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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Four and a Half, rounded up, May 6, 2009
This review is from: The Pretender's Crown (The Inheritors' Cycle, Book 2) (Paperback)
The only reason why this book is 4.5 stars and not 5 is because I do not think that Murphy's "alien race" tie in is done as effectively as it could be. While it creates an interesting motivation for the protagonist (Belinda) to make the decisions that she does, I think that the general tie in of the "alien story" to the action is a little weak.
This book does not stand alone easily. I would definitely recommend that you read The Queen's Bastard (The Inheritors' Cycle, Book 1) first.
The political intrigue and diplomatic plays that began in The Queen's Bastard are more intense, more complete, and more interesting in this book. If you enjoy books like Kushiel's Dart for the political espionage, you will enjoy this series. (Mind, this series is not as good as Carey's work with the Kushiel's Legacy series, but they're in the same realm.) Also improved upon: the character development. All of the characters have rounded out to more complex shades of gray, an improvement all around though you will probably find yourself liking Javier a little less (he's a bit more whiny in this book).
In short: read this book, even if you weren't thrilled with "Queen's Bastard." It's an improvement and a solid, gripping read.
(I was so engrossed in it at one point, I had reached the end of the metro line and the train and platform had cleared of all other people before I snapped out of it long enough to get off the train before it went to the station yard.)
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing!, May 2, 2009
This review is from: The Pretender's Crown (The Inheritors' Cycle, Book 2) (Paperback)
Pretenders Crown is the sequel to The Queen's Bastard (The Inheritors' Cycle, Book 1).
This book defies description-
1. Part alternative history: 16th Century ELizabethan England/Europe
2. Part magical fantasy
3. Part Machiavellian political drama
4. Part Science Fiction (yes- Sci Fi!).
5. Part romance (very little).
The writing is dense. The POV shifts from character to character, so you really have to concentrate when reading. This is not one of those books where you can skim 2-3 pages and not miss a beat. This is not light reading, but is amazingly well written.
You must read Queen's Bastard first. If you have already read Queens Bastard, then the following will make more sense. There are some OMG revelations here, so I will try and not put in any Spoilers.
Here are my thoughts:
1. Belinda- in QB she definetely had shades of gray and was hard to like. In this we actually see her character grow and become more likable. She transforms herself from pawn to player as she realizes what is transpiring around her.
2. Less sex- in QB Belinda's "witchpower" fed from her sexual energy. Thankfully Belinda has learnt to seperate the two by the end of the book. There is still plenty of sex in the first half, although no forced sex like in QB.
3.Javier- in QB he was a sympathetic character, and here he actually becomes less likeable. Events transform him just as they do Belinda. There is a shocking revelation about him that will have your jaw drop.
4.Witchpower- what this is and how Belinda,Ivanova, Robert Drake,Dimitri and Javier possess it is revealed. Again a big shock to me. I did not see this coming.
This book is so different from the Urban Shaman series and the House of Cards series. I think it proves what an amazingly versatile author C.E.Murphy is.
This book is labelled as Part 2 of the Inheritance cycle. The conclusion is satifactory but does leave itself open for a 3rd book. The author's website does not have any info yet as to when it would come out.
If you enjoy complex dark fantasy with a hostorical and Sci-fi dash, you will love this book.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Slim pickings, January 10, 2010
This review is from: The Pretender's Crown (The Inheritors' Cycle, Book 2) (Paperback)
I put off writing a review for quite some time as I didn't know what to say about this book after my review of the first one. And there are improvements: less complaining about women's rights, less masochism, and no huge plot holes. My actual rating is 2 1/2 stars.
Belinda becomes the heir to the throne (Yeah! what was the hold up on that again?). She then initiates plans to overthrow her alien overlords. Somehow, despite how I am intrigued by the aliens, this is too little too late, and her personality shifts seem more to please fans than actual character work.
Javier is rather useless and easily pushed around by outside forces. He was more entertaining in the last book. And when he does take proactive steps like chasing the woman he loves, the romance seems non-existant.
Ivanova makes an appearance and seems set to make a dramatic entrance onto the scene of the main plot. The tension builds, but the drama goes to waste once she leaves her homeland.
The basic idea was good. There were some worthwhile plot twists. I ended up greatly liking Javier's uncle, the Prince of Essendia. But he's a minor character and those that I loved were either killed in body or in character during the first book. Here the characters are more cardboard cutouts than I ever anticipated. Perhaps the plot with the aliens will turn out to be wonderful, but at this point I'm not sticking around to find out.
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