#BookReview: The Reluctant Queen (The Queens of Renthia, #2) by @SarahBethDurst #Giveaway

About the Book:

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. 

Reviewed By: Jessica P. 

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Recommended Age: Young Adult, New Adult 

Genre: Fantasy 

How I Acquired this book: Purchased & Publisher 

Overall rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads | Amazon

About the Author:
Sarah Beth Durst is the award-winning author of fifteen fantasy books for kids, teens, and adults, including THE STONE GIRL'S STORY, DRINK SLAY LOVE, and THE QUEENS OF RENTHIA series. She won an ALA Alex Award and a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and has been a finalist for SFWA's Andre Norton Award three times. She is a graduate of Princeton University, where she spent four years studying English, writing about dragons, and wondering what the campus gargoyles would say if they could talk. Sarah lives in Stony Brook, New York, with her husband, her children, and her ill-mannered cat. For more information, visit her at sarahbethdurst.com.

Noteworthy experiences while reading this book: This is the second time I have read this title and man o man its just as good as the first time around! This one pick up 6 months after the events of book one and let me tell you man you are in for the time of your life!

Check out author's other books? YES 
Recommend this book? YES

My Thoughts On This Book:  This book made me feel a range of emotions from crying, to laughing, to just plain not being able to form words out of my mouth. I had nothing about what twist happened. I didn't see it coming and well I DIDNT SEE IT COMING!!! It was something that I wouldn't have guessed if you would have given me the option! This book was just so mind blowing! We learn so much more about the world of Renthia in this story as well as make new friends. 

Ok so I just read the synopsis of the book so I know what I can and cannot tell you. And as you guessed that synopsis really GIVES A LOT AWAY!! If you haven't read DONT just don't its better to be surprised!! 

Ok so the plot for this one centers around our beloved Queen Daleina finding out that she is dying from I have to say a really interesting disease. (Cant delve into that its a spoiler!) But anyway on goes the search to find a new heir! And of course our leading Champion Ven finds one who doesn't want to be found. I have to say that I really loved that this new person was not a child. She was a grown woman. I asked the author and both Naelin and Ven are around their mid 30's or so. I really loved their romance in this one and hope that it expands in book three. We find out other things in this story as well. The ending was out of this world and that I pretty much have called since the beginning. It centers around Byan I won't say more than that. But I CALLED IT!! I call dibs on that one!! 

The world building is lush with even more spirits and descriptions. I hope that in book three we journey to new lands. 

This was a wonderful continuing story about a world that I slightly wish I lived in. As long as I well didn't get torn apart by spirits cause that would be no fun. I can't wait for the next book to come out and I can't wait for everyone to read this one. 


Book in a Pinch
Magic, Romance, Twists, and Betrayal!

Go Into This One Knowing 
Expect the unexpected!  
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Posted in: 5 Stars, HarperCollins, Jessica P., New Adult, Review, Young Adult