Review: The Mirror King

The Mirror King (The Orphan Queen #2)
by Jodi Meadows
YA Fantasy
Amazon  /  Goodreads

Plot Summary:

Wilhelmina has a hundred enemies.

HER FRIENDS HAVE TURNED. After her identity is revealed during the Inundation, Princess Wilhelmina is kept prisoner by the Indigo Kingdom, with the Ospreys lost somewhere in the devastated city. When the Ospreys’ leader emerges at the worst possible moment, leaving Wil’s biggest ally on his deathbed, she must become Black Knife to set things right.

HER MAGIC IS UNCONTROLLABLE. Wil’s power is to animate, not to give true life, but in the wraithland she commanded a cloud of wraith mist to save herself, and later ordered it solid. Now there is a living boy made of wraith—destructive and deadly, and willing to do anything for her.

HER HEART IS TORN. Though she’s ready for her crown, declaring herself queen means war. Caught between what she wants and what is right, Wilhelmina realizes the throne might not even matter. Everyone thought the wraith was years off, but already it’s destroying Indigo Kingdom villages. If she can’t protect both kingdoms, soon there won’t be a land to rule.

In this stunning conclusion to THE ORPHAN QUEEN, Jodi Meadows follows Wilhelmina’s breathtaking and brave journey from orphaned criminal on the streets to magic-wielding queen.

Review:

The Mirror King takes up immediately where the first book left off.  Wil is immediately in a precarious position and is made to make reluctant decisions to save the people she cares about.  It's something that follows her throughout this novel, while she comes to terms to what it means to be a queen.

The journey is never easy, and it surprised me just how high the stakes became as the plot developed.  This is a fantasy that felt realistic because there were many terrible consequences and a deep sense of foreboding as the magic became more and more out of hand.  I loved how deeply captivating that made this story because I was so invested in the characters' plights.  It also made for some heart-rending twists and turns.  The Mirror King is all about difficult decisions and trying to do what's best for the people.

This book also features a romance that is so very touching in how much the two people care for each other, but in how so many obstacles lies in between their happiness.  The forbidden aspect to a romance always draws me in, and here it was exquisite.  Of course I can't talk about how it develops, but it was a very well-thought out part of this book and very believable.

I feel like there is much I can't discuss about this story because it is full of surprises, and the reader should discover them on his or her own.  If you loved the first book, the second book does not disappoint - it carries on with the adventure, the romance, and the suspense (oh my goodness, the suspense!) as well as being a believable and engaging fantasy read.  The Mirror King is a perfect end to the series.

(I received this book from the publisher or author for a fair and honest review.  I was not compensated for this review.)

Review: The Orphan Queen

The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen #1)
by Jodi Meadows
YA Fantasy
Amazon  /  Goodreads

Plot Summary:

Wilhelmina has a hundred identities.

She is a princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft. With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.

She is a spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil can’t trust anyone.

She is a threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom. Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the others.

Jodi Meadows introduces a vivid new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, dangerous magic, and one girl’s battle to reclaim her place in the world.

Review:

The Orphan Queen is a wonderful fantasy adventure.  Wilhelmina has so much to overcome, and discover about herself as she struggles to be the queen her people need, and it made for some fantastic character development and drama.  Wil was faced with so many perils throughout the story and it kept the suspense and my interest very high.  Wil had to deal with the wraith, with trying to get back her kingdom, with the Black Knife, and with some of her friends who might not be completely on her side.  There's so much going on with this plot.

Not only does the book have to show how Wil deals with all of these things, but it also reveals, slowly, what happened to put Wil in the position of the orphan queen.  Just the plotting of this book is exceptional.  I enjoyed how complex it was, but I was never confused and the pace of the story never waned.

Wil is an intriguing protagonist too.  She's an exceptional fighter, a clever and talented artist, a compassionate and nurturing mother-figure to the younger members of her band, and she takes her responsibilities very seriously.   The strength of her character is impressive, and I also loved that she could be snarky and fun sometimes too.  She's an amazing character to get to know.  And almost matched by how awesome it was to get to know the vigilante Black Knife.  He is an interesting enigma, but so wonderfully admirable, and I loved that Wil grew to appreciate that about him.  Their relationship was another great aspect to this story.  And as if there wasn't enough to this story, it's also wonderful to have a little mystery about who Black Knife is behind the mask!

I absolutely loved diving into the world of this book.  There's so much to the plot, the characters and the world-buliding that it was totally engrossing and a vivid and emotional read.  Unfortunately it comes with a pretty hefty cliffhanger - one that made me flip pages back and forth, just to make sure I wasn't missing something.  Ugh, the anguish!  But I'm only so upset over it because I loved the book so much!