After surviving a revolution that will finally put the rightful queen on the Maevan throne, Brienna struggles to find her place as the adopted daughter of a Maevan lord. Aodhan Morgane, meanwhile, loved by Brienna as Cartier, is fighting to rebuild his own House from the ashes of tyranny and oppression.
When a remnant of the old regime stirs in Maevana's shadows, Brienna and Cartier must put their doubts and desires aside in order to face a new threat—one that will target any weakness it finds. They must keep the queen from falling before she can rise, but the enemy knows the chinks in their armour, and even the deepest love can be turned to a weapon in the most merciless hands.
This one had been on my TBR for a long while before I finally got my hands on it, and I was not disappointed! Exploring more of Maevana with its medieval Scottish flavour showed the world to be just as rich, ancient, and intricately woven as in The Queen's Rising, the first book in the duology. The world is one of my favourite aspects of the story, though I also enjoyed following the dual storylines of both Brienna and Cartier, as opposed to just Brienna. Magic is present, but its understated involvement in the plot is excellent, leaving plenty of room for characters to act on their own.
Content Notes: intensity definitely notches up in this sequel. Maevana's violent culture manifests itself in merciless torture and gruesome deaths. Allusions are made to mass rape during various villain conquests. Kidnapped women are discovered as victims of an underground brothel, and "gods" are mentioned for exclamatory purposes. Brienna and Cartier's romance is noticeably more passionate but still clean.
With the increase in intensity came an increase in detail, characters, and emotion. Brienna and Cartier are valiant and fiercely devoted to loved ones, especially family—both blood and adoptive. Family ties are consistently strong in this sequel, even as those ties multiply. In fact, the characters' devotion to each other sings as one of the brightest and most beautiful notes in this overall clean, well-written duology!
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