The Faithless

I lover book one, but book two held lot of repetitions of book one that I didn't like

As characters, I love both touraire and Luca but I'm not together sold on them. Here was aloe of back and forth between them was the same as book one.

I had wanted a more in depth into the politics of the world. We saw sone, enough to keep me understanding but I wanted more. I had hoped Luca would have more of a plan to claim her throne but she left me wanting.

The plot was engaging enough, and it was a good story, but Notting amazing.

Part of my feelings could be from the audiobook. I was not too keen on the narrator. She used french acents for a lot ,of the characters that made it hard to know who was speaking.

As always the magic drew me to his story. I'm hoping to see more in book 3

I was really excited to read this because I LOVED the first book in the series when it first came out. My expectations were slightly lowered because after rereading the first book, I didn't enjoy it as much. But that being said, I still enjoyed it and had a fun time returning to this world! My biggest complaint is that it feels like I read a 500 page book where not much happened. I liked that you got to see the characters learning more about the world and discovering new to them creatures and foods. I loved when they saw the giraffes and zibras for the first time... it was so wholesome!






Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for providing me with an eBook copy to review.

I was really excited to get back to these characters!

With a tentative treaty in place, Luca and Touraine are back in their respective countries. Touraine is finding her place in her now free country and Luca is trying to take her rightful throne from her scheming Uncle.
To ensure lasting peace, Touraine will travel as an Ambassador for her people to Balladaire. Luca has to win her throne or the peace between their countries will not last.

I love these characters! I'm not a romance fan, but it is well done and minimal, so it was fine for me. If you like political intrigue, you should definitely check out this series.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.

Pros: lots of political intrigue and hard choices

Cons:

A year has passed since the events of The Unbroken, and Touraine has discovered that helping to rule a nation is a difficult as freeing it from colonizers. She and Aranen are sent as Qazali’s ambassadors to Balladaire to maintain Luca’s friendship and support. But the Balladairan capital is not safe from its own rebels, nor is Luca’s uncle, acting regent, ready to give Luca the throne.

This is a great follow-up to The Unbroken. The setting is different, allowing the reader to learn more of the Balladairan empire and its territories. But the tension between Luca and Touraine, and Luca and her power, remains just as complicated.

I loved how Luca’s disability causes challenges for her, but doesn’t define her.

Luca’s quest to learn more about Balladairan magic bears fruit, but the answers she finds aren’t ones she likes. Touraine’s attempts to use Qazali magic show that while the theory of using it is easy, the practice is not.

Touraine really comes into her own, learning new things and slowly gaining confidence outside of her military prowess.

I loved Fili, the apprentice woodcarver, and am curious what will happen with her in the next book.

The book has so much political intrigue. I loved it. Luca and her uncle playing against each other for the crown was alternatively thrilling and horrifying. Though there are a few fight scenes, this book has more duels and smaller scale action than battles.

The Unbroken was a great book, and I enjoyed The Faithless even more. If you’ve not read these, you’re missing out.