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Summary
Summary
Filled with political intrigue, violent magic, and malevolent spirits, the mesmerizing second book in Sarah Beth Durst's Queens of Renthia epic fantasy trilogy that started with the award-winning The Queen of Blood.
Everything has a spirit: the willow tree with leaves that kiss the pond, the stream that feeds the river, the wind that exhales fresh snow . . .
And those spirits want to kill you.
It's the first lesson that every Renthian learns.
Not long ago, Daleina used her strength and skill to survive those spirits and assume the royal throne. Since then, the new queen has kept the peace and protected the humans of her land. But now for all her power, she is hiding a terrible secret: she is dying. And if she leaves the world before a new heir is ready, the spirits that inhabit her beloved realm will run wild, destroying her cities and slaughtering her people.
Naelin is one such person, and she couldn't be further removed from the Queen--and she wouldn't have it any other way. Her world is her two children, her husband, and the remote village tucked deep in the forest that is her home, and that's all she needs. But when Ven, the Queens champion, passes through the village, Naelin's ambitious husband proudly tells him of his wife's ability to control spirits--magic that Naelin fervently denies. She knows that if the truth of her abilities is known, it will bring only death and separation from those she loves.
But Ven has a single task: to find the best possible candidate to protect the people of Aratay. He did it once when he discovered Daleina, and he's certain he's done it again. Yet for all his appeals to duty, Naelin is a mother, and she knows her duty is to her children first and foremost. Only as the Queen's power begins to wane and the spirits become emboldened--even as ominous rumors trickle down from the north--does she realize that the best way to keep her son and daughter safe is to risk everything.
Sarah Beth Durst established a place of dark wonder in The Queen of Blood, and now the stakes are even higher as the threat to the Queen and her people grows both from within and beyond the borders of Aratay in this riveting second novel of the Queens of Renthia series.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In Durst's excellent second Queens of Renthia fantasy (after Queen of Blood), the world of Renthia remains a dangerous place where the spirits of the elements want to kill humans, and only powerful queens, such as Queen Daleina of the Forests of Aratay, can control them. But shortly after becoming queen, Daleina falls ill and appears to be dying, forcing her champions, including her previous trainer, Ven, to find women who might be strong enough to take the throne. Along with the queen's guard, Alet, Ven finds and trains Naelin, a mother who has been trying to hide her raw power from everyone, even herself. Meanwhile, Daleina's lover, Hamon, calls upon his estranged mother, a poisoner, to help determine how Daleina became sick, a task that also draws in the queen's teenage sister. Always lurking in the background is the threat of war from the neighboring country of Semo. Durst throws a lot of balls in the air but manages to juggle them deftly now that her world's well established and she can focus on the large cast. She even manages some humor (mostly around Naelin's young children) amid the danger. New readers will benefit from starting with the first book, but they'll want to get to this one as soon as they can. Agent: Andrea Somberg, Harvey Klinger Agency. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
The second in a fantasy series set in a heavily forested continent whose vitality depends on bloodthirsty nature spirits controlled by magically gifted women.Six months after the events of The Queen of Blood (2016), Queen Daleina of Aratay's troubles are far from over. Daleina still feels incredible survivor's guilt about the coronation day massacreand now she herself isn't expected to survive very long. Daleina's newly discovered fatal illness could claim her in mere months; worse, the blackouts it induces cause her to lose control of the spirits, who are then set free to slaughter. Daleina's former lover, the healer Hamon, searches desperately for a cure, even turning to his estranged mother, a brilliant but sociopathic herbalist. To ensure Aratay's security, Daleina must have an heir; but the strongest potential candidates were killed in the massacre, and most of the new candidates aren't surviving their training. Meanwhile, a secret traitor threatens the palace, and Daleina's former schoolmate, the insanely ambitious Queen Merecot of Semo, is preparing to invade. Daleina rests all her hope on one extremely powerful candidate: Naelin, a canny woodswoman and mother of two who can summon and control even the strongest spirits; the only problem is that she has absolutely no desire to be queen. Durst's Renthia continues to fascinate with its very incongruity, juxtaposing idyllic villages and cities built among the trees and the personal journey of the female protagonists with the relentless brutality of the spirits and the ruthless machinations of humans. The result is both incredibly grim and charmingly heartwarming. However, the two books in the series are similar enough thematically and, in some spots, predictable enough that Durst will have to take care to avoid repetition in subsequent installments. Still worth following, at least for now. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
What if you are dying and your power is the only safeguard keeping vicious nature spirits from the indiscriminate slaughter of your entire nation? This terrifying dilemma confronts Queen Daleina in the gripping sequel to The Queen of Blood (2016). Less than a year after surviving the Coronation Massacre and ascending the throne of Aratay, Daleina learns she has a fatal disease. Having no successor, she has been keeping the dreadful malady a secret in order to prevent mass panic among her people. With time running out, she orders the Queen's Champions to find and train an heir immediately. Daleina's former teacher, Champion Ven, goes in search and finds a strong contender in Naelin, the loving mother of two young children. Knowing it draws the bloodthirsty spirits' attention, Naelin has always denied the power within her in order to protect her family. Now to save them she will have to follow Ven and take on a terrible duty she never wanted. Series fans will be captivated and eager for more of the Queens of Renthia.--Lockley, Lucy Copyright 2017 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Everything in the world has a spirit, and those spirits want to kill you. Queen -Daleina learned this from a young age, and her battle with these beings, and the old queen, gained her the crown. Now Daleina knows another truth-she is dying. If there is no one to succeed her, the spirits will set forth uncontrolled across the land and destroy everyone. Naelin has the power to tame the spirits, but her world revolves around her family and her tiny, remote village. When the queen's champion Ven arrives, looking for a new candidate to train, Naelin's avaricious husband reveals her abilities, which Naelin desperately denies to protect her children. But the monarch's power is waning, and dark rumors from the north reveal challenges from more than wild spirits. Soon Naelin realizes that defending the realm may be the only way to save her family. VERDICT This sequel to The Queen of Blood introduces new protagonists while bringing back familiar characters. Durst's strongly woven story supported by solid worldbuilding will please epic fantasy readers.-KC © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
