The Book Landers: Book Review: The Exiled Queen

Title: The Exiled Queen

Author: Cinda Williams Chima

Genre: Fantasy

Book Blurb:

Haunted by the loss of his mother and sister, Han Alister journeys south to begin his schooling at Mystwerk House in Oden’s Ford. But leaving the Fells doesn’t mean that danger isn't far behind. Han is hunted every step of the way by the Bayars, a powerful wizarding family set on reclaiming the amulet Han stole from them. And Mystwerk House has dangers of its own. There, Han meets Crow, a mysterious wizard who agrees to tutor Han in the darker parts of sorcery—but the bargain they make is one Han may regret.

Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana’Marianna runs from a forced marriage in the Fells, accompanied by her friend Amon and his triple of cadets. Now, the safest place for Raisa is Wein House, the military academy at Oden's Ford. If Raisa can pass as a regular student, Wein House will offer both sanctuary and the education Raisa needs to succeed as the next Gray Wolf queen.

Everything changes when Han and Raisa’s paths cross, in this epic tale of uncertain friendships, cut-throat politics, and the irresistible power of attraction.

Review:

I have come upon a self revelation: I love dramatic irony! Take Legend for example--the fact that I know that Day is who June is hunting after but she doesn't know who Day is kills me. Same goes with The Demon King and The Exiled Queen (The Exiled Queen is the second book in the Seven Realms series--The Demon King is book one.) The fact that Hans, the one of the main character, doesn't know Raisa is the Raisa in line for throne is like exquisite torture. Oh man...the suspense...me waiting for Han to find out who Raisa actually is (and he was so close so many times!)....Gah!

Okay, so in case you haven't guessed, this review is going to be all over the place. I've actually read the entire Seven Realms series just 1-2 years ago. And then a few days ago I got strange urge to reread them because they're so good. And no, not even their daunting page numbers could turn me off. Cuz that's what long weekends are for, right? (reading long fantasy books)

Be like Hermione. Undaunted by big books.

Ahhhh! I absolutely love (how many times am I going to use that word in this review?) Han Alister, aka Cuffs. He's like a cross between Day from Legend and Jaron from The False Prince. He has the sarcasm and sharp tongue of Jaron and the nimbleness of a runner. Plus he's a rummy slide-hand! (I also love how the author creates a unique dialect within the novel! ie. slide-hand=pickpocket rummy=really good)

I also loved Raisa's character. She is so headstrong--but in a good way. Plus she knows how to suck things up and deal with the crap in life. And she's smart and a hard worker. And her relationship with Amon is....heartbreaking. In a bitter sweet way. Let's just say Raisa, Han and Amon are not your normal triangle.

Okay, next topic I'm going to gush about. The world building! I love Chima's use of sensory description. Not too much to slow down the plot but enough to transport readers into a new, fantastical world. Her words just flow; there is no awkwardness at all transitioning between descriptive/world building sentences to action.

And the plot....that plot. Sooo amazing. Totally fangirling right now. Every part of the plot is well planned; there is no "fluff"; each twist of the story has its own purpose and there are no such thing as coincidences in The Exiled Queen. Plus the plot is also very intricate--but not in a bad way. Although there is some light politics involved, nothing is ever too confusing. There are just so many layers to the story (oooh...like a layer cake! Tried to make a layer cake for a science project once--didn't turn out so great. Long story.)

Anyways, after finishing The Exiled Queen, I can't wait to get my hands on The Gray Wolf Throne. Happy readings!