Ember Queen by Laura Sebastian

YA Fantasy, 2020 by Delacorte Books, 512 Pages

What I Didn’t Like:

This isn’t really a negative, more of a note or warning. The book does very little fill-in of the previous books. To get the most out of this one you definitely want to read them in order and you’d be better off reading them close together if you have a tough time remembering details.
We’re starting off with the same whining and melodrama from the main character that I didn’t like to end the second. I’m seriously hoping she grows up in this one.
3 books and still a huge cast of cliche characters who don’t break out of their roles.
I don’t know what it is but 2 other leaders want it so I want it is a terrible way to lead a country. In fact, Theo is generally a TERRIBLE leader. She has no idea what she’s doing and I found myself hoping something would happen to stop her ruling.

The political discussions that started in book 2 continue in this one and have merit. Coming together as a group to collectively decide what will happen next in a society is always a fun concept to explore and the decisions they make are decent on the surface. I liked that part.
Theo does grow up a little. Comparing her to the first book you’ll see a big difference in her maturity level and she is the kind of character who knows what she doesn’t know and who to ask for help. I applaud that in anyone.

As I said with the second book, if you’re the kind of fantasy reader who likes slower fantasy books that heavily focus on the politics of an entirely different world you’ll enjoy this one. If you liked the second book, this is a great continuation of what was started in that one.