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Echo isn’t the Sovereign. The one person who could offer immunity to all of the Green Borns and the Vulnerables. And now, the Dead Zone seems to hate her; believing that she lied to them all and placed an innocent young girl in harms way. The only bright thing in her life that she has to cling to is River; even though he’s the son of the enemy, he’s the one constant in her life. With him by her side, she knows she can do what needs to be done and to find the true Sovereign. Even if it’s the spoiled Green Born girl who has been in love with him her whole life. So, with the weight of humanity’s survival on her shoulders, she ventures back into the Green Zone to find Clover, and to see if she really the saviour they need her to be. But she’s also got other mysteries to solve; like the whereabouts of River’s mother and whether she really has the Code they need. And the desire to save her old friend, Nola, from the Hive in which Oren has her encased is becoming more and more desperate. There’s also the matter of River’s father, Oren, and his absolute control over both colonies tightening like a stranglehold. He’s withholding the already scant rations from the Vulnerables, and is seemingly content to see them all starve. Will Echo have the strength to do what she must, or will her heart betray her?
Of course, though, nothing goes quite as smoothly as it should do. Betrayal lies behind every corner, behind every silky smile. Former foes become allies and former friends become something else. Their world is ever shrinking as Echo and River try to navigate the paths laid before them. They’re kind of thrown into positions of leadership and responsibility without them ever wanting those mantles; finding it’s not in their natures to allow others to suffer for them. The pair face betrayal when they show their foes compassion; and even worse, emotional manipulation.
Clover has got to be one of the most horrible characters I’ve come across in Sloan’s and Catherine’s books. But it’s an important issue that the writing duo have delved into. So many people are forced into toxic relationships because of one person’s behaviour; we’re often aware of emotional abuse when it’s the male partner being the perpetrator and the woman being the victim. In Queen Hunt, the roles have been reversed. River is the victim, with Clover using emotional blackmail in order to keep him by her side. She resorts to being a selfish, narcissistic monster – threatening self-harm and even suicide if he doesn’t stay with her. He becomes her slave, in essence, as she bemoans the living conditions the Vulnerables have to endure and demands his emotional and physical attention. She lies and gaslights her way into his arms, leaving River torn between what he deems is doing his duty and what his heart and soul wants. For a dystopian novel aimed at New Adults, it’s incredibly hard hitting and offers the chance for opening an important conversation which is often dismissed. For this, I can not condone the pair highly enough.
S. A
I was sent Queen Hunt as an ARC directly from Tamar Sloan and Heidi Catherine in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you so much for including me.
Queen Hunt will be available to buy from March 10, 2023 and is available to read for free on Kindle Unlimited.
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