Blood of a Thousand Stars by Rhoda Belleza (Empress of a Thousand Skies book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Empress of a Thousand Skies, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“Empress

With a revolution brewing, Rhee is faced with a choice: make a deal with her enemy, Nero, or denounce him and risk losing her crown.

Fugitive

Framed assassin Alyosha has one goal in mind: kill Nero. But to get his revenge, Aly may have to travel back to the very place he thought he’d left forever—home.

Princess

Kara knows that a single piece of technology located on the uninhabitable planet Wraeta may be the key to remembering—and erasing—the princess she once was.

Madman

Villainous media star Nero is out for blood, and he’ll go to any means necessary to control the galaxy. 

Vicious politics and high-stakes action culminate in an epic showdown that will determine the fate of the universe.” - taken from Goodreads.com

I really wish that I had picked up the ending to this duology sooner than I did for the simple fact of remembering all of the little details from the first book. It really didn’t take me long to fall back into the story of the Ta’an sisters and their quest to regain the throne from Nero. Our main characters are separated for most of the book. Told from the POVs of Rhiannon, Kara, and Aly, the story ends on quite a dramatic note.

Visit Rhoda Belleza’s website.

The Cursed Sea by Lauren DeStefano (The Glass Spare book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, The Glass Spare, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“Wilhemina Heidle, the exiled princess of Northern Arrod, the girl thought dead by her family and friends, must return home. The only way to save Loom, the cursed prince of the Southern Isles, is to revisit the castle and discover the origins of her own curse.

But home is very different from how she left it—Wil’s unstable elder brother is now king, leading a war against the Southern Isles. And the rest of her family must reckon with the truth of what happened to lead to Wil’s exile. With time running out, Wil must navigate the dangerous secrets within her family if she’s going to find the truth and save the boy she loves.

When she’s finally able to reach Pahn, nothing goes as planned, and suddenly Wil and her allies are fighting for their lives, again and again, as the Southern King is out to punish his children for all they’ve done. Traveling across cursed seas and treacherous kingdoms, Wil, Loom—and his ruthless sister Espel—have to work to make peace with their own struggles if they hope to secure the future of their kingdoms.

But when their plans lead them right back to evil marveler Pahn, and to Baren—who is more dangerous than ever—can Wil and her friends outsmart their enemies, this time, for good?” - taken from Goodreads.com

When Wil returns home to face the fallout from her curse and to find a way to help Loom, she isn’t prepared for what she discovers upon her arrival. Readers uncover along with Wil the origins behind her curse and the royal family. For me, the ending was especially satisfying. Another great fantasy read.

Visit Lauren DeStefano's website.

The Wicked King by Holly Black (The Folk of the Air book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, The Cruel Prince, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

Check out Book Series Recaps for a refresher of the first book.

“You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.

The first lesson is to make yourself strong.

After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her younger brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.

When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world.” - taken from Goodreads.com

Five months have passed since the surprising betrayal and upheaval that occurred at the end of The Cruel Prince, Our girl Jude has placed herself in a precarious situation where she can trust very few. When Carden begins to take his role seriously and someone close to Jude double-crosses her, control slips from her grasp.

Holly Black’s Folk of the Fair Air trilogy is definitely not lacking. In fact, after enjoying the first book tremendously, I can honestly say this book is even better. Readers, be prepared. The ending is killer!

The finale to Jude’s story, The Queen of Nothing, is expected in 2020. 

Visit Holly Black’s website.

The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 2 by Cassandra Clare and Cassandra Jean

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Vol. 2, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“Having her best friend, Simon, kidnapped and being attacked by the vampires already seemed too much for Clary to handle. But when she realizes her hidden power and that leads her to what she has been searching for, the truth exposed might be something that she absolutely cannot accept…” - taken from Goodreads.com

The second volume in this series concludes the storyline of City of Bones. With no exact information available but the last pages of the book tease to a third volume. 

Visit Cassandra Clare’s website.

Visit Cassandra Jean’s website.

Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard (The Witchlands book 3)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first two books in this series, Truthwitch and Windwitch, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

"High in a snowy mountain range, a monastery that holds more than just faith clings to the side of a cliff. Below, thwarted by a lake, a bloodthirsty horde of raiders await the coming of winter and the frozen path to destroy the sanctuary and its secrets.

The Bloodwitch Aeduan has teamed up with the Threadwitch Iseult and the magical girl Owl to stop the destruction. But to do so, he must confront his own father, and his past.” - taken from Goodreads.com

Bloodwitch is Aeduan’s story and even brings forth more revelations from Sightwitch. Unfortunately for me, there are too many characters in this series and all were separated from one another for the first 90% of the book. The last 10% is where everyone begins to cross each other’s path and the action quickly picks up. With the choice that is made at the end, I am interested to see how things turn out for everyone.

The Witchlands series continues with book four expected in 2020. 

Visit Susan Dennard’s website.

Visit the Witchlands’ website.