A review by carlyoc
A Kingdom for a Stage by Heidi Heilig
4.0
This sequel picks up where Book One left off - Jetta has rescued her father from torture, although he is weak and missing some fingers and his tongue. She pulled her brother back from the grip of death. Her mother is still far away with the other rebels, but she is getting closer to bringing her family back together. All that is missing is Leo, her love interest who left her in her hour of need.
But when she finds herself back in the hands of Leo's legitimate half-brother and -sister, Jetta must fight not to become a tool of both sides of the war.
This book felt much shorter than the first book, but fast-paced and full of twists and turns and action. No second book slump here. Although if you are looking for Heilig's usual touch of romance, you won't find more than a few sweet stolen moments in this installment.
The ending sets up very nicely for Book Three - not quite a cliffhanger but with a clear problem to be solved in the final book.
We get to know Leo's half-sister Theodora pretty well in this book, and a new character, the leader of the resistance known as the Tiger. We also get to know some of the key bad guys a little better, too, - Leo's half-brother Xavier who took over as general when their father died, Le Trépas the original necromancer, and Lieutenant Peak (not sure about spelling because I read the audiobook), one of the most racist and bloodthirsty members of the army.
All scenes not from Jetta's perspective are formatted like a play and just as in the first book, there are songs complete with sheet music interspersed with the story. It was cool to hear the songs come to life by listening to the audiobook.
But when she finds herself back in the hands of Leo's legitimate half-brother and -sister, Jetta must fight not to become a tool of both sides of the war.
This book felt much shorter than the first book, but fast-paced and full of twists and turns and action. No second book slump here. Although if you are looking for Heilig's usual touch of romance, you won't find more than a few sweet stolen moments in this installment.
The ending sets up very nicely for Book Three - not quite a cliffhanger but with a clear problem to be solved in the final book.
We get to know Leo's half-sister Theodora pretty well in this book, and a new character, the leader of the resistance known as the Tiger. We also get to know some of the key bad guys a little better, too, - Leo's half-brother Xavier who took over as general when their father died, Le Trépas the original necromancer, and Lieutenant Peak (not sure about spelling because I read the audiobook), one of the most racist and bloodthirsty members of the army.
All scenes not from Jetta's perspective are formatted like a play and just as in the first book, there are songs complete with sheet music interspersed with the story. It was cool to hear the songs come to life by listening to the audiobook.