let me know. I was left at the end, unsatisfied, with two bland, unlikeable characters, and a very uncomfortable romance. So this series is a DNF for me.
Montes: "Hmm, the lady doesn't mind talking about destruction and death, but throw in a little sex and she gets demure."
My face flushes before I can help it, and the king chuckles
Montes: "My, my, have you never ...? How old are you?"
Serenity: "Nineteen."
Montes: "Nineteen? And you've never been romantic? Did you just get out of an ugly phase?"
Serenity: "I was too busy killing your men to both with love."
Montes: "Are you alright?"
I hold up a finger, and he patiently waits. The nausea passes, and I begin walking again.
Montes: "What was that?"
Serenity: "It's my body's reaction to you."
Montes: "I'm glad I leave you short of breath."
Serenity: "Don't flatter yourself; I was trying not to barf."
I stare into the king's eyes. I am Isolde, I am Juliet, I am Guinevere.
I am every one of those idiots because I've fallen for the king.
Montes: "I wouldn't have guessed my wife would go for these. I always assumed you were more of a cotton panties lady."
Serenity: "Better be careful what you say when my knee is that close to your face."