bookwormmuse's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
maryamhussain's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Spoiler
Ngl the bloodbath at the end of the first book, including all the emotional deaths in the third act of the first book, really set it apart. This one didn’t have as great of an emotional punch at the end, but it was pretty good.freesien's review against another edition
4.0
As thrilling and entertaining as the first book! The plot thickens in this installment and leaves me wanting more! I yearn for more Merecot, she is such an interesting and complex character. Naelin and Garnah were great additions to the book; Naelin is a strong and independent mama bear and Garnah is so smart and evil whilst also, surreally, likeable.
freesien's review against another edition
4.0
Vor allem die zweite Hälfte hat es so richtig in sich und das Ende erst! Ich bin schon richtig gespannt darauf, wie die Reihe enden wird.
clauleesi's review against another edition
4.0
My rating: 4.5 stars
After reading this stunning sequel to one of my favorite fantasy books ever, [b:The Queen of Blood|25036395|The Queen of Blood (The Queens of Renthia, #1)|Sarah Beth Durst|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1462331047s/25036395.jpg|44712641], I am now even more baffled by the fact that this series isn't more talked about.
In this book, the stakes are even higher than in its predecessor. Daleina is now the queen of Aratay, and all should be good - except that she finds herself terminally sick. And if she dies without an heir, all of Aratay will fall to the bloodthirsty spirits. It's up to Champion Ven to try to find an heir that has the abilities to take over Daleina's crown. But when he meets the powerful and loving mother Naelin, he realises that he not only needs to find an heir that is strong, but also actually willing.
Aaaahhhhh. Guys, this was absolutely amazing. It started off with a bang, an absolutely awful bang that set all the wheels of this powerful and nerve wracking story in motion. The writing is once again beautiful, and the magic that [a:Durst|99117|Sarah Beth Durst|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1188007776p2/99117.jpg] weaves with Aratay is incredibly impressive - she completely transported me to the green ancient forests of Daleina's home., which itself felt almost sentient at times.
“The forests of Aratay were as vast and deep as an ocean. There were dark paths that hadn't seen sunlight in a century, as well as quiet groves of new saplings with trunks only as thick as a child's finger. A few roads, glorified animal tracks, ran on the ground between the trees, and the wire paths ran through the upper canopy, but most towns were nestled in the branches, midforest level, and connected by bridges.”
Doesn't that just sound gorgeous?
We also had a nice blend of both new and old characters. I have to admit that I had a lot of troubles with the new main character Naelin though; she was as fleshed out and complex as the rest of the cast, but she just got on my nerves. I have no problem with "bad" characters - I liked the sneaky Garnah - but Naelin was just narrow minded and selfish and a bore, especially at first, and she might actually be what didn't make this book exactly as good as the first for me. I do have to say that she improved and got her head out of her ass as the book progressed though, but Daleina is still, without a question, my queen. I love her.
I would also like to add that I really feel like this book should be categorised as Adult or High Fantasy. It's not just that basically all the characters are adults, but the feel of this isn't that of a YA any longer, even though it still has that gripping pace and flow. It's simply more mature.
The plot will fit people of all ages - it's captivating, with all its twists and turns and unravelings, and I found that it just got better and better. That ending had me shook. I literally couldn't let the book go at all those last hundred pages and now have too many questions jumbling around in my head that I need answered now.
I can't fucking wait for [b:The Queen of Sorrow|36039814|The Queen of Sorrow (The Queens of Renthia #3)|Sarah Beth Durst|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1513185111s/36039814.jpg|44737365], y'all. It's bittersweet how that one will be the last in this fantastic series, but I have absolutely no doubt that Durst will give us an amazing finale to remember.
After reading this stunning sequel to one of my favorite fantasy books ever, [b:The Queen of Blood|25036395|The Queen of Blood (The Queens of Renthia, #1)|Sarah Beth Durst|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1462331047s/25036395.jpg|44712641], I am now even more baffled by the fact that this series isn't more talked about.
In this book, the stakes are even higher than in its predecessor. Daleina is now the queen of Aratay, and all should be good - except that she finds herself terminally sick. And if she dies without an heir, all of Aratay will fall to the bloodthirsty spirits. It's up to Champion Ven to try to find an heir that has the abilities to take over Daleina's crown. But when he meets the powerful and loving mother Naelin, he realises that he not only needs to find an heir that is strong, but also actually willing.
Aaaahhhhh. Guys, this was absolutely amazing. It started off with a bang, an absolutely awful bang that set all the wheels of this powerful and nerve wracking story in motion. The writing is once again beautiful, and the magic that [a:Durst|99117|Sarah Beth Durst|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1188007776p2/99117.jpg] weaves with Aratay is incredibly impressive - she completely transported me to the green ancient forests of Daleina's home., which itself felt almost sentient at times.
“The forests of Aratay were as vast and deep as an ocean. There were dark paths that hadn't seen sunlight in a century, as well as quiet groves of new saplings with trunks only as thick as a child's finger. A few roads, glorified animal tracks, ran on the ground between the trees, and the wire paths ran through the upper canopy, but most towns were nestled in the branches, midforest level, and connected by bridges.”
Doesn't that just sound gorgeous?
We also had a nice blend of both new and old characters. I have to admit that I had a lot of troubles with the new main character Naelin though; she was as fleshed out and complex as the rest of the cast, but she just got on my nerves. I have no problem with "bad" characters - I liked the sneaky Garnah - but Naelin was just narrow minded and selfish and a bore, especially at first, and she might actually be what didn't make this book exactly as good as the first for me. I do have to say that she improved and got her head out of her ass as the book progressed though, but Daleina is still, without a question, my queen. I love her.
I would also like to add that I really feel like this book should be categorised as Adult or High Fantasy. It's not just that basically all the characters are adults, but the feel of this isn't that of a YA any longer, even though it still has that gripping pace and flow. It's simply more mature.
The plot will fit people of all ages - it's captivating, with all its twists and turns and unravelings, and I found that it just got better and better. That ending had me shook. I literally couldn't let the book go at all those last hundred pages and now have too many questions jumbling around in my head that I need answered now.
I can't fucking wait for [b:The Queen of Sorrow|36039814|The Queen of Sorrow (The Queens of Renthia #3)|Sarah Beth Durst|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1513185111s/36039814.jpg|44737365], y'all. It's bittersweet how that one will be the last in this fantastic series, but I have absolutely no doubt that Durst will give us an amazing finale to remember.
schnoebs13's review against another edition
4.0
4.25⭐️
The one thing I can truly say about this series is that Sarah Beth Durst sure knows how to create a very vivid world. I can easily see every type of spirit she depicts and the formations of the all the tree buildings.
This story started slow for me after a very explosive first 2 chapters. Queen Delaena is not dealing with the aftermath of the Coronation Massacre, the beginning of her reign and what seems to be a mysterious and deadly disease. The main issue is that she has these fainting spells that mimic death which inturn allow the spirits to have complete control of themselves and attack the humans near to them. Due to this issue, Queen Delaena sends her Champions out to look for new candidates who might be able to become her new heirs and this is where we meet Naelin. She is a woman with two kids and a husband who just wants to live a simple life and avoid spirits at all costs.
The first half of this book is where I struggled a bit because of the pacing. It was very much a journey story just like the first but the dynamics between the group frustrated me at times. I understand that Naelin is a mother but you can't mother every single person you meet (but I understand that it's probably from her fear that those actions were derived). Once the second half hit though and Naelin started becoming who she's supposed to be beyond that fear and we got more time and the palace with Delaena (who I love!), I really loved the story. I ended up finished the second half pretty much in one evening. The final scenes had my heart racing like crazy and I can't wait to see what happens in the final book of this trilogy; especially with how that epilogue ended!
The one thing I can truly say about this series is that Sarah Beth Durst sure knows how to create a very vivid world. I can easily see every type of spirit she depicts and the formations of the all the tree buildings.
This story started slow for me after a very explosive first 2 chapters. Queen Delaena is not dealing with the aftermath of the Coronation Massacre, the beginning of her reign and what seems to be a mysterious and deadly disease. The main issue is that she has these fainting spells that mimic death which inturn allow the spirits to have complete control of themselves and attack the humans near to them. Due to this issue, Queen Delaena sends her Champions out to look for new candidates who might be able to become her new heirs and this is where we meet Naelin. She is a woman with two kids and a husband who just wants to live a simple life and avoid spirits at all costs.
The first half of this book is where I struggled a bit because of the pacing. It was very much a journey story just like the first but the dynamics between the group frustrated me at times. I understand that Naelin is a mother but you can't mother every single person you meet (but I understand that it's probably from her fear that those actions were derived). Once the second half hit though and Naelin started becoming who she's supposed to be beyond that fear and we got more time and the palace with Delaena (who I love!), I really loved the story. I ended up finished the second half pretty much in one evening. The final scenes had my heart racing like crazy and I can't wait to see what happens in the final book of this trilogy; especially with how that epilogue ended!
bookishnicole's review against another edition
4.0
The plot thickens! This went into a direction I totally didn't expect.
chloec_m's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0