Emilina Flores wants nothing more than for her queendom to be restored and her people to be prosperous, but she would also like peace for Ruina and the other kingdoms. Her sister Olivia, however, would much rather destroy the neighboring kingdoms. For these sisters, victory means two different things. As time passes, Olivia’s thirst for revenge takes over and leaves utter destruction in her wake.
Em isn’t the only one losing her patience with Olivia; other members of the Ruina army are worried about Olivia’s increased violence. Before long, they find themselves divided, some following Olivia and some following Em. Only one sister can win, only one vision of the future prevail, and there is only one battle left. Will Em’s vision of peace fall before Olivia’s bloody vengeance or will Em save her queendom and return peace to the lands? This was an interesting series for me, and this final installment was the ending I needed. One thing that set this young adult fantasy novel apart from the rest was how violent it was. If it wasn’t a young adult novel but instead an adult fantasy novel, the violence level would be on the low end, but this was one of the most violent young adult series that I have read in a long time. The writing was easy to follow and the story easily pulls the reader in. The dialogue is realistic and believable in circumstances such as those the characters face. Em’s character is your average conflicted heroine. She has good qualities and a good morale, despite the violent home she grew up in. She also possesses the knowledge of right and wrong, along with some of the other Ruined . Though she wants nothing more than to have her sister back with her, she doesn’t want to hurt anyone else. She knows that most of the people they encounter are innocent and good people; they are not the people that murdered her family or hurt the people of Ruina under the late king of Lera. Olivia is obviously suffering from her time imprisoned in the Lera dungeons, but she was a violent person even before she was taken prisoner. Olivia is outright malicious, intent on revenge. She does not care who she hurts. I enjoyed this novel and gave it four out of five stars. I would recommend this novel to fans of The Orphan Queen and The Seven Realms series. I borrowed a copy of this novel from my local library and the image above is my own.
Emilina Flores, powerless princess of Ruina, has lost everything she holds dear. Her parents were both murdered, her baby sister Olivia kidnapped, and her country torn apart by war. Her lack of Ruined power has lead her enemies to believe she is not a threat, but they couldn’t be more wrong.
Determined to rescue her sister, Em has devised a plan to infiltrate the enemy castle by taking the place of Prince Casimir’s intended bride. She plans to discover where her sister Olivia is being held, and help to ensure an attack against the kingdom of Lera, but if she is discovered, it will mean her execution. Once her plan is put into motion, Em finds herself married to Prince Casimir of Lera, the next in line to the Lera throne, and the son of the man who murdered her mother. The marriage between Prince Casimir and Princess Mary had been arranged by the king of Lera, to ensure that the orphaned princess’s lands became his own. Once Em takes her place and marries Prince Casimir, she finds that he is not anything like his father and over time she grows to care for her husband. What will he do when he discovers that she is not who she says she is and will Prince Casimir help her find her sister and save her people or will she find herself another victim of his vicious father? Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Em Flores is a well-constructed character, driven by her anger and her love for her sister. She has suffered at the hands of others and has transformed her pain into pure hatred and a desire for revenge. Her unchecked need for revenge has made her numb to the actions of herself and others in their mission. However, the realization that Prince Casimir is not the evil young man that she had envisioned, opens her mind to the horrors committed on both sides of the war and allow her to truly see who she has become. The story line is fast paced, combining riveting action, compelling arguments, heartbreaking confessions, and touching, clean, romance. The passion, hurt, and anger are realistic and come through to the reader, helping them to connect to the characters and their situations. The circumstances and some of the more minor characters come across as two dimensional, however, their involvement with the main characters is limited to a few points of interest and are not completely unrealistic, despite their lack of depth. The main characters, and the secondary characters, exhibit depth and strength, and growth of character throughout the story. All of the main and secondary characters exhibit growth and have multiple faucets, both good and bad, to their personality. This was a wonderful read, which I enjoyed and I hope to read the second installment before too much time has elapsed. I would recommend this book to fans of “The Throne of Glass” by Sarah J. Maas and “The Orphan Queen” by Jodi Meadows. I borrowed a copy of this book from my local library and have permission from the publishers to use the cover artwork image featured above. |
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