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A review by books_and_cha
The Marked Prince by M.A. Grant
3.0
3.5 stars
The Marked Prince was better written than its predecessor. Although the story takes place in the same world, we visit a different part of this universe in the Seelie Court. This story has a different set of themes as well.
The book begins with Sebastian being tasked to enter the Summer Court to find Slaine, Roark's brother, in place of Finn, who has been overtaxing himself to what Roark worries is past his breaking point. There, Sebastian's path intertwines with Duine, an Unseelie servant of the summer court, a blood tribute given to Aoife when Slaine defected.
What I liked about this book was the political intrigue and strategizing that takes place as Sebastian tries to complete his mission. The plot kept me reading, except for a lull about three-quarters of the way through. The writing was captivating.
The romance was sweet and the pacing felt natural, although it received less attention than other parts of the book, unlike in the previous installment. The Seb-Duine dynamic is very different from Finn and Roark's pairing. The latter was filled with passionate desperation, whereas Seb and Duine are more mellow, their relationship moving from mutual trust and friendship to affection.
Where this book fell through were the characters. Sebastian is drawn well enough, but I wish there was more to Duine. We see his hardened shell cave to Sebastian's warmth and honesty, and there's a good chunk of backstory that explains why he's guarded, insecure, and sometimes cruel - never to Sebastian, but to other characters. That being said, his character development seems glossed over. It wouldn't bother me, but Grant's writing implies that Duine's growth is an essential part of the plot and while it happens, that arc isn't strong enough.
There's a fair amount of action in this book, but it's mostly concentrated towards the last quarter of the book, which made it seem slower compared to The Prince of Air and Darkness, where Finn would get himself into trouble every few chapters. Speaking of Finn, we see him happy with Roark in a few spots in the book.
This was a good follow-up to the first book, and I'm looking forward to more of Grant's writing and surprises.
The Marked Prince was better written than its predecessor. Although the story takes place in the same world, we visit a different part of this universe in the Seelie Court. This story has a different set of themes as well.
The book begins with Sebastian being tasked to enter the Summer Court to find Slaine, Roark's brother, in place of Finn, who has been overtaxing himself to what Roark worries is past his breaking point. There, Sebastian's path intertwines with Duine, an Unseelie servant of the summer court, a blood tribute given to Aoife when Slaine defected.
What I liked about this book was the political intrigue and strategizing that takes place as Sebastian tries to complete his mission. The plot kept me reading, except for a lull about three-quarters of the way through. The writing was captivating.
The romance was sweet and the pacing felt natural, although it received less attention than other parts of the book, unlike in the previous installment. The Seb-Duine dynamic is very different from Finn and Roark's pairing. The latter was filled with passionate desperation, whereas Seb and Duine are more mellow, their relationship moving from mutual trust and friendship to affection.
Where this book fell through were the characters. Sebastian is drawn well enough, but I wish there was more to Duine. We see his hardened shell cave to Sebastian's warmth and honesty, and there's a good chunk of backstory that explains why he's guarded, insecure, and sometimes cruel - never to Sebastian, but to other characters. That being said, his character development seems glossed over. It wouldn't bother me, but Grant's writing implies that Duine's growth is an essential part of the plot and while it happens, that arc isn't strong enough.
There's a fair amount of action in this book, but it's mostly concentrated towards the last quarter of the book, which made it seem slower compared to The Prince of Air and Darkness, where Finn would get himself into trouble every few chapters. Speaking of Finn, we see him happy with Roark in a few spots in the book.
This was a good follow-up to the first book, and I'm looking forward to more of Grant's writing and surprises.