The Hundredth Queen

Kalinda is eighteen and an orphan raised by the Sisterhood in the Tarachand Empire. She lives in their mountain temple, expects a life of prayer and seclusion, and wants nothing else. Recurring fevers have made her an unlikely choice even for servant work.

Then the tyrant Rajah Tarek visits the temple. Within hours Kalinda is taken from her home and sent across the desert. She is ordered to fight for a place among the rajah's ninety-nine wives and his many courtesans, which means entering a tournament to the death.

Her one comfort is her guard, Captain Deven Naik, who is stoic but kind. Her feelings for him grow as the tournament nears, and they add a second risk to a situation that is already dangerous.

Kalinda's only hope of escape is a forbidden, arcane power hidden inside her. This is a fantasy novel with a romance thread, told in the third person from her side.

It follows a sheltered girl as she learns to fight, and the book's larger aim is to see her challenge tradition and take back control of her own life. The tone is tense and high-stakes, with the pressure of the tournament driving the plot.