Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Publication date: August 2011
ISBN: 9781423118251
Source: e-book provided by NetGalley
*Spoilers for the first two Seven Realms books are very possible*
Raisa is on her way back home to her mother and sister, but things are not going as planned. After escaping the grasping Gerard Montaigne, she is chased by rogue members of her guard. When Han finds her nearly dead from a poison arrow, he makes a choice to do everything in his power to heal her. He doesn't expect it to take so much out of him, though. Their two paths will twists and intersect again and again, especially when Raisa decides she must rely on Han to help her make it onto the Gray Wolf Throne. Can she live long enough against the assassins and ill-will of the Bayars?
Things I Liked:
Chima has a real talent for creating extremely realistic, fully developed, fantastic worlds. The Seven Realms seem as real to me as our world! She has such an ability to bring fantasy to life. I love the characters and their stories and the intricate plots she's woven together, everything leading to one particular path that seems inevitable, but is still surprising. I really love reading a complex court intrigue and this is one of the best I've come across. Trust, betrayal, deception, and so many other emotions wind together to make a complicated and fascinating pattern that I won't fully grasp until I get that next book! Just what a high fantasy should be.
Things I Didn't Like:
I have to admit, it has the usual drawbacks of high fantasy - a huge cast of characters, a vast number of pages, and a super complicated plot that can occasionally become confusing. Still, that's one of the challenges I love about it. I thought this was the last book in the series and was confused when it didn't end satisfactorily. But, I found out there's another book (thank goodness) and I simply can't wait for more.
Read-alikes:
Read The Demon King and The Exiled Queen first
The Heir of Night by Helen Lowe
Crown and Court Duel by Sherwood Smith
BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
a little
mrg-factor: X
some heavy kissing
v-factor: ->->
there is fighting and death
Overall rating: *****
Any predictions for what will happen in that next book?
If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage
