Melisa's Reviews > Queen Move

♛ Queen Move is LIVE! ♛

"𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨, 𝙨𝙖𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚. 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡. 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙙-𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜.
𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘. 𝘿𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡. 𝙋𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚. 𝙎𝙚𝙭𝙮 𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡. 𝘼𝙬𝙚-𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙂𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙤𝙪𝙨. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡. 𝙄𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙤𝙛 2020!”

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𝗨𝗦𝗔 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿, 𝗡𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗮 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲

You know when you've been waiting and anticipating a book for so long that you're afraid it won't live up to your expectations? Rest assured, Queen Move actually surpassed all of mine! Honestly, coming up with words for how much I loved this book has been difficult. There isn't a single Kennedy Ryan book that I didn't adore but Queen Move has topped all of them. It supplanted my initial favorite book of 2020 and now holds the reigning stop.

Kimba and Erza are childhood friends who share an unbreakable bond. As they grow up, their friendship moves to something more but outside forces break them apart, physically at least. When they briefly see each other again, that bond makes itself known. However, because they aren't at a place to act on it, they are forced to go their separate ways for fear of the destruction that bond will cause. I mean, just read this quote from Erza describing his relationship with Kimba:

I do know if soul mates are real, Kimba is mine. I believe that if people are "created", we were made together. She was there for my scaffolding- there when my flesh was knit over my bones. And if love is not just an emotion, but a type of eternity, an infinity that lives in our hearts, then we have always been in love. It's an ageless thing that isn't about puberty or chronology, or even if we get to live our lives together.

Chapter 30, Queen Move

When they finally meet again, Kimba is a powerful political campaigner who just helped elect the President, see All the King's Men duet. Erza is a single father who runs a school in Atlanta. The bond between them is there, as strong as ever. Both are at pivotal moments in their lives. Kimba especially has been given news that makes her reexamine what she really wants out of life. As they come together, they have serious issues to work out in order to have a future together.

Kennedy Ryan has created the most complex and realistic characters in Kimba and Erza. Both have struggled with their identities, Erza specifically, growing up biracial in Atlanta. Kimba, as well, has had to fight her way out of the legacy of her family and create her own. In addition to Kimba and Erza, the minor characters in the book, from Ezra's son, Noah, to their friends and families, are all excellently crafted.

Honestly, there isn't a single thing about this story that I don't love. All I can do is end this review by saying read this book, now. And here's another of quote to showcase just how beautiful this story is:

It's the kind of perfect kiss that has nothing to do with technique of experience. Nothing even to do with ardor, though that's evident in the way we clutch, we cling. It's perfect because it's her and it's me and it's about time and it's overdue. And we kiss like there's no tomorrow because there have already been too many yesterdays, too many years we were apart. Centuries separated us, but now here we are and here's our chance. It's not ideal, and it has its complications, but it's ours. And we're taking it.

Chapter 28, Queen Move