The Reluctant Queen, Sarah Beth Durst
The Reluctant Queen, Sarah Beth Durst
1 Rating(s)
List: $27.99 | Sale: $19.59
Club: $13.99

The Reluctant Queen
Book Two of The Queens of Renthia

Author: Sarah Beth Durst

Narrator: Khristine Hvam

Unabridged: 13 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 07/04/2017


Synopsis

Filled with political intrigue, violent magic, and malevolent spirits, the mesmerizing second book in Sarah Beth Durst’s Queens of Renthia epic fantasy trilogy.Everything has a spirit: the willow tree with leaves that kiss the pond, the stream that feeds the river, the wind that exhales fresh snow . . . And those spirits want to kill you.It’s the first lesson that every Renthian learns.Not long ago, Daleina used her strength and skill to survive those spirits and assume the royal throne. Since then, the new queen has kept the peace and protected the humans of her land. But now for all her power, she is hiding a terrible secret: she is dying. And if she leaves the world before a new heir is ready, the spirits that inhabit her beloved realm will run wild, destroying her cities and slaughtering her people. Naelin is one such person, and she couldn’t be further removed from the Queen—and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Her world is her two children, her husband, and the remote village tucked deep in the forest that is her home, and that’s all she needs. But when Ven, the Queens champion, passes through the village, Naelin’s ambitious husband proudly tells him of his wife’s ability to control spirits—magic that Naelin fervently denies. She knows that if the truth of her abilities is known, it will bring only death and separation from those she loves. But Ven has a single task: to find the best possible candidate to protect the people of Aratay. He did it once when he discovered Daleina, and he’s certain he’s done it again. Yet for all his appeals to duty, Naelin is a mother, and she knows her duty is to her children first and foremost. Only as the Queen’s power begins to wane and the spirits become emboldened—even as ominous rumors trickle down from the north—does she realize that the best way to keep her son and daughter safe is to risk everything. Sarah Beth Durst established a place of dark wonder in The Queen of Blood, and now the stakes are even higher as the threat to the Queen and her people grows both from within and beyond the borders of Aratay in this riveting second novel of the Queens of Renthia series.

About Sarah Beth Durst

Sarah Beth Durst is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Spellshop, as well as over twenty-five fantasy books for adults, teens, and kids, including the Queens of Renthia series, Drink Slay Love, and Spark. She has won an American Library Association Alex Award and a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award and has been a finalist for the Andre Norton Nebula Award three times. She lives in Stony Brook, New York, with her husband, her children, and her ill-mannered cat.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Emily May on June 24, 2017

I'm just going to say it: I think this series is REALLY good and should be read by more people. There's so much bad in YA fantasy. So much recycled I-pretend-the-world-is-in-danger-but-really-I-just-need-to-choose-between-two-hot-boys nonsense. I personally really feel this series is a hidden gem in......more

Goodreads review by Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ on March 16, 2018

$2.99 Kindle sale, March 16, 2018, for this second book in a very good fantasy series. The third (and final, I believe) book in this series will be published in May 2018. Final review, first posted on Fantasy Literature. Some spoilers for the first book in this series here: Sarah Beth Durst continues......more

Goodreads review by Jessica on July 07, 2017

As a mom who is just starting to get some gray hairs, it is very, very pleasing to read a fantasy book starring a mom who is starting to get gray hairs. It is very, very pleasing to read about a "Chosen One" who is like, "No. I didn't want this. I don't want fame or glory. I don't even care about sa......more

Goodreads review by Zala on November 02, 2024

I really enjoyed most of The Reluctant Queen. In some aspects, it was much better than the prequel, but in others it was worse, and I still liked the first book more overall. Spoilers below! What I liked: - naelin being the opposite of daleina and her momma sass towards ven - the murder mystery and the......more