Have you ever picked up a sequel that was totally unexpected but a completely natural extension of the first book? Burned Queen absolutely delivers, both deepening and expanding the world introduced in Paper Castles in a way that makes you go, “Of course!” If you haven’t read Paper Castles, you can check out my non-spoilery review here.
Here’s the blurb from Goodreads from Burned Queen:
War tore her world apart. Ending it will destroy her.
Alexandria Redmond survived her bloody ascent to the throne, uncovering a conspiracy about the war that’s ravaging her people. When she accepts an invitation from the enemy queen, she discovers the devastating truth: Her kingdom lost years ago, and she must sign a deadly deal to buy them time.
Soon, a long-underground rebellion emerges, pitting her against two leaders who want nothing more than to see her fall. A familiar traitor is the only one who can turn the rebels in her favor–if she can trust that he won’t betray her.
If Alexandria does not convince the rebel general that she is on their side, her throne will be stolen from her. Yet if Alexandria does not quell the rebellion, Genea will burn her kingdom to ashes with the same weapon that destroyed the rest of the world a century ago.
Burned Queen is a thrilling New Adult Dystopian novel perfect for fans of Legend and The CW’s The 100. It is the second book in the Paper Castles Trilogy.
Rating for Burned Queen
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
I’m trying something different these next few months in terms of my reviewing process. I’ll still talk about story and worldview but I’ll just give an overall rating of the book as a whole. If I decide to keep this format, I’ll update my rating page on the website.
Story
Ember wastes no time picking up four months after the end of Paper Castles, and the thrilling pace of the book doesn’t slow until the end. I also love her use of dual POV in this novel. I know more secrets than the characters but I don’t know the end game, and this book is as much intrigue as politics and action.
Character
Alexandria is such a relatable character. She’s in a difficult situation, pulled in all directions, and forced to make decisions she doesn’t want to avoid consequences she can’t control. She falls back into bad habits and takes the world on her shoulders.
It was also really interesting to follow Isaac’s POV and get his perspective. He is someone who struggles to know what love is, at first equating it with blind loyalty but coming to learn that it’s a choice.
The other side characters are great. Raegan, the teen rescued from the first book, was such a sweet girl, too. Despite the antagonism, I also really enjoyed getting to learn more about the queens and the dynamics that Alexandria had to navigate.
Worldview
The first book was very light in worldview, with few mentions of God and none of them being beyond saying “she/he prayed”. There was also a Catholic perspective, with a priest and confession, and that follows into this novel. Even though at one point Alexandria struggles with alcohol, she feels shame and condemnation. This book isn’t a Christian book, but it would have been really nice to have Alexandria find hope in God (given that she does sometimes pray). That didn’t affect my rating though.
Overall, the themes of the book are great. Burned Queen further discusses and expands the themes of book 1. We see how power corrupts, and how loyalties are quick to flip if garnered for the wrong reasons.
Content Notes
Where Paper Castles was the hunt for the throne, now the stakes are even higher. There are a few attempts on Alexandria’s life, including three bomb threats. There are mentions of violence, fighting, gunshots, blood, and dismembered people (from bombs going off). All of this is handled well and with little description.
I will also give a spoiler here that Alexandria, when she struggles with alcohol, she also starts to have nightmares and hallucinations. Part of these hallucinations are her imagining the people she’s killed talking to her.
There is also one instance of “damned”, but it didn’t bother me because it wasn’t used as a curse word but to mean condemned. Here’s the line in context:
With the spilling of ink, she had either saved her people or damned them.
Overall Thoughts
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I stayed up way too late to finish it because I had to know how everything was going to wrap up. I should have known it would end on a cliff-hanger, being the second book in a trilogy, but oh, well!
If you’re looking for high-stakes political dystopian world with themes of power, loyalty, and love, you would love this series.
Note: I received an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Book Information
Title: Burned Queen (Paper Castles Trilogy #2)
Author: Ellie Embers
Release date: February 4, 2025
Genres: Fantasy, Dystopian
Age Range: 16+ (this is higher than book 1 due to the themes of alcoholism and difficult decisions that Alexandria has to make)
