The Mirror King (The Orphan Queen #2)

                Hello Happy Readers!  So I read The Orphan Queen (review) back before I hit my reading freeze or whatever with everything happening and I really enjoyed it.  I was also thrilled, and only somewhat nervous, that it was part of a dualology and that I had the next book ready to go.  So one book left to figure out oh so so much.  So today I’m discussing the sequel and final book, The Mirror King by Jodi Meadows.  Spoilers for the first book as this picks up where the other left us hanging.

Rating:  5 Stars

                When I saw we pick up where we left off, I mean it.  Prince was breaking our hearts announcing his wedding date to his fiancé and not our Wil and then being shot.  We don’t know if he’ll make it and all sorts of madness ensues. I was caught in this because I wanted something to stop the impending wedding but I didn’t want him hurt.  Saving him is of utmost importance and then, despite it all he still must hold true to his plans for the wedding which breaks our hearts in a different way.  What’s harder still is that his bride to be, Meredith,  isn't horrible. 

                The Mirror King had a lot to answer to finish up the journey we started in book one.  More than the clear romantic pairing that is separated by so much that is.  Though I admit to having that high on my list.  What can I saw I'm a romantic.  We also had this Wrath boy to contend with on top of the whole battle against the wraith and battle of kingdoms.  Both Wil and Tobiah are in difficult situations and we keep seeing that no matter how much you may desire something when you have people or a kingdom counting on you its never that easy.

                Meadows drove in deeper with the characters themselves.  We got to really get into Wil's mind and also see much more of some of the others both those we enjoy and those we wouldn’t mind the wraith swallowing up.  No one was one sided and dull but multi-faceted.  Wil in particular really grows to understand herself but also her powers more while struggling with something everyone can understand, insecurities.  While she has her magic sure I love she never uses it as a crutch but rather her strength and skills she has built over the years is her strong base. 

                The fact that there are multiple "villains" in the story both real people and the wraith but also the evil inside ourselves.  I loved the complexity of this.  While it did have a few moments here and there where it seemed a bit slower pace than I would like I was so invested in the story and unraveling it all that I didn't mind.  Still there was a level of seriousness throughout and it is very clear there are consequences to this war and people you love may not make it out alive.  Knowing that no one is safe and trying to figure out constantly a way to possibly resolve this into a happy ending for everyone in my head was intense. 

                Overall as a duology I highly recommend it.  It had all the great elements from complex characters, heartbreak, developed world and story line, and an end that is satisfying.  Sure it may break your heart a million times over but you still love it.  Meadows did a fantastic job of hitting just the right notes of hope and despair throughout.  She also ended things in a way that cleared everything up and didn't leave you with tons of unanswered questions.  I loved it.

                Until next time…

The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen #1)

                Hello happy readers!  I hope you all had a great weekend.  I finished up a read along on our Goodreads group Perpetual YA Bookworms reading The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen #1) by Jodi Meadows and we start the sequel and conclusion of the dualology The Mirror King today to finish off the series.  But before I dive into book two I wanted to share my thoughts on book one.

Rating:  5 Stars

                The Orphan Queen is a story following Wilhelmina and while she has multiple identities at the moment through and through she is a princess of a kingdom taken over by the Indigo Kingdom ten years before in the One Day War.  She and many others were left orphans and taken into the Indigo Kingdom but as they escape they took on the title of Ospreys and learn stealth and theft anything to survive and take back her thrown.  To do so she will work as a spy and infiltrate Skyvale Palace and gather information on their foes.  However, taking her throne back isn't that simple, on top of dealing with those difficulties there is a much larger issue at stake, the Wraith, toxic by-product of magic making magic illegal for years, is working it's way across the continent laying waste to the land.  Even if she manages to get her crown back she will still have to contend with this threat.

                Let us start with Wil, she is different than what I have come to expect from characters reclaiming their thrown.  She may be the rightful queen but her and the Ospreys have a different leader of their group, Patrick.  His father was the former General and he was the oldest when they escaped making him the best choice to get them where they needed to be.  Wil is a skilled fighter, they all are after years of surviving, which makes her pretty bad ass.  We also learn from the start she herself has magic, a flasher, but thankfully no one knows or she could be killed.  With magic being illegal and the cause of the Wraith it's a touchy subject.  She's a master forger and loves the art of writing and drawing and I enjoyed the way it played out.  As a future queen of her people she also sees a larger picture and while she lets others lead she does not blindly follow but questions and looks for her own answers.

                In Skyvale one figure in particular hunts down flashers and those who hurt the city, Black Knife.   Black Knife is a very complex character.  He is one to be feared but as we continue we come to see more of him and just what he does.  He is a vigilante but he also is doing so to save the people of the city which is commendable.  I think I liked this character the best as I got to know him and even as I suspected who Black Knife was beneath the mask early on it was fun to watch it play out.  I don't think the identity is meant to be shocking, I think there is enough out there to make the reader suspect and in turn enhance the character without fully confirming until the final section. 

                The characters and their interactions were what really moved things along for me.  I was invested in them, Patrick and his rule of the Ospreys and did I trust him or not, her best friend Melanie and did I suspect her, the other ladies of court while under cover and their motives.  Clearly I distrust everyone it seems.  We also can't forget some of our men, Prince Tobias and his cousin / guard James and of course our masked Black Knife all of whom have their moments both good and bad.  All of them formed a web that makes you want more.  And if that isn't enough you really get to dive into the whole world of Skyvale and the Wraith.  Trying to figure out what it is and how to stop it and the beasts it creates keeps you guessing.  What is rumor, myth, and what might actually help.  All while giving us hints of the past with connections and magic itself.  Along with pieces of what Wil herself can do as she struggles with what she thought she knew of the past and what is becoming clear may be well and true. 

                Overall it really took off and after the first 70 or so pages where I enjoyed it I moved to hard to put down.  I am so glad I waited to read this book though because with the ending that I had now I don't have to wait to read what happens next and how the story ends.  I will be starting The Mirror King today and I will share thoughts once I finish.  Until then I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments about the intrigue, action, magic, and moving parts in this fantasy. 

                Until next time…