“Seven Realms, Book 2; The Exiled Queen”

Author: Cinda Williams Chima

~Opening Thoughts~

Okay…. Can we all just sit back, and take a moment to notice how much the cover of this book looks a lot like a rip off of the "Lord of the Rings"?!?! …. Alright! With that out of the way, my review must now begin: 

After being impressed with the first book “The Demon King”, my hopes were set high for the second book in this 4-part series. Although, unlike the first book, the Exiled Queen took a different turn of events. Most of it takes place at the academy of Oden’s Ford. Adventure falls short in this book, while politics and education take over from here. Yes, there’s a bit of mystery, and you’re always exploring the corners of new and interesting characters, however, I still found it to be dull and lacking in the overall drive of the story. Establishing the complicated relationship between all the characters, (both good and bad), had already been established in the first book, so I didn’t find it very compelling to witness ring-around-the-rosy on campus grounds. The “magical” lure of creating new unexplored characters, including the discovery of magic itself, was the only thing that kept me somewhat interested.

Summary:

Haunted by the loss of his mother and sister, Han Alister journeys south to begin his schooling at Mystwerk House in Oden’s Ford. But leaving the Fells doesn’t mean he’s left danger far behind. Han is haunted every step of the way by the Bayars, a powerful wizarding family set on reclaiming the amulet Han stole from them. And Mystwerk House has dangers of its own. There, Han meets Crow, a mysterious wizard who agrees to tutor Han in the darkest parts of sorcery- but the bargain they make is one Han may regret.

Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana’Marianna runs from a forced Marriage in the Fells, accompanied by her friend Amon and his triple of cadets. Now the safest place for Raisa is Wein House, the military academy at Oden’s Ford. If Raisa can pass as a regular student, Wien House will offer both sanctuary and the education she needs to succeed as the next Gray Wolf queen.

Everything changes when Han’s and Raisa’s paths cross, in this epic tale of uncertain friendships, cutthroat politics, and the irresistible power of attraction.

~In Closing~

I dragged my feet through this book of 586 pages. I wanted to give up on it a good couple a hundred times. But I promised myself to finish it… And I did! I was glad to finish it for the ending had picked up an incredible amount of speed. The main characters were suddenly whisked away from this boring academy into a more adventurous and perilous journey. After being at the Academy for many long months, the kingdoms and queendom have experienced some changes at warring conflicts and political relationships. I’m very much interested to see how the training of our young main characters influences their decisions in this complicated world, in hopes to make a difference. 


*Click to Read:
“Seven Realms, Book 1; The Demon King”
“Seven Realms, Book 2; The Exiled Queen”
“Seven Realms, Book 3; The Grey Wolf Throne”
“Seven Realms, Book 4; Crimson Crown”