THE STOLEN THRONE
Dominion, #2
by Abigail Owen
Entangled Teen
YA Fantasy
460 pages
My twin sister is the true queen of Aryd. She survives, hiding and clinging to life in the desert, while I reign as the false queen alongside the monstrous King Eidolon. There’s only one escape from this gilded prison: Reven. My Shadowraith. My heart. Only the shadows that he struggles to control are growing more sinister, more powerful.
It’s just a matter of time before they turn on him…and on me.
Even escape doesn't mean true freedom, though, when we're still on the run from Eidolon’s unstoppable armies. And when we discover there’s a traitor among us, I have no choice…I must become the queen I was never meant to be.
Because as one evil hunts me, the other loves me more than himself.
And my fate lies with both.
It’s just a matter of time before they turn on him…and on me.
Even escape doesn't mean true freedom, though, when we're still on the run from Eidolon’s unstoppable armies. And when we discover there’s a traitor among us, I have no choice…I must become the queen I was never meant to be.
Because as one evil hunts me, the other loves me more than himself.
And my fate lies with both.
MY TIDBITS
Vivid world-building collides with action and intrigue to create the second book in an adventure, which is dark, rich, and sinister.
This is the second book in the series and needs to be read as such, since the tale takes off where the last one ended and continues. So only read as a series.
Meren has taken the place of her sister at the dread king's side and does her best to keep her identity hidden until Reven can free her. But when he does, it's only the beginning of the battle. Meren's twin sister and actual destined ruler is only a skeleton of her earlier self and in no condition to handle anything. Reven barely keeps his shadows at bay and is as much a threat as friend. The king is hunting them down with power and evil, which seems impossible to stop. And somewhere in between is a traitor, who will ruin any last chance Meren might have to succeed.
Book one, The Liar's Throne, was an exciting read, which is hard to follow, but this second book does a nice job. The world building is even more stellular as Meren heads to the desert and comes up against more challenges and magic. It's enjoyable just to dive into these moments. There's a tighter weave of intrigue as the background behind the king's power and the world seeps into clarity...a tale within a tale. There's more danger as the king threatens to destroy everything, and especially Reven borders on destruction himself. And there's family. The characters are knit and true as ever with sub-plots and individual personalities to draw in. To say that this book sags as book two is simply not true. It continues the story well.
There is less romance in this book, which I do prefer. However, there is a sex scene more toward the later end. This read is more about closing all those information holes, letting the characters shine, and adding more tension and action to the mix. Reven, Meren's heart's desire, loses quite a bit of his allure in this one, but he does have his own shadows (literally) to deal with (in the worst way). Meren has, obviously, tons on her plate and grows quite a bit in this read. She's a heroine to root for, and it will be exciting to see where the third book goes because it promises to end the series with power pure.
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