Review by Booklist Review
The second in Kozloff's four-volume epic fantasy series (after A Queen in Hiding, 2020) pulls together some of the disparate threads set up in the previous volume, while weaving in new characters' stories. The story mainly follows scholar-turned-commander Thalen's strategic invasion of Oromondo, the country that invaded the Free States, and Princella Cerulia's perilous mission to stay alive long enough to reclaim the Weirandale throne from usurper Matwyck. Cerulia evades his agents by adopting new identities, her disguises smoothing her way into a new town, a new job, and a new group of people. Calling herself Skylark, she joins Thalen's Raiders, a small guerrilla force traveling deep in Oromondo. Thalen hopes their hit-and-run tactics will repel Oromondo's armies; Cerulia wants to fight for something instead of running away. Cerulia's hidden magical Talent with animals soon proves invaluable to the Raiders, and both characters learn hard lessons about war. This cinematic, battle-heavy entry continues to expand the scope of the series, though it loses momentum under the weight of numerous secondary plots and characters. Ending with a dire cliffhanger, however, is a smart way to ensure readers return for round three.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Cerlia must grow up and learn to fight for her destiny in Kozloff's (A Queen in Hiding, 2020) second Nine Realms novel.Her mother, the Queen of Weirandale, is dead, and Cerlia isn't a child any more. She's left her adoptive peasant family in order to escape evil Lord Matwyck's clutches and eventually escapes Weirandale altogether. Using her ability to talk to animals and several bird-related aliases, Cerlia manages to trek her way over the mountains and into the nation of Oromondo. Cerlia knows that the Oros killed her mother, and she wants to avenge her death. She's heard of a group of raiders who work to disrupt the Oros as they invade and pillage neighboring nations. When Cerlia finally manages to find them and convince them to let her join up, she discovers not only new friends, but a newfound sense of purpose. But is any of that enough to win back her throne or even save herself from the Oro army? Interspersed with Cerlia's plotline are various threads centering on the Oro army and people, Lord Matwyck's kindhearted son, and the raiders themselves. This is the second of a four-part series, and, as such, it falls into the expected pitfalls. The self-contained plot works, but it inevitably feels more like a buildup to further books in the series than its own story. It rises above filler, though, and Kozloff is clearly laying the groundwork for something good, particularly with the very last chapter.Perfectly fine despite second-book syndrome. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
