Eidolon (Wraith Kings Book Two)

Tags

Book Review, Fantasy Romance, Indie Author

Title & Author: Eidolon (Wraith Kings Book Two), Grace Draven

Genre & Publication Date: Fantasy Romance, April 18, 2016

Book Description: “**Sequel to RADIANCE and Book #2 in the Wraith Kings series** In a bid for more power, the Shadow Queen of Haradis unleashes a malignant force into the world. Her son Brishen, younger prince of the Kai royal house, suddenly finds himself ruler of a kingdom blighted by a diseased darkness. His human wife Ildiko must decide if she will give up the man she loves in order to save his throne. Three kingdoms on the verge of war must unite to save each other, and a one-eyed, reluctant king will raise an army of the dead to challenge an army of the damned. A tale of alliance and sacrifice.”

First Line: When Kirgipa accepted the coveted position of second nursemaid to the youngest of the Kai heir apparent’s brood, she never imagined the role entailed consecutive days of sleep deprivation and exile to the farthest corner of the palace.

My Take: Having absolutely adored book one of this series (Read my review of Radiance here) I was crazy excited to read this sequel. As is the method of this lovely Indie author, she writes a complete story in her novels, leaving threads for additional stories in the worlds she creates but not jarring you with a painful cliffhanger.

I’ll say right up front: this was a great read. Draven has such a poetic way of writing when she describes a scene or a landscape or even a person, that I find myself rereading passages just for the love of words (which is what makes her one of my favorite authors). She is equally adept at conveying carnage and horror because that prologue the book begins with is pumped so full of action and emotion I completely forgot how much I usually hate prologues.

The main romance between Brishen and Ildiko is already established as we go into this story, so the main plot is less focused on the usual romance steps (the meeting, the attraction, the getting together, etc.) and more concentrated on their relationship, specifically how it holds up to the massive burden placed on their shoulders when everything goes to crap. I really enjoyed the depth of Brishen and Ildiko’s bond to each other, so indicative of a marriage, not a fresh and frilly romance where the other person seems perfect. They make mistakes. They draw away from each other and then come back. They find strength in one another, in the giving and accepting of support. That’s a marriage folks, and Draven depicts it in such a beautiful way.

The Magical: Definitely the big evil sweeping over the land gave me the heebie jeebies. The way their sounds were described, the way they kill and devour and destroy *shiver*. That was awesome. And oh! The sacrifices made in this book! Totally wrenched my heart out several times…Which I shouldn’t enjoy, but I do.

The Mundane: I was a little bummed that the third point of view, Kirgipa, essentially disappeared at a certain point (can’t tell you where because “spoilers”). That character didn’t feel wrapped up and it seemed like it was forgotten as the book sped to its conclusion. Was a bit disappointed on that score.

Summary of Thoughts: Awesome sequel! It had a couple of bumps in it here and there, but otherwise I loved it and totally lost sleep reading into the night because I couldn’t put it down. If you’re a pure romance fan, I’m not sure if this one will satisfy you as much as Radiance because the relationship is established already, but the story is wonderful so I hope you give it a chance. The series looks like it will continue with a couple of characters we’ve seen in both books and I can’t wait to see what happens there! 2017 needs to get here!!