The Reluctant Queen

The Reluctant Queen by Sarah Beth Durst

I thought I really liked the first book in this series, The Queen of Blood, but I really, REALLY liked The Reluctant Queen. And I again found myself reading far past bedtime in order to finish it.

The book picks up shortly after the end of Queen of Blood. Daleina is queen after the event known as the Coronation Massacre, and is working hard to be the leader Aratay needs - the one that will protect her people from the bloodthirsty spirits that share their land.

But when it becomes clear that something is terribly wrong with Daleina, she urges her champions to find an heir just in case. And this is where things start to get a little out of control. The urgency of the queen's command to find an heir drives some of the champions to make rash decisions, and push their candidates harder than they would normally dare, taking risks that they would not usually chance. And Ven, the Queen's own champion, convinced that the children at the academies will never be prepared in time, goes into the forest again to search for an undiscovered talent, and he meets Naelin - a woman far past the age of typical candidates and mother of 2 young children who wants nothing to do with the spirits, or her power, and whose vested interest is in keeping her own children safe.

And that's how our story begins. One of my favorite new characters in this book, besides Naelin of course, is Garnah - I see her as sort of a neutral chaotic character: an incredibly talented scientist, and a very self-serving person. You really don't know what her angle is throughout the tale, and even upon finishing it, I am not sure if she will tip the balance towards good or ill. Think of someone like Rick of Rick & Morty. Maybe she's alright? Maybe she's not? But she's too obnoxiously smart to do away with, and she knows it.

We also have a healthy bit of political intrigue & mystery in addition to the science-ing & the spirit wrangling magical bits. Add that to the touch of romance, the hint of betrayal & a totally surprise ending and we've got one very compelling book.