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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Apparently, April was the month for me to read sequels that didn't quite live up to the greatness of their predecessors. Le sigh. I loved The Queen's Rising so much and was seriously so excited to dive into The Queen's Resistance and... it just didn't thrill me nearly as much. Let's say that it had a serious case of "second book-itis."
I think one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to anything high fantasy, is when the second book is literally all about war or politics. This book was both. It was war, politics, and very little else. I hoped for more of the magic from the first book and maybe some of the romance as well and it was lacking on both fronts.
There were a few new characters that I was drawn to, but the story was stretched out so much with so many things happening that I lost sight of the people I was the most interested in. If this had been split into two books, I think I may have enjoyed it more? I understand that if it was planned as a duology, this sequel really needed to pack a punch, but it was more of a wallop.
I think I said something similar about the first book - that it felt like two stories in one. This book was the same, but maybe in a less positive way. Overall, it was smartly written and ended well, but it just lacked in a few ways that made it feel a bit disappointing to me. I think I'd like to read both books again in the future in the same format. I listened to the audio for this one and I think it added to some of my confusion.
I think one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to anything high fantasy, is when the second book is literally all about war or politics. This book was both. It was war, politics, and very little else. I hoped for more of the magic from the first book and maybe some of the romance as well and it was lacking on both fronts.
There were a few new characters that I was drawn to, but the story was stretched out so much with so many things happening that I lost sight of the people I was the most interested in. If this had been split into two books, I think I may have enjoyed it more? I understand that if it was planned as a duology, this sequel really needed to pack a punch, but it was more of a wallop.
I think I said something similar about the first book - that it felt like two stories in one. This book was the same, but maybe in a less positive way. Overall, it was smartly written and ended well, but it just lacked in a few ways that made it feel a bit disappointing to me. I think I'd like to read both books again in the future in the same format. I listened to the audio for this one and I think it added to some of my confusion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, War
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
I really enjoyed this sequel. It didn't feel as predictable as I was reading as the first one did because I was distracted by the characters and plot. I do think that this sequel gets much deeper into the characters, which I like because Cartier especially seemed pretty flat in the first book. I also found the writing to be a lot stronger. This book gets fairly dark, but I like the way it explores the idea of blood defining a person and their worth, and forgiveness and family. Even though this book once again feels resolved I will pick up the next installment to see where Ross takes these characters
When I finished The Queen's Rising I had no idea what to expect from this sequel, because not a lot was left unresolved. I did find the plot of this quite simple, but in a good way. There wasn't unnecessary drama and overdone tropes/plot lines. I found that it built on the characters and relationships set up in QR really well, and it was predominately about the characters and their forming/reforming identities in this changed (and for some, new) land. I enjoyed the extension of the 'found family' theme in the first book, and introducing the children of the dethroned Kings bloodline was a nice touch to reflect Brienna's choice to reject her blood family for the one she built. I loved the resolution we finally got for Brienna and Cartier, as well as their evolving relationships with their people.
I felt that Ross' writing definitely improved from the first book to this one, and even though it was less plot driven than book one, this one had me more engaged.
I also liked the introduction of some darker themes and subplots. The backstories of other families and bloodlines were also explored a bit more.
Overall I found this sequel even better than the first book, but once again struggle to know what another book will be about as my copy states this is second in a trilogy. Nothing at all was left unresolved here. That said, I enjoy the world and the characters so will definitely pick up another from Rebecca Ross.
I felt that Ross' writing definitely improved from the first book to this one, and even though it was less plot driven than book one, this one had me more engaged.
I also liked the introduction of some darker themes and subplots. The backstories of other families and bloodlines were also explored a bit more.
Overall I found this sequel even better than the first book, but once again struggle to know what another book will be about as my copy states this is second in a trilogy. Nothing at all was left unresolved here. That said, I enjoy the world and the characters so will definitely pick up another from Rebecca Ross.
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No