Book Review: Kingsbane
Book Title: Kingsbane (Empirium #2)
Author: Claire Legrand
Purchase: Amazon
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Description from Goodreads:
In this sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller Furyborn, two queens, separated by a thousand years, connected by secrets and lies, must continue their fight amid deadly plots and unthinkable betrayals that will test their strength—and their hearts.
Rielle Dardenne has been anointed Sun Queen, but her trials are far from over. The Gate keeping the angels at bay is falling. To repair it, Rielle must collect the seven hidden castings of the saints. Meanwhile, to help her prince and love Audric protect Celdaria, Rielle must spy on the angel Corien—but his promises of freedom and power may prove too tempting to resist.
Centuries later, Eliana Ferracora grapples with her new reality: She is the Sun Queen, humanity's long-awaited savior. But fear of corruption—fear of becoming another Rielle—keeps Eliana's power dangerous and unpredictable. Hunted by all, racing against time to save her dying friend Navi, Eliana must decide how to wear a crown she never wanted—by embracing her mother's power, or rejecting it forever.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
The first book in this series was so good, so I had high expectations for this one, and yet it totally fell flat for me. The book moved so slowly and there was a lot of talking but not a lot actually happening. I felt like for the first half of the book, I was just waiting for things to really pick up.
In the first book, I felt like I got to know and understand Rielle, while in this sequel, she just annoyed the crap out of me. She basically did whatever she wanted and faced very few repercussions, as those closet to her just let her get away with everything. In the previous book, Rielle’s moral choices were a little more gray and in this one, she was more clearly the villain. I would have preferred if the situations Rielle faced were less black and white, so the reader could question whether she was making the right decisions. That would have made the story more compelling and the character seem more realistic.
The writing was also super repetitive with similar conversations taking place throughout. Rielle constantly struggled with keeping her powers on a tight leash, which led to numerous arguments. She fought with Audric about Corien’s methods for seducing her many times. I didn’t really get Corien and Rielle’s connection — she claims to just be so in love with Audric and yet can’t seem to break Corien’s spell. It’s unclear to me exactly what Corien offers her or what she finds appealing. Maybe it’s just me, but I was also really annoyed when Rielle would throw herself at Audric after every adventure she went on, constantly kissing him and telling him how in love she was. The whole dynamic with Ludivine, Audric, and Rielle felt off for me. I don’t want to give too much away, but if you read the book, I think you’ll understand.
In the first book, I loved Eliana — she was this strong assassin with a higher calling — but in this book, she became so different. She was super emotional: crying constantly, always upset with her situation, and pitching poorly-thought-out and poorly-executed plans. For a lot of the time, I thought she was just kind of depressing to read about, which was frustrating because I understood there was a lot weighing on her shoulders and she really seemed to be falling apart from the pressure. I still really enjoyed Simon and their relationship, though. I liked the banter between them and the fact that he wasn’t afraid to be honest with Eliana. I also appreciated that even though things were bleak, Eliana kept persevering and caring for her loved ones, particularly her brother. The two had their ups and downs, but ultimately they love each other and want what’s best for the other.
Kingsbane just wasn’t worth it for me. I honestly can’t say if I’m going to read the third book in the series. It sucks because this series had such high potential for me — I think the idea is so unique, but overall, the execution just wasn’t there.
