'The Gray Wolf Throne' (Seven Realms #3) by Cinda Williams Chima

‘The Gray Wolf Throne’ Goodreads Synopsis –

Han Alister thought he had already lost everyone he loved. But when he finds his friend Rebecca Morley near death in the Spirit Mountains, Han knows that nothing matters more than saving her. The costs of his efforts are steep, but nothing can prepare him for what he soon discovers: the beautiful, mysterious girl he knew as Rebecca is none other than Raisa ana’Marianna, heir to the Queendom of the Fells. Han is hurt and betrayed. He knows he has no future with a blueblood. And, as far as he’s concerned, the princess’s family as good as killed his own mother and sister. But if Han is to fulfil his end of an old bargain, he must do everything in his power to see Raisa crowned queen. Meanwhile, some people will stop at nothing to prevent Raisa from ascending. With each attempt on her life, she wonders how long it will be before her enemies succeed. Her heart tells her that the thief-turned-wizard Han Alister can be trusted. She wants to believe it—he’s saved her life more than once. But with danger coming at her from every direction, Raisa can only rely on her wits and her iron-hard will to survive—and even that might not be enough. The Gray Wolf Throne is an epic tale of fierce loyalty, unbearable sacrifice, and the heartless hand of fate.

‘The Gray Wolf Throne’ Novel Review –

First off let me start by saying that the whole ‘Seven Realms’ series is so underrated. Chima is a boss when it comes to writing Young Adult fantasy novels that I just have to sit back and take a breather. With all of this said ‘The Gray Wolf Throne’ has an overall rating of 4.39/5 stars and I have decided to rate it 4/5 stars.

It had been a while since I’ve read the second novel to the series, so I was a bit intimidated when first starting ‘TGWT’. But thankfully this novel did a lot of recapping, and boy do I remember it all!

Firstly, the world building is insane. In this novel Raisa, the main female character, is trying to get to the clansmen and escape from her impending marriage to someone she doesn’t love. Now we all know when Princesses become Queens they don’t exactly get the liberty of choosing to marry for love.

One the other side of the spectrum Han, the main male character, is adamantly trying to rescue and find Raisa. While also trying to figure out how to properly use his amulet and not dye in the process.

Unfortunately, the romance in this novel was a bit shot. Raisa and Han’s relationship took a mighty hit when Han finds out that Raisa is of royal blood, therefore placing her into the “I hate you” category.

This novel I felt focused a lot on travel as well as how Raisa takes on her responsibilities as Queen. In the first quarter of the novel the story is split into the characters travels through the Queendom of the Fells, this I found was somewhat over the top and a little boring.

Secondly, I didn’t enjoy how Raisa was still reliant on other people’s opinions and how she never really enacted on her own feelings. I thought that her character wasn’t the greatest example of what a Queen should be.

The series is fantastic, I definitely recommend the ‘Seven Realms’ series to all readers.