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A review by sarahlreadseverything
Heir's Dilemma by Jen Lynning
5.0
4.5 rounding up.
This didn't have quite as unique a premise as book 1 in the series, but still so very enjoyable.
It's several years since the events of Empath's Lure. Lisca and Khiran are happy in Lhanaperi, and smiling, cunning Sebin has apparently sickened of being the strings behind the Moial throne and fled overseas - leaving Princess Merine (now a seasoned courtier rather than the debutante we last saw her as) as her father's next political pawn, as part of a marriage treaty/alliance with another kingdom, Djali. The King of Djali has his own worries though, and places a spy within his own court.
Things I loved:
- The political machinations here are still layered and nuanced and a lot of fun
- Merine is a great character - resigned to her duty as a younger princess to marry for the good of her kingdom, but trying hard to make that inevitability work for her. Whenever she sees a chance to secure a slightly better outcome for herself she leaps on it. Despite being a pawn of her father she gives herself agency.
- Jen Lynning's insertion of little tropey romantic sub-plots into the narrative with secondary characters. In Empath's Lure it was 'Prince falls in love with maid', here there's a very sweet 'In love with younger sister's best friend' moment
- The Djali secondary characters in general. Orlant and Der in particular.
- The side-stepping that Merine and Andros go through, neither comfortable revealing their hand to the other until almost the end. Some may say it dragged on for to long, but I enjoyed the realism of their muddled feelings and the handling of it in a way that meant their romance was an essential part of, but didn't overwhelm, the overall story.
- That the story doesn't just end when the central problem is resolved - you get to see the main characters working through its implications and some of the aftermath.
Docking half a star because:
- I figured out what would happen with Andros's plotline literally within about four paragraphs of meeting him. Lynning was obviously dropping at least some hints on purpose, but they could have been more veiled early on. That being said, it didn't make the journey any less enjoyable.
- Count Bendeil returns as Moial's treaty negotiator, but seems to have completely changed character from book 1? There he was a competent foil in comparison to the King, here he's just a misogynistic waste of space.
I'm all in on this series though. Bring on Sebin's book!
This didn't have quite as unique a premise as book 1 in the series, but still so very enjoyable.
It's several years since the events of Empath's Lure. Lisca and Khiran are happy in Lhanaperi, and smiling, cunning Sebin has apparently sickened of being the strings behind the Moial throne and fled overseas - leaving Princess Merine (now a seasoned courtier rather than the debutante we last saw her as) as her father's next political pawn, as part of a marriage treaty/alliance with another kingdom, Djali. The King of Djali has his own worries though, and places a spy within his own court.
Things I loved:
- The political machinations here are still layered and nuanced and a lot of fun
- Merine is a great character - resigned to her duty as a younger princess to marry for the good of her kingdom, but trying hard to make that inevitability work for her. Whenever she sees a chance to secure a slightly better outcome for herself she leaps on it. Despite being a pawn of her father she gives herself agency.
- Jen Lynning's insertion of little tropey romantic sub-plots into the narrative with secondary characters. In Empath's Lure it was 'Prince falls in love with maid', here there's a very sweet 'In love with younger sister's best friend' moment
- The Djali secondary characters in general. Orlant and Der in particular.
- The side-stepping that Merine and Andros go through, neither comfortable revealing their hand to the other until almost the end. Some may say it dragged on for to long, but I enjoyed the realism of their muddled feelings and the handling of it in a way that meant their romance was an essential part of, but didn't overwhelm, the overall story.
- That the story doesn't just end when the central problem is resolved - you get to see the main characters working through its implications and some of the aftermath.
Docking half a star because:
- I figured out what would happen with Andros's plotline literally within about four paragraphs of meeting him. Lynning was obviously dropping at least some hints on purpose, but they could have been more veiled early on. That being said, it didn't make the journey any less enjoyable.
- Count Bendeil returns as Moial's treaty negotiator, but seems to have completely changed character from book 1? There he was a competent foil in comparison to the King, here he's just a misogynistic waste of space.
I'm all in on this series though. Bring on Sebin's book!